5SR - November 10, 2023

Today’s #5SmartReads contributor is Madison T. Clark! She is a full-time freelance writer, part-time college counselor, and founder of the newly launched Grief Cards, a company that makes sympathy cards that don't suck.

The Stories We Tell (Harper’s Bazaar)

Libraries are one of the only spaces left for people who are looking for a free, community-oriented space that includes access to knowledge and relationships. For students, and parents, and children, and avid readers, and computer-less households - libraries are a lifeline.

The attacks on these palaces of accessibility and welcome continue to try and suppress those exact values. I'm endlessly thankful for the librarians and parents and educators who fight daily to keep these attacks from succeeding.

Hundreds of Kansas Citians are shot each year and survive. Their families have to pick up the pieces. (NPR)

Gun violence is everywhere in Kansas City. The homicides make the news, but non-fatal shootings rarely get any attention. Victims are often left with both physical and mental injuries, leaving their loved ones to completely transform their lifestyles in order to become caregivers. Public resources are limited for these families, and their police reports often end up in the wrong units, leading to limited follow-up on open cases.

And don't forget that Missouri's lax gun laws mean this is happening just as often as homicides, due in large part to the semi-automatic guns used in these murders. When bullets fly wildly, the chance of passerby being impacted only skyrockets. It's a problem that will require numerous solutions.

We Were Known For Our Rivers (Texas Highways)

This is a long read, and it's worth every moment. Kimberly Garza grew up in a Texas hometown known for its various rivers, and the activities they invited. And now, as she writes,

I've repeatedly returned to this piece since it was posted in July, every time I hear of another shooting, another bombing, another mass tragedy. The headlines move on so quickly, leaving the impacted communities to figure out how - and if - to pick up the pieces.

Every Body Is a Testament to The Life-Saving Power of Intersex Stories (Them)

My mom's been working on using they/them pronouns consistently, adjusting her language to better support many members of my queer community. I watched the documentary Every Body in theaters, alongside both of my parents, and couldn't wait to see the conversations it inspired, too.

I was not disappointed.

This film is a glimpse into the lived experiences of the intersex community, yes, but it's also reaching a level of visibility that this community hasn't previously had. It's both a communal celebration and a collective mourning, and it's a generous space where anyone - including my midwestern parents - can see the beauty of LGBTQIA+ lives.

Being a writer was central to my identity. Then I was forced to write with my voice. (The Globe and Mail)

Writing has been the primary way I interact with the world for as long as I can remember - including those creative writing assignments in Mrs. Cochran's second grade class. Here, Gabrielle Drolet articulates her transition to solely writing with voice-to-text due to a harmful nerve condition, and all of the challenges that came with it.

That type of forced transition, to using your writer's voice in an entirely new way, could've been the end of her writing. As she says,

But her resilience, her dedication to the craft, her sense of humor, led her to speak more openly about disability and accessibility and to embrace the nuance in all of it because writing is also the primary way she interacts with the world.

From a writer to a reader: I hope this piece carries you to reconsider a struggle in your week, no matter how big or small.