Sally Ember's Blog
October 10, 2025
#MacArthur Foundation’s 22 Newest Fellows, 2025: Physical #Scientists, Social Scientists, #Writers, #Artists, #Archaeologists, #Activists, #Poets, #Filmmakers, #Musicians, #Performers and #Historians
#MacArthur Foundation’s 22 Newest Fellows, 2025:
Physical #Scientists, Social Scientists, #Writers, #Artists, #Archaeologists, #Activists, #Poets, #Filmmakers, #Musicians, #Performers and #Historians
The 2025 MacArthur Fellows expand the boundaries of knowledge, artistry, and human understanding. They focus our attention on microbial worlds and distant stars, community vitality and timeless traditions, sacred and improvisational music, and shared histories of our time on Earth. With virtuosity, persistence, and courage, they chart new paths toward collaborative, creative, and flourishing futures.
Kristen Mack
Vice President, Communications, MacArthur Fellows, and Partnerships
“The MacArthur Fellowship is a $800,000, no-strings-attached award to extraordinarily talented and creative individuals as an investment in their potential….Since 1981, 1175 people have been named MacArthur Fellows….
“Nominees are brought to the Program’s attention through a constantly changing pool of invited external nominators chosen from as broad a range of fields and areas of interest as possible. They are encouraged to draw on their expertise, accomplishments, and breadth of experience to nominate the most creative people they know within their field and beyond….
“There are three criteria for selection of Fellows:Exceptional creativityPromise for important future advances based on a track record of significant accomplishments which could be enabled by our supportPotential for the Fellowship to facilitate subsequent creative work.”“The MacArthur Fellows Program is intended to encourage people of outstanding talent to pursue their own creative, intellectual, and professional inclinations. In keeping with this purpose, the Foundation awards fellowships directly to individuals rather than through institutions. Recipients may be writers, scientists, artists, social scientists, humanists, teachers, entrepreneurs, or those in other fields, with or without institutional affiliations. They may use their fellowship to advance their expertise, engage in bold new work, or, if they wish, to change fields or alter the direction of their careers.”
“By providing these individuals with unfettered support in pursuit of creative activities and knowledge, the Fellows Program seeks to:Highlight the importance of imaginative thinking in creating new works of art that inspire;Spotlight the value of risk-taking in addressing deep-rooted societal problems;Expand our understanding of creativity; andCultivate the next generation of innovators.”“Although nominees are reviewed for their achievements, the fellowship is not a lifetime achievement award, but rather an investment in a person’s originality, insight, and potential. Indeed, the purpose of the MacArthur Fellows Program is to enable recipients to exercise their own creative instincts for the benefit of human society.
“The Foundation does not require or expect specific products or reports from MacArthur Fellows and does not evaluate recipients’ creativity during the term of the fellowship. The MacArthur Fellowship is a “no strings attached” award in support of people, not projects. Each fellowship comes with a stipend of $800,000 to the recipient, paid out in equal quarterly installments over five years….”
Meet the newest crop of very fortunate creative sorts, this year’s MacArthur Fellows, who will each receive $800,000/year spread over 5 years, to do WHATEVER THEY WANT!
For bios, specific info on each Fellow (photos, videos, websites, more), and plenty about the Program and the Foundation, check out their website: https://www.macfound.org/programs/awards/fellows/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=enews&utm_campaign=fellows-landing-10-25
Imagine: There are no outside or public applications or nominations. The process for selection is so secretive and unknown that very few people (no one outside the Foundation, supposedly) even knows who the nominating and selection committees’ members ARE each year!
In the Foundation’s favor, the Fellows process has been great on “diversity” and varying geographic locations for quite a while (still heavier on both coasts than within the USA, though). They also seem to make a great effort to vary the balance of seeming gender identities, professions, and types of creativity.
Again, LOVE this!
Here are the award rationales/categories for each Fellow for 2025, many of whom are celebrated across more than two disciplines/areas of study and expertise:
Ángel F. Adames Corraliza, Madison, Wisconsin, Atmospheric Scientist “Investigating the mechanisms underlying tropical weather patterns. Adames combines deep knowledge of the physics of atmospheric waves with keen analysis of observational data and climate model simulations. He sheds light on tropical atmospheric dynamics that influence global weather patterns and phenomena such as tropical cyclones and monsoons.”
Matt Black, Exeter, California, photographer: “Chronicling people and landscapes in marginalized communities across the United States. In distinctive black and white images, Black compels viewers to grapple with the prevalence of poverty in the United States and its impacts on daily life for many Americans….[Black also] shows the impact of sustained drought on the [Central Valley, CA] region’s migrant farmworkers.”
Garrett Bradley, New Orleans, Artist and Filmmaker: “Blending elements of documentary, narrative, and experimental cinema to explore questions of justice, public memory, and cultural visibility…..Through formal experimentation that pushes aesthetic conventions, Bradley harnesses the full potential of moving images to evoke feeling and render the textures of her subjects’ lives.”
Heather Christian, Beacon, New York, Composer, Lyricist, Playwright, and Vocalist: “Creating music theater performances that explore the possibility for the sacred and spiritual in our modern world. Christian’s musical sound reflects a panoply of influences—the jazz and blues of her Southern upbringing, Catholic and Baptist liturgical music, and European choral traditions—and her exceptional artistry with vocal arrangements and orchestration.”
Nabarun Dasgupta, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Epidemiologist and Harm Reduction Advocate: “Creating practical programs to mitigate harms from drug use, particularly opioid overdose deaths. Dasgupta combines scientific studies with community engagement to improve the well-being and safety of people who use drugs and people living with debilitating pain.”
Kristina Douglass, New York, New York, Archaeologist: “Investigating how human societies and environments co-evolved and adapted to climate variability. Douglass’s research focuses on coastal communities in southwest Madagascar, a biodiversity hot spot that is particularly vulnerable to present-day climate change pressures.”
