Suki Wessling

How do you say HELLO? And *why* do you say hello? Etymology with Prof. Suki is the ultimate multidisciplinary course, connecting kids' knowledge through our shared language. Join me starting August 26.
athenasacademy.com/courses/etym...

New on The Babblery Substack: If making connections is fundamental to the development of human thought and achievement, then why are some humans attempting to break our connections?
open.substack.com/pub/babblery...

It's common wisdom that a change of environment can solve educational issues for neurodivergent kids, but when you look more closely, the picture is more complicated:
open.substack.com/pub/kidslear...

New Minibabble: Dr. Heather Ford on what we gain from incorporating diversity, equity, and inclusion into our scientific process.
babblery.com/2025/08/mini...
@hl-ford.bsky.social @ksqdfm.bsky.social

Athena's has 3 creative writing teachers—3 different flavors for your avid young writer. Check out our classes: athenasacademy.com/all-courses/...

The Black and Hispanic communities, indigenous groups—those are communities that are generally poorly engaged with the scientific process. And these are often the communities that are most impacted or marginalized by climate change.

Why is DEI necessary in science?
babblery.com/2025/07/scie...
@hl-ford.bsky.social @ksqdfm.bsky.social

Oh, English, why do I love you so much? Because unlike most languages, which grew organically amongst a single group of people, English was thrashed by Vikings, poked by Romans, and burned at the stake by the French. Kids 6-18, join me to find out why!
athenasacademy.com/courses/etym...

Wading downstream of the poisonous stew Decisions at the top make their way into the ER

New on Substack: Dealing with the American health system leads to thoughts about how decisions made at the federal level trickle down into our lives.
open.substack.com/pub/babblery...

On Ocean Street, an abandoned phone booth found new life as a poetry project. Then it vanished. Armed with poetry and disguised as workers, three Santa Cruz artists secretly converted a forgotten phone booth into a shrine for grief.

The creative spirit is not dead in Santa Cruz! lookout.co/on-ocean-str...

This was such a wonderful conversation with @hl-ford.bsky.social

New on Substack: Are the fears of modern parents stealing their kids' agency?

open.substack.com/pub/kidslear...

It was such a joy to make this episode!

It is such a privilege to teach people about climate change and to think about how systems are connected and how our communities are connected with the landscape that we live in.

I love it: teaching as a privilege! babblery.com/2025/07/scie...
@ksqdfm.bsky.social @hl-ford.bsky.social

The problem with The Onion these days is that when I'm scrolling through my feed, I sometimes wonder if they've made a mistake and their headline isn't actually a joke.

@hl-ford.bsky.social

The gateway drugs to science are the stars, dolphins, and dinosaurs. In any of those three, you end up finding something that really sparks joy in science.

Dr. Heather Ford speaks about the joy of science and the despair that MAGA has wrought in the global scientific community.
babblery.com/2025/07/scie...

@unwoman.com Thanks as always for the lovely music!

NEW on the Babblery: Dr. Heather Ford explains how the job of scientist is now a global one, how her work adds to human knowledge about climate, and how climate change affects all of us, whether we believe in it or not.
babblery.com/2025/07/scie... @ksqdfm.bsky.social @hl-ford.bsky.social

Our Health System After the Apocalypse If we're going to rebuild it, why not do it right?

Our Health System After the Apocalypse: If we're going to rebuild it, why not do it right?
Thoughts on an equitable, sensible way to rebuild US healthcare and research.
open.substack.com/pub/babblery...

Could Podcasts Fix Screen Time Woes for Children? - EdSurge News Podcasts are becoming increasingly popular with kids. Could they help ease parents’ fear of too much screen time?

www.edsurge.com/news/2025-06...

This article caught my eye: "Could Podcasts Fix Screen Time Woes for Children?"
Yes! Listening to storytelling and ideas challenges children's brains in a different way from reading. Check out my KidsLearn podcast!
sukiwessling.com/kidblog/
See comments for article link.

I just posted the same article. It's the first one by a writer that I felt really deeply explored how AI use might affect us as creative people.

Opinion | The Seductions of A.I. for the Writer’s Mind

This is one of the best pieces I have read by a writer who has used AI and thought deeply about what it was doing to her and what it could do to our culture. (Gift link)
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/18/o...

Photos | Jazz Society of Santa Cruz holds jam session ahead of September showcase An upcoming Jazz Society Showcase at Kuumbwa Jazz Center on Sept. 7 will be the largest benefit of the year to support the society. The concert features veteran West Coast guitarist Bruce Forman, w…

Jazz in Santa Cruz? Oh, yeah.
www.santacruzsentinel.com/2025/07/16/p...

The End of Public Radio Music? Bob Boilen writes about the importance of public radio music amid looming cuts.

Congress defunded the CPB. Downstream effects are dire:
“Almost all archival stories or programs that use music will need to be removed from websites or apps across all stations or national producers.” - Bob Boiilen

noncommusic.org/stories/bob-... @ksqdfm.bsky.social

Riding the pendulum's descent On the wish to leave America

One day a teen student asked me, “Have people always wanted to leave the US?” My answer:
open.substack.com/pub/babblery...

I've been writing about AI on my other Substack, babblery.substack.com, focusing on how AI affects adults and their relationship to work. This piece is for parents and teachers. Kids still need to learn to write, and using AI will not help them:
kidslearn.substack.com/p/ai-and-the...

WINGS #14-25 Peggy Antrobus: Something To Dream About
Produced by Suki Wessling of the Babblery
radio4all.net/program/120545

Dr. Peggy Antrobus, 90 year old feminist development economist, organizer and author, in conversation about her life and work.
@wingsradio.bsky.social

Use AI to make my work easier? No thanks.
open.substack.com/pub/babblery...

It was so lovely to be out with our community to celebrate what is good about America. It was hard for some people that I talked to to reach for that good, but we all know it is there and we need to celebrate and share it.