Hi All,

The latest issue of the ReThink Quarterly, a publication we make for ADP, is out now. Exploring resilience in all its forms, the issue highlights the workers and the systems facing environmental, political and technological uncertainty with fortitude — from mangrove guardians in Mexico to the green talent transition. Check it out!

That’s all from me. Enjoy this week’s stories and have a great weekend.

Chloe

A world map of Working Class History (database)

Saintmaking: the canonisation of Derek Jarman by queer ‘nuns’ (23-minute watch)

Digging with Flo: Olivia Laing (33-minute listen)

Lessons from stewards: the art and science of nurturing healthy digital spaces (6-minute read)

How to lead an army of digital sleuths in the age of AI (20-minute read)

The evolution of the bro movie poster (10-minute read with illustrations)

The pop craveification of breaking news (4-minute read)

A ceremony that honours the Earth and the divine in Tibet (5-minute read with photographs)

Afterwords: Ursula K. Le Guin (48-minute listen)

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A world map of Working Class History (database)
It’s easy to get lost in the breadth of stories of incredible ordinary people packed into this accessible and human-led archive. And the map of the world is a great format to access the stories. The Working Class History (WCH) project aims to record and popularise a grassroots, people’s history, as opposed to the top-down accounts of most history books. The WCH sums up their project best: “History isn’t made by kings or politicians, it is made by us.” I’d also recommend the Work Class History instagram if you’re not already following. They also have a podcast.

Saintmaking: the canonisation of Derek Jarman by queer ‘nuns’ (23-minute watch)
2024 marks 30 years since the death of artist, filmmaker, writer, gardener, and gay rights activist Derek Jarman. In this short film from The Guardian, Jarman’s 1991 canonisation by an activist group of gay male 'nuns' known as the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence is celebrated as an act of political protest. The Sisters found ways to channel a sense of despair into positive action – enduring inspiration for today.

Digging with Flo: Olivia Laing (33-minute listen)
This is a lovely format for a podcast. NTS’s Flo Dill invites a famous guest onto her allotment for a chat and a spot of gardening. In this episode with writer Olivia Laing, Flo and Olivia pot up geraniums while they discuss how gardens have historically been queer havens for artists and the growing urgency for public gardens to provide a refuge amid the climate crisis.

Lessons from stewards: the art and science of nurturing healthy digital spaces (6-minute read)
Great piece from The New Public on the work of community stewards in online digital spaces.

How to lead an army of digital sleuths in the age of AI (20-minute read)
Bellingcat turns 10 this year. To mark this anniversary, Wired has interviewed its founder and creative director Eliot Higgins about where the open-source investigative NGO has been and the challenges its currently facing.

The evolution of the bro movie poster (10-minute read with illustrations)
2023 has been dubbed as the year toxic masculinity dominated cinema. What’s changed in how films are targeted toward male audiences?

The pop craveification of breaking news (4-minute read)
Did you hear about Biden stepping down via LizaMinnelliOutlives? A lot of people did. The X account posted the news before most major news outlets. This newsletter from Taylor Lorenz looks at how fractured our digital public spaces are by exploring the increasingly bizarre ways we’re learning about major events. Often it’s meme accounts leading the way.

Between Earth and sky: a ceremony that connects communities and land in Tibet (5-minute read with photographs)
This piece leads with some extraordinary photographs and some evocative descriptions. “The ceremony is a gift for the senses: prayer flags fluttering in the wind, the sound of hoofs hitting the ground, chanting, songs praising the gods, billowing smoke releasing the calming smell of juniper.”

Afterwords: Ursula K. Le Guin (48-minute listen)
Science-fiction writer Ursula K. Le Guin (1929-2018) continues to transport readers across space and through time, while simultaneously opening portals into our own society. Combining archive recordings of Le Guin herself alongside contributions from writers, artists, and friends, Afterwords looks back over Le Guin’s life to examine what we can learn from her writing today. “Many of her worlds were built around fundamental questions: what if we removed gender imbalances from society? What if we removed ownership? What if we treated the environment, and other people, with respect? What if we valued different aspects of our being? How would that change society?” It’s an inspiring and celebratory production.

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Thanks for reading. We’ll see you all next week.

Hugh, Matt, Anjali and the whole team at Storythings.