Things (the personal & professional)
I had a super awesome book launch in London back in January for my book Design Otherwise: Transforming Design Education in the Arab Region at Reference Point. Floored by the attendance and I sold out of books (!!!).
I followed this up with book events in Connecticut, Boston, NYC, Toronto, Ghent, Birmingham, and Basel. Thank you to all those who attended and bought book (you can get a copy of the book online, or order it at your favourite bookstore).
The second print of Designerly Ways of Knowing is available with a new cover (big up Pali!). Order here.
Sarona and I wrote a chapter about Countless Palestinian Futures for the book Producing Palestine: The Creative Production of Palestine Through Contemporary Media. Order here.
***If you have photos from any of these events, please do send them to me. Screenshotting Instagram posts sucks.***
Thoughts, or something like it.
Dear reader,
It has been some time. Is this the longest stretch? Who knows. I try and write daily but when it comes to the newsletter, I have a block. I should probably use the dictaphone method, since I cannot always write things down when they come to me.
I’ve been on maternity leave, enjoying the new human I hang with every day. I’m now officially back at work, grateful my employer offers six months full pay, but the UK needs to reassess its statutory pay policy, clearly they do not want people to have children.
Onto a place that supports you having children: Canada has elected the former governor of the Banks of England and Canada Mark Carney as the new prime minister. Back in February, I was in Ottawa and Toronto and quickly realised how far behind the country all felt: limited infrastructure projects since the 1970s (same for the US), visible ageing population, tired, grungy and empty high streets, low morale, horrible weather, and so on. Like some friends in the US said, the UK – in services, commerce, transportation, technology, etc., – feels like the future. When Trump kicked off about 51st state and tariffs, reliant on the US as its little big sister for too long, I felt it is finally my country’s chance to come into their own (and give us more reason to stay by providing opportunities).
For example, Canada has excellent universities. It can take the opportunity to attract US students who would otherwise study domestically but are faced with high tuition fees and a hostile climate, marketing the fact that its universities still allow academic freedom (except when it comes to criticism of Israel) and affordable tuition ($40,000 CAD1 is still much cheaper than $60,000 USD a year at some unis).
Let’s see what the politcal outsider Carney – an economist who has never been an MP but aren’t they all the same (degrees in law, economics, politics, history, business, repeat), and whose initial campaign logo bore too many similarities to MetCredit’s2 logo – brings. He’s charming, confident, ambitious, cracks jokes, and does not give out early 2000s ‘cool’ school teacher vibes. It’s impressive how Carney was able to turn the Liberal party around despite the campaign feeling samey and traditional, relying on Canadian values that reminds me of rhetoric from my childhood. But safety, patriotism and nostalgia wins elections.
visual roundup of things I liked/made me happy/laugh or tsk this month.
Be well,
Danah (The Pessoptimist)
read//check out//listen//watch
Started documenting new songs I hear in monthly mixtape playlists, and it reminded me of the days when I used to stay up for hours to burn CDs for friends:
From beer to betting - how have football shirt sponsors changed?
I’ve been enjoying Only Murders in the Building (Disney+) for the great chemistry and comedic genius of Martin Short and Steve Martin, whose friendship and creative collaboration spans over 40 years.
Programme and province dependent.
Seldom have Canadian political logos ever been innovative.