Alicia Stoller
@aliciastoller.bsky.social
Trying to stay tender and brave in dark times. I write about cultivating a resilient form of hope that helps us resist passivity. If we want a brighter future, we have to make it. (M.S.Ed.) https://www.notesonhope.net/
Pinned
We Need to Talk About Children’s Rights
And about the seductive mirage of parents’ rights
www.notesonhope.net
As a country, we talk a lot about protecting children. But our record when it comes to children’s rights is…well…terrible.
To truly protect and care for children, we need to get much better at listening to them. And we need an honest reckoning with the dark history of “parents’ rights.”
To truly protect and care for children, we need to get much better at listening to them. And we need an honest reckoning with the dark history of “parents’ rights.”
The line between helping and impeding is always a matter of perspective...
December 24, 2025 at 4:27 AM
The line between helping and impeding is always a matter of perspective...
This essay by Chloe Hope is so beautiful.
"We in the northern hemisphere sit in the years nadir, cradled by the longest night. This hallowed darkness is not punishment nor problem to be solved by the dawn. It is—as any seed, or star, or unhatched Bird will tell you—a condition for becoming."
"We in the northern hemisphere sit in the years nadir, cradled by the longest night. This hallowed darkness is not punishment nor problem to be solved by the dawn. It is—as any seed, or star, or unhatched Bird will tell you—a condition for becoming."
Dark the Night
and Pigeon the Owl
www.deathandbirds.com
December 22, 2025 at 12:43 AM
This essay by Chloe Hope is so beautiful.
"We in the northern hemisphere sit in the years nadir, cradled by the longest night. This hallowed darkness is not punishment nor problem to be solved by the dawn. It is—as any seed, or star, or unhatched Bird will tell you—a condition for becoming."
"We in the northern hemisphere sit in the years nadir, cradled by the longest night. This hallowed darkness is not punishment nor problem to be solved by the dawn. It is—as any seed, or star, or unhatched Bird will tell you—a condition for becoming."
It's 5:45pm and so far teen kiddo and I have eaten nothing but waffles and cookies today...I stand by my parenting choices. 🍪
December 21, 2025 at 10:48 PM
It's 5:45pm and so far teen kiddo and I have eaten nothing but waffles and cookies today...I stand by my parenting choices. 🍪
This is a complex and important essay.
Sandy manages to hold compassion for the impact Rowling's books have had—particularly on children who feel different and isolated—alongside the now clear moral imperative of reckoning with the harm she's causing, including toward many of those same children.
Sandy manages to hold compassion for the impact Rowling's books have had—particularly on children who feel different and isolated—alongside the now clear moral imperative of reckoning with the harm she's causing, including toward many of those same children.
"And so, having long debated what to do about this situation, I dug a fire pit in my backyard and burned my complete set of hardcover Harry Potters."
I have a lengthy and long in the works piece live this morning, from @literaryhub.bsky.social
Hope you all enjoy ...
lithub.com/burn-harry-b...
I have a lengthy and long in the works piece live this morning, from @literaryhub.bsky.social
Hope you all enjoy ...
lithub.com/burn-harry-b...
Burn Harry Burn: Reckoning With My Harry Potter Fandom as a Trans Person
During the spring of 2020, as the world locked down and people were dead and dying and breaking apart and mourning and afraid and hiding, the British author J.K. Rowling decided to publish an open …
lithub.com
December 21, 2025 at 4:00 PM
This is a complex and important essay.
Sandy manages to hold compassion for the impact Rowling's books have had—particularly on children who feel different and isolated—alongside the now clear moral imperative of reckoning with the harm she's causing, including toward many of those same children.
Sandy manages to hold compassion for the impact Rowling's books have had—particularly on children who feel different and isolated—alongside the now clear moral imperative of reckoning with the harm she's causing, including toward many of those same children.
Reposted by Alicia Stoller
We were discussing the American dream in class last week (Gatsby) and a kid said that families come to to the US and NYC for safety, not to “make it big”—lots of kids nodded along. Why is this not something we proudly throw everything we have into making possible
“I just want my children to grow [up] safely,” she said. “Is that too much to ask?”
