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<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss version="2.0" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/" xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/" xmlns:georss="http://www.georss.org/georss" xmlns:geo="http://www.w3.org/2003/01/geo/wgs84_pos#" xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" > <channel> <title>threadbare beauty</title> <atom:link href="https://threadbarebeauty.com/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" /> <link>https://threadbarebeauty.com</link> <description>Struggling for perfection but my artist keeps getting in the way</description> <lastBuildDate>Mon, 05 Jun 2023 15:39:42 +0000</lastBuildDate> <language>en</language> <sy:updatePeriod> hourly </sy:updatePeriod> <sy:updateFrequency> 1 </sy:updateFrequency> <generator>http://wordpress.com/</generator><cloud domain='threadbarebeauty.com' port='80' path='/?rsscloud=notify' registerProcedure='' protocol='http-post' /><image> <url>https://secure.gravatar.com/blavatar/774c21c8c3174e8dc3b54980136b0c99b6d50d946f3b3ae38122f72c152efbee?s=96&d=https%3A%2F%2Fs0.wp.com%2Fi%2Fbuttonw-com.png</url> <title>threadbare beauty</title> <link>https://threadbarebeauty.com</link> </image> <atom:link rel="search" type="application/opensearchdescription+xml" href="https://threadbarebeauty.com/osd.xml" title="threadbare beauty" /> <atom:link rel='hub' href='https://threadbarebeauty.com/?pushpress=hub'/> <item> <title>Funeral Songs for Dying Girls by Cherie Dimaline</title> <link>https://threadbarebeauty.com/2023/06/05/funeral-songs-for-dying-girls-by-cherie-dimaline/</link> <comments>https://threadbarebeauty.com/2023/06/05/funeral-songs-for-dying-girls-by-cherie-dimaline/#comments</comments> <dc:creator><![CDATA[banana29]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Mon, 05 Jun 2023 15:39:42 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[book reviews]]></category> <category><![CDATA[ireadcanadian]]></category> <category><![CDATA[secondary school library]]></category> <category><![CDATA[young adult fiction]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">http://threadbarebeauty.com/?p=4245</guid> <description><![CDATA[Funeral Songs for Dying Girls by Cherie Dimaline My rating: 5 of 5 stars It’s difficult to write this review without creating spoilers so I advocate caution if choosing to read ahead. I love the way that Dimaline portrays Winifred as a protagonist who is almost watching her life from the sidelines until she meets […]]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61423997-funeral-songs-for-dying-girls" style="float: left;padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="Funeral Songs for Dying Girls" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1673264196l/61423997._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61423997-funeral-songs-for-dying-girls">Funeral Songs for Dying Girls</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2867731.Cherie_Dimaline">Cherie Dimaline</a><br />My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5561566667">5 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />It’s difficult to write this review without creating spoilers so I advocate caution if choosing to read ahead. I love the way that Dimaline portrays Winifred as a protagonist who is almost watching her life from the sidelines until she meets Phil the ghost. There are a lot of tensions pulling her family apart and she is child-like not realizing the true impact of her actions until she makes some unpopular decisions. Winifred goes from playing ‘ghost’ in her cemetery to encountering, loving and protecting one. Dimaline frames the story around the monumental task of exploring MMIWG in a sensitive but impactful way for this audience and the details of the horrific crime are manageable in their almost poetic approach. Winifred’s ‘coming-of-age’ is a slow burn but in the end she is rewarded with reconnected family relationships and an intentional life — not one that she is living because of circumstance. I loved it. <br /><br /><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/5047009-alanna-king">View all my reviews</a> ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>https://threadbarebeauty.com/2023/06/05/funeral-songs-for-dying-girls-by-cherie-dimaline/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>1</slash:comments> <media:content url="https://2.gravatar.com/avatar/54f766d1dbf95d26ccf093bb3f17ed9e7e6509dc16021420394a6460ea783242?s=96&d=monsterid&r=G" medium="image"> <media:title type="html">alanna29</media:title> </media:content> <media:content url="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1673264196l/61423997._SX98_.jpg" medium="image"> <media:title type="html">Funeral Songs for Dying Girls</media:title> </media:content> </item> <item> <title>Everything Beautiful is Not Ruined by Danielle Younge-Ullman</title> <link>https://threadbarebeauty.com/2023/02/19/everything-beautiful-is-not-ruined-by-danielle-younge-ullman/</link> <comments>https://threadbarebeauty.com/2023/02/19/everything-beautiful-is-not-ruined-by-danielle-younge-ullman/#respond</comments> <dc:creator><![CDATA[banana29]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Sun, 