I reread this about once a month and every time it's the tonic I need: www.themarginalian.org/2022/10/17/h...

A brief history of the mind in the machine – John von Neumann, the inception of AI, and how the limits of logic can liberate our humanity www.themarginalian.org/2023/12/02/l...

The power of a thin skin www.themarginalian.org/2026/07/08/j...

How to use the 6 core tenets of athletic training in creative work www.themarginalian.org/2023/12/17/e...

"We can change, evolve, and transform our own conditioning. We can choose to move like water rather than be molded like clay." The bird in the heart – Terry Tempest Williams on the paradox of transformation and how to live with uncertainty

"We can change, evolve, and transform our own conditioning. We can choose to move like water rather than be molded like clay." The bird in the heart – Terry Tempest Williams on the paradox of transformation and how to live with uncertainty www.themarginalian.org/2024/01/26/w...

Martian gargoyles and lunar fish – gorgeous embroidered illustrations for the world's first book theorizing life on other worlds, in 1698 www.themarginalian.org/2026/05/08/a...

George Saunders on how to be an instrument of kindness in a harsh world and the 3 antidotes to your suffering www.themarginalian.org/2026/01/20/g...

"1. Live as well as you dare." 20 ways of surfacing from the blues – Sydney Smith's 200-year-old strategies for raising low spirits, in a letter of advice to a teenage girl www.themarginalian.org/2026/07/07/s...

Nature and creativity – the science of "soft fascination" and how nature resets the brain www.themarginalian.org/2022/07/01/d...

Empire, emoji, and the ecology of love – the bittersweet story of the lost ancient plant that originated the 💛 symbol www.themarginalian.org/2026/05/06/s...

A spell against despair from the gorgeous waxwing. As always, find this #birddivination as a solo print and part of the deck of 100, along with the story and process behind them, at almanacofbirds.org

Trees at Night – lovely lovely poem by the teenage Harlem Renaissance prodigy Helene Johnson, who was born 120 years ago today and died on this day, her own 89th birthday, in 1995) www.themarginalian.org/2022/05/20/t...

For an act of resistance to the tyranny and vanity of algorithms, try the Marginalian newsletter—undistracted notes on the search for meaning, free, ad-free, AI-free, fully human for 20 years this year: themarginalian.org/newsletter

If you love color, this gorgeous meditation on its conscience – from chemistry to culture – is for you: www.themarginalian.org/2021/06/02/e...

The souls of animals – superb read that gets to the core of what we mean by "soul" (and what we mean by "animal") www.themarginalian.org/2025/02/28/t...

A parliament of owls and a murder of crows – how a medieval woman gave bird groupings their names and a mid-century artist breathed new life into them www.themarginalian.org/2024/01/04/b...

The color of wonder and the chemical code of creation – how nature makes blue, the rarest and loveliest of colors www.themarginalian.org/2026/02/19/t...

The great Zen teacher and peace activist Thich Nhat Hanh on the art of deep listening and the 3 Buddhist steps of repairing any relationship www.themarginalian.org/2026/07/06/t...

"All the books of the world will not bring you happiness, but build a secret path toward your heart." Hermann Hesse on how to read www.themarginalian.org/2023/12/22/h...

“Growing up, we say, as though we were trees, as though altitude was all that there was to be gained, but so much of the process is growing whole as the fragments are gathered, the patterns found.” Rebecca Solnit on how we compose ourselves:

If you are spinning with the not-knowingness of life, this #birddivination is for you. Find the original deck of 100, along with the story and process behind them, at almanacofbirds.org

Storytelling and the art of tenderness – Olga Tokarczuk's magnificent Nobel Prize acceptance speech www.themarginalian.org/2026/07/05/t...

Elizabeth Bishop on why everyone should experience at least one long period of solitude in life www.themarginalian.org/2016/02/08/e...