Kareem El-Badry, Pasadena, California, Astrophysicist: “investigating how stars form, evolve, and interact. El-Badry leverages astronomical datasets and theoretical modeling to investigate binary star systems, black holes, neutron stars, and other stellar bodies. His ability to extract insights from the enormous amounts of data gathered in space observation missions has led to many discoveries—from overlooked dormant black holes in our galaxy to new classes of stars and coupled systems.”
Jeremy Frey, Eddington, Maine, Artist: “Balancing tradition with innovation in technically precise and visually stunning woven artworks. Frey is descended from a long line of Wabanaki basket makers, and his art is imbued with the value systems, environmental stewardship, and history of traditional Wabanaki ash and sweetgrass basketry. Through experimentation with color, form, and materials, he forges a singular aesthetic that blurs the boundaries between craft, design, and contemporary art.”
Hahrie Han, Baltimore, Maryland, Political Scientist: “addressing critical questions about how and why people participate in civic and political life. Employing a range of ethnographic, sociological, experimental, and quantitative methods, she examines organizational structures and tactics that encourage individuals to interact across lines of difference and work together for change in the public sphere. Han combines the analytical rigor of political science with careful attention to the lived experiences of her subjects.”
Tonika Lewis Johnson, Chicago, Illinois, Photographer and Social Justice Artist: “Exposing the impacts of systematic disinvestment in urban communities. Johnson uses photography, maps, and multimedia storytelling to articulate the vast disparities in conditions, infrastructure, and investment between Chicago’s neighborhoods. At the same time, she creates pathways for residents to begin the process of restitution and repair.”
Ieva Jusionyte, Providence, Rhode Island, Cultural Anthropologist: “Exploring the political and moral ambiguities of border regions, where state policies regulate historically shifting distinctions between legal and illegal practices. Her ethnographic accounts are based on years of fieldwork and immersion among people whose occupations give them frontline vantage points on the ways border policies play out in the lives of individuals and communities. From these rarely observed perspectives, Jusionyte reveals how security mechanisms and cycles of violence perpetuate states of emergency and social fracture.”
Toby Kiers, Amsterdam, Netherlands, Evolutionary Biologist: “Investigating symbiotic partnerships between plants, fungi, and other microbes. She illuminates the evolutionary mechanisms underlying cooperation between species as well as the role of plant-microbe mutualisms in ecosystem health. Kiers’s research shows that microbes are not passive accessories to plants but powerful actors in their own right.”
Jason McLellan, Austin, Texas, Structural Biologist: “Investigating virus fusion proteins and developing new interventions to prevent infectious diseases. McLellan’s engineered viral proteins are critical to catalyzing vaccine design, particularly for infectious respiratory diseases.”
Tuan Andrew Nguyen, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, Multidisciplinary Artist: “Giving aesthetic form to the enduring repercussions of violence and dispossession. He grounds his films and sculptures in the histories of communities grappling with intergenerational traumas of war and displacement, in places ranging from his native Vietnam to the Philippines, Senegal, Papua New Guinea, and the United States. Much of his work explores moving images and material objects as repositories of memory and the potential for storytelling to be an instrument of healing and resistance against colonial erasure.”
Tommy Orange, Oakland, California, Fiction Writer: “Capturing a diverse range of Native American experiences and lives in novels that traverse time, space, and narrative perspectives. Orange’s novels center his characters’ interior lives: their emotions, ideas, and realizations in moments of joy and pain. Through expansive casts of interconnected characters, he shows the many ways historical trauma and dislocation can rupture the fabric of everyday life. Orange’s hometown of Oakland, California, serves as the backdrop for his depictions of urban Native Americans grappling with identity, survival, and healing.”
Margaret Wickens Pearce, Rockland, Maine, Cartographer: “Creating maps that foreground Indigenous Peoples’ understanding of land and place. Pearce pushes the boundaries of cartography beyond two-dimensional depictions of static and defined spaces. She draws on a wide range of archival materials and long-term collaborations with Indigenous communities to resurface their history, knowledge, and presence throughout North America.”
Sébastien Philippe, Madison, Wisconsin, Nuclear Security Specialist: “Exposing past harms and potential future risks from building, testing, and storing launch-ready nuclear weapons. Philippe draws on archival research, data modelling, and his training as a nuclear safety engineer to clarify the extent of human and environmental damage from nuclear tests and the risks associated with nuclear weapon modernization policies. He builds multidisciplinary collaborations to make his research accessible and useful to affected communities and policymakers. “
Gala Porras-Kim, London, England, Los Angeles, California, Interdisciplinary Artist: “Proposing new ways to make visible the layered meanings and functions of cultural artifacts held in museums and institutional collections. With nuance, empathy, and, at times, playfulness, Porras-Kim probes the methods institutions use to classify, conserve, and interpret items in their collections. Her research-intensive practice focuses on objects and forms of knowledge that have been separated from their original contexts.”
Teresa Puthussery, Berkeley, California, Neurobiologist and Optometrist: “Exploring how neural circuits of the retina encode visual information for the primate brain. Her research into retinal ganglion cells is filling a long-standing gap in knowledge about the human visual system. It also has implications for treating retinal neurodegenerative diseases such as glaucoma and macular degeneration.”
Craig Taborn, Brooklyn, New York, Improvising Musician and Composer: “Creating singular soundscapes through a virtuosic command of piano and expansive knowledge of musical genres. In performances and recordings as a soloist, bandleader, and sideman, Taborn brings a fearless and sophisticated approach to music making. He draws from musical traditions as varied as traditional and contemporary jazz, contemporary classical, experimental, electronic, rock, metal, and hip-hop. His constant exploration of genre and style informs his own distinct musical intelligence and voice.”
William Tarpeh, Stanford, California, Chemical Engineer: “Developing sustainable and practical methods to recover valuable chemical resources from wastewater. Tarpeh’s research focuses on recycling nitrogen, sulfur, and phosphorus. His resource recovery technologies require minimal infrastructure and energy, and they offer opportunities for sustainably sourcing agricultural nutrients and industrial metals in a range of contexts.”
