Dispatch #12

Hello from the tail end of summer! Literally. Fall classes started yesterday—though mine don’t begin until next week—and I’m pushing this project across the finish line at the absolute last minute according to the schedule I set for myself.

I’m a little embarrassed that it’s taken me SO long to finish this final dispatch and put the site together, but it’s also a realistic timeline for an independent practitioner. I’m a full-time faculty member at The New School, and while we do have the summer “off,” the realities of living alone in New York City mean taking on additional client work while continuing to pursue creative opportunities. I love it, but it often feels like juggling many different plates at once—and I’m trying to be transparent about that with my students.

Speaking of students: it’s so exciting to see them take what is shared in the classroom and run with it. After students said they were interested in learning more about media happy hours, Delia Cai hosted one this summer at Public Records. It was cool to see everyone enjoying themselves over drinks and magazines. We even got an accidental class photo. Sort of!

That same day, one student emailed to share her first U.S. byline in PAPER Magazine—a reflection on Megan Thee Stallion. Meghna Yesudas wrote that many of our guests, including Delia, influenced how she thinks about serious pop-culture commentary and presenting her work online. Congrats Meghna!


Now that some time has passed, I can also report that we had a successful final class. Elie Andersen returned, and four groups presented their completed Index Space activations. There was solid thinking throughout, with many of the projects experimenting with digital media and programming initiatives.

The most interesting projects were the ones that were extremely specific about their audiences. One group, for example, created a playful website where existing Index community members upload pictures of their workspaces. Another presented an interactive database of all the members, designed to encourage collaboration and strengthen the existing network.

Both groups used Figma Make to communicate their ideas. Their presentations showed that, with a clear strategy, some understanding of design systems, and a great deal of intentionality, AI can help bring an idea to a much more complete stage than was previously possible.

And now that the semester is over, I’ve finally made a home for Publishing in Public online. You can find it at publishing-in-public.net, where I’ve collected an archive of all the dispatches, a few reflections on the class, and the syllabus.
 Feel free to use it in your own classes this semester. or simply explore it as a time capsule of teaching in Spring 2026.

Thank you for reading!!!


THANK YOU TO:
Elie Andersen & Index Space
Jane Seidel
Maxwell Neely-Cohen
Delia Cai
Daisy Alioto
Lisa Cheng Smith & Yun Hai Taiwanese Pantry
Natasha Lennard for her support in running this class at CPCJ
Emily Yao (My research assistant)
The New School
Kirby for providing a free educational license