19 Feb 2023 18:59:13 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[book reviews]]></category> <category><![CDATA[school library]]></category> <category><![CDATA[#IReadCanadian]]></category> <category><![CDATA[secondary school library]]></category> <category><![CDATA[young adult fiction]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">http://threadbarebeauty.com/?p=3280</guid> <description><![CDATA[Everything Beautiful Is Not Ruined by Danielle Younge-Ullman My rating: 5 of 5 stars Of all of the books nominated by the Ontario Library Association for the White Pine program this year in the Forest of Reading, I really liked this one and I would put it in my top 3 of the season. Firstly […]]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a style="float:left;padding-right:20px" href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25752154-everything-beautiful-is-not-ruined"><img src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1469413295m/25752154.jpg" alt="Everything Beautiful Is Not Ruined" border="0"></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25752154-everything-beautiful-is-not-ruined">Everything Beautiful Is Not Ruined</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1164592.Danielle_Younge_Ullman">Danielle Younge-Ullman</a></p><p>My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2340774349">5 of 5 stars</a></p><p>Of all of the books nominated by the <a href="http://www.accessola.org/web" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ontario Library Association</a> for the White Pine program this year in the <a href="http://www.accessola.org/web/OLA/Forest_of_Reading/OLA/Forest_of_Reading/Forest_of_Reading.aspx" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Forest of Reading</a>, I really liked this one and I would put it in my top 3 of the season. Firstly I feel in love with Ingrid’s childhood tagging around behind her opera-singer mom through Europe. Then you can’t help but get excited as Ingrid enters a school dedicated to the arts, where she excels. Yet intermingled in these trips through the past is Ingrid’s present, where she is in some sort of wilderness-adventure-intervention trip. The twist of these three timelines keeps the reader guessing at how they will align until the very end.</p><p>Without giving too much away, Ingrid is carrying a lot more than her backpack through the forest, and she’s even finding time for a love interest or two. I can’t wait to see what <a title="Danielle Younge-Ullman" href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1164592.Danielle_Younge_Ullman" rel="nofollow">Danielle Younge-Ullman</a> writes next. It turns out that I’m not the only one who thinks she’s great….the students at my school and across the province chose Everything Beautiful is Not Ruined as the White Pine winner this year.</p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/5047009-alanna-king">View all my reviews</a></p>]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>https://threadbarebeauty.com/2023/02/19/everything-beautiful-is-not-ruined-by-danielle-younge-ullman/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> <media:content url="https://2.gravatar.com/avatar/54f766d1dbf95d26ccf093bb3f17ed9e7e6509dc16021420394a6460ea783242?s=96&d=monsterid&r=G" medium="image"> <media:title type="html">alanna29</media:title> </media:content> <media:content url="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1469413295m/25752154.jpg" medium="image"> <media:title type="html">Everything Beautiful Is Not Ruined</media:title> </media:content> </item> <item> <title>The Colony by Audrey Magee</title> <link>https://threadbarebeauty.com/2023/01/13/the-colony-by-audrey-magee/</link> <comments>https://threadbarebeauty.com/2023/01/13/the-colony-by-audrey-magee/#respond</comments> <dc:creator><![CDATA[banana29]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Fri, 13 Jan 2023 19:00:30 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[book reviews]]></category> <category><![CDATA[reading]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">http://threadbarebeauty.com/?p=4189</guid> <description><![CDATA[The Colony by Audrey Magee My rating: 5 of 5 stars This book was so wonderfully written. Magee’s style of dialogue somehow emphasizes the lilt of this Irish dialect and the tension between the characters. Other critiques have said it’s about art and war but I think it’s about voice — young James and the […]]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57977494-the-colony" style="float: left;padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="The Colony" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1634231936l/57977494._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57977494-the-colony">The Colony</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7358493.Audrey_Magee">Audrey Magee</a><br />My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5111862917">5 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />This book was so wonderfully written. Magee’s style of dialogue somehow emphasizes the lilt of this Irish dialect and the tension between the characters. Other critiques have said it’s about art and war but I think it’s about voice — young James and the artist and the Frenchman and even the political players are all taking different communication methods to be heard. Of course the status of each character is also something that they each find a way to fight for. The quiet melancholy of the island’s colony is a metaphor for something primal — the struggle for identity and breaking away from oppressive traditions while maintaining culture. I thoroughly enjoyed it and highly recommend it.