Lauren K. Williams, Cambridge, Massachusetts, Mathematician: “Elucidating unexpected connections between algebraic combinatorics and concepts in other areas of math and physics. Williams has made significant contributions to numerous mathematical fields, including cluster algebras, representation theory, and algebraic geometry. She has also forged cross-disciplinary collaborations to tackle long-standing and challenging problems in physics related to quantum field theory, particle physics, and wave propagation.”
You can view ALL 1175 recipients of this “Genius Grant” (all the Fellows): https://www.macfound.org/fellows/search/all
September 21, 2025
#DoYou10Q? Rosh Hashona through Yom Kippur, September 22 – October 2, 2025 (#Jewish New Year High Holidays), Read, Respond, Review, Forecast
#DoYou10Q? Rosh Hashona through Yom Kippur, September 22 – October 2, 2025
(#Jewish New Year High Holidays), Read, Respond, Review, Forecast
You don’t have to be Jewish or celebrate #Jewish High Holy Days (Rosh Hashona, Jewish New Year’s, and Yom Kippur, the “Day of Atonement”) to want to spend some time considering your life and your goals/ accomplishments each year. I was raised Jewish, but I am a practicing #Buddhist.
Again this year, the group running this event (http://www.rebooters.net/) has offered new AND the usual questions.
It’s free! http://doyou10Q.com and #DoYou10Q are the connection points.
Check out any local Partners with 10Q: http://doyou10q.com/partners: Reach out to Josh Kanter, Reboot’s outreach and partnership manager, at josh @ rebooters DOT net or (go to the site for his phone number (in the USA)].<
You can respond to all 10 Questions from September 22 – October 2, 2025, online, and have them put into the “vault” for yourself for next year’s reflections.
10Q: “Reflect. React. Renew. Life’s Biggest Questions. Answered By You.”
The title and all the info, below, come from the 10Q site. Visit! Sign up! Do it!
http://doyou10q.com/
“Answer one question per day [or more than one per day, if you have some to catch up on] in your own secret online 10Q space. Make your answers serious. Silly. Salacious. However you like. It’s your 10Q. When you’re finished, hit the magic button and your answers get sent to the secure online 10Q vault for safekeeping.
“One year later (September 21, this year), the ‘vault’ will open and your answers will land back in your email inbox for private reflection.
“Want to keep them secret? Perfect. Want to share them, either anonymously or with attribution, with the wider 10Q community? You can do that, too.
“Next year, the whole process begins again. And the year after that, and the year after that.
“Do you 10Q? You should. If you have, already, enter the “giveaway” by sharing one or more experiences and using the hashtag, as directed:
Click here to get your 10Q on.
10Q begins September 22, and goes for 10+ days
http://doyou10q.com/
How do you want to 10Q? It’s up to you!
My responses from last year included:
20242.Is there something that you wish you had done differently this past year? Alternatively, is there something you’re especially proud of from this past year?
Your Answer:
I am very proud of becoming an on-site grandmother in Seattle/Burien for my now 18-month-old granddaughter and a support for my son and his wife. I gave them the gift of a date night (FIRST ONE since the birth) this past weekend, for her 41st birthday, and now they want to do that monthly or even more often. I already come weekly, every Friday, to babysit while my DIL attends professional meetings and catches up with her work-life. So glad and grateful to be here. My granddaughter knows me, loves me, is excited to be with me, and doesn’t even miss her parents much while I’m there. Fantastic!
7.How would you like to improve yourself and your life next year? Is there a piece of advice or counsel you received in the past year that could guide you?
Your Answer:
Want to obsess less, perseverate less, be less attached to the wrong person/circumstances.
Also, keep losing weight and getting healthier, recovering from trauma, swimming.
L’Shana Tova!
September 4, 2025
The Booker Prize Long List for 2025
The Booker Prize Long List for 2025
Mazel Tov and Congratulations and etc. to all those chosen. Best of luck to them all!
“This year’s selection, which was chosen from 153 submissions, celebrates the best works of long-form fiction by writers of any nationality, written in English and published in the UK and/or Ireland between 1 October 2024 and 30 September 2025.
“For the first time, the shortlist of six books will be announced at a public event, to be held at Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall in London on Tuesday, 23 September 2025. The six shortlisted authors will each receive £2,500 and a specially bound edition of their book.
“The announcement of the winning book will take place on Monday, 10 November 2025 at a ceremony at Old Billingsgate in London. The announcement will be livestreamed on the Booker Prizes’ channels. The winner receives £50,000.”
Longlist
with links to each book blurb and author bio
Misinterpretation by Ledia Xhoga
The Land in Winter by Andrew Miller
The Rest of Our Lives by Ben Markovits
The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai
For all the information about the judges, the entire process, past winners, the book covers and more, go to: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/prize-years/2025
August 21, 2025
For those of us over 70 (71 for me today)… What to let go of…
For those of us over 70 (71 for me today, 8/22)… What to let go of…
How to spend my birthday? What to blog? How to live the next year(s)? These are my considerations this week.
In my search, I found this video (below) and it became the inspiration for today’s entry and this year’s birthday post.
I am not a fan of long-winded, repetitive videos (and this film is both); and, the title is weird (not appropriate). But, the advice is excellent, so I summarized the key points, below.
The narrator explains each “truth” and gives examples, some seeming case studies, and many platitudes.
You can watch/listen after reading the list (or before).
You may find it kind of comforting.
You can also fast-forward (love that!).
I decided to “grade” myself (how am I doing so far, since I am now an entire year past 70?), and my scores are below. I used a 10-point scale for each recommendation, with “1” being “I haven’t done it at all or even started,” and “10” being “I am acing this one.”
So, possible best score is 80.
I earned a 53, so far. Check in next year!
“8 Buddhist Truths to Let Go of After 70 – For a Lighter, Happier Life”
My Scores TOTAL: 53
Let go of…
3 (still harping on regrets and not big on forgiveness)…the lie that it’s already “too late.” 3 (I have given up on too many things, perhaps)
For me, part 8 of the video was the best. It starts at minute 31.14.
