Beyond delighted that page 1 of Brene Brown’s new book takes us straight into a pickleball anecdote 😁

“Flourishing and resilience are closely connected. Both voice a call for adaptation to the ebb and flow of events. They encourage us to be creative in generating resources. They urge us to shift perspectives, especially from victimisation to empowerment, and from power to humility.” - Yuria Celidwen

Big moment for us at @thecentriclab.com (and me personally) in the publication of this case study in the @citiesxhealth.bsky.social journal.

Lichen subscribe

Dipping into this gorgeous collection of new writing by people working on the land in the UK. It’s absolutely fascinating, and important. We all eat, so we all need to understand these challenges (IMO) and can be inspired by these stories of resistance, determination and regenerative approaches.

Winter is coming to Gaza. Over 1 million tarpaulins and 86,000 tents are ready, yet Israel has allowed in only 1,175. 1.4 million people urgently need shelter, but aid is blocked. AID MUST BE ALLOWED IN. This is a failure of humanity and a violation of international law.

Outgrowing Modernity Navigating Complexity, Complicity, and Collapse with Accountability and Compassion by Vanessa Machado de Oliveira 💚

During our years of learning together we have come to understand that collective learning, if done with care, is a regenerative and liberatory practice. It goes well beyond exchange or growth of skills and knowledge, it generates ripples for the cultural waters we swim in. medium.com/colab-dudley...

For #WorldHumanitarianDay, we're focusing on the challenges faced when delivering aid in the world’s most volatile environments. Hear from ShelterBox's Head of Security, as he discusses the risks and realities that define #humanitarian work today ⬇️ #WHD

This #WorldHumanitarianDay, we remember and honour the lives of Haitham, Ahmad, and Batoul - our colleagues at Palestinian Agricultural Development Association who were killed in Israeli airstrikes in Gaza. https://bit.ly/3HuNojd

💛

"One of the reasons the epidemic of violence against women is so unacknowledged is because cases like these are talked about individually, and often treated as though they are shocking aberrations rather than part of a pervasive pattern that operates at all levels of society."

Emily Dickinson’s Herbarium: A Beautiful Digital Edition of the Poet’s Pressed Plants & Flowers Is Now Online

so I am one of the 12 people (including the “god-fathers of AI”) that will be at the Vatican this September for a two full-day working group on the Future of AI here is my Vatican approved short provocation on 'AI and Fraternity' for the working group

Just watched this beautiful film and had a good old cry about all the “disappeared” people around the world. www.imdb.com/title/tt2667...

Want to dive deep into the explorations and thinking of an amazing PhD researcher and social lab team member? Start with this intro to a series of posts reflecting on practice, oriented towards co-creating conditions for regenerative cultures and life-centric futures. medium.com/colab-dudley...

What happens when the Western neoliberal economic mindset meets indigenous cosmology - I am hugely looking forward to this conversation. Join us in person in London (seats going fast) or online everywhere (seats for all) Weds 9th July. www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/ancestral-...

It’s Stories of Place at CoLab Dudley tonight. I’m exploring Dudley High Street with a cow as my (imaginary) companion, looking for a micro-space to name 🐄😊

Next month for me is full of adventures by train in Europe. I’m looking for book recommendations to add to my Kobo reader library. I just made a start with these. What would you recommend?

This question makes me feel incredibly sad. Sad that a web of life has been reduced through an anthropocentric lens to an idea of a single, detached entity; ‘a tree’. Sad that parts of the web of life which are visible at human scale are considered as value or ‘assets’ to one other species; humans.

One of my favourite things to do on a Friday: catch up on writing by folk working the fields of network weaving, commoning, creativity etc. When a post by Curtis Ogden pops up in my Feedly I feel joy. There are some lovely thoughts in this short one: interactioninstitute.org/network-weav...

I love the conversations, provocations and different perspectives which we share as collaborators in creative work with communities of many beings. It also brings joy to discover the many and new ways that we are each documenting, holding solo and collectively gathered observations and reflections.

It feels as though the work is moving in a healthy direction when it involves Dudley People’s School for Climate Justice collaborators gathering in an abundant permaculture garden in the heart of Dudley borough 💚 🧅🧄🥕🥬🫛

I’ve decided that in support of becoming a Nature Connected Organisation, I might try to add nature notes to all meeting notes. Just had a finance check-in with our treasurer, this time of year I pester him for duckling news and pics, as he lives on a barge. Sad news for this little family though 🦆😢

Oooof. Those direct air capture machines built by Climeworks in Iceland, to pull carbon dioxide out of the air? Turns out ... they have generated more CO2 than they have captured.

