NEWSLETTER
Age of Empathy News: March 2024
All the latest from our little creative nonfiction corner of Medium
As we enter a new month, it’s time to recap the recent activity in our pub, highlight some of the incredible essays we have published, and let you know what’s coming up during the month ahead.
Following a bit of a lull from early January through the first three weeks of February, we are now seeing a big rise in both reads and essay submissions again. We thank you, all our writers and our readers, for the ongoing support you show to us and to one another. It truly lifts my spirits to see such engagement.
New writers joining the pub
As many of you know, we opened the doors to new writers again at the start of February and I’ve been happy to see a steady flow of requests from some wonderful writers come in.
Welcome to all the writers who have joined us during the month of February! We’re delighted to have you onboard and the editors have enjoyed working with all of those who have submitted essays.
Our new writers are Freeman Scott, Ignore the Rules by Patricia Thornton, Tiffany Norman, Debra Jean, J. Avery Stewart, Lucy Clemens, Craig Youngkrantz, Courtney Abruzzo, James S. Baker, Dave Edward Keenan, Andrew Conklin, Edward Kuo, Ladywriter, Isabel Riordan, Chiereme Fortune, Trang NP Tran and Rfhamer.
If you aren’t already following the publication, make sure you hit the “Follow” button so you will receive the newsletter and any important updates.
Looking ahead, we will remain open to new writers for the month of March. Since there’s only so much time each of our editors can devote to working with the drafts coming in, we do need to keep monitoring the number of writers we accept, so we are simply taking it one month at a time for now.
The Medium Pub Crawl
Who has heard about the upcoming pub crawl?
The last time I went on an actual pub crawl was on one of my visits back to Oxford, where I spent most of my childhood years. It was one of those moments when it dawned on me just how stunning the city is. To walk down those cobbled streets in the fading light of a summer’s evening is pretty special, surrounded by the large old college buildings with their iconic gargoyles lining the walls. And then to wander from one 12th century pub to another, or to drink at a table beside a wall baring the signatures of J.R.R. Tolkein and C.S. Lewis is something worth experiencing.
Growing up, it was normal, nothing spectacular. But when you move away and spend time living in grotty parts of London, as I did, the beauty I took for granted for so many years suddenly became evident.
Of course, for our Medium Pub Crawl, I’d love to take you all with me through those streets of Oxford, but I’m afraid to say it’s not one of those kinds of pub crawls.
It’s even better!
Although I’m still trying to figure out the details, it appears that Medium has opened up a 24-hour window on a Zoom conference call, in which publications will hold “booths”. Here we can present the publication to writers who visit our booth. You, as a writer, can “crawl” from pub to pub, or booth to booth, and find the pubs — or should I say publications since we’re not talking C.S. Lewis’s drinking holes — that you jam with.
And yep, you guessed it! Age of Empathy has a booth for the event.
And so has our sister pub, The Memoirist.
We don’t have any more specific details to give you at this moment but if you haven’t done so already, make sure you grab your pass for the pub crawl (it’s free), and come and see us if you get the chance. All the details are below.
March Writing Prompt
This month, in line with it being the month in which International Women’s Day falls, our writing theme is Women.
You can find the details in the following article. As ever, the prompt is extremely versatile and open to your creativity. Don’t forget to use the tag/topic, International Women’s Day.
Editor’s picks
It’s always hard to pick just a few but for the sake of keeping the list concise, I had to be very choosy. Here are a taste of the wonderful essays we have published this month:
We Met Face-to-Face Once; Ten Years Later She Asked for My Kidney by Lisa S. Gerard
Before My Son Killed a Man by Liberty Forrest, Author
Why ‘Don’t Worry, Be Happy’ is Terrible Advice by Sarah Paris
It Took A Car Wreck for Me to Really See My Father by Brad Snyder
“We Are All Inmates Of One Place…” by J Oliver Dempsey
From Baby Fat to Brandy Melville by Dana DuBois
Let’s Stop Trying to Make Life Linear and Start Where We Are On The Spiral Path by Aimée Brown Gramblin
Danish Blue: A Love Story in Three Helpings by Beth Riungu
My Valentine Died. And I Forgot. by KiKi Walter
What Is on the Other Side of Forgiveness? by Martha Manning, Ph.D.
Essays from our February prompt: Friendship
The following is a wonderful mix of essays detailing friendships of all kinds. They were an absolute delight to read.
I Loved You Then, and I Love You Now by Samantha M🥀
The Fiery Fury of Fake Friends in Middle School by Allie
Life Lessons From a Left-Handed Friend by HCwrites
The Secret to a Successful Friendship by Oscar Rhea
The Soccer Mom Wobble-Stumble Dance Party in Karmi’s Kitchen by Stephanie Wilson
Dear Friend — You Left Me No Choice by Ali Hall
What Makes A Friend? by Catherine Oceano
No Need To Explain. by Ruby Noir 😈
What I Didn’t Know Then by Karen Hoffman
When Friendships Become Dead Ends by Annie Avery
Friends in Hard Places: A Family and City in Decline by Beth Riungu
My Virtual Friends Are Great Until I Need a Hug by kasey sparks
How Could I Allow a Friendship Like This to Fade so Much? by Sally Prag
The Unexpected Bond Between Two Young Girls by Lynn L. Alexander
That’s all for this month.
Keep writing and showing up. And see you on the pub crawl!
Love 🖤 Sally and the editorial team at Age of Empathy — Jacqueline Dooley | kasey sparks | Arpad Nagy | KiKi Walter | Christopher Robin | Suzanne Pisano | Michele Maize | Bernice R. | Ilona Goanos | Dana DuBois | Lindsey Otto | Maria Hayes | Stephanie Wilson | Dr. Preeti Singh