- In “Elopement,” Paul Collins writes about the consequences of inattention and his family’s attempt to hold a school district accountable for neglect. Have you had an experience with an organization or system that has failed to meet your needs or the needs of a loved one? What level of care should we expect from institutions?
- In "Tell Me about That," Jessica Gregg writes about her experience engaging with human suffering as a primary care physician. She writes, “In the hospital and the clinic, those hidden stories were the stories I craved. The ones that delved into the meaty heart of meaning: How should I live? How should I die? How do I carry this pain?” Have you ever had an interaction with a health care provider that brought up existential questions or started an unexpected conversation? What are the potential benefits and drawbacks of treatment that prioritizes a patient’s emotional needs?
- In “Tug-of-War,” Caitlin Dwyer writes about the conflict between the isolation that illness often requires and the human connection that supports recovery. Have you experienced this conflict in your own life? How does companionship help healing, and how can it hinder it?
- Judy Jiang’s story focuses on a group of high school students working together to address issues of mental health specific to AAPI communities. The story talks about the ways that culture can influence an individual’s approach to seeking help, with age being another influential factor. How has your family taught you to think about mental health? Do older generations have different beliefs than the younger generations? What kinds of beliefs do you notice regarding mental health within your community?
- In “Binding Fenrir,” Emma Marris asks whether wolves that are tracked, confined to certain areas, and killed when they attack livestock can really be called “wild.” What do you think the line is between wild and domestic animals? Is there space in between these two definitions?
- In “Making Pre-K Possible,” Sarah Mirk explores how universal preschool went from an idea to a petition to the ballot in Multnomah County. What does this example tell you about the process of creating change? Are there steps or barriers you hadn’t expected?
- In “Simple Respect,” Matt Wisner writes about a project by a Eugene newspaper to publish obituaries for people who die in the city while homeless. Do you think this project is useful or beneficial? What do you think these obituaries mean for family members, public officials, and readers who are neither?
Further Reading
“Tell Me about That”
In Pain: A Bioethicist's Personal Struggle with Opioids by Travis Rieder
“Making Pre-K Possible”
This comic tells the story of the creation and passage of Multnomah County’s Preschool for All program, which is currently accepting applications for the 2022–23 school year.
Sarah Mirk recommends the following articles about the passage of Preschool for All and the importance of preschool:
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“Multnomah County’s Preschool for All Measure Won. Here’s What the Campaigns Are Taking Away From It.” Stenvick, Blair. Portland Mercury, Nov. 18, 2020.
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“Black Preschoolers Far More Likely To Be Suspended”. Code Switch, March 21, 2014.
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“The True Cost of High-Quality Child Care Across the United States”. Workman, Simon. Center for American Progress, June 28, 2021.
“Binding Fenrir”
This story is an excerpt from the introduction to Emma Marris’ book Wild Souls: Freedom and Flourishing in the Non-Human World.
Marris’ previous book is Rambunctious Garden: Saving Nature in a Post-Wild World.
Marris wrote about another famous Oregon wolf, OR4, in “A Very Old Man for a Wolf,” a 2017 story in Outside magazine.
Marris gave a TED Talk on the subject of this story in 2021. She is also featured in an episode of the Storytelling Animals podcast.
“Simple Respect”
“Activists gather for candlelight vigil to honor those who died while homeless in 2020” Tatiana Parafiniuk-Talesnick, Eugene Register-Guard, January 9, 2021.
“A year later, Eugene allows people who are homeless to camp in policy, but not in practice” Tatiana Parafiniuk-Talesnick, Eugene Register-Guard, February 3, 2022.
“Sarah Fallingwater, 1976-2021” Ella Hutcherson, Eugene Weekly, October 28, 2021.
“Shandee Franke 1996-2021” Ella Hutcherson, Eugene Weekly, October 28, 2021.
“Tug-of-War”
"How to Handle Your Baby's Stay in the NICU," Emily Sohn, New York Times, April 2020
“Elopement”
"The Boy Who Ran: The Life and Death of Avonte Oquendo," Robert Kolker, New York magazine, March 2014
"Reported Wandering Behavior Among Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and/or Intellectual Disability," Catherine Rice et al, Journal of Pediatrics, July 1, 2016
“Building a Bridge for Mental Health”
Read more about Project Lotus.
Articles on the model minority myth:
- “Becoming Asian”. Scot Nakagawa, Oregon Humanities, April 2018.
- “6 Charts that Dismantle the Trope of Asian Americans as a Model Minority,” Connie Hanzhang Jin, NPR, May 2021.
Resources and articles on AAPI and mental health:
- The Full Well Podcast
- Asian Pacific Islander Mental Health, Psych Central
- “What a therapist tells her Filipino American patients,” Ada Tseng, Agnes Constante, LA Times, March 2022
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