Hi readers of 11&more,

Much has been happening in the world and among friends in our listserve. The core founders team got together over Google hangouts two weekends ago, and we feel energized by you, your playfulness and thoughtfulness. We want to highlight the most active conversations in our listserve on a more regular basis, so here’s the first edition.

Just a week ago, our own Monica posted a whimsical photo essay of autumn in Paris: the Seine and the swirling clouds above, mushrooms at a street stall, peeled graffiti, and a classical building with Roman heads bathed in golden light. And then the tragic and horrific events unfolded Friday evening and over the weekend. Today, Monica published a meditation on cities in reflection. Another community of thinkers Edge posted an email chain, started by novelist Ian McEwan who has been living in Paris for the last month. Do note this gem by an independent Australian outlet that points out Western media’s biases when reporting (or not reporting) on the atrocities in Paris, Beirut, Baghdad, Nigeria and Turkey.

Also on cities, many of us found resonance with Zadie Smith’s essay “Find Your Beach“: “Finally the greatest thing about Manhattan is the worst thing about Manhattan: self-actualization. Here you will be free to stretch yourself to your limit, to find the beach that is yours alone. But sooner or later you will be sitting on that beach wondering what comes next.”

An ongoing conversation we are having includes the John Lewis TV advert that sparked thoughts about caring for our aging parents in different cultures and a critique on societal structures that don’t allow for caregiving leave as they might allow for maternity/paternity leave. A related parallel discussion is around the New York Times Opinionator piece by Nancy Fraser on the kind of feminism where leaning in means leaning on others. Many of us went “amen.”

Finally, we are very excited about Marjorie Liu’s new comic Monstress–of silk, royal purples and war, of fantasy and flying buttresses, of matriarchy and violence and ugliness. Book club, anyone?

Hope this update gives you an oomph to get your week started. Hope you forward share this piece with others and ask to get added to our 11&more discussions listserve if you’re not already on it (just email us at 11andmore+subscribe@googlegroups.com). Hope you give someone a hug today and challenge yourself on an old and tightly held belief that may need to be shattered.

In the meanwhile, keep your eyes peeled for our next update and other related artistic projects we’re mulling over.