( poetry )

( fiction )

The War for Kindness: Building Empathy in a Fractured World by Jamil Zaki

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I read this book for my Faculty Learning Community. It's not specifically about pedagogy; instead it's from a psychological/sociological perspective and seeks to explain factors that generate empathy/kindness and those which prevent empathy/kindness. Zaki talks about experiments conducted on college campuses and about interventions designed to help white supremacists extricate themselves from hate groups. Really fascinating book.



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Dear Yuletide Author,

Thank you so much for writing for me. I am going to offer you some suggestions, but don't feel beholden to write any of them. Please write whatever you want for these fandoms, and I know I will love it.

Nothing is off limits. Feel free to include characters from the fandom not named in the tag set. I love gen, het, femslash, m/m slash and world building. Be as experimental as you like. I'm cool with crossovers/AUs/fusions and character death and omegaverse and kink and anything else you can think of. Go wild!

Keeping up Appearances

I have loved Keeping up Appearances since I was a kid and watching it on PBS on Saturday nights. I love it even more after a lifetime of watching and now that we've lost the inimitable Dame Patricia Routledge after a glorious run of 96 years.

I've always wondered what drew Richard and Hyacinth together in the first place. I have a hard time believing Hyacinth capable of hiding any facet of her personality, so I always wonder what drew Richard to the strident demeanor that has him so henpecked in the future. (All this, of course, with the deepest love for Mrs. Bucket.)

Any look at Hyacinth and Richard's relationship in early days would be cool.

We only see Sheridan and Tarquin from Richard and Hyacinth's perspective, so a look at Richard and Hyacinth from the boys' perspective could be fun.

A Christmas Carol

I have loved A Christmas Carol since I first read it in grad school. Okay, let's be real--since I first watched Mickey's Christmas Carol in the 80s.

I love the idea of some sort of post-mortem redemption for Marley. Maybe Marley gets a second chance and gets to come back. I also love the idea that he and Scrooge had a romantic relationship (or that Scrooge realizes he'd have liked to have one but now it's too late). I think a darker version of this story could be fun, too; maybe Scrooge doesn't learn his lesson.

Starter Villain

I have very much been enjoying Scalzi's recent forays into the whimsical. Life is stressful and the world is a scary place right now; yes, please, to the silly and the cats!!

I would love to learn more about Hera's mentorship of Penelope or Hera's continued correspondence with her financial advisor.

Anything about Seventy Three and the dolphins' strike efforts or just general dolphin shenanigans would be great.

I'd also love to know what the two humans in the tag set do after the events of the novel or maybe some backstory for Mathilda.

Thanks again for writing for me.

Treats are enabled on my AO3 account.