Wess is Traveling West
Dear Friends,
Next week, I travel to Northern California for some renewal work with Quaker meetings in San Mateo and Santa Cruz as a part of the Quaker Connect program of FWCC (applications are open for the 2026 cohort if you're interested). If you're in the area and would like to connect let me know, I have a little wiggle room in the schedule and would love to see folks. Also, you're invited on August 2nd to a Monthly Potluck at the Santa Cruz Meetinghouse where I will be hanging out and hosting a discussion on Quaker renewal.
Find more information about that event:
deborah burton
Beyond this trip, things are moving along at Guilford College. My summer has been busy.
Recently, I coordinated some community service days on campus to help beautify our welcome center. As those things tend to go, it was a lot of fun and we were able to get plenty done in a pretty short amount of time. It was fun also incredibly hot! On Tuesday afternoon, my colleague, Mark, and I were painting railings and I realized the sweat dripping from my face was hot. I turned to Mark and I said, "I don't think I've ever been hotter than this in my life." Despite that, working together with the folks who came out to help was really meaningful and has shifted the way I feel about that space and my work on campus. I mentioned some of this learning in my recent message: Attention and Empire's Algorithms.
The other big thing I've been working on is supporting the work of a General Education Curriculum revision. It's creative and big picture work and I'm really enjoying it. I feel confident that we will have something compelling to share soon and while student's don't typically go to a college for its GenEd, I do think that it has the power to shape the culture and experience for our students. For that, I'm very excited. Soon, I'll write about my First Year Experience class, Boredom as a Superpower, and what all is going into that but I'm not quite ready just yet.
If you'd like to get the weekly updates with how the college is doing please send an email to president@guilford.edu to request being added to the list.
Notepad:
A few notes on things I've been exploring
Just finished reading Jeff Vandemeer's newest book, Abolition. If you're read the Southern Reach series, you'll enjoy it. It's very well-done and as creepy as the rest of them! Let me know if you like Vandemeer's work!
As a lover of stationary and pens, I've been digging my new Rollbahn spiral bound. I like that they are less expensive than the Baron Figs I've been using for ages (and still love). Plus, I love the spiral bound graph paper with perforated tear-out edges. I like the versatility and the way it lays completely flat, which works perfectly for note-taking and drawing.
I picked up a Caran D'Ache gel pen when I was in Los Angeles a few months ago (at Short Hand), and while I really like the size, weight, and body, the clicker with the refill (I went with a refill so I could get a smaller tip) is not great which has been a disappointment.
Life Kit is a great podcast put out by NPR if you're not subscribed. They've been really putting out some strong episodes over the last few months including this one on living a creative life.
I can't believe I haven't shared this yet. My good friend Ashley Wilcox wrote a really moving piece for the Modern Love column of the New York Times titled: Why I Lied About Being Married. It's a MUST read.
Just learned about the Trump Action Tracker. This is a great website where, “Each action is mapped to one or more of five broad domains of authoritarianism, helping to make sense of a deeply concerning political trajectory.” via Kottke.
The $2,000/week summer camps aiming to cure teens of phone addiction. You don't need to pay for a summer camp, come to Guilford College. We're working with students on this all the time.
I love this from the Kairos Center - A Matter Of Survival Mini Zine Folding Tutorial
Thanks for reading and hope you all are well!
Wess Daniels
Haw River Watershed (Greensboro, NC).