Welcome to ATTENTION
Attention feeds on light, hence it illuminates.
Welcome to the first issue of ATTENTION. We invite you to read about us and to explore the vast array of free resources available on this site under the various topical tabs. This issue contains:
- a question-and-answer interview with Eric Springsted concerning his decades of work on Simone Weil and his latest book on her,
- a heretofore unpublished posthumous scholarly article by Martin Andic titled “Simone Weil and Aristotle,”
- Jane Doering’s review essay titled “Confronting Colonialism through the Myth of Thanksgiving,”
- Michael S. Driscoll’s review essay titled “Rooted and Grounded,”
- another question-and-answer interview, this time with Lenora Champagne concerning her new play on Simone Weil, “Feeding on Light,”
- a commentary entitled “The Lonely Death of Ashli Babbitt,” and finally
- a few words about Peter Winch’s book on Simone Weil.
The next issue is slated to appear in August. Some of the contributors slated for that issue and future ones include, among others: Jacques Cabaud, E. Jane Doering, Simona Giurgea, Kathryn Lawson, J.P. Little, David McLellan, Eric Springsted, and Stephanie Strickland.
A Sketch for a Portrait
The above alcohol base-marker portrait was done, upon request, by Malachi George, a 14-year-old artist. Thanks to his mother and “agent,” Gwen George, for helping to make this project possible. I hope to be able to showcase more of Malachi’s works in future posts.
New or Forthcoming
Forthcoming Book
- Rebecca Rozelle-Stone, Simone Weil: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford University Press, 2022)
Forthcoming Translations
Two new English translations of The Need for Roots are forthcoming:
- Ros Schwartz trans.(Penguin: foreword by Robert Zaretsky)
- Tess Lewis trans. (New York Review of Books imprint)
New Books
- Eric Springsted, Simone Weil for the Twenty-First Century (University of Notre Dame Press, 2021)
- Sophie Bourgault & Julie Daigle, eds., Simone Weil, Beyond Ideology? (Palgrave Macmillan, 2020)
New Articles, Reviews & Interviews
- Ronald Collins, “Parachute Woman: Simone Weil’s Front-Line Nurses Proposal,” Epoché, #37 (Feb. 2021)
- Christy Wampole, “Simone Weil for Americans,” Los Angeles Review of Books (April 26, 2021) (book review)
- Max Norman, “The Subversive Philosophy of Simone Weil,” Prospect (April 11, 2021) (book review)
- Anna Rowlands, “Reading Simone Weil in East London: Destitution, Decreation and the History of Force,” in Karen Kilby & Rachel Davies, eds., Suffering and the Christian Life (T&T Clark, June 2021, paperback), pp. 113-132.
- “Q&A: Rebecca Rozelle-Stone on French philosopher Simone Weil’s short but eventful life,” UND Today (April 6, 2021)
- Rebecca Rozelle-Stone, “Fatigue: obstacle or necessary counterpart to moral attention?,” ABC (April 13, 2021)
Recent Zoom Events
- April 16-18 (conference): Hannah Arendt and Simone Weil on Individual Action in Dark Times.
- April 22- 24 (conference): American Weil Society- XL Annual Colloquy: “Simone Weil on Spirituality, Beauty and Justice”
- April 28-May 2 (play): “Feeding on Light” (a play on Simone Weil by Lenora Champagne)
- May 3rd @ 5:00 PM ET (interview): A Conversation with Sylvie Weil | At Home with André and Simone Weil
- May 17th @ 5:00 PM ET (interview): A Conversation with Eric O. Springsted | Simone Weil for the Twenty-First Century
Forthcoming Resource Additions
We will soon be adding a geography section. The geography section will be an original and detailed geographical representation of Weil’s life and writings–where she was and when.
To be notified when the geography section goes live (as well as when the next edition of ATTENTION is published), simply subscribe for updates: it’s free, you’ll receive no more than one email a month, and your email will not be shared with anyone.
By way of words of thanks
Constructing the technological structure of this site took an enormous amount of work, planning, and resolve — the kind that comes with a real and informed dedication to one’s work. In that regard Sam Shelton deserves both recognition and thanks for his genuine commitment to this project. By the same measure, his partner, Jeff Fabian, also deserves a shout out for his generosity, which is likewise much appreciated. Finally, thanks also to their colleagues at KINETIK.
10 Recommendations