We hope this blog post finds you with a spare moment to explore something new! June’s releases on JSTOR brought together book-length research, community newspapers, mining pamphlets, and an artist’s studio visit. The brief guide that follows may help you choose where to begin.

Book of the month: Minor Troubles

Book cover for Minor Troubles: Racial Figurations of Youth Sexuality and Childhood’s Queerness by Erin J. Rand. Against a white background, the magenta-and-black title sits in the upper left. Centered below, a grayscale torso in a long-sleeve shirt has its head replaced by a chaotic collage of architectural fragments and brushstrokes. Partially cropped grayscale figures appear on the far left and right; the right figure’s hands are clasped at the waist. The author’s name, in magenta, is positioned near the bottom right.

Minor Troubles: Racial Figurations of Youth Sexuality and Childhood’s Queerness by Erin J. Rand (Ohio State University Press) studies public debates that shape talk about queer and trans young people.

Rand traces discussions of bullying, suicide, and sex-education policy and shows how ideas about childhood can deepen risk for youth who are already vulnerable. Participants in the Path to Open program can read the book now; open access will follow after the required period.

Reveal Digital

A new issue of On Wings of Hope joins the open Reveal Digital collection, American Prison Newspapers. The newsletter comes from the death-row unit at Holman Prison in Alabama. Writers inside share daily observations, reflections on policy, and notes of encouragement.

The Independent Voices collection also gained visibility during Pride Month. Publications such as Common Lives/Lesbian Lives document organizing and everyday life within lesbian and gay communities in the mid-1980s.

New shared collection

A black-and-white geological diagram labeled “The Kimberly Diamond Mine in 1871,” showing strata such as “yellow ground” and “blue ground.”

The Kimberly Diamond Mine. University of South Carolina, Columbia.

The Diamond Fields of South Africa (1870-1917)

The Diamond Fields of South Africa project brings together five pamphlets that circulated during the Orange River rush of the 1870s. Prospectors, investors, and local observers contributed to these texts. The University of South Carolina, Columbia worked with archivists and a recent graduate to prepare the digital edition.

Audiovisual highlight: Abstract art and the creative process

Lights Out Gallery recorded an interview with abstract artist Kevin Xiques. Xiques speaks about maintaining balance between spontaneous gesture and sustained effort in abstract work. The full video is free to watch thanks to Colby College.

Your engagement with these materials continues the work done by librarians and archivists to make them accessible, giving each of them new attention. We look forward to sharing July’s discoveries with you soon.

About the author

Maria Papadouris is a Content and Community Engagement Manager at ITHAKA, where she works on bringing the JSTOR community together under the common goal of championing access to knowledge (and having a fun time doing it!). A first-generation Greek American and first-generation college student, Maria studied political science and creative writing, bringing an interdisciplinary approach to issues in the humanities. She is currently pursuing graduate studies in English literature, with interests in modern literature, critical theory (particularly around ideology and power), semiotics, and philosophy.