As the U.S. Moves to End Haiti’s TPS, Families Brace for the Unthinkable - Documented
The decision to end Temporary Protected Status for Haiti has left thousands of families facing the prospect of returning to a country engulfed by violence and political collapse.
documentedny.com
December 20, 2025 at 3:34 PM
We were discussing the American dream in class last week (Gatsby) and a kid said that families come to to the US and NYC for safety, not to “make it big”—lots of kids nodded along. Why is this not something we proudly throw everything we have into making possible
This week's news was a lot. Offering you a deep breath from last weekend's snow fall in NYC.
December 20, 2025 at 4:15 AM
This week's news was a lot. Offering you a deep breath from last weekend's snow fall in NYC.
Yes. Taps sign.
The US is the only country in the United Nations that has failed to ratify the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The reason for this is straightforward. The US consistently fails to meet many of the standards for children’s rights set forth in the Convention.
The US is the only country in the United Nations that has failed to ratify the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The reason for this is straightforward. The US consistently fails to meet many of the standards for children’s rights set forth in the Convention.
December 20, 2025 at 4:02 AM
Yes. Taps sign.
The US is the only country in the United Nations that has failed to ratify the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The reason for this is straightforward. The US consistently fails to meet many of the standards for children’s rights set forth in the Convention.
The US is the only country in the United Nations that has failed to ratify the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The reason for this is straightforward. The US consistently fails to meet many of the standards for children’s rights set forth in the Convention.
Sadly, today feels like an important day to reshare this essay about children's rights.
"I’ve been lingering on all these myriad ways children try to tell us who they are, what their lives are like, how they see the world, what matters to them, and what they need..."
"I’ve been lingering on all these myriad ways children try to tell us who they are, what their lives are like, how they see the world, what matters to them, and what they need..."
As a country, we talk a lot about protecting children. But our record when it comes to children’s rights is…well…terrible.
To truly protect and care for children, we need to get much better at listening to them. And we need an honest reckoning with the dark history of “parents’ rights.”
To truly protect and care for children, we need to get much better at listening to them. And we need an honest reckoning with the dark history of “parents’ rights.”
We Need to Talk About Children’s Rights
And about the seductive mirage of parents’ rights
www.notesonhope.net
December 19, 2025 at 2:23 AM
Sadly, today feels like an important day to reshare this essay about children's rights.
"I’ve been lingering on all these myriad ways children try to tell us who they are, what their lives are like, how they see the world, what matters to them, and what they need..."
"I’ve been lingering on all these myriad ways children try to tell us who they are, what their lives are like, how they see the world, what matters to them, and what they need..."
Reposted by Alicia Stoller
This is the best piece I’ve read so far on why the Guinea-Bissau RCT, in which a proven life-saving vaccine will be deliberately WITHHELD, is unethical
“When benefit is established, withholding an intervention is no longer neutral experimentation it becomes premeditated harm”
“When benefit is established, withholding an intervention is no longer neutral experimentation it becomes premeditated harm”
The planned hepatitis B birth-dose trial in Guinea-Bissau raises serious ethical concerns. Withholding a proven, life-saving vaccine from newborns to answer speculative questions is an absence of equipoise with real downstream harms for trust in vaccines.
bktitanji.substack.com/p/how-unethi...
bktitanji.substack.com/p/how-unethi...
How Unethical Research Seeds Medical Mistrust
The absence of equipoise can turn research into harm
bktitanji.substack.com
December 18, 2025 at 11:06 PM
This is the best piece I’ve read so far on why the Guinea-Bissau RCT, in which a proven life-saving vaccine will be deliberately WITHHELD, is unethical
“When benefit is established, withholding an intervention is no longer neutral experimentation it becomes premeditated harm”
“When benefit is established, withholding an intervention is no longer neutral experimentation it becomes premeditated harm”
"The research that supports the importance of play in human development spans...education, medicine, neuroscience, psychology, and ethology, and ALL stress that reducing playtime can negatively impact children's social, emotional, cognitive, and physical development, and their academic success."