<br /><br /><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/5047009-alanna-king">View all my reviews</a>]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>https://threadbarebeauty.com/2023/01/13/the-colony-by-audrey-magee/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> <media:thumbnail url="https://threadbarebeauty.files.wordpress.com/2023/01/the-colony.jpg" /> <media:content url="https://threadbarebeauty.files.wordpress.com/2023/01/the-colony.jpg" medium="image"> <media:title type="html">the colony</media:title> </media:content> <media:content url="https://2.gravatar.com/avatar/54f766d1dbf95d26ccf093bb3f17ed9e7e6509dc16021420394a6460ea783242?s=96&d=monsterid&r=G" medium="image"> <media:title type="html">alanna29</media:title> </media:content> <media:content url="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1634231936l/57977494._SX98_.jpg" medium="image"> <media:title type="html">The Colony</media:title> </media:content> </item> <item> <title>Our Voice of Fire by Brandi Morin</title> <link>https://threadbarebeauty.com/2022/11/16/our-voice-of-fire-by-brandi-morin/</link> <comments>https://threadbarebeauty.com/2022/11/16/our-voice-of-fire-by-brandi-morin/#comments</comments> <dc:creator><![CDATA[banana29]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Wed, 16 Nov 2022 12:56:28 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[book reviews]]></category> <category><![CDATA[ireadcanadian]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Brandi Morin]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Indigenous]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Our Voice of Fire]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">http://threadbarebeauty.com/?p=4186</guid> <description><![CDATA[Recently I had the opportunity to hear Brandi Morin speak in recognition of Canada’s national day of Truth and Reconciliation. Brandi expertly spliced together news reels that she had covered about the Indigenous stories across the globe of their struggle for recognition and reparation. She finished her talk by reminding us that the Indigenous struggle […]]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Recently I had the opportunity to hear Brandi Morin speak in recognition of Canada’s national day of Truth and Reconciliation. Brandi expertly spliced together news reels that she had covered about the Indigenous stories across the globe of their struggle for recognition and reparation. She finished her talk by reminding us that the Indigenous struggle is real and now and not only part of colonial history but colonial present.</p> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60476457-our-voice-of-fire" style="float:left;padding-right:20px;"><img border="0" alt="Our Voice of Fire: A Memoir of a Warrior Rising" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1645562076l/60476457._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60476457-our-voice-of-fire">Our Voice of Fire: A Memoir of a Warrior Rising</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/22255353.Brandi_Morin">Brandi Morin</a><br />My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4753690599">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />Such a courageous outpouring of memory. Morin’s journalistic tone isn’t here but a different voice is emerging — she is so honest about her painful trauma that the result is like a visceral butchering of her own experience. There were many times reading this that I, like Joey with <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10603.Cujo" title="Cujo by Stephen King" rel="nofollow noopener">Cujo</a>, I had to put it in the freezer for awhile so that I could make another attempt. As a settler Canadian I am still floored by the atrocities that our system has perpetuated and this book was a harsh reminder that the stories are present, and are happening every day not just part of colonial history. Brandi’s voice is as powerful here in non-fiction as <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/558359.Ruby_Slipperjack" title="Ruby Slipperjack" rel="nofollow noopener">Ruby Slipperjack</a> is in fiction. This is a book about gender, poverty and strength because ultimately Morin is the warrior telling this story powerfully.