Worth a listen, if only to that 6+ minutes. Many gems in that section.
Basically, if you’re still lucky enough to be alive AND still be capable of rational thought, have most of your faculties/abilities and some ease of circumstances (sufficient food, shelter, companions, safety/peace, value to your life, bearable pain/suffering), stop complaining and enjoy the time you have left.
Be of service. Be of benefit. Do something useful regularly.
Follow the advice in this video: it’s good advice, even if you’re not a Buddhist.
Use this link or watch it below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OwAJBFzdq_Q&ab_channel=QuietWisdom
I hope you find this valuable. Read, comment, share.
Try some of it. Let me know how it goes.
Happy birthday to me. May all beings benefit.
July 7, 2025
Memories of my mom, on her one-year Death-aversary (Yahrtzeit, Hebrew), July 7
My mom, at age 90, above, was born Carole Anne Cytron in Louisville, Kentucky, USA, on April 27, 1932, the fourth child (third living) of her parents, Mildred (Mimi) Klein Cytron and Stanley Cytron. Her family moved to St. Louis, Missouri, when she was twelve.
She first married my father, Ira Fleischmann, of St. Louis, Missouri, where they mostly lived, in 1952, and began having their four children in 1953, starting with my brother, Jonathan, then me in 1954, then had a couple of miscarriages before having my middle sister, (Wendy) Ellen, in 1960, then a few more failed pregnancies before ending with my youngest sibling, Lauri Anne, in 1965.
In 1971, she finally threw my abusive, adulterous, lying father out of our house and divorced him in 1973. He had two other marriages after theirs and died suddenly at age 60 of a heart attack. She supported each of us in that grief and hosted us for the funeral and shiva (mourning week) times, even attending the funeral herself.
After being single for about ten years, she married Sylvester (Les) Harris, and she stayed with him until his death in 2000, at age 72. They enjoyed gambling and going to Las Vegas, which they did many times when he was well enough to do that.
She was a talented poet/lyricist/playwright who wrote many parodies and shows for fundraisers and political candidates while raising her children and after that. She also was a great dancer (chosen to do a ballroom dance demo while still in high school at a fancy hotel, the Chase Park Plaza, in midtown St. Louis), could still do cartwheels after having three children, and went to almost all of my and my siblings’ sports and performance events.
Not a great piano player herself, she made sure we each had music lessons (drums for my brother and piano for my sisters and me). She also sang a lot to us and around us, something we all do, still. She played fun record albums on our stereo turntable, and the radio was usually on if the TV was not.
She didn’t much like cooking, but she was a passable cook, a great shopper and excellent planner for large family meals and regular dinners while she was able. Unfortunately, she was ill for most of my adolescence, having been forced to have an unnecessary hysterectomy which put her into early menopause in her mid-thirties and sent her into chronic pain and depression. She gave me cooking lessons and instructions from her bed, which I followed and I made most of the family meals from age 12 to almost 18. Once she got better, she returned to having large family meals, especially when her far-flung children would come “home” for holidays, weddings, funerals and other occasions. Her blueberry cake was legendary, and she would make it every year. She loved to see people enjoy being together, laughing and eating.
Her favorite group pastime was to play games, and the Hearts game (often with two decks, since we numbered so many) became a tradition of after-dinner gatherings for decades. Laughing until we peed or coughed, shouting, taunting some into tears, and accusations of cheating and slamming cards on the table were regular occurrences at these rousing games of at least 5 and sometimes 10 players. She usually won! We also played Cribbage, Spite and Malice (cutthroat double solitaire), Scrabble, and Go Fish (for the younger ones) regularly with two to five people, which still involved much laughing, shouting and some crying. She made a point of playing whatever games anyone wanted to play, with grandchildren and great-grandchildren, until she couldn’t any longer. She loved to teach each new one the rules and see them get better. It was a milestone in each of our lives if we could ever beat her at any of these games (rarely!).
For decades, until she was unable to do it any longer, she would spend months and many dollars to purchase or acquire gifts for EACH of us and EACH of her 12 grandchildren EACH year for all 8 nights of Chanukah (and MAIL BOXES across the country as needed), even if one gift was a pair of socks or a pen. For her decades of being a marketing purchaser for Seven-Up, Phillip Morris, and other companies, she had lots of free swag and “bribes” she accumulated each year that she could offload to us as well. We got beach towels with Snoopy or Joe Camel on them, Seven-Up toy trucks, real phones that looked like a soda can, emblazoned sunglasses, T-shirts and sweatshirts with casino logos, imprinted mugs and glasses, branded coasters and tableware, and so much more.
She had her group of “girls” with whom she played mah jong and canasta for decades, until, one-by-one, they each died, went into nursing care, moved to Florida, or became too infirm to play. Until age-related macular degeneration (AMD) took most of her eyesight and COVID removed her from playing these games, she had been playing mah jong four times a week, well into her 80s. She and one other mah jong friend, known from her junior high days and ever since, were the last ones standing right before she died.
When she could still do it (and we got her many assistive devices, but they all eventually weren’t helpful enough), she read or listened to many books per week her entire life. She took me and my brother to get our library cards when I was 3 and he was 4, and I have used the library ever since, as did she. She also liked to guess the Sunday Puzzler answers along with (BEFORE) the live contestant on the NPR Weekend Edition radio show, hosted by Will Shortz.
From all her reading, she could use her wide-spread knowledge. We watched Jeopardy together most nights and she would call out the questions to answers from many categories. When she could still see, she loved Wheel of Fortune and usually got the clues way before the contestants.
She would get me to watch her beloved St. Louis baseball Cardinals when the games were on early enough (I go to bed early) and narrate what she couldn’t see any longer, since the TV hosts were AWFUL at saying what was actually happening in the games. We would also watch many TV crime, medical, and other drama shows together (she got me in the NCIS, Blue Bloods, Chicago, and FBI series), and many other specials and awards shows we liked to comment on as we viewed them. I got some great DVDs from the library and we would watch those when the shows were in reruns.