Also had to vote yes on this to make sure our kids get to play—something that was cut down to make room for more measurable forms of Growth
www.uft.org/your-union/u...
www.uft.org/your-union/u...
December 18, 2025 at 11:50 PM
"The research that supports the importance of play in human development spans...education, medicine, neuroscience, psychology, and ethology, and ALL stress that reducing playtime can negatively impact children's social, emotional, cognitive, and physical development, and their academic success."
Reposted by Alicia Stoller
Frost: If you want to protect children, why don't you ban assault weapons instead of health care?
December 17, 2025 at 8:36 PM
Frost: If you want to protect children, why don't you ban assault weapons instead of health care?
This made me teary. This is what protecting kids actually looks like—standing up for their rights with steadfast compassion, not taking their rights away.
Thank you for letting trans kids know that they have a gentle warrior in their corner @newyorkstateag.bsky.social
Thank you for letting trans kids know that they have a gentle warrior in their corner @newyorkstateag.bsky.social
To all the young people in New York and across our country who count on gender-affirming care:
I won't let this administration come for you, your doctors, or your lifesaving health care.
Your health care is still legal and protected.
I'll always fight for you.
I won't let this administration come for you, your doctors, or your lifesaving health care.
Your health care is still legal and protected.
I'll always fight for you.
December 18, 2025 at 11:34 PM
This made me teary. This is what protecting kids actually looks like—standing up for their rights with steadfast compassion, not taking their rights away.
Thank you for letting trans kids know that they have a gentle warrior in their corner @newyorkstateag.bsky.social
Thank you for letting trans kids know that they have a gentle warrior in their corner @newyorkstateag.bsky.social
Reposted by Alicia Stoller
The name "Popular Science" doesn't mean we shift our coverage depending on public opinion. It means we cover relevant subjects that are rigorously researched, reliable, and grounded in reality.
And trans lives are grounded in reality.
We see y'all. No matter what.
www.popsci.com/science/tran...
And trans lives are grounded in reality.
We see y'all. No matter what.
www.popsci.com/science/tran...
First-of-a-kind study shows encouraging data for trans kids who socially transition
Ninety-four percent of participants in a new study stood firm in their trans identity after five years, and "detransitioning" is rare.
www.popsci.com
December 18, 2025 at 5:16 PM
The name "Popular Science" doesn't mean we shift our coverage depending on public opinion. It means we cover relevant subjects that are rigorously researched, reliable, and grounded in reality.
And trans lives are grounded in reality.
We see y'all. No matter what.
www.popsci.com/science/tran...
And trans lives are grounded in reality.
We see y'all. No matter what.
www.popsci.com/science/tran...
Reposted by Alicia Stoller
Signal boosts appreciated!
To those who want to share your stories, thank you and please, email me through my site, please! (Especially do not DM me!)
To those who want to share your stories, thank you and please, email me through my site, please! (Especially do not DM me!)
ALRIGHT! THIS IS FOR A PIECE ....
Those who are estranged from your families of origin ... tell me why (however briefly) and/or tell me how you survive the holiday season ....
Those who are estranged from your families of origin ... tell me why (however briefly) and/or tell me how you survive the holiday season ....
I am sending all my fellow abuse survivors tons of love. Fuck the haters. Fuck this WSJ garbage.
December 17, 2025 at 2:36 PM
Signal boosts appreciated!
To those who want to share your stories, thank you and please, email me through my site, please! (Especially do not DM me!)
To those who want to share your stories, thank you and please, email me through my site, please! (Especially do not DM me!)
I once heard a poet describe a crying baby as “a tuning fork for the world.” If we heard children's tears this way, surely we would do much more to protect them from violence.
But children’s laughter is also a tuning fork. It’s proof of life and a visceral reminder of all that’s worth protecting.
But children’s laughter is also a tuning fork. It’s proof of life and a visceral reminder of all that’s worth protecting.
