Dear Readers,
They say in schools, February’s no joke. Alongside my colleagues, I’ve certainly been putting in the hours in order to serve our students the best we can. But there’s always still reading to be done — not only for this newsletter and our reading community, but also for my own self-care. It makes me happy that I keep getting to do this, week after week. Thank you for reading and supporting Article Club.
I have a feeling you’re going to like this week’s issue. Instead of the regular offering (i.e., four articles), I’m switching things up and sharing with you some great writing and thinking from a variety of genres. Scroll down and you’ll find:
an essay about racial appropriation and the end of an interracial friendship
an interview with Susan Dominus about IVF and her article, “Someone Else’s Daughter”
an article about the care a park ranger takes in order to support unhoused people in Golden Gate Park
a podcast episode about how young people definitely don’t think using generative AI is cheating
Also, don’t miss our pet photo, as well as our poll toward the end. Hope you enjoy.
If you like what we’re doing here at Article Club, and want to support this venture with a paid subscription, I would be very grateful. It’s $5 a month or $36 a year.
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1️⃣ Dear White Sister
I appreciate the work of Tressie McMillan Cottom, so when she recommended Don’t Let It Get You Down, a collection of essays by UC Berkeley Law professor Savala Nolan, I knew I needed to check it out. I was not disappointed. As the book’s subtitle makes clear, Prof. Nolan writes plainly and thoughtfully about race, gender, and the body. In the chapter, “Dear White Sister,” Prof. Nolan decides whether to approach a close and long-time white friend after an objectionable post on Instagram. In short, the friend quotes Beyoncé’s song “Freedom” to celebrate her love for roller skating and progress in roller derby.
Prof. Nolan writes: “I feel a peculiar sensation when white people borrow — take — something Black: it’s like there’s an octopus in my chest, peacefully afloat, when danger suddenly appears. The animal contracts its jellied body and expels a gush of protective ink, then darts away in panic. Don’t belittle ‘Freedom,’ I hissed inside. ‘Freedom’ isn’t for a white girl in the Midwest taking up roller derby.”
By Savala Nolan • Don’t Let It Get You Down • 25 min
2️⃣ An Interview With Susan Dominus: “I was just so inspired by the goodness of the people involved.”
Many of you read and appreciated January’s article of the month, ”Someone Else’s Daughter,” by Susan Dominus, which told the story of a horrible IVF mistake that resulted in two women giving birth to the other woman’s genetic baby. More importantly, the piece illuminates the generosity of the human spirit, as the mothers, filled with grief and shame for an error they didn’t make, embrace each other and figure out a way to raise their children together.
I got to interview Ms. Dominus a few weeks back, and hope you take a listen. Over and over again in our conversation, she shared how reporting and writing the piece left her inspired and hopeful. Here’s an excerpt:
I would say the main thing that I really did want people to feel reading the piece was that same inspired feeling I felt in hearing their stories — that there is always a way, not always, but that when there is conflict or crisis, if you respond with openness and generosity, sometimes beautiful things come of that. That's what I took away as a human being, just being part of it. I was so inspired by the goodness of the people involved and the way that their goodness allowed them to turn something awful into something really beautiful.
➡️ Listen to the interview by clicking the play button below.
Longtime favorite pet Ollie, who belonged to loyal reader Kati, passed away last month after a short illness. He loved carrying his owners’ shoes outside and disliked clothes dryers. Ollie always preferred his tongue out. He will be missed. hltr.co/pets
3️⃣ Her Job Is To Remove Homeless People From SF’s Parks. Her Methods Are Extraordinary.
It’s easy to bewail the rise and intractability of homelessness. It’s much harder to do something about it. That’s why I appreciated reading this article about the efforts of Amanda Barrows, a park ranger for San Francisco Recreation and Parks. In 2015, the government agency launched a new program designed to connect unhoused people with the services they need. Since Ms. Barrows joined the force in 2021, she has helped 60 people leave Golden Gate Park and accept more permanent housing.
Reporter Susan Freinkel does an excellent job following Ms. Barrows as she builds relationships with her clients, earns their trust, and listens to what they need. Having grown up in public housing, having lived in a “dodgy SRO” for five years, and having lost her father to a fentanyl overdose, Ms. Barrows says that her work feels natural. “I can relate to a lot of the people who I contact through my own lived experience.”
By Susan Freinkel • The San Francisco Standard • 16 min • Gift Link
4️⃣ Playboi Farti And His AI Homework Machine
In case there’s any doubt: How teenagers think about using generative artificial intelligence in school is very different from how most educators think about it. In essence, we think it’s cheating (or plagiarism, or whatever big word we want to use), and they don’t. To them, ChatGPT is like a word calculator. Why slog away at a boring five-paragraph essay about The Great Gatsby that’s been done millions of times when a robot can do you it for you?
That’s the essential question of this podcast episode, in which host PJ Vogt tests a theory he holds — that writing is more than answering a teacher’s prompt, and that generative AI is more than just a labor-saving tool. It’s thinking, he argues, and if we give away thinking to a computer, then our humanity is doomed.
By PJ Vogt • Search Engine • 61 min • Apple Podcasts
✅ It’s time for a quick poll. I’d love to hear from you.
Last week, we confirmed that there’s no widespread conspiracy to keep this newsletter out of your inbox. Delivery is working well most of the time.
But what about your reading habits? Do you focus on the current week’s issue? Or do you like diving into the archives to check out past issues?
POLL
Do you ever go back and read an issue from the past?
Yes
50%
No
50%
POLL CLOSED
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