Bookmark this! In praise of spineless creatures, sleep, and cricket

You can tell when a writer loves what they’re writing about. Even when they’re being critical, they’re doing it to uplift the topic, the idea, or the thing they love, to make it stronger.

This week, three people from the newsroom share something they’ve read, listened to, or explored on a topic that they love – plus three of our own articles from writers who really care.

Yes I died, but that was then Have I mentioned I’m obsessed with death and dying? This story by the incomparably gifted Eloghosa Osunde bends surreality into the everyday; a person can die, yet subsequently live a thoroughly exciting life. The concept of death as a comma rather than a full stop has comforted people for millenia, and with this story, Eloghosa offers an utterly original take on the possibilities of life after death. (OluTimehin Adegbeye, Othering correspondent) Grief is the gift that breaks the spirit open (Reading time: 15 minutes)

Get lost (no, really) In praise of digital culture in lockdown: Arts & Culture is a non-profit initiative by Google, where they partner up with cultural institutions from around the world to bring their collections online (for free). You can get lost as you explore artists, curated collections and art movements. The section, Arts & Culture Experiments, features a wide range of crossovers between art and technology, with interactive exhibitions, virtual reality games, augmented reality apps and much more. (Afonso Gonsalves, editorial designer) Arts & Culture experiments (however long you have)

When you’re sleeping, you are actually doing something "I want to uplift that when you’re sleeping, you are actually doing something. You’re honouring your body. You are giving your brain a moment to download new information. You’re disrupting toxic systems by reclaiming rest." Tricia Hersey of the Nap Ministry discusses the importance of sleep in the latest episode of The Atlantic’s Social Distance podcast. I highly recommend listening religiously to her words and going to sleep – because is there anything you can love more than sweet, long, sleep? (Sabrina Argoub, editorial assistant) You are worth of sleep (Listening time: 30 minutes)

The best of The Correspondent

The more Patagonia rejects consumerism, the more the brand sells If you read this article and don’t start browsing Patagonia’s website immediately, I’d be very surprised. I’m sure that wasn’t Clothing correspondent Emy Demkes’s intention when she set out to investigate the tension between commercial growth and protecting the environment, but sometimes a critical eye leaves you where you don’t expect to end up: quite convinced, as Emy was, that this outdoor clothing brand really has it right when it comes to balancing capitalist success with environmental responsibility. Read Emy Demkes’s piece here Mental toughness is overrated: a World Cup-winning coach debunks sport’s most sacred trait Tanmoy Goswami loves cricket. He’s been watching old reruns of India vs Australia matches where India wins (and blatantly sledging me) throughout the lockdown. So I’m not surprised that he worked cricket into his beat, Sanity, with this thought-provoking piece on "mental toughness" in cricket, and why it harms rather than helps professional sports players. Read Tanmoy Goswami’s piece here 98% of all animal species on Earth have a PR problem. That’s bad news for everyone It’s hard to feel a love for insects and invertebrates, but if anyone can get you there, it’s Non-human Life correspondent Tamar Stelling. In this beautifully written piece, she mourns the ambivalence shown towards the 98% of animals who don’t have a spine – not just because they are the essential workers of the planet, cleaning up dung and replenishing our soils, but also because they’re just fascinating, majestic creatures, and their PR team truly does not do them justice. Read Tamar Stelling’s piece here