5SR - September 7, 2023

Madison T. Clark 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.

What To Know About The U.S. Summer Uptick In COVID-19 Cases (TIME)

I was one of these COVID-19 cases. And even after having it once before, and getting -- quite literally -- every other at-risk COVID-19 booster that I’m allowed to get, I was still knocked on my ass by this virus for over a week. While I did manage to stay out of the hospital this time around, I had a 102°F temperature for multiple days in a row, and my blood oxygen hovered 1% above what would’ve required a return trip to the hospital.

So while the U.S. has largely moved on from the pandemic, and while I’m very grateful that none of my loved ones have had cases anywhere near what mine have been, I’m still continuously concerned for the deadly and life-changing effects of COVID-19. According to this read, “the week of July 1 saw 494 COVID-related deaths.” That’s 494 families torn apart in a single seven day period.

We might wish this was all over, that it happened in the first place, but it certainly is not.

Dancer Stabbed To Death Was A Shy Boy Turned Proud, Exuberant Man (The New York Times)

I was recently in Philadelphia for Stonewall Sports Nationals, a queer sports organization that has brought incredible people into my life. At the end of the tournaments, we gathered in the Gayborhood for a drag show and block party out on the streets of Philly. The immense joy I felt for those hours is something that I don’t think I’ll ever be able to articulate. Simultaneously, the hypervigilance that came with it -- continuously checking windows, glancing towards loud noises to see if they’re in the same joyous vein or something more dangerous -- is something that is all too familiar, and all too valid.

O’Shae Sibley was exhibiting this same type of unadulterated queer joy in his daily life, and he was killed because of it. There is no insight to be found here. Only heartbreak and grief and continued hypervigilance that goes hand in hand with any sense of queer joy.

Chef Courtney Storer Is The Reason The Food On ‘The Bear’ Looks So Good (Eater)

I am a forever fan of The Bear, not least because of its accurate depictions of grief, relationships, and kitchen life, but also because of that mouthwatering food that’s somehow in every take. If you haven’t taken the time to watch both seasons yet, consider this your delicious prompt to do so ASAP.

Arline Bronzaft Will Talk To Your Noisy Neighbor (Curbed)

I grew up in the suburbs, but came into myself while living in urban communities after undergrad. The pollution that comes with that lifestyle shift is an unignorable symptom of the fact that what one group of people chooses to do will have ripple effects for every other group of people in close proximity. City noise is no different.

This profile of Arline Bronzaft got to the heart of noise in a way that only a lifelong dedication to the subject can. As she puts it, “We should not forget that the cost to all of us…will be greater if we don’t stop the noise.”

Without Paid Family Leave, Many Teachers Stockpile Sick Days And Aim For Summer Babies (NPR)

I was born in 1992, and my brother was born in 1989. Our mom did this exact same planning around her jobs in education, proving that this is not a new problem and also one that has, devastatingly, still not been addressed in any meaningful, systemic way.

Even for those of us who work in education and are childfree by choice, the potential collective impacts of a nonexistent social safety net waiting for new parents after a successful cobbling together of this type of birth plan… It can be devastating for individuals, families, schools, districts, and so much more. I’ll admit that continuing to talk about this country’s disregard for parental leave feels a bit like shouting into the void. But maybe, just maybe, the void will eventually reply. Maybe, just maybe, we can improve this.summer COVID