Dylan Matthews reflects on growing up with autism and reviews Sesame Street’s approach to raising awareness with a new autistic character named Julia. Sesame Street doesn’t focus on Julia navigating her world, it focuses on Elmo and Abby Cadabby — a neurotypical monster and fairy, respectively — who help Big Bird understand why Julia plays […]
Krista Stevens
Posted inEssays & Criticism, Nonfiction, Quotes
In the Shadow of a Fairy Tale: Overcoming the Evil Stepmother Stereotype
Leslie Jamison explores the fraught role of stand-in parent as she considers her new life as a stepmother to a six-year-old.
Posted inEditor's Pick
In the Shadow of a Fairy Tale
Leslie Jamison is stepmother to Lily, age 6. Lily’s mother died of cancer just before Lily turned three. Jamison explores fairy tale stepmothers both as the rare “port in the storm” and the much more common “stock villain” — stereotyped by cruelty, abuse, and withholding affection — as she reflects on her relationship with Lily […]
Posted inEditor's Pick
Margaret Atwood: The Prophet of Dystopia
At The New Yorker, Rebecca Mead profiles Margaret Atwood — Canada’s prolific queen of literature. Mead and Atwood cover the resonance of The Handmaid’s Tale in Donald Trump’s America, Atwood’s approach to feminism, and the purpose of fiction in today’s society. Beloved for her incisive mind along with her works, Atwood uses unlimited curiosity as […]
Posted inNonfiction, Quotes
Winnipeg’s Indigenous Bear Clan Patrol Protects the Vulnerable
Vice’s Geraldine Malone walks the streets with group of volunteers dedicated to fighting overdoses.
Posted inEditor's Pick
How an Indigenous Neighbourhood Patrol Is Fighting Overdoses in Winnipeg
After the body of 14-year-old Tina Fontaine was found in Winnipeg’s Red River in 2014, members of the community took action. The Bear Clan Patrol reformed in Winnipeg’s North End neighborhood and started to walk the streets at night. Nearly three years later, over 530 volunteers act as “boots on the ground,” focusing on harm […]
Posted inNonfiction, Quotes, Science & Nature
How Tiny, Yet Über-Efficient Spider Brains Can Improve Computer Technology
Big brains offer no advantage in the animal kingdom.
Posted inEditor's Pick
The Genius of Pinheads: When Little Brains Rule
In Scientific American, Erik Vance reports on how the tiny brain of the orb weaver spider — a creature that weighs between .005 milligrams and three grams — is just as adept at complex tasks as exponentially larger spiders. This “brain miniaturization” “may hold clues to innovative design strategies that engineers might incorporate in future […]
Posted inNonfiction, Quotes
Month 13: What Happens After the Year-Long Syrian Refugee Sponsorship Ends?
When Canadians privately sponsor a Syrian refugee family, the agreement lasts one year. What happens at month 13?
Posted inQuotes
24-Hour Competitive Rock Climbing: Finger Tips as Rough as Rhino Skin
Why would anyone want to find out how many rock climbs they can do in a 24-hour period? For fun, of course.