Let's nerd out together - an alternative to doom scrolling

Not everyone has the patience for infodumpery - but if you're the type who likes that sort of thing - let's be nerds together!

Ignition Sparks Raising Luminaries Videocast, overlaid on the word ‘INFODUMPS’ repeated in the background. cartoon phone featuring an image of me in a pumpkin costume, blowing my cheeks out to be more pumpkin-esque. Word bubble from a pair of disembodied hands looking at a phone saying “‘wow this is exactly what I was asking for’ - nobody” Disclaimer text: “Pumpkin content may vary. this is an approximation of what me infodumping might look like on your phone. so… just lower your expectations, okay?”

Nobody asked for this

(but I made it anyway!)

If you’ve been reading these newsletters for a while, you may have noticed that they vacillate wildly between simple helpful emails and long ramblings that you might want to read later, but who has the time?!

It’s because I’m what my 11-year-old calls a yapper. I can’t shut up! I’m trying to keep these newsletters short and accessible for you, but then (linguistically) explode and Ihave to barf out detailed explanations about my current hyperfocus, lest all these details ferment in my body. Leading to, I dunno, sciatica or something?

Owly, an adorable/disturbing cartoon owl tube thing that lives on the front door of a creepy house, from the TV show ‘Owl House’ saying ‘Mm-mm! delicious knowledge!” #TheOwlHouse

Well, good news (or bad, depending on your tolerance for enthusiastic ranting!)

I’ve made a new thing for you

This week, we launch Ignition Sparks - a Marco Polo Sharecast where I infodump to my heart’s content on our latest newsletter topic. This is where you can find the video (including audio, transcripts, and/or closed captioning) of me pacing in circles, gesticulating wildly, over-connecting dots, and blurting out all the relevant-but-too-much stuff that I wanted to tell you about, but couldn’t fit into a reasonably short email.

Each Spark will be between 5–20 minutes (but don’t hold me to that) — long enough for you to listen while you take a little walk, wash the dishes, or lie in bed procrastinating.

Ignition Sparks will be available for all our paid supporters here on Substack and the Luminary Braintrust - for those who want to dig deeper, nerd harder, or just need an alternative to the 💣 Dooms 😭 of your social media feed.

✨ The newsletter stays free — always.
🔥 The Ignition Sparks are for paid subscribers only.

If you’re a paid supporter, you’ll automatically get access to every Sharecast episode on the Marco Polo app - no extra payments (Marco Polo is free on your phone or tablet).

If infodumps are not for you - no pressure to subscribe. You can take no action and I’ll just leave you alone!

I just wanted to 1) Share this little incentive to support my work, and 2) Create an outlet for my rants where they won’t bother passers-by. That’s a win-win(!) if you’d like to support my work while also Learning All The Things!

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💥 October’s Ignition Spark:

How to raise kids who embody change-making, what transportation has to do with anti-racism, healthcare access, and immigrant rights & why kids love things that go VROOOM

Below, paid subscribers will find a link to this month’s Ignition Spark.

In it, I share:

• How we use stories to get kids interested in social justice issues

• Simple discussion questions to get kids curious about how to help

• Quick actions to turn big scary feelings into hope and kindness

with you,

Ashia

PS: If you like this experiment, or if you’ve got thoughts about what you’d love to hear in future infodumps, leave a comment below! I’m still shaping this thing, and it’s way more fun when it’s a conversation.

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