This weekend was filled with brutal news and I was at a loss for how to write, yet again, about the fears we accept, particularly in the hearts of children, because we prioritize weapons above their lives.
So I went looking for clarity and new words in the snow-covered city.
So I went looking for clarity and new words in the snow-covered city.
Proof of Life
The tuning fork of children’s laughter
www.notesonhope.net
December 17, 2025 at 12:44 AM
I once heard a poet describe a crying baby as “a tuning fork for the world.” If we heard children's tears this way, surely we would do much more to protect them from violence.
But children’s laughter is also a tuning fork. It’s proof of life and a visceral reminder of all that’s worth protecting.
But children’s laughter is also a tuning fork. It’s proof of life and a visceral reminder of all that’s worth protecting.
This weekend was filled with brutal news and I was at a loss for how to write, yet again, about the fears we accept, particularly in the hearts of children, because we prioritize weapons above their lives.
So I went looking for clarity and new words in the snow-covered city.
So I went looking for clarity and new words in the snow-covered city.
Proof of Life
The tuning fork of children’s laughter
www.notesonhope.net
December 16, 2025 at 4:38 AM
This weekend was filled with brutal news and I was at a loss for how to write, yet again, about the fears we accept, particularly in the hearts of children, because we prioritize weapons above their lives.
So I went looking for clarity and new words in the snow-covered city.
So I went looking for clarity and new words in the snow-covered city.
Reposted by Alicia Stoller
We put together this guide to showcase upcoming toy drives across all five NYC boroughs, offering families free toys and gifts for kids during the holidays. Help us share it! 🎄
Discover 18 NYC Giveaways with Free Toys for the Holidays - Documented
Discover upcoming toy drives in each borough of New York City offering free toys and gifts for children during the holidays.
documentedny.com
December 15, 2025 at 12:05 PM
We put together this guide to showcase upcoming toy drives across all five NYC boroughs, offering families free toys and gifts for kids during the holidays. Help us share it! 🎄
Reposted by Alicia Stoller
Find free winter coat drives and locations in NYC. Open to all, donations welcome. documentedny.com/2025/11/26/f...
Where To Get or Donate Free Winter Coats in NYC - Documented
Find free winter coat drives and locations in NYC. Get equipped for winter with warm layers and coats. Open to all, donations welcome.
documentedny.com
December 15, 2025 at 6:44 PM
Find free winter coat drives and locations in NYC. Open to all, donations welcome. documentedny.com/2025/11/26/f...
This piece by @benjaminjriley.bsky.social, exploring @mjcrockett.bsky.social's research, offers an important window into the nuances of human empathy and the appeal of seemingly empathetic AI companions.
I'm going to be thinking about the need for "thick empathy."
I'm going to be thinking about the need for "thick empathy."
"We face a social dilemma around the role of these empathy machines. Those who are most cognitively vulnerable may turn to these tools when what they most need is a flesh-and-blood human who will care for them, not sycophantically, but with thick empathy arising from the experience of being human."
Empty empathy machines
AI chatbots lack something fundamental to human empathy
buildcognitiveresonance.substack.com
December 16, 2025 at 2:16 AM
This piece by @benjaminjriley.bsky.social, exploring @mjcrockett.bsky.social's research, offers an important window into the nuances of human empathy and the appeal of seemingly empathetic AI companions.
I'm going to be thinking about the need for "thick empathy."
I'm going to be thinking about the need for "thick empathy."
If there's one essay I've written that I wish would be come irrelevant, it's this one. Yet I think it's the one I repost the most often.
When I was a preschool director, my office was full of blocks and crayons and puzzles. And a panic button.
Children and teachers shouldn't need to be this brave.
When I was a preschool director, my office was full of blocks and crayons and puzzles. And a panic button.
Children and teachers shouldn't need to be this brave.
We Shouldn't Need To Be Heroes
We can do better than lessons in barricading doors
www.notesonhope.net
December 14, 2025 at 4:54 PM
If there's one essay I've written that I wish would be come irrelevant, it's this one. Yet I think it's the one I repost the most often.
When I was a preschool director, my office was full of blocks and crayons and puzzles. And a panic button.
