A year ago I wrote an essay about how to make the most out of summer plans. Today, summer 2019 feels like a lifetime ago and like it belongs to an era that no longer exists. Summer 2019 was about making the most of the space between semesters and summer 2020 is about survival. 

“Caring for myself is not self-indulgence. It is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.” — Audre Lorde

The following is a list of questions I’ll be entertain this summer, in an attempt to care for myself and, thus, engage in political warfare:

1. What can I do that would feel life-giving today?
2. If I were to open research documents, would that fulfill me?
3. Who, among members of my community, would benefit from a piece of me today?
4. When is the last time I went for a walk? Is that what I should do today?
5. Is there a change I can make that would help me feel less lonely or isolated?
6. What is my body telling me about what I need today?
7. How can I set myself up for success before the fall is in swing?
8. Have I been getting enough quality sleep? What would it look like to rest?

Junior Prof’s summer reading list

Like last summer, I also plan to read a few books this summer.

Small Teaching and Small Teaching Online — I looked over these last summer and now that we are all moving toward a fall semester at least partially online, it feels pertinent to look back over these teaching strategies.

As the United States engages in a nationwide reckoning with White supremacy and structural racism, I will also pick up two best sellers on these topics before turning toward anti-racist pedagogy readings in the fall.

Why I am No Longer Talking to White People about Race — Reni Eddo-Lodge helped spark a national, British conversation about race in the U.K. She covers a wide range of topics including the intersection of race and feminism, and how racial and socio-economic strata may be more interlinked than one would think.

How to be an Antiracist — Ibram X. Kendi’s book is being hailed as one of the most important books on racism ever published. This is taken from an online summary — “Kendi weaves an electrifying combination of ethics, history, law, and science with his own personal story of awakening to antiracism. This is an essential work for anyone who wants to go beyond the awareness of racism to the next step: contributing to the formation of a just and equitable society.”

Those, my friends, are my only expectations of this summer.