Inaugural Poet Amanda Gorman Racially Profiled by Security Guard
2021 inaugural poet Amanda Gorman tweeted on Friday that she’d been racially profiled by a security guard on her way home, asking her if she lived in the building because she “looked suspicious.” She buzzed herself into the building and the guard walked away with no apology. “This is the reality of black girls,” Gorman tweeted. “One day you’re called an icon, the next day, a threat.” The tweet that followed this one was my favorite: “In a sense, he was right. I AM A THREAT: a threat to injustice, to inequality, to ignorance. Anyone who speaks the truth and walks with hope is an obvious and fatal danger to the powers that be.” That young lady’s light will not be dimmed.
NASA Names Perseverance Rover Landing Site After Octavia E. Butler
It’s already been a couple of weeks since the Perseverance rover landed on Mars and presumably got to cracking on its mission to search for signs of ancient microbial life. We now have some bookish news about the landing site: NASA has named it the “Octavia E. Butler Landing” after the iconic science fiction author. No word yet as to whether the wow factor of the rover’s findings rivals the contents of her books; if they do, buckle those seat belts!
Psychologist Explains Connection Between Fan Fiction and Grief
The idea of fan fiction as escapism is hardly a new one, but the pandemic has added a whole new layer to this particular relationship. In discussions of self-care and wellness practices in the era of COVID-19, one psychologist has observed a recurring theme “that there’s something uniquely soothing about fanfiction that allows readers to feel a sense of safety and calm.” Read more about the science behind fanfic as an outlet for our collective grief here.