<br /><br /><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/5047009-alanna-king">View all my reviews</a> ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>https://threadbarebeauty.com/2022/11/16/our-voice-of-fire-by-brandi-morin/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>1</slash:comments> <media:content url="https://2.gravatar.com/avatar/54f766d1dbf95d26ccf093bb3f17ed9e7e6509dc16021420394a6460ea783242?s=96&d=monsterid&r=G" medium="image"> <media:title type="html">alanna29</media:title> </media:content> <media:content url="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1645562076l/60476457._SX98_.jpg" medium="image"> <media:title type="html">Our Voice of Fire: A Memoir of a Warrior Rising</media:title> </media:content> </item> <item> <title>Coming Home by Tu Vuong</title> <link>https://threadbarebeauty.com/2022/11/06/coming-home-by-tu-vuong/</link> <comments>https://threadbarebeauty.com/2022/11/06/coming-home-by-tu-vuong/#respond</comments> <dc:creator><![CDATA[banana29]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Sun, 06 Nov 2022 10:24:43 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[book reviews]]></category> <category><![CDATA[ireadcanadian]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category> <category><![CDATA[poetry]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">http://threadbarebeauty.com/?p=4183</guid> <description><![CDATA[Coming Họmẹ by Tu Vuong My rating: 4 of 5 stars When I read poetry, I try to let it sort of wash over me like rain, because to capture all of the nuance in meaning at once isn’t possible at the first read. I admire Tu’s ambition of trying to create an arc to […]]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61158669-coming-h-m" style="float:left;padding-right:20px;"><img border="0" alt="Coming Họmẹ" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1653387567l/61158669._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61158669-coming-h-m">Coming Họmẹ</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/22443237.Tu_Vuong">Tu Vuong</a><br />My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5087947518">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />When I read poetry, I try to let it sort of wash over me like rain, because to capture all of the nuance in meaning at once isn’t possible at the first read. I admire Tu’s ambition of trying to create an arc to the book as well as compose each poem as a separate entity. I felt that the narrative was clear in terms of distant past, recent past and present. It’s hard to not separate my own rules for writing creatively from Tu’s unique voice and structure — illustrations nearby, titles at the end, and yet Tu emphasizes that my lens is not the lens by which to judge but to accept. If I can reach for an analogy — it’s like when my husband Tim asks me to watch a deeply science fiction film with him — I find it hard to engage when every aspect is completely unfamiliar. Yet in Coming Home there are 3 poems that stand out for me: Tears of Solace among Corpses for its profound sadness; Underlying conditions for its whistle-blowing dissonance; and Food is a Language of Love for its juxtaposition of obscure parenting. Overall, I hope Tu keeps writing and sharing the journey.<br /><br /><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/5047009-alanna-king">View all my reviews</a> ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>https://threadbarebeauty.com/2022/11/06/coming-home-by-tu-vuong/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> <media:content url="https://2.gravatar.com/avatar/54f766d1dbf95d26ccf093bb3f17ed9e7e6509dc16021420394a6460ea783242?s=96&d=monsterid&r=G" medium="image"> <media:title type="html">alanna29</media:title> </media:content> <media:content url="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1653387567l/61158669._SX98_.jpg" medium="image"> <media:title type="html">Coming Họmẹ</media:title> </media:content> </item> <item> <title>TMC7: the Tour de Force that is Heather Daly</title> <link>https://threadbarebeauty.com/2022/10/23/tmc7-the-tour-de-force-that-is-heather-daly/</link> <comments>https://threadbarebeauty.com/2022/10/23/tmc7-the-tour-de-force-that-is-heather-daly/#comments</comments> <dc:creator><![CDATA[banana29]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Sun, 23 Oct 2022 17:45:57 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[professional development]]></category> <category><![CDATA[school library]]></category> <category><![CDATA[teacher-librarian]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Treasure Mountain Canada]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">http://threadbarebeauty.com/?p=4167</guid> <description><![CDATA[I have long followed Heather Daly‘s work and you need to know that most of the time I’m simply gobsmacked by what she is able to accomplish. So it was an absolute thrill to listen to her in our small table talk – a 20 minute, small group protocol — that is a legacy piece […]]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I have long followed <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/heatherdaly/?originalSubdomain=ca" target="_blank">Heather Daly</a>‘s work and you need to know that most of the time I’m simply gobsmacked by what she is able to accomplish. So it was an absolute thrill to listen to her in our small table talk – a 20 minute, small group protocol — that is a legacy piece at Treasure Mountain Canada. You know how sometimes you’re noticing a colleague rise to spiritual enlightenment with their wisdom, inner peace and compassion? Heather is one of those people who makes me feel like I’m down here wallowing in the mud trying to make a tiny difference in my daily whack-a-mole doings — but she never makes me feel like my tedious attempts to collate, metatag and wrangle ideas are fruitless. Heather’s work makes me feel like I have something to live for — like if I just get up each morning, slug back the caffeine and get back at it, that my corner of the universe will start to sparkle and shine too. </p> <p><a href="https://researcharchive.canadianschoollibraries.