Digital Discoveries – May

A new month means a new set of miscellany from around the web. See below for a great gardening resource, a podcast and an author profile.

Gardening Guidance

Spring is here and gardening is on my mind. That’s a first for me as this year is the first time I’ve had a place in which to garden. As a newbie, there’s a lot I don’t know how to do (I don’t even know everything that’s growing in my yard!). Luckily for me, the University of Illinois Extension has a whole YouTube channel for me to learn all sorts of gardening techniques as well as a horticulture website full of information that I expect I will be visiting year-round for guidance on caring for my yard and plants – whatever those plants may be!

Funny People on a Difficult Topic

A podcast titled “The Hilarious World of Depression” may feel like an oxymoron, or that it’s making light of a potentially difficult topic but for a podcast that talks to comedians about their struggles with depression and mental illness, I don’t know that any other title would work. Host John Moe (who has struggled with depression himself) talks to his friends and cohorts in what is both a funny and honest look at depression. Interviewees include Andy Richter, Paul F. Tompkins, Maria Bamford and Peter Sagal. In talking about depression, Moe helping to remove some of the stigma surrounding depression and normalize talking about the illness in an entertaining format.

A Short Read on a Long Homecoming

If you’ve enjoyed any of Elizabeth Strout‘s novels (or even if you’ve never read a single word of them) you will love this piece on Strout, her relationship with Maine (where she grew up) and how much a place shapes who we are. I was immediately drawn in and, confession, I haven’t read anything by Strout. Now, I want to.