Archive: Dec 2017

The December 29, 2017 edition of the MapLab newsletter examines “some of 2017’s big narratives (for cities and the world) in maps, and some of 2017’s best maps, in stories.” The editors chose these categories: women march, gentrifiers gentrify, Russia snoopes?, missiles move, megaregions dawn, mass shootings accelerate, cities resist, opioids kill, tech’s power grows, Puerto Rico goes dark, a people wiped off the map, a red state goes blue, and two minutes of zen. Most of the categories are two-word entries, so I’ll close with this: “maps rock!”

Today I learned a new word: “youthquake.” According to the Oxford Dictionaries this is “a significant cultural, political, or social change arising from the actions or influence of young people,” and it is their world of the year.  The other eight finalists for word of the year were Antifa, broflake, gorpcore, kompromat, milkshake duck, newsjacking, unicorn, and White fragility. I’ve only heard of Antifa and White fragility [and unicorn, but only as a reference to a mythical animal, not “denoting something, especially an item of food or drink, that is dyed in rainbow colours, decorated with glitter, etc.”]. I’ll need to read the dictionary more often…

I am on the Board of Directors for StoryCenter, the world-renowned nonprofit organization that uses innovative story development practices and participatory media methods to support people in sharing personal narratives rooted in their own life experiences. I was recently interviewed about my pathway to become a digital storyteller and digital storytelling advocate. Other board members will be interviewed later; this group include SJSU College of Social Sciences assistant professor Nikki Yeboah, one of the newest members!

In July 2017 I posted a note about the redesign of CityLab, one of my favorite websites about urban life. Their latest innovation is MapLab, a “biweekly newsletter about maps that reveal and shape urban spaces.” Check it out!