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/TMC7_2022_Daly.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Heather’s TMC7 paper </a>recognizes the esteemed history of library work by starting off with this relic:</p> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized is-style-default"><a href="https://threadbarebeauty.files.wordpress.com/2022/10/screen-shot-2022-10-23-at-10.06.51-am.png"><img data-attachment-id="4173" data-permalink="https://threadbarebeauty.com/2022/10/23/tmc7-the-tour-de-force-that-is-heather-daly/screen-shot-2022-10-23-at-10-06-51-am/" data-orig-file="https://threadbarebeauty.files.wordpress.com/2022/10/screen-shot-2022-10-23-at-10.06.51-am.png" data-orig-size="383,292" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="screen-shot-2022-10-23-at-10.06.51-am" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://threadbarebeauty.files.wordpress.com/2022/10/screen-shot-2022-10-23-at-10.06.51-am.png?w=300" data-large-file="https://threadbarebeauty.files.wordpress.com/2022/10/screen-shot-2022-10-23-at-10.06.51-am.png?w=383" src="https://threadbarebeauty.files.wordpress.com/2022/10/screen-shot-2022-10-23-at-10.06.51-am.png?w=383" alt="" class="wp-image-4173" width="836" height="637" srcset="https://threadbarebeauty.files.wordpress.com/2022/10/screen-shot-2022-10-23-at-10.06.51-am.png 383w, https://threadbarebeauty.files.wordpress.com/2022/10/screen-shot-2022-10-23-at-10.06.51-am.png?w=150 150w, https://threadbarebeauty.files.wordpress.com/2022/10/screen-shot-2022-10-23-at-10.06.51-am.png?w=300 300w" sizes="(max-width: 836px) 100vw, 836px" /></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Image from the Fraser Valley Regional Library, reproduced in “The Library Book: A History of Service to British Columbia”, page 95</figcaption></figure> <p>and Heather quickly places herself inside the historical school library timeline. She describes the fundamentals of the raison d’etre of libraries and wonders aloud if the fundamentals are enough in 2022 — as I know I do, looking for metrics of any kind, quantitative or qualitative, to justify that we’re making an impact. And this was a recurring theme at TMC7 — are we digging our heels in, as keynote <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwjEmcnn8vb6AhUIATQIHbCFDksQFnoECBAQAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.darobertson.ca%2F&usg=AOvVaw3vSyIuHfBWqVf12YcSM9Ua" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">David R. Robertson</a> suggested, when we know we can make a difference to defend a book, or are we simply cogs in the neo-fascist myopia that colonized Turtle Island in the first place. Heather addresses the trade-offs in going digital – having 1 simple source of ‘truth’ while also making sure that all voices are welcome at the table. Heather says that reexamining the resource’s form – whether it be paper or oral storytelling or a blog – needs to be rigorously critiqued each and every time we recommend it. </p> <p>Sometimes that’s a lot of pressure — there’s a sanctity to the library space that I don’t think we’re achieving in most digital spaces. There are so few places where I know I can visit that are politically neutral and yet provide multiple perspectives on the same topic so that readers/viewers/users might discover their own truth or how their personal context fits in. So now let’s bring in the idea of Makerspace — because I have witnessed this being done so poorly again and again by unqualified facilitators without a care in the world for how this might fit into some sort of learning schema — and because the majority are not hitting the mark, it makes me often wonder if we need to throw the whole thing out and start over with a new vocabulary. As an artist and arts teacher, the goal of the creative process is to allow a true idea to form, to give the artist time for scratching, and then for them to decide which medium will best allow them to express the idea, test the idea with an authentic audience, have time for reflection on the message’s impact and then to iterate. Now we throw in so-called technology — and if the snake-oil salesman of the day has their way — they’re tell you this is a robot with big eyes and a microprocessor that you can buy 8 of for the low-low price of $1100 per student and you then covet it and apply for a gazillion corporate-led grants who have all convinced us that we NEED it to be whole, but the truth is, and Heather Daly gets this, that we don’t. What we need in our school libraries is to remember that the sanctity of the library comes with its two most precious resources: time and safe space — maybe some marshmallows and a rubber band and some sticks — but definitely definitely definitely a great and provocative question like: How high and how far can we get that marshmallow to fly? Then we’ll wonder together why it worked better in some places than others. We’ll admire each other’s cool machines