Is This Blue – an uncommonly revelatory meditation on love and how we know the world is true by the great Chilean philosophers Humberto Maturana and Francisco Varela www.themarginalian.org/2026/04/14/t...

"To be nobody-but-yourself — in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else — means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight." One of humanity's most daring artists on creativity and the courage to be yourself

How to live fully while dying – the extraordinary diary of Alice James, William and Henry James's equally brilliant yet history-washed sister www.themarginalian.org/2017/08/07/d...

The best of The Marginalian this week in one place—the art of losing and the art of beckoning love back (the story behind one of the greatest poems ever written), the samurai guide to living fully, the violinist who solved the ancient riddle of how the world holds together mailchi.mp/themarginali...

Let this poem teach you how to live and how to die www.themarginalian.org/2020/02/03/e...

A #birddivination for your Sunday. As always, find it as a solo print and part of the deck of 100, along with the story and process behind them, at almanacofbirds.org

I keep returning to this: The most important thing to remember about your mother www.themarginalian.org/2023/01/10/f...

The power of surrender and the paradox of self-transcendence – wisdom from the Moomins: www.themarginalian.org/2015/01/22/t...

"The truth is, most of us discover where we are headed when we arrive." On Calvin and Hobbes creator Bill Watterson's birthday, his magnificent meditation on creativity and the meaning of life www.themarginalian.org/2013/05/20/b...

At the link, the best of The Marginalian this week in one place — the art of losing and the art of beckoning love back with a poem, the samurai guide to living fully, the violinist who solved the ancient riddle of how the world holds together: mailchi.mp/themarginali...

"She died a famous woman denying her wounds denying her wounds came from the same source as her power" Remembering Marie Curie, who died on this day in 1934, with Adrienne Rich's stunning tribute, stunningly read by @RosaneCash: www.themarginalian.org/2017/05/02/r...

My favorite podcast (BBC's In Our Time – look for it wherever you listen) just did a fascinating episode on seashells, which reminded me of this treasure from the archives: www.themarginalian.org/2022/07/21/s...

The pain in you and the god in you – Carl Jung on the relationship between psychological suffering and creativity www.themarginalian.org/2026/07/04/c...

If you could use a tonic of perspective and hope, this poem is for you www.themarginalian.org/2026/04/30/b...

Lest we forget that every love is a triumph against probability www.themarginalian.org/2025/11/24/l...

Henrietta Swan Leavitt, born on this day in 1868, revolutionized our understanding of the universe. The rippling echoes of her legacy, in a breathtaking animated poem: www.themarginalian.org/2022/02/11/u...

The art of losing and the art of beckoning love back – the story behind one of the greatest poems ever written

On this day in 1862, a mathematician named Charles Dodgson dreamt up a whimsical tale to entertain a bored little girl named Alice Liddell on a long boat ride. He became Lewis Carroll and the story became "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland." Meet the real Alice:

Marie Curie died on this day in 1934, having made history as the first woman to win the Nobel Prize. But few know that she also invented X-ray ambulances that saved countless lives during the war, which she chauffeured with her daughter:

On Kafka's birthday, his remarkable letter to his father – a gasp of recognition for anyone who has survived growing up with a narcissistic or abusive parent www.themarginalian.org/2015/03/05/f...

Stunning century-old illustrations for French fairy tales by a terminally ill teenage girl www.themarginalian.org/2022/01/27/v...

No one you love is ever dead – Hemingway on the meaning of life and how to live through the most devastating of losses www.themarginalian.org/2026/07/03/h...

The greatest cellist of all time, at 93, on the secret to creative vitality www.themarginalian.org/2026/06/29/p...

How we render reality – gorgeous read on attention as an instrument of love www.themarginalian.org/2023/05/10/i...

"In any art you're allowed to steal anything if you can make it better." Hemingway's advice on writing www.themarginalian.org/2016/01/04/w...

The Moomin strategy for living with uncertainty www.themarginalian.org/2014/09/29/t...