Children and teachers shouldn't need to be this brave.
When I was a preschool director, my office was full of blocks and crayons and puzzles. And a panic button.
Children and teachers shouldn't need to be this brave.
Reposted by Alicia Stoller
Another essay from @aliciastoller.bsky.social that eloquently touches on our essential humanity. "Life is full of fragility, that the most precious parts of life are usually precious precisely because they are not guaranteed indefinitely."
I wrote about the ad for this AI app in this week's note.
Something important that I think is missing from a lot of coverage of this ad is the way the marketing story leverages a child. It's not just about AI short circuiting adult grief. It is also about creating a fictitious reality for a child.
Something important that I think is missing from a lot of coverage of this ad is the way the marketing story leverages a child. It's not just about AI short circuiting adult grief. It is also about creating a fictitious reality for a child.
December 13, 2025 at 10:47 PM
Another essay from @aliciastoller.bsky.social that eloquently touches on our essential humanity. "Life is full of fragility, that the most precious parts of life are usually precious precisely because they are not guaranteed indefinitely."
Reposted by Alicia Stoller
I wrote about the ad for this AI app in this week's note.
Something important that I think is missing from a lot of coverage of this ad is the way the marketing story leverages a child. It's not just about AI short circuiting adult grief. It is also about creating a fictitious reality for a child.
Something important that I think is missing from a lot of coverage of this ad is the way the marketing story leverages a child. It's not just about AI short circuiting adult grief. It is also about creating a fictitious reality for a child.
December 11, 2025 at 2:33 AM
I wrote about the ad for this AI app in this week's note.
Something important that I think is missing from a lot of coverage of this ad is the way the marketing story leverages a child. It's not just about AI short circuiting adult grief. It is also about creating a fictitious reality for a child.
Something important that I think is missing from a lot of coverage of this ad is the way the marketing story leverages a child. It's not just about AI short circuiting adult grief. It is also about creating a fictitious reality for a child.
Reposted by Alicia Stoller
Your Thursday reminder that when you meet a baby you DON’T actually have to guess their gender. Just say “And who is this tiny perfect person?” Guaranteed no one will ever, ever object.
December 11, 2025 at 10:25 PM
Your Thursday reminder that when you meet a baby you DON’T actually have to guess their gender. Just say “And who is this tiny perfect person?” Guaranteed no one will ever, ever object.
I wrote about the ad for this AI app in this week's note.
Something important that I think is missing from a lot of coverage of this ad is the way the marketing story leverages a child. It's not just about AI short circuiting adult grief. It is also about creating a fictitious reality for a child.
Something important that I think is missing from a lot of coverage of this ad is the way the marketing story leverages a child. It's not just about AI short circuiting adult grief. It is also about creating a fictitious reality for a child.
December 11, 2025 at 2:33 AM
I wrote about the ad for this AI app in this week's note.
Something important that I think is missing from a lot of coverage of this ad is the way the marketing story leverages a child. It's not just about AI short circuiting adult grief. It is also about creating a fictitious reality for a child.
Something important that I think is missing from a lot of coverage of this ad is the way the marketing story leverages a child. It's not just about AI short circuiting adult grief. It is also about creating a fictitious reality for a child.
I suddenly find myself desperately hoping for a picture book about Chester the Archive Dog. He would go on so many great adventures, protecting history and befriending visitors!
#KidLit friends! Who will give this guy the illustrated likeness he deserves? 🐾
#KidLit friends! Who will give this guy the illustrated likeness he deserves? 🐾
This might be the only archive that has an official Archive Dog. Here he is, guarding the reading room, and making sure that all the documents remain secure. Good job, Chester! 🗃️🐕🦺
December 10, 2025 at 1:49 AM
I suddenly find myself desperately hoping for a picture book about Chester the Archive Dog. He would go on so many great adventures, protecting history and befriending visitors!
#KidLit friends! Who will give this guy the illustrated likeness he deserves? 🐾
#KidLit friends! Who will give this guy the illustrated likeness he deserves? 🐾