and then we’ll document those variables together, adding a new variable next time. Like maybe we’ll take it outside on a windy or rainy day. Maybe we’ll connect in with another class that’s trying the same project in a different ecosystem. </p> <p>But the important lessons to learn from Heather in our table talk which was an extension of her great paper are these:</p> <ul><li>professional development needs to also be a makerspace for adults where we show off our cool stuff and talk about how we are working on answering a wicked question and this is what we’ve learned so far</li> <li>professional development is best when it empowers the people in the room to be the experts because each collective group of learners is going to be the ultimate variable that affects your learning experiment and you alone know your strengths and their needs</li> <li>that where YOU begin in your school library/makerspace journey must depend on you having enough safe space and time to develop your own professional passions and skills because learners are not going to buy into the microprocessor or coding worksheet or even the marshmallow catapult if you yourself aren’t into it</li> <li>that you need to document all the reasons why you’re starting or making changes and then reflect individually and collectively</li></ul> <p>…and that’s what Treasure Mountain Canada does for me each time — four times now actually. If you can go, do. If you can’t, then please glean what you can from the <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://tmcanada.blogspot.com/p/tmc7-papers-table-of-contents.html" target="_blank">Treasure Mountain Canada papers</a> and our competing hashtags<img src="https://s0.wp.com/wp-content/mu-plugins/wpcom-smileys/twemoji/2/72x72/1f644.png" alt="🙄" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /> #TMC7 and #TMCanada2022. And Heather Daly. I’ll have a double shot of Heather Daly to go please.</p>]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>https://threadbarebeauty.com/2022/10/23/tmc7-the-tour-de-force-that-is-heather-daly/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>1</slash:comments> <media:content url="https://2.gravatar.com/avatar/54f766d1dbf95d26ccf093bb3f17ed9e7e6509dc16021420394a6460ea783242?s=96&d=monsterid&r=G" medium="image"> <media:title type="html">alanna29</media:title> </media:content> <media:content url="https://threadbarebeauty.files.wordpress.com/2022/10/screen-shot-2022-10-23-at-10.06.51-am.png?w=383" medium="image" /> </item> <item> <title>The Design of Everyday Things by Donald A. Norman</title> <link>https://threadbarebeauty.com/2022/09/29/the-design-of-everyday-things-by-donald-a-norman/</link> <comments>https://threadbarebeauty.com/2022/09/29/the-design-of-everyday-things-by-donald-a-norman/#respond</comments> <dc:creator><![CDATA[banana29]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Thu, 29 Sep 2022 20:25:10 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category> <category><![CDATA[book reviews]]></category> <category><![CDATA[design thinking]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Donald A. Norman]]></category> <category><![CDATA[instructional design]]></category> <category><![CDATA[professional development]]></category> <category><![CDATA[The Design of Everyday Things]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">http://threadbarebeauty.com/?p=4164</guid> <description><![CDATA[The Design of Everyday Things by Donald A. Norman My rating: 4 of 5 stars It’s dry — but if you let ideas percolate, rather than racing to finish it, I think almost everyone would find the intersections of engineering and design really useful to their work. Things I will take away: the product needs […]]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/840.The_Design_of_Everyday_Things" style="float:left;padding-right:20px;"><img border="0" alt="The Design of Everyday Things" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1442460745l/840._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/840.The_Design_of_Everyday_Things">The Design of Everyday Things</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/552.Donald_A_Norman">Donald A. Norman</a><br />My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3958098895">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />It’s dry — but if you let ideas percolate, rather than racing to finish it, I think almost everyone would find the intersections of engineering and design really useful to their work. Things I will take away: the product needs to also signify how to use it and constraints and mappings make it more useable. Also that the psychology of cultural legacy is a great hurdle in innovation. And this quote: “Badly designed products can induce frustration and anger, feelings of helplessness and despair, and possibly even hate.” In my industry, education, those feelings are exactly the antithesis of the desired result — yet I see those emotions every day. How can we recognize and work to eliminate those feelings in our product design every day? And that’s the reason I get up in the morning. <br /><br /><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/5047009-alanna-king">View all my reviews</a> ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>https://threadbarebeauty.com/2022/09/29/the-design-of-everyday-things-by-donald-a-norman/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> <media:content url="https://2.gravatar.com/avatar/54f766d1dbf95d26ccf093bb3f17ed9e7e6509dc16021420394a6460ea783242?s=96&d=monsterid&r=G" medium="image"> <media:title type="html">alanna29</media:title> </media:content> <media:content url="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1442460745l/840._SX98_.jpg" medium="image"> <media:title type="html">The Design of Everyday Things</media:title> </media:content> </item> <item> <title>Talking to Canadians by Rick Mercer</title> <link>https://threadbarebeauty.com/2022/09/27/talking-to-canadians-by-rick-mercer/</link> <comments>https://threadbarebeauty.com/2022/09/27/talking-to-canadians-by-rick-mercer/#respond</comments> <dc:creator><![CDATA[banana29]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Tue, 27 Sep 2022 16:35:05 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">http://threadbarebeauty.com/?p=4161</guid> <description><![CDATA[Talking to Canadians by Rick Mercer My rating: 4 of 5 stars It’s a healthy romp back into the history of Canadian drama and television and politics. I enjoyed reliving my own personal history with these topics through his parallel life — it turns out we’re almost the same age so his references to music […]]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58254451-talking-to-canadians" style="float:left;padding-right:20px;"><img border="0" alt="Talking to Canadians" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1622747307l/58254451._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58254451-talking-to-canadians">Talking to Canadians</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2900396.Rick_Mercer">Rick Mercer</a><br />My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4987722725">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />It’s a healthy romp back into the history of Canadian drama and television and politics. I enjoyed reliving my own personal history with these topics through his parallel life — it turns out we’re almost the same age so his references to music and pop culture resonated. The book has light moments but the best part is Rick Mercer’s humble approach to his own successes. This is not a challenging read and it is excellent as an audiobook, where Mercer narrates his own story. I didn’t laugh out loud, which I was hoping to, but I enjoyed it. <br /><br /><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/5047009-alanna-king">View all my reviews</a> ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>https://threadbarebeauty.com/2022/09/27/talking-to-canadians-by-rick-mercer/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> <media:content url="https://2.gravatar.com/avatar/54f766d1dbf95d26ccf093bb3f17ed9e7e6509dc16021420394a6460ea783242?s=96&d=monsterid&r=G" medium="image"> <media:title type="html">alanna29</media:title> </media:content> <media:content url="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1622747307l/58254451._SX98_.jpg" medium="image"> <media:title type="html">Talking to Canadians</media:title> </media:content> </item> <item> <title>Toufah: The Woman who Inspired an African #MeToo Movement by Toufah Jallow and Kim Pittaway</title> <link>https://threadbarebeauty.com/2022/09/25/toufah-the-woman-who-inspired-an-african-metoo-movement-by-toufah-jallow-and-kim-pittaway/</link> <comments>https://threadbarebeauty.com/2022/09/25/toufah-the-woman-who-inspired-an-african-metoo-movement-by-toufah-jallow-and-kim-pittaway/#respond</comments> <dc:creator><![CDATA[banana29]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Sun, 25 Sep 2022 16:34:47 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[book reviews]]></category> <category><![CDATA[ireadcanadian]]></category> <category><![CDATA[reading]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">http://threadbarebeauty.com/?p=4158</guid> <description><![CDATA[Toufah: The Woman Who Inspired an African #Metoo Movement by Toufah Jallow My rating: 5 of 5 stars Really really enjoyed reading this for it’s YA/Adult crossover nature. I can imagine handing this to students to help them get some perspective. It has a lot of great intersections with the newcomer to Canada experience — […]]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p></p> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57414691-toufah" style="float:left;padding-right:20px;"><img border="0" alt="Toufah: The Woman Who Inspired an African #Metoo Movement" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1617073788l/57414691._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57414691-toufah">Toufah: The Woman Who Inspired an African #Metoo Movement</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21280541.Toufah_Jallow">Toufah Jallow</a><br />My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4946633067">5 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />Really really enjoyed reading this for it’s YA/Adult crossover nature. I can imagine handing this to students to help them get some perspective. It has a lot of great intersections with the newcomer to Canada experience — and the issues of access and literacy remind me