👋🏼 Hello, World!

I’m still here. How about you? How are you? How’s life going? No need to answer—I’m just happy you’re here reading my bulletin. I appreciate you and hope this little corner of cyberspace brings you something to smile about. ✨

🎬 Behind the Scenes

Welcome back! Let me introduce you to my new Behind the Scenes section. Pretty cool, right? This section will be where I’ll share updates on my various projects and makerspace adventures.

As the image above says, “it’s easy to get started!” As someone with ADHD, I love starting stuff. For a long time, I wondered how I’d get past the “start here” and make progress, like a game piece that’s just been placed on the board. I can say this, with some confidence, that I’m getting better at the making progress part. This bulletin is proof of it. ☺️

I know it’s been a while since my last issue. I’m working to make this sustainable while experimenting with content that resonates with me. So, back to that image above. I’m excited to share that this year I’ll be applying to take part in the Women Game Jam with some of my favorite peeps! And we will create a game using GB Studio as the millennials that we are. Any Game Boy fans reading this?

💎 Linguistic Gems

It’s no secret that I’m fascinated by the subject of pronunciation. I explore the intricacies of pronunciation and, through that exploration, I have learned so much about others and myself. After all, before I ever thought of becoming a teacher of English, I was a learner of other languages. Each language, dialect, and accent have offered me a safe space to play and shape my voice 💖. Pronunciation is not a rigid subject for me, actually it’s the total opposite.

I’m happy to introduce Linguistic Gems as a brand-new section of this bulletin. In this section I’m hoping to share tips, tricks, and geek out on pronunciation with you all! And since there’s nothing better than using our mouths to do this, we’ll start with a fun exercise to warm up. I’d like us to focus on the guy in the image above. His red cap and blue overalls are pretty unforgettable, right?

Here’s what we’ll do next. First, say his name silently, in your mind, and then say his name aloud. Now, some questions:

1. On your first try, did you say his name in Spanish, Portuguese, or English?

2. Can you try saying his name, silently and then aloud, in a language different from the first language you used on your first try? Does it feel similar?

3. What differed from using one language versus the other? What felt different?

Feel free to share your thoughts on this exercise (just hit reply). And worry not! I’m already working on a little recording where I’ll do my best to explore this exercise even further. Stay tuned!

📚 Book Nook

Language has power. It can influence our thoughts, interactions, and even the way we dream. This multifaceted influence of language is explored in R. F. Kuang’s “Babel: Or, The Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators’ Revolution.” Set in Oxford during the 1830s, “Babel” imagines a fantasy world in which the study of languages, alongside the smelting of silver, can create magic. - The Harvard Crimson

The Book Nook is the place where I’ll highlight a book that’s caught not just my eye, but my whole self 🤩. “Babel” is that book. There were moments, while reading this book, that left me questioning so many things, even whether I should continue teaching.

This was my first time reading R.F. Kuang and it won’t be the last. For anyone who uses language to express themself, this book will literally speak to you and beyond.

Want to share your thoughts and talk books? Let’s meet up!

🎮 Game Corner

Moonlight Kids' action-adventure/strategy puzzle game The Wild at Heart combines the Metroidvania style and features mechanics from the Pikmin series to design a gorgeous fantasy world with a rich and compelling story. The Wild at Heart follows two precocious children, Wake and Kirby, as they fulfill the classic childhood fantasy of running away from home. They are guided into a unique and mystical world called the Deep Woods and must help its inhabitants find and rescue a few guardians who have lost their way. - ScreenRant

This is one of my favorite sections of this bulletin! The Game Corner is where I’ll spotlight some of my favorite games. Plus, I’m hoping to introduce a monthly raffle 🎟️ for subscribers (soonish)! I still need to figure out some technical deets. In the meantime, please enjoy the trailer above. Looking for a game with engaging puzzles? Look no further than The Wild at Heart.

🔍 Curated Discoveries

Fionna and Cake presents queerness as a given in its parallel universes, but Adventure Time didn’t have the same attitude — at least, not at first. Led by Steven Universe creator Rebecca Sugar when they wrote for the show, people behind the scenes at Adventure Time fought hard for increased and visible queer inclusion in the series. Even Marceline and Bubblegum’s finale kiss only happened because storyboard artist Hanna K. Nyström fought for it. - Polygon

Happy belated Pride Month! 🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈 I know I’m a little late, but I still wanted to discuss the importance of representation in media. And although queerness representation is a given in “Fionna and Cake,” it’s not the only form of representation for marginalized groups present in the series. Before we move on to our next find, here’s some food for thought 🤔:

Take a moment to consider what types of representation have become a given nowadays, and how we’ve achieved this progress.

“I’ve always felt some mix of confident and insecure in my life – as I think we all do,” says Gracie Lawrence, who wrote the track during a particularly low point during the COVID-19 pandemic. “One night, instead of avoiding those thoughts, I decided to just write them all down and find what was maybe funny or ridiculous about them. I think that sort of middle-of-the-night-bedroom-y feel is really captured in the beginning of the song, which feels super intimate and conversational. - Atwood Magazine

To close this issue of the Bean-Sized Bulletin, I’m stoked to share this amazing jam by Lawrence! I won’t lie. Writing this issue has been a bit of a roller coaster. There’s so much content I’d love to put out there into the world, but my confidence fluctuates between ‘Yes, I can do it!’ and ‘Am I even the right person to be doing this?’ Sound familiar? 😅

I may come across as confident, and I promise you I sometimes feel that confident. It’s never easy, but I think I’m making progress with every bit I share. I’d love to hear a recent experience where you felt truly confident, what contributed to that feeling. Just hit reply.

Until next time, human beans, stay awesome! 🌟