I love Kij Johnson's writing. I first read At the mouth of the river of bees, and then I asked for and got The River Bank for my birthday. She writes wonderful stories, and she writes them beautifully. "26 Monkeys, Also the Abyss" is simply amazing, perfectly crafted and deeply surprising and delighting.
And every now and then I remember she has blog-like things and various bits of online presence, and I go check to see what she's been up to.
Over at her newsletter on Buttondown, she posted a grab bag of updates for June 2025, ending with this:
It feels complicated to be happy in the middle of a world afire, but I remember something I learned last year and then forgot, and then remembered again:
Order and beauty radiate.
For the last few years I have been saying that if I could have any superpower, I would pick capybara-power: the ability to radiate calm and peace. But even if I am not bitten by a radioactive rodent, I can do that. So: Capybara Powers, Activate!
I definitely need more calm and peace in my life, and order, and beauty.
I'm glad Kij is happy, even complicatedly happy, and I wish calm and order, peace and beauty, for everyone.
Maybe I could radiate peace, a bit, too. That would be good.
Image: Sarusawa Pond, by Yoshida Hiroshi, courtesy of the Rijksmuseum