of Catherine Hernandez’s fictional title <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31945128.Scarborough" title="Scarborough by Catherine Hernandez" rel="nofollow noopener">Scarborough</a>. Toufah’s story of the corruption and acts of criminal abuse of her time in Gambia as an optimistic young women are so powerful to hear — the audiobook of her reading this is simply captivating. The parts of this book where she gains insight into her own mental health as a result of the sexual trauma would be somehow reassuring to anyone who has suffered in their own way. Although her writing style is ‘green’, her phrases and description are illuminating in ways that are new to me — they stretched me to consider more deeply of all the ways somehow who is escaping to Canada with trauma are challenged in our society. This will definitely be in my top 10. The only thing I wish I could change is the title – it should be something more about recovery and less about the social media campaign, in my humble opinion.<br /><br /><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/5047009-alanna-king">View all my reviews</a> ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>https://threadbarebeauty.com/2022/09/25/toufah-the-woman-who-inspired-an-african-metoo-movement-by-toufah-jallow-and-kim-pittaway/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> <media:content url="https://2.gravatar.com/avatar/54f766d1dbf95d26ccf093bb3f17ed9e7e6509dc16021420394a6460ea783242?s=96&d=monsterid&r=G" medium="image"> <media:title type="html">alanna29</media:title> </media:content> <media:content url="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1617073788l/57414691._SX98_.jpg" medium="image"> <media:title type="html">Toufah: The Woman Who Inspired an African #Metoo Movement</media:title> </media:content> </item> <item> <title>The Centaur’s Wife by Amanda LeDuc</title> <link>https://threadbarebeauty.com/2021/08/24/the-centaurs-wife-by-amanda-leduc/</link> <comments>https://threadbarebeauty.com/2021/08/24/the-centaurs-wife-by-amanda-leduc/#respond</comments> <dc:creator><![CDATA[banana29]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Tue, 24 Aug 2021 15:42:43 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[book reviews]]></category> <category><![CDATA[reading]]></category> <category><![CDATA[fantasy]]></category> <category><![CDATA[The Centaur's Wife]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">http://threadbarebeauty.com/?p=4150</guid> <description><![CDATA[The Centaur’s Wife by Amanda Leduc My rating: 4 of 5 stars This book must have been like a difficult birth as it was so ethereally emotional for me to read, that I can’t begin to understand what it would have been like to write. I find it really hard to read anything dystopian in […]]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54416508-the-centaur-s-wife" style="float:left;padding-right:20px;"><img border="0" alt="The Centaur's Wife" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1600670921l/54416508._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54416508-the-centaur-s-wife">The Centaur’s Wife</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3129339.Amanda_Leduc">Amanda Leduc</a><br />My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4031008789">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />This book must have been like a difficult birth as it was so ethereally emotional for me to read, that I can’t begin to understand what it would have been like to write. I find it really hard to read anything dystopian in these darker times and so there were moments when I really struggled to continue….not because the writing isn’t brilliant (which it is) but because humans are dying en masse. To enter into the world of The Centaur’s Wife you have to suspend your disbelief multiple times, as LeDuc brings you back to this global crisis again and again. You get attached to a character…they die. You start to cheer for a food source…it is depleted. Be prepared to grieve again and again. But within the heartache and tragedy there is a silver, glowing thread of continuity as LeDuc tries to express, from the depths of her tortured soul, what it means to be thought of as ‘broken’. Personally, I will devour anything that LeDuc writes in the future, knowing that I will survive my own tragedies through knowing hers. <br /><br /><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/5047009-alanna-king">View all my reviews</a> ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>https://threadbarebeauty.com/2021/08/24/the-centaurs-wife-by-amanda-leduc/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> <media:content url="https://2.gravatar.com/avatar/54f766d1dbf95d26ccf093bb3f17ed9e7e6509dc16021420394a6460ea783242?s=96&d=monsterid&r=G" medium="image"> <media:title type="html">alanna29</media:title> </media:content> <media:content url="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1600670921l/54416508._SX98_.jpg" medium="image"> <media:title type="html">The Centaur's Wife</media:title> </media:content> </item> </channel></rss> If you would like to create a banner that links to this page (i.e. this validation result), do the following:
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