Setting up for a two day Team Grounding Retreat exploring our learning from the last year (and the last 10+ years) and bringing clarity to work towards our North Star.

Warm memories of ways that Nick Booth influenced and shaped how I think and work, and our CoLab Dudley work. medium.com/colab-dudley...

Do watch the ritualistic 'banging out' video here, and read the rest to understand what's going on ... substack.com/inbox/post/1...

Approaching Oxford, ready to make new friends and soak up inspiration for 2 days at Marmalade Festival. www.marmalade.io

My May botanical illustration & mental health w'shop’s now live. I teach you: 🌿how to break down plants into simple shapes & add shading 🧠how creative activity alters brain biochemistry to improve mental health There’s 15% off atm with the code THANKYOU15: workshops.emmamitchell.uk/courses/bota...

If you'd like to receive news, latest articles, resources & upcoming courses, sign up to my mailing list here (trying to transition from the dodgy platforms) bridget-mckenzie.kit.com/cbde1db065

Nurture the hell out of the seeds of the future you want because they too are sprouting in the chaos.

Three things from lab life last week that got me reflecting on the importance of observing and sensing (in varied ways) before you design and take action. medium.com/colab-dudley...

Just signposting to some lush reading to noodle through on Medium. First up, Holly’s latest Lab Note unfolding regenerative research principles evolving through her PhD and work with folk in Dudley: medium.com/colab-dudley...

Newsletter, day 19:

Trying to keep up with regular documenting of lab activity. It’s really lovely to lift up this unlikely creativity on Dudley High Street. And it helps with reporting to funders etc. This is an account of abundant activity in a week last month. medium.com/colab-dudley...

Part of why I launched my newsletter on Ghost (now that people are talking again about Substack's Nazi problem, to which I'd add that Substack has Marc Andreessen and Y-Combinator behind it, which is at a minimum repellant)....

I recently helped out a friend with Notion as she’s using it for her herbalism course. Today I was gifted a herbal tea blend called Notion Potion 💕💕💕

Meta illegaly downloaded 80+ terabytes of books from LibGen, Anna's Archive, and Z-library to train their AI models. In 2010, Aaron Swartz downloaded only 70 GBs of articles from JSTOR (0.0875% of Meta). Faced $1 million in fine and 35 years in jail. Took his own life in 2013.

Getting back into the Week Notes writing rhythm. Playing catch up as January has been abundant with activity, with no scope for documenting until now. This is about collaborative weaving, co-working and climate stripes on the High Street, and flexing our futures thinking. medium.com/colab-dudley...

“The arts matter because they are local and relevant to the needs and wishes of local people. They help citizens to express their needs and to clothe them in memorable forms. They offer a way of expressing ideas and wishes … Anywhere that neglects the arts shortchanges its people.” John Tusa

So pleased my article on geo-coding addresses of 121 million + people in British censuses 1851-1911 is now out with Historical Methods! #openaccess - map any census info (ages, occupations, birthplaces etc) by address - link census to other spatial datasets Get the code and data 👇

What a great book to have started this year’s reading with. I loved the work of each of the protagonists; art that I can’t describe, tech, and community resistance. Spanning times in my memory and yet to come, this is a really fascinating story.

Sometimes I think I should set things up so the billionaire companies aren’t tracking all my online activity. Occasionally I love that social media throws me an ad for something cool I wouldn’t otherwise have known about. Like academia + history in a comedy club www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-histor...

Thank you Dudley Libraries. That’s Sunday sorted ☕️📖😊

Monday morning we are entering a new chapter in this country's history and we are entering it together, with our friends and principles held close and our eyes wide open.

Tell us which principle resonates with you most 👇 👇 👇 www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/wecanmake-...

We developed these six principles last year with the support of @lornaprescott.bsky.social and Jo at CoLab Dudley. You can read more about their exploration of Principle Focused Evaluation here: www.dudleycvs.org.uk/imagining-an...

Here are a few reflections from team members @tayaziz.bsky.social, @athlynck.bsky.social and Riannan on which principles resonate with them most, and how they serve as a lens through which to sense-check and reflect on our work.

We are gently starting 2025 as a team, reflecting on the principles that guide our work, and how they will shape the year ahead. Join us at our Hood Meet Up this Thurs to explore the principles in more depth, share food, and connect with the wider WCM ecosystem. www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/wecanmake-...