Disruption Curios

Relying on historical and literary evidence hidden in plain sight, Shakespeare's Greatest Love tells the true, uncensored love story of William Shakespeare and Henry Wriothesley, 3rd Earl of Southampton. "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate." -­Shakespeare's Sonnet 18, written for and about Southampton. Leaving behind a wife and three young children in Stratford-upon-Avon, Shakespeare moved to London for its thrilling theater scene, where everyone mixed freely across ages, classes, and ranks. It was through their mutual passion for the theater that the handsome twenty-seven-year-old playwright first met and fell deeply in love with the effeminate seventeen-year-old earl who beguiled men and women alike and avowed that 'desire and pleasure [should] sometimes triumph over reason.' Author David Medina demonstrates that Shakespeare wrote more of his plays and poems for and about Southampton than anyone else-works that are sexually charged, romantic, and homoerotic. He also chronicles the evidence that Southampton provided Shakespeare the support he needed to secure his acting company share, coat of arms, family residence, royal commission, life portrait, and funerary bust. Shakespeare and Southampton's personal and professional relationship evolved privately and publicly over a quarter century against the backdrop of a national anti-sodomy law, multiple plague outbreaks, unexpected pregnancies, rushed and possibly forced marriages, a failed rebellion, and political imprisonments. Shakespeare's Greatest Love challenges us all to recognize Southampton as the individual who had the most significant impact on Shakespeare's life, literature, and legacy.

We need to be entertained. We want to be distracted. We can't focus. We don't stop or log off. Social media has become our means of socialization. Who will we be without it? Like most of Gen Z, Elizabeth Tate grew up online, where every mistake is documented, every post causes anxiety, and huge corporations profit off the fear of missing out. But when Covid-19 derailed her work and education, Elizabeth slid into a 24-7 doomscrolling binge that led her to make a hard call: It was time to delete social media for good. In Control Your Scroll, Elizabeth shares the personal stories and compelling research that convinced her to log off-and examines the richness of a more unplugged life. With a relatable sense of humor, she offers exercises to jumpstart your self-reflection and prompts you to ask hard questions, including: - How does social media impact your mood? - What needs are you trying to meet online? - How does FOMO keep you tied to your phone? - And, most importantly, how can you reintroduce surprise and delight to your life? For those who can't remember life before the internet-or anyone looking for a path back to calm-Control Your Scroll is a reminder that you have the power to choose how you interact with technology. Breaking free from social media is a long journey. You will second guess yourself. It's going to be kind of terrible. It's also going to be kind of beautiful. And it's going to be worth it.