Mom, a few weeks before she died, at 92.
I miss her smile, her laugh, her kindness, her cool under pressure, and her generosity. She was always available to listen to anyone who called, even the repetitive ones (and many of her friends were such). She had more patience than I could even imagine having.
She and I share our VERY short stature (she got down to 4’6″; I am down to 4’10”), love of reading, games, music and singing, certain movies and TV shows (we watched together a lot while I lived with her for the last 10 years of her life). I wish she were still here so she could have met her 13th great-grand and my only grandchild.
Luckily, we made over a dozen videos when she was still feeling good, the two of us singing and doing hand motions, reading poems, and talking to the camera for my granddaughter, who recently has been watching them with me and loving them. She now “knows” Mama C (as her grands and great-grands knew her), which I am so grateful for.
Here is one: This is the two of us singing a melody she wrote for a Robert Louis Stevenson poem from A Child’s Garden of Verses, The Swing. It’s one of my granddaughter’s favorites, and she asks me to sing it every time I am pushing her on a swing. Thanks, Mom.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-ZQywP-AvXaz3jdaQvkhCwJz-uhZL7Hr/view?usp=drive_link
I am putting flowers all around you this week, Mom: violets, irises, lilacs, tulips and roses, all your favorites. I also planted purple irises in the garden I have here, the Mama C Memorial Garden, which will bloom next year, near the tulips.
Thank you for being my mom.
June 29, 2025
#Ebooks #Smashwords 17th Annual Summer/Winter Sale! “The Spanners Series'” books are #Free, 25-50% off! 7/1—7/31/25
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#Ebooks #Smashwords 17th Annual Summer/Winter Sale!
The Spanners Series‘ books are #Free, 25-50% off! 7/1—7/31/25
The discounts will automatically apply to your shopping cart at checkout. There’s no need for you to enter or remember coupon codes!
Many other authors’ ebooks on Smashwords also on sale! VISIT TODAY!
The Spanners Series’ first three Volumes of utopian science-fiction/romance by Sally Ember, Ed.D. are on sale NOW!
The Spanners Series‘ cover art and logo by WillowRaven: http://www.willowraven-illustration.blogspot.com/
Smashwords is once again having its annual July Summer/Winter Sale and The Spanners Series‘ ebooks in every format (reader’s choice) are either free (Volume I) or only $1.99 or $2.99 (usually $3.99) for the entire month of July! See below for info! And, go browse on Smashwords for other great discounts and sales!
VISIT THIS MONTH!
Whether you’re sweating, freezing, smoked-out, flooded, rained or snowed on or anywhere in between, there is still time to READ!
Give books for gifts for birthdays, graduations, holidays, anniversaries, vacations: any time!
The paperbacks of all three Volumes are available on Amazon. Check out the KINDLEMATCH program for deals when you buy both ebooks and paperbacks of the same volume at the same time.
This Changes Everything, Vol. I, The Spanners Series
Dr. Clara Ackerman Branon, 58, begins having secret visits from holographic representations of beings from the Many Worlds Collective, a consortium of planet and star systems in the multiverse. When Earth is invited to join the consortium, the secret visits are made public. Now Earthers must adjust their beliefs and ideas about life, religion, culture, identity and everything they think and are.
Clara is selected to be the liaison between Earth and the Many Worlds Collective and she chooses Esperanza Enlaces to be the Chief Media Contact. They team up to provide information to stave off riots and uncertainty. The Many Worlds Collective holos train Clara and the Psi-Warriors for the Psi Wars with the rebelling Psi-Defiers, communicate effectively with many species on Earth and off-planet, eliminate ordinary, elected governments and political boundaries, convene a new group of Global Leaders, and deal with family’s and friends’ reactions.
In what multiple timelines of the ever-expanding multiverse do Clara and her long-time love, Epifanio Dang, get to be together and which leave Clara alone and lonely as the leader of Earth?
This Changes Everything spans the 30-year story of Clara’s term as Earth’s first Chief Communicator, continuing in nine more Volumes of The Spanners Series.
Are YOU ready for the changes?
Volume I, This Changes Everything:
Ebooks are PERMAFREE on Smashwords:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/376197
and Amazon: http://www.amzn.com/B00HFELTG8
This Changes My Family and My Life Forever, Vol. II, The Spanners Series
Intrigued by multiple timelines, aliens, psi skills, romance and planetary change? Clara and the alien “Band” are back in Volume II, This Changes My Family and My Life Forever.
Now as Chief Communicator, Clara leads the way for interspecies communication on- and off-planet. Fighting these changes are the Psi-Defiers, led by one of the oldest friends of the Chief of the Psi-Warriors, its reluctant leader, Rabbi Moran Ackerman. Stories from younger Spanners about the first five years of The Transition fill Volume II.
How would YOU do with the changes?
Volume II, This Changes My Family and My Life Forever:
EBOOKS now $2.99, 25% off the regular price of $3.99, on Smashwords, any ebook format (reader’s choice): https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/424969
Paperbacks and ebooks are on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/This-Changes-Family-Forever-Spanners/dp/0996999817
This Is/Is Not the Way I Want Things to Change, Vol. III, The Spanners Series
Clara, Moran, Espe, Epifanio and the alien Band of holos are back in This Is/Is Not the Way I Want Things to Change, Volume III of The Spanners Series. Psi-Defiers launch increasingly violent protests during this five-year Transition, attempting to block Earth’s membership into the Many Worlds Collective. Earth’s nations and borders must dissolve and Psi-Warriors must strengthen in their battle against the rebels.
Clara, as Earth’s first Chief Communicator, also juggles family conflicts and danger while creating psi skills training Campuses to help Earth through the Psi Wars. Clara timults alternate versions of their futures as the leaders’ duties and consciences force them to make difficult choices across multiple timelines, continuing to train and fight.
