I just want art and beauty and you

we're looking to create an AI policy, and when we were talking about this, my boss (older millennial) was genuinely shocked to hear that younger people do not (seem) to view AI positively (a la the recent commencement speakers being booed)

please rb for larger sample size!

Question 1/3

Thank you for helping with this data collection. Please rb for as big a sample as possible!

Fan of opposites attract? How about lots of tease? Have I got the book for you!

Set in Sydney, Australia and between two 40-something-year-old women, Unaccounted For is about control, concealment, and learning who to trust.

These two women are comfortable with their sexualities & no one in their lives is homophobic—they are deeply damaged in other ways! 🌈😌

Kindle link here | Other ebook links here | Paperback link here

This is my first effort at a weekly post! I plan to include three core segments: wonder, whimsy, and a writing prompt. Short and sweet. (Plus a bonus poem or bit of prose for supporters. Often, the bonus will be my quick response to the prompt I offer.)

Wonder

My publisher just sent me a preview of the illustrations for my new book about dandelions (coming spring 2027), so I have dandelions on the brain. Did you know that dandelions have no practical need for pollinators? The common dandelion reproduces asexually, so there’s no need to exchange pollen. And yet… they feed pollinators anyway. I think there is something wonderfully sweet about that, abundance and generosity eclipsing practicality.

Whimsy

Yesterday, I rescued a jumping spider from my kitchen sink and she just sat on the back of my hand and seemed uninterested in climbing off. So, I walked her around my backyard and explained all my current gardening projects to her. She was very patient and politely attentive. She eventually hopped off into the soft jungle of my asparagus patch. I assume she’ll tell the other invertebrates about my upcoming plans for the backyard.

Writing Prompt

Contemplate a time when you were perceived (seen, heard, felt) by a non-human lifeform. Did you make eye contact with a mourning dove? Did you watch an ant use her antennae to explore the fine hairs on your arm? Maybe you called back to a hooting owl? There’s a concept called “observer effect” that basically states that observing a phenomenon necessarily changes it. So… how were you changed by being observed?

PS (Dad Joke): I usually know if someone is a ghost as soon as they walk through the door.