Article Club

Hi there! Two weeks ago, we read (and annotated) Jia Tolentino’s “The Tyranny of the Ideal Woman.” Last week, we shared our questions and first impressions. Next Sunday, we’ll gather together to discuss the article. (Please sign up! — in person or online).

This week, I got to talk with Jia, and in this 17-minute podcast episode (2-min intro, 15-min interview), she spoke about some of the themes we’ve been exploring. For instance: Who is this ideal woman, and who defines her? What if I identify as a woman and don’t relate? Is it possible to resist the forces of patriarchy and capitalism?

I encourage you to take a listen and share your thoughts!

Does listening to Jia clarify any of your questions? Get you thinking in a different way, or strengthen your views? Like (or dislike) her more? Help with your existential crisis of how to live in our current society?

All right, let’s discuss! To get started, click on the play button or the title, which will let you listen to the podcast episode and write your comments on the bottom of the post. If you get stuck, hit reply, and we’ll get things sorted out.

Thank you for participating in this week’s conversation. And if you’re free and interested, sign up for next Sunday’s Article Club discussion below. See you soon!

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit articleclub.substack.com

At long last, Article Club is here! I’m very happy to announce that our inaugural article will be “The Tyranny of the Ideal Woman,” by Jia Tolentino.

This article, which appeared in Issue #204 in August, was the most-read piece in The Highlighter last year. It’s very worthy of our deep read and discussion. I look forward to re-reading it and talking about it with you. Are you in? Hope so!

If you’re in, here’s what’s next:

* Say hi in the comments. Who are you? Why are you interested in this article and/or Article Club? Are you enjoying your 2020 so far?

* Read the article sometime this week. (It’ll take 20-30 minutes.) Or, if you’re feeling advanced, annotate it using this Google Docs version.

* Get your questions and first impressions ready for next Sunday. That’s when we’ll share our first thoughts about the article.

And away we go!

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit articleclub.substack.com

We’re launching Article Club in a couple weeks (I’m excited!), so it’s a great time to share our ideas about how we want to be in this space. I have three offerings:

* Let’s talk about the articles

* There’s no need to be performative

* Let’s look for connections

What are your ideas? How do you want our article club to be? Don’t be shy: Say hi and share your thoughts!

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit articleclub.substack.com

Hi there! I’m excited: Our article club is growing. Just last week, we had 20-30 new sign-ups — welcome! Now it’s time to figure out what we want to get out of this experience. That’s what this week is for. I want to share some of my ideas and get your ideas, too. Please share them in the comments!

OK, if the goal of Article Club is to read more, read more closely, reflect deeply on the articles, and connect with other readers, here are my initial thoughts:

* Week 1: Introduce the article of the month, share why I (or we) chose it, and invite everyone to read (and maybe annotate) it! Then, if you’re interested, you would opt in to participate in that month’s activities.

* Week 2: Share our first thoughts about the article, get to know each other and build our reading community, participate in an online written discussion thread, and gather a list of questions for deeper reflection.

* Week 3: Podcast episode — either discuss the article with the author (if they say yes), have them answer our questions; or discuss the article with 1-2 article club members, who really want to go deeper and share their thoughts.

* Week 4: Connect with other article club members and discuss the article live — whether in person in Oakland and/or online via Zoom. We would find a time that works for as many of us as possible.

OK, those are my ideas. What are yours? How should we do this Article Club? What are you looking to get out of this? Also, do you have articles or authors you want to nominate? Thank you very much for your interest!

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit articleclub.substack.com

If you’ve been a loyal reader of The Highlighter (and especially if you’re a VIP member!), you know that I’ve been thinking of launching an article club.

Good news: It’s here! (Well, sort of: It’s going to start in January.)

Article Club is for people who want to…

* read more (busy lives, be gone!)

* read more closely and reflect on great articles

* connect with other thoughtful readers

We’ll focus our attention on one great article each month. Every Sunday, I’ll send out a post geared to spark thought and conversation. Here are some of my ideas so far:

* A chance for us to annotate the article together

* Discussion threads where we can share our thoughts

* Podcast episodes featuring fellow club members (and maybe the author)

* Online conversations via Zoom (and maybe in person, if you live near Oakland)

We’ll try this out for three months, beginning in January, and see how it goes.

Interested? Sign up now for free at articleclub.substack.com.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit articleclub.substack.com

Hi VIPs! This week’s audio letter is an invitation to all of you to join me in annotating an article together. Many of you know about my hope that The Highlighter, at least in part, becomes a sort of article club, where interested folks read and reflect on and annotate and think about and discuss great articles in order to make connections, build empathy, and become better people.

Want to try it out? If so, click on the fancy button below.

The article is a Google Docs version of “How Millennials Became The Burnout Generation,” by Helen Anne Petersen, featured in The Highlighter #175, and one of this year’s 10 most popular articles so far.

Once you’re there, go ahead and introduce yourself up top — then start highlighting, annotating, and responding respectfully to my and other VIPs’ comments.

If this goes well, then we’ll try some other ideas with the same article, like:

* bringing back the podcast! (with one of you as the guest)

* responding to a provocative question that an esteemed VIP poses

* talking it out in person locally or online nationally

* whatever other great ideas we come up with

As always, thank you for all your support — and please let me know your honest thoughts about my latest crazy idea.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit articleclub.substack.com

When I featured “79” as one of last year’s best three articles (see Issue #173), naturally I wanted to speak to author Brian Broome. He graciously accepted the invitation, and I’m honored to present our conversation to you, loyal Highlighter Podcast listeners!



In the interview, Brian talks about how he became a writer in rehab, how the first piece of writing he submitted got published, and how “79” began as a rant against white supremacy. We also explore the effects of capitalism and white supremacy on Black people and the perils of respectability politics.



If you haven’t read “79” yet, do so now! and then come back to listen to our conversation. Also, you’ll want to check out more of Mr. Broome’s writing, so head on over to brianbroome.com.



As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts about this episode. Email me at [email protected] or leave a voicemail at (415) 886-7475. If you’re valuing this podcast, please write a review at Apple Podcasts. Thank you very much for listening!

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Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/highlightercc/support

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit articleclub.substack.com

Why are we still teaching reading the wrong way? Why are so many educators ignoring settled research and brain science and doing their own thing instead?

In “Hard Words: Why Aren’t Our Kids Being Taught to Read?” Emily Hanford investigates these important questions. Emily’s documentary was featured in The Highlighter #162, and it was wonderful to have a conversation with her.

Also check out Emily’s recent piece in the New York Times, “Why Are We Still Teaching Reading the Wrong Way?”

If you have questions or comments about reading instruction, please email me at [email protected] or leave a voice message at (415) 886-7475.

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Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/highlightercc/support

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit articleclub.substack.com

Anne interviews San Francisco first grade teacher Kristin Smith about why she doesn't assign homework, how to create a reading culture through book choice, and how to get the resources needed to do it (http://www.childrensbookproject.org).

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Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/highlightercc/support

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit articleclub.substack.com

Last month, we did a deep dive on reading instruction. Now it’s time to reflect on what we learned and to share some of our highlights. It’s also time to realize that we’ve just scratched the surface on reading — and that the topic deserves another month of study!

Also in this episode: Anne shares her favorite article of the month from the newsletter, and Mark shares his favorite podcast episode selection from Anne-otations. We’re in a bantering mood, so please enjoy!

We’d also like to hear from you. Do you think podcasts in the classroom should be considered reading? Also, what do you do if you have a ton of content to cover but know that teaching reading is important, too? Call and leave a voicemail at (415) 886-7475. Don’t be shy!

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Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/highlightercc/support

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit articleclub.substack.com