Will the Psi-Warriors’ and other leaders’ increasing psi skills, interspecies collaborations and budding alien alliances be enough for Earth to make it through The Transition intact? If there is no clear path for Clara’s and Epifanio’s love, does she partner with Steve or go it alone?
What do YOU do with wanted/unwanted changes?
Volume III, This Is/Is Not the Way I Want Things to Change:
EBOOKS now $1.99, 50% off the regular price of $3.99, on Smashwords, any ebook format (reader’s choice): https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/588331
Paperbacks and ebooks are on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/This-Want-Things-Change-Spanners/dp/0996999825/
The Spanners Series‘ three paperbacks on Amazon
Print editions and ebooks published under Timult Books
REVIEWERS: Ask for FREE Ebook coupon codes for Volumes II and III on Smashwords any time: sallyember AT yahoo DOT com
For more information about Sally Ember, Ed.D., her bio, books, blog, video talk show (CHANGES conversations between authors), guest blog posts and guidelines, links to author interviews, book trailers, proofreading/editing services and more: http://www.sallyember.com
May 4, 2025
Do you know about the Doris Duke Artist Awards?
This year’s (2025) Doris Duke Artist Awards honorees are:
Trajal Harrell: “Trajal is an American dancer and choreographer best known for a series entitled Twenty Looks or Paris is Burning at The Judson Church. He is considered to be one of the most important choreographers working in contemporary dance today.”Raja Feather Kelly: “Raja is a Brooklyn-based choreographer known for his surrealist productions. He’s worked on shows like Fairview and A Strange Loop, and he serves as artistic director for The Feath3r Theory and the New Brooklyn Theatre.”Aya Ogawa: “Aya is an award-winning Brooklyn-based playwright, director, performer and translator. Their work explores cultural identity and the immigrant experience, challenging traditional notions of American aesthetics. They use a collaborative process and incorporate diverse perspectives and languages into their performances.”Kassa Overall: “Kassa is a Grammy-nominated musician, emcee, singer, producer and drummer who melds avant-garde experimentation with hip-hop production techniques to tilt the nexus of jazz and rap in unmapped directions. He previously released four critically acclaimed projects: I THINK I’M GOOD, Go Get Ice Cream and Listen to Jazz, Shades of Flu and Shades of Flu 2.”Kaneza Schaal: “Kaneza Schaal is a New York City–based artist working in theater, opera and film. Her notable work Flight into Egypt: Black Artists and Ancient Egypt, 1876–Now was The Met’s first live performance as an integral part of a major exhibition.”Brandee Younger: “Brandee is an American harpist who blends classical, jazz, soul and funk influences into her music. In 2022, she became the first Black woman nominated for a Grammy® Award for Best Instrumental Composition and won the 2024 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Jazz Album for Brand New Life.”What is this award? It is similar but more narrowly focused than my long-time favorite awards, The MacArthur Foundation Genius Grants (awarded annually in October). Read further below:
“The Doris Duke Foundation believes that the most effective illustration of the power of the performing arts to positively impact our society is found in the vital work of artists themselves.
“The Doris Duke Artist Award was established in 2012 to unlock the power of creativity and to shape our society for the better, recognizing artists for their established record of achievement within the disciplines of contemporary dance, jazz and theater. The award and associated programming are designed to create conditions in which artists can thrive. In addition to providing a cash prize of $525,000 in unrestricted funds and an incentive of up to $25,000 to save for retirement, the foundation also gives the Award winners support including professional development, financial planning and management services, enhanced networking and performance opportunities.
“Including the 2024 recipients, the foundation to date has provided 141 artists with just over $40 million through the Doris Duke Artist Award. The unrestricted nature of the award allows artists to use the funds for either personal or professional needs and enjoy the freedom to pursue projects of their choosing.
“Last year, the foundation doubled the amount of the award to signal the power of sustained support for individual performing artists and to celebrate the immense shared benefits to society when artists are invested in as whole people and as creative laborers.”
The 2024 winners were: (L to R) esperanza spalding, Miguel Zenón, Acosia Red Elk, Nataki Garrett, Shamel Pitts, Chay Yew
https://www.dorisduke.org/funding-areas/performing-arts/performing-artists/doris-duke-artist-awards/
Read about all the previous years’ winners here:
https://www.dorisduke.org/grants/what-weve-funded/?1=1&GrantProgramID=1&GrantInitiativeID=31&GrantDate=0&GrantShow=12&GrantSortBy=0&page=1The first year, 2012, the winners were:
Anne BogartDon ByronWally CardonaRinde EckertBill FrisellDeborah HayJohn HollenbeckVijay IyerMarc Bamuthi JosephElizabeth LeCompteYoung Jean LeeRalph LemonRichard MaxwellSarah MichelsonBebe MillerNicole MitchellMeredith MonkTakashi Koma OtakeEiko OtakeBasil TwistReggie WilsonThe Foundation skipped the awards in 2022 due to the pandemic, but resumed in 2023.
I am woefully inadequately informed (or interested, really) in who the luminaries and/or rising stars are in Jazz or Dance. I don’t know much about those doing live Theatre any longer, either.
But, many of YOU will be interested in who the winners are/have been and will recognize their names, I’m sure. Go visit the site and check out each year’s honorees!
Read about Doris Duke, an excellent example of how one could utilize inherited wealth by being generous, creative, kind and strategic. Also, find out how her foundation and legacy started this award here: https://www.dorisduke.org/who-we-are/our-founder/
December 22, 2024
#Ebooks #Smashwords 8th Annual End-of-Year Sale Continues! #Free, 50% – 75% off! Now through 1/1/25
#Ebooks #Smashwords 8th Annual End-of-Year Sale Continues!
#Free, 50% – 75% off! Now through 1/1/25
The Spanners Series first three Volumes of utopian science-fiction/romance by Sally Ember, Ed.D. are on sale NOW!
The Spanners Series‘ cover art and logo by WillowRaven: http://www.willowraven-illustration.blogspot.com/
Smashwords is having its 8th Annual End-of-Year Sale and The Spanners Series‘ ebooks in every format (reader’s choice) are on sale!
