Hello Readers!
Here’s my monthly round up of what I’m doing, reading, listening, and watching!
Hope you enjoy!
Kathryn
I've been meaning to ask you interviews + fundraiser + draw!
I’ve Been Meaning to Ask You, a new interview series from Send My Love to Anyone!
My News
Everyone’s a Blob: Kathryn Mockler & David Poolman
13 Cedars - July 19, 2025
I am leaving London, ON. briefly in July to do an exhibition with David Poolman and a reading at 13 Cedars, a project space run by Jay Isaac.
13 Cedars is located in Rowley, New Brunswick, between the city of Saint John and the oceanside village of St. Martins. The space is housed in a small barn that Isaac refurbished between 2023-2025.
Thanks so much to Jay for putting this show and reading together!
Opening Date: July 19, 2025 Time: 1-4pm (reading at 2:00pm) Location: 933 Route 111, Rowley, NB
Everyone’s a blob, an exhibition by Kathryn Mockler & David Poolman, opens Saturday July 19th, 1-4pm, with a reading by Kathryn Mockler at 2pm.
Kathryn Mockler is the author of the story collection Anecdotes (Book*hug Press, 2023). She co-edited the print anthology Watch Your Head: Writers and Artists Respond to the Climate Crisis (Coach House Books, 2020) and runs the literary newsletter Send My Love to Anyone.
David Poolman is an artist working in drawing, print, sound, and video. Since 2015 Poolman has worked with artist Jeremy Drummond as Never Met a Stranger, a publisher of vernacular arts and culture that collectively explore landscape and culture throughout central Appalachia and the rural North American south.
Kate Rogers reviews Speech Dries Here on the Tongue: Poetry on Environmental Collapse and Mental Health in The Woodlot and mentions my poem “Pareidolia”.
Kathryn Mockler’s poem “Pareidolia” (the ability to see faces in inanimate objects) explains that scientists have variously considered that tendency to be neurotic, or inspired by happiness. She shows us the conflict between those confronting environmental disaster and those insisting on denial: “In the picture of the sky there are two clouds. One of the clouds looks like a man with his hand on his hip and the other cloud appears as a giant head with no body. // The man and the head are arguing about the existence of God, climate change, and whether the gains are worth the losses when it comes to extinction.”
Thanks to CanLit FanGirl for interviewing me on her New Books Network podcast:
On June 18, 2025 my film Do You Know What’s Great? screened at the Future World Film Festival in Lisbon, Portugal.
ECLECTIC MICROSHORT
A collection of bold, creative, and genre-defying microfilms from around the world — each under 5 minutes, each leaving a lasting impression.
From powerful reflections on humanity and technology to poetic and surreal visions of the future, this category is a true celebration of cinematic experimentation.
🌍 Featuring films from Cambodia, Italy, UK, Canada, Turkey, Poland, South Korea, Portugal, the U.S., and more.
Kirby’s News
The latest from KIRBY
SMLTA Discussions
Gatherings
Netzarim: Between Hunger and Death from Habiba’s Substack
In Gaza we don't just die from bombing, we die from hunger and fear.
Hunger that breaks homes, makes adults cry like children, and makes a loaf of bread a wish.
We feel as if everyone agreed on our death, hunger and bombing.
They send us a false American company that claims to be humanitarian, while at the same time they kill us in cold blood.
Parnia Abbasi (2002-2025)
The Extinguished Star by Parnia Abbasi
Translated by Ghazal Mosadeq, Pamenar Press
A poem by a young Iranian poet Parnia Abbasi who, along with her family, all civilians, was killed today in a brutal and unlawful Israeli attack in the Sattarkhan neighbourhood of Tehran.
On Iron Deficiency
I suffered low iron for years and was told my symptoms were all in my head until I had a good doctor who was more flexible about the guidelines. So glad that the guidelines are changing. So glad to see this news that they are changing the guidelines!
What Do New Iron Deficiency Guidelines Mean For You? by Misty Pratt in Chatelaine
Under the old guidelines, you may have been iron deficient without being aware of it. Here’s what you need to know.
Meta Wins Blockbuster AI Copyright Case—but There’s a Catch, Wired
A federal judge ruled that Meta did not violate the law when it trained its AI models on 13 authors' books.
Meta scored a major victory in a copyright lawsuit on Wednesday when a federal judge ruled that the company did not violate the law when it trained its AI tools on 13 authors' books without permission.
“The Court has no choice but to grant summary judgment to Meta on the plaintiffs’ claim that the company violated copyright law by training its models with their books,” wrote US District Court Judge Vince Chhabria in a summary judgment. He concluded that the plaintiffs did not present sufficient evidence that Meta’s use of their books was harmful.
Your brain on ChatGPT: Accumulation of Cognitive Debt when Using an AI Assistant for Essay Writing Task
This study explores the neural and behavioral consequences of LLM-assisted essay writing. Participants were divided into three groups: LLM, Search Engine, and Brain-only (no tools). Each completed three sessions under the same condition. In a fourth session, LLM users were reassigned to Brain-only group (LLM-to-Brain), and Brain-only users were reassigned to LLM condition (Brain-to-LLM). A total of 54 participants took part in Sessions 1-3, with 18 completing session 4.
We used electroencephalography (EEG) to assess cognitive load during essay writing, and analyzed essays using NLP, as well as scoring essays with the help from human teachers and an AI judge.
Across groups, NERs, n-gram patterns, and topic ontology showed within-group homogeneity. EEG revealed significant differences in brain connectivity: Brain-only participants exhibited the strongest, most distributed networks; Search Engine users showed moderate engagement; and LLM users displayed the weakest connectivity.
Cognitive activity scaled down in relation to external tool use. In session 4, LLM-to-Brain participants showed reduced alpha and beta connectivity, indicating under-engagement. Brain-to-LLM users exhibited higher memory recall and activation of occipito-parietal and prefrontal areas, similar to Search Engine users. Self-reported ownership of essays was the lowest in the LLM group and the highest in the Brain-only group. LLM users also struggled to accurately quote their own work. While LLMs offer immediate convenience, our findings highlight potential cognitive costs.
Over four months, LLM users consistently underperformed at neural, linguistic, and behavioral levels. These results raise concerns about the long-term educational implications of LLM reliance and underscore the need for deeper inquiry into AI's role in learning.
Jessy Easton on the complications of Mother’s Day.
Laura Davis on paying attention.
What I’m Watching
What I’m Listening to
CanLit FanGirl (aka Hollay Ghadery) has been interviewing Canadian writers on her New Books Network podcast. If you want to learn more about Can Lit writers, I strongly recommend you check out Ghadery’s podcast! She has interviewed over 70 writers!
Here are some favourites:
Nemahsis took home two Juno Awards this year, for alternative album of the year and breakthrough artist or group of the year at the Juno Awards after being dropped by her label in 2023 for being Palestinian. Watch her speeches and her performance on Stephen Colbert.
I’m currently reading Ross Gay’s Book of Delights for the second time.
Tell me what you’re re-reading!
New Nina Nastasia album on Bandcamp! She’s one of my favs!
Send your love to Send My Love to Anyone!
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Thank you for including me in such a robust wrap-up of inspiring and important pieces and writers. Appreciate you!