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

Minor Troubles by Erin J. Rand — minimalist white cover with abstract figures, one with a distorted, fragmented head.

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

Cover of Common Lives/Lesbian Lives, a lesbian quarterly magazine. The title appears in red serif font at the top. Below the title, a Black woman in athletic clothing sits on grass, resting her arms on a rugby ball. She wears a striped rugby shirt, dark pants, high socks, and cleats. The photo is sepia-toned. At the bottom, the issue number is labeled “fifteen/sixteen” in red.
“Common Lives/Lesbian Lives.” Common Lives/Lesbian Lives, no. 15/16, June 1985. https://www.jstor.org/stable/community.28035065
Black-and-white newsletter page from Project Hope to Abolish the Death Penalty titled “On Wings of Hope.” Ornate, scroll-style flourishes decorate the upper-left and upper-right corners, and a small dove-and-state-outline logo for Project Hope appears along the left margin. Centered headline reads “Project Hope to Abolish the Death Penalty – On Wings of Hope,” followed by “Volume 22, Issue 1 — January–March 2018.” The article title, in bold uppercase, is “THANKING IS JUSTICE.” Six paragraphs discuss how the idea of justice matures with us and how expressing gratitude—thanking others for both large and small acts—is itself a vital, rewarding form of justice. The author notes that few acts feel better than saying thank-you and expresses deep appreciation to supporters who have encouraged the organization through its 29-year history. The piece ends with the refrain “Thank You, Thank You!” and the centered signature “Esther.” A matching decorative flourish adorns the lower-right corner of the page.
“On Wings of Hope.” On Wings of Hope 22, no. 1 (January 1, 2018). https://jstor.org/stable/community.35655406

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.

Written by:

author headshot

Maria Papadouris

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 also looking to pursue graduate studies in English literature.

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