—free (Volume I)
—only $1.99 (Volume II) for Volume II, on Smashwords, only, 12/12/24–1/1/25
—only $0.99 (Volume III) on Smashwords, only, 12/12/24–1/1/25 (usually $3.99 each for ebooks)!
See below for links and more info.
And, go browse on Smashwords for other great discounts and sales!
Whether you’re sweating, freezing, rained or snowed on or anywhere in between, there is still time to READ!
Give ebooks for gifts for birthdays, graduations, holidays, anniversaries, vacations: any time!
The paperbacks of all three Volumes are in the Kindle Match/Kindle Matchbook program at Amazon!
See below for links, details and coupon codes (on Smashwords, only) for each of the Volumes.
This Changes Everything, Vol. I, The Spanners Series
Dr. Clara Ackerman Branon, 58, begins having secret visits from holographic representations of beings from the Many Worlds Collective, a consortium of planet and star systems in the multiverse. When Earth is invited to join the consortium, the secret visits are made public. Now Earthers must adjust their beliefs and ideas about life, religion, culture, identity and everything they think and are.
Clara is selected to be the liaison between Earth and the Many Worlds Collective and she chooses Esperanza Enlaces to be the Chief Media Contact. They team up to provide information to stave off riots and uncertainty. The Many Worlds Collective holos train Clara and the Psi-Warriors for the Psi Wars with the rebelling Psi-Defiers, communicate effectively with many species on Earth and off-planet, eliminate ordinary, elected governments and political boundaries, convene a new group of Global Leaders, and deal with family’s and friends’ reactions.
In what multiple timelines of the ever-expanding multiverse do Clara and her long-time love, Epifanio Dang, get to be together and which leave Clara alone and lonely as the leader of Earth?
This Changes Everything spans the 30-year story of Clara’s term as Earth’s first Chief Communicator, continuing in nine more Volumes of The Spanners Series.
Are YOU ready for the changes?
Volume I, This Changes Everything:
Ebooks are PERMAFREE on Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/376197
and Amazon: http://www.amzn.com/B00HFELTG8
These paperbacks are in the Kindle Match program on Amazon. This means that if you purchase both the ebook and its paperback counterpart (in this case, download Volume I for free), you get a discount for the total package. Vol I Amazon link: http://www.amzn.com/B00HFELTG8
This Changes My Family and My Life Forever, Vol. II, The Spanners Series
Intrigued by multiple timelines, aliens, psi skills, romance and planetary change? Clara and the alien “Band” are back in Volume II, This Changes My Family and My Life Forever.
Now as Chief Communicator, Clara leads the way for interspecies communication on- and off-planet. Fighting these changes are the Psi-Defiers, led by one of the oldest friends of the Chief of the Psi-Warriors, its reluctant leader, Rabbi Moran Ackerman. Stories from younger Spanners about the first five years of The Transition fill Volume II.
How would YOU do with the changes?
Volume II, This Changes My Family and My Life Forever:
EBOOKS now $1.99, 50% off the regular price of $3.99, on Smashwords, any ebook format (reader’s choice).
These paperbacks are in the Kindle Match/Kindle Matchbook program on Amazon. This means that if you purchase both the ebook and its paperback counterpart, you get a discount for the total package. Vol II Amazon link:: http://www.amzn.com/B00KU5Q7KC
This Is/Is Not the Way I Want Things to Change, Vol. III, The Spanners Series
Clara, Moran, Espe, Epifanio and the alien Band of holos are back in This Is/Is Not the Way I Want Things to Change, Volume III of The Spanners Series. Psi-Defiers launch increasingly violent protests during this five-year Transition, attempting to block Earth’s membership into the Many Worlds Collective. Earth’s nations and borders must dissolve and Psi-Warriors must strengthen in their battle against the rebels.
Clara, as Earth’s first Chief Communicator, also juggles family conflicts and danger while creating psi skills training Campuses to help Earth through the Psi Wars. Clara timults alternate versions of their futures as the leaders’ duties and consciences force them to make difficult choices across multiple timelines, continuing to train and fight.
Will the Psi-Warriors’ and other leaders’ increasing psi skills, interspecies collaborations and budding alien alliances be enough for Earth to make it through The Transition intact? If there is no clear path for Clara’s and Epifanio’s love, does she partner with Steve or go it alone?
What do YOU do with wanted/unwanted changes?
Volume III, This Is/Is Not the Way I Want Things to Change:
EBOOKS now $0.99, 75% off the regular price of $3.99, on Smashwords, any ebook format (reader’s choice).
These paperbacks are in the Kindle Match/Kindle Matchbook program on Amazon. This means that if you purchase both the ebook and its paperback counterpart, you get a discount for the total package. Vol III Amazon link:: http://www.amzn.com/B0177Z1KRM
The Spanners Series‘ three paperbacks.
Print editions and ebooks published under Timult Books
REVIEWERS: Ask for FREE Ebook coupon codes for Volumes II and III on Smashwords any time: sallyember AT yahoo DOT com
For more information about Sally Ember, Ed.D., her bio, books, blog, video talk show (CHANGES conversations between authors), guest blog posts and guidelines, links to author interviews, book trailers and more: http://www.sallyember.com
December 11, 2024
#Ebooks #Smashwords 8th Annual End-of-Year Sale Starts! #Free, 50% – 75% off! 12/12/24–1/1/25
#Ebooks #Smashwords 8th Annual End-of-Year Sale Starts!
#Free, 50% – 75% off! 12/12/24–1/1/25
The Spanners Series first three Volumes of utopian science-fiction/romance by Sally Ember, Ed.D. are on sale NOW!
The Spanners Series‘ cover art and logo by WillowRaven: http://www.willowraven-illustration.blogspot.com/
Smashwords is having its 8th Annual End-of-Year Sale and The Spanners Series‘ ebooks in every format (reader’s choice) are on sale!
—free (Volume I)
—only $1.99 (Volume II) for Volume II, on Smashwords, only, 12/12/24–1/1/25
—only $0.99 (Volume III) on Smashwords, only, 12/12/24–1/1/25 (usually $3.99 each for ebooks)!
