Hello and welcome to all the new followers who found me via Zanni’s newsletter! I’m delighted with every share so this tiny community can grow 👋 there are 130 of you here now 🥹
What you’re in for: I’m a children’s author and AI design researcher who shares all things writing inspo, creative technology (particularly AI), play and design for kids.
This week I released educator resources for my latest book ‘Maya Jam Invents a Pet’ at bookandbot.com ; a traditional book + AI chatbot character. I adore this project and hope it helps students and families learn about AI.
Alright, let’s get on with it!
Get writing! Here's a tiny prompt that may spark new story ideas
Sometimes I don’t feel like writing, but I still want to ‘make story’. On those days, I switch gears. One of the new story forms I’m trying out is map making, inspired by this 16th-century map.
Off the coast of Norway, a giant serpent with a dragon-like head wraps itself around a helpless ship. Near the Faroe Islands, a mammoth monster clutches a seal in its pointed beak. And by the coast of Scotland, a gigantic lobster pinches a flailing man in its claw.
Books that have maps on the end pages still bring me so much delight. So if you too feel that words are failing you, make a map. You never know what story will settle on its shore.
My favourite playful web picks for the month.
Humans improv with generative AI: In ‘Improbotics’, one cast member acts as a ‘cyborg’ and is fed lines created by AI into an earpiece.
A desktop love story: this is one of the weirdest and the most delightful experiences I’ve had on my computer. A story, told through files on your desktop, where you have to pass notes (i.e. txt.files and photos) between two files that are in love. Obsessed.
AI Tamagotchi: it’s been a little buggy lately, but cute experiment.
Find good plant neighbours: I love reading, but concepts can get trapped in straight-lined sentences. Freeing them to move around in space reveals so much more- like about what veggies/fruit can be planted next to each other- and what should be planted apart. One for all the gardeners out there.
Mute distracting notifications, grab a warm cuppa and find a seat in the sun.
The Joy of Silly Useless Software: This article captures my philosophy of software. More pets. More play. More personalisation. (+ includes references to BOB and Clippy). I’ve had a pet on my website for years, and I love it so dearly (you can get your own pet here).
modern social media, and most modern environments like the iPhone, have shifted to be a space that protects the brand of whatever you are on. It’s harder to make a space “your own”, and you get a sense that when you are on Twitter, you are browsing Twitter, not necessarily your corner of the web.
Something well thunk and beautifully made!
Lift by Minh Lê & Dan Santat. Picture Book x Graphic Novel. Delightful concept. Beautiful execution. A story about a girl who loves elevator buttons (don’t we all) and after finding an old button, installs it in her bedroom (where it works). The execution has minimal words, leaving room for you to lean into the story. I adore.
Catch the read-aloud or grab a copy from your local bookstore.
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