Happy National Poetry Month, everybody! This is Andy speaking. I’ve been thinking a lot about #NationalPoetryMonth, and about poetry in general lately. I’ve always loved poetry and the form and constraints it introduces, but I’ve never considered myself a poet. I do love to write limericks, and haikus, but to me those feel like puzzles — how do I fit my ideas into a very specific structure?

Capital P Poetry, though? I could never do that. I think part of it is because my relationship with writing is not an art, it’s a craft. I’m much better at informative, useful writing — journalism, UX writing, blogging about pencils. Poetry can be useful, but it doesn’t have to be. It’s art.

In any case, as you’re thinking about poetry this month, consider writing a poem about UX writing, or an app or a website, experience, and send it into 404 Magazine! I want to fill this issue with as much original poetry as I can. Read more about that detail at the link.

In other news, I got my first vaccine shot a couple weeks ago. I get my next one later this month. We’re rounding the corner, friends. Stay strong.

PS: You may notice this newsletter looks a bit different. We’ve moved off of Substack because of reasons, to a smaller more independent platform.

What we’re doing

Michael and Andy:

April 14-16 Writing is Designing Workshop →

Very soon we’ll be having our last workshop before we take a break for awhile. This one is in the Asia Pacific timezone, but you can attend from the Americas in the evenings (just keep in mind it will be April 13-15 in that case).

Here’s what Stephanie, one of our recent attendees, said about their experience:

The workshop was packed with learning and resources. The hosts are very good at this even in the age of remote workshops. I feel I am coming away with not only knowledge but also methods I can put to use right away, as well as help my design colleagues better understand content design principles.

Andy:

Issue 2 of 404 Magazine is out! →

I’m still enamored with the process of making zines, and this time, I had a lot of fun figuring out how to achieve a green-screen effect for the cover! This issue is full of more hilarious and thought-provoking UX writing examples, plus a couple spreads’ worth of original poetry.

Check me out on the Design Career Network YouTube channel →

A couple weeks ago, I had an opportunity to talk to folks about content design careers live on YouTube! It was a lot of fun, and I presented some new material, plus answered several questions about portfolios, establishing a practice, iterating with designers, and more.

Michael:

Going for walks. Lots of walks.

What we’re reading

Michael and Andy:

Mediocre: The Dangerous Legacy of White Male America by Ijeoma Oluo →

Michael sent me (Andy) this book as a gift a while ago and asked if we wanted to do our own personal book club while reading it. We’ve started! We’re early in, but it’s chock-full of stories about white men throughout the history of America — from westward expansionists who murder native people and destroy the environment, to performative male feminists during the suffragists movement. So far, it’s been really eye-opening to see the entitlement and bravado white men in America have adopted for centuries.

Michael:

Trandscendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi →

An incredible story. As someone who grew up in the American evangelical tradition, the parts that really got me thinking had to do with faith. Gyasi describes how white American Christians distort and weaponize their faith against the main characters. It’s something I saw a lot growing up and see a lot now—in such stark contrast with Jesus. This book is about so much more than that, but that part really resonated with me.

Cultivating Content Design by Beth Dunn →

This book isn’t out yet, but I already got to read it, and it’s wonderful. As someone growing a content design practice right now, it has such a refreshing, holistic vision of how to approach things. Dunn’s approach involves bringing people along and empowering them—something I can really get behind. The methods she describes are things you could start doing the day after you read it. Can’t recommend this book enough.

Andy:

Four Lost Cities by Annalee Newitz →

Just started reading this book by the amazing science fiction writer, science journalist, and San Francisco resident Annalee Newitz! I think I talked about their last novel here before, The Future of Another Timeline. This time, they are featuring four cities from long ago that were lost to time, somehow, and how it happened. It’s about archeology, urbanism, society, and environmentalism, all wrapped up in super interesting, compelling stories about ancient humanity.

Pencil of the month

Palomino ForestChoice →

These natural wood/green-ferruled beauties have been a silent contender for a long time. They have the distinction as being the first-ever FSC-certified pencils, which means they used sustainably grown California Incense Cedar, so they’re environmentally friends AND they smell SO GOOD. Manufactured by the same company that makes the now-famous Palomino Blackwing, the ForestChoices came out years before. And it recently won the distinction as “The Best Pencil for Writing and Schoolwork” by the NY Times’s Wirecutter. They’re a great price, too, at $5 for a dozen.