See below for links and more info.
And, go browse on Smashwords for other great discounts and sales!
Whether you’re sweating, freezing, rained or snowed on or anywhere in between, there is still time to READ!
Give ebooks for gifts for birthdays, graduations, holidays, anniversaries, vacations: any time!
The paperbacks of all three Volumes are in the Kindle Match/Kindle Matchbook program at Amazon!
See below for links, details and coupon codes (on Smashwords, only) for each of the Volumes.
This Changes Everything, Vol. I, The Spanners Series
Dr. Clara Ackerman Branon, 58, begins having secret visits from holographic representations of beings from the Many Worlds Collective, a consortium of planet and star systems in the multiverse. When Earth is invited to join the consortium, the secret visits are made public. Now Earthers must adjust their beliefs and ideas about life, religion, culture, identity and everything they think and are.
Clara is selected to be the liaison between Earth and the Many Worlds Collective and she chooses Esperanza Enlaces to be the Chief Media Contact. They team up to provide information to stave off riots and uncertainty. The Many Worlds Collective holos train Clara and the Psi-Warriors for the Psi Wars with the rebelling Psi-Defiers, communicate effectively with many species on Earth and off-planet, eliminate ordinary, elected governments and political boundaries, convene a new group of Global Leaders, and deal with family’s and friends’ reactions.
In what multiple timelines of the ever-expanding multiverse do Clara and her long-time love, Epifanio Dang, get to be together and which leave Clara alone and lonely as the leader of Earth?
This Changes Everything spans the 30-year story of Clara’s term as Earth’s first Chief Communicator, continuing in nine more Volumes of The Spanners Series.
Are YOU ready for the changes?
Volume I, This Changes Everything:
Ebooks are PERMAFREE on Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/376197
and Amazon: http://www.amzn.com/B00HFELTG8
These paperbacks are in the Kindle Match program on Amazon. This means that if you purchase both the ebook and its paperback counterpart (in this case, download Volume I for free), you get a discount for the total package. Vol I Amazon link: http://www.amzn.com/B00HFELTG8
This Changes My Family and My Life Forever, Vol. II, The Spanners Series
Intrigued by multiple timelines, aliens, psi skills, romance and planetary change? Clara and the alien “Band” are back in Volume II, This Changes My Family and My Life Forever.
Now as Chief Communicator, Clara leads the way for interspecies communication on- and off-planet. Fighting these changes are the Psi-Defiers, led by one of the oldest friends of the Chief of the Psi-Warriors, its reluctant leader, Rabbi Moran Ackerman. Stories from younger Spanners about the first five years of The Transition fill Volume II.
How would YOU do with the changes?
Volume II, This Changes My Family and My Life Forever:
EBOOKS now $1.99, 50% off the regular price of $3.99, on Smashwords, any ebook format (reader’s choice).
These paperbacks are in the Kindle Match/Kindle Matchbook program on Amazon. This means that if you purchase both the ebook and its paperback counterpart, you get a discount for the total package. Vol II Amazon link:: http://www.amzn.com/B00KU5Q7KC
This Is/Is Not the Way I Want Things to Change, Vol. III, The Spanners Series
Clara, Moran, Espe, Epifanio and the alien Band of holos are back in This Is/Is Not the Way I Want Things to Change, Volume III of The Spanners Series. Psi-Defiers launch increasingly violent protests during this five-year Transition, attempting to block Earth’s membership into the Many Worlds Collective. Earth’s nations and borders must dissolve and Psi-Warriors must strengthen in their battle against the rebels.
Clara, as Earth’s first Chief Communicator, also juggles family conflicts and danger while creating psi skills training Campuses to help Earth through the Psi Wars. Clara timults alternate versions of their futures as the leaders’ duties and consciences force them to make difficult choices across multiple timelines, continuing to train and fight.
Will the Psi-Warriors’ and other leaders’ increasing psi skills, interspecies collaborations and budding alien alliances be enough for Earth to make it through The Transition intact? If there is no clear path for Clara’s and Epifanio’s love, does she partner with Steve or go it alone?
What do YOU do with wanted/unwanted changes?
Volume III, This Is/Is Not the Way I Want Things to Change:
EBOOKS now $0.99, 75% off the regular price of $3.99, on Smashwords, any ebook format (reader’s choice).
These paperbacks are in the Kindle Match/Kindle Matchbook program on Amazon. This means that if you purchase both the ebook and its paperback counterpart, you get a discount for the total package. Vol III Amazon link:: http://www.amzn.com/B0177Z1KRM
The Spanners Series‘ three paperbacks.
Print editions and ebooks published under Timult Books
REVIEWERS: Ask for FREE Ebook coupon codes for Volumes II and III on Smashwords any time: sallyember AT yahoo DOT com
For more information about Sally Ember, Ed.D., her bio, books, blog, video talk show (CHANGES conversations between authors), guest blog posts and guidelines, links to author interviews, book trailers and more: http://www.sallyember.com
October 31, 2024
Check out My Favorite Books of 2024 on Shepherd’s website
“Sally Ember’s 3 favorite reads in 2024“
https://shepherd.com/bboy/2024/f/sally-ember
http://shepherd.com is a great site, with book lists on hundreds of topics and across many genres, compiled and submitted by authors whose books are posted on this site as well (as mine are).
And here are the most-recommended books of 2024, so far (check back frequently; lists added daily):
https://shepherd.com/bboy/2024
Here is my book recommendation list:
“The best speculative fiction books that every science fiction author needs to read”
https://shepherd.com/best-books/speculative-fiction-sci-fi-author-need-to-read
I’ve also included the link to my and others’ 2023’s three favorite reads on this site:
https://shepherd.com/bboy/2023
Here’s a video about one of my choices from 2024: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-Jq0EZ70WQ
Enjoy!
BUY BOOKS for the HOLIDAYS! Give as gifts! Keep for yourself!
