In the animated Pixar film Hoppers, directed by Daniel Chong, college student and nature lover Mabel Tanaka transfers her consciousness into a robotic beaver to uncover mysteries within the animal kingdom. With the ability to understand and communicate with animals, she discovers the realities of the food chain and learns about the interconnectedness of natural ecosystems, and what happens when that delicate balance is disrupted. Write a short story that revolves around an unexpected incident or occurrence that presents your main character with a newfound realization about how the human world is inextricably connected to the nonhuman animal kingdom. You might incorporate a sci-fi element that allows your protagonist profound insight into how animals think and relate to one another, and to human beings.

Often taboos are associated with societal issues around relationships, death, food, and religious customs, but there are less consequential social norms that deem specific styles and fashion decisions verboten. One of the latest being debated—wearing socks with sandals, a look that has been considered tacky in the past but has been appearing regularly in high fashion. This week, think of a few stylistic choices that are personal no-nos or that simply seem illogical to you, such as pairing certain colors and patterns, or bringing back old trends. Compose a humorous poem that reflects on your predilections and aversions when it comes to personal style, considering how you align or rebel against convention. How can you experiment with language around color and texture, sound and rhythm, to create verse that marries humor and lyricism?

In the film Project Hail Mary, directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller and adapted from Andy Weir’s 2021 novel of the same name, a science teacher is sent aboard an interstellar spacecraft to investigate a star that may hold the key to fight off a celestial parasite damaging the sun and threatening mass extinction on Earth. As the sole survivor of the three-man crew, he must attempt a “Hail Mary,” a last-ditch effort to save humanity. Think about a time in your past when you attempted a Hail Mary, whether in a sporting game, in an interpersonal relationship, or in the context of a relatively mundane task. Write a personal essay that tells the story before, during, and after your efforts. At what point did you decide that there was nothing left to lose, and that the only solution was to throw caution to the wind with a long shot?

Scientific studies on vision have demonstrated that rates of myopia, or shortsightedness, have been rising, to the extent that within the next twenty-five years, half of the population of the world will be myopic. While there are genetic reasons for this, a recent article published in BBC Science Focus magazine reports that environmental factors are playing a part, including people spending less time outdoors in the sun with diverse, visually rich stimulation, and more time indoors staring at screens and digital devices close-up and surrounded by “straight lines and monochrome walls.” Write a short story that takes place somewhere along this spectrum of technology affecting human evolution. Are there characteristics besides eyesight that are worsening?

“The mosquito knows full well, small as he is / he’s a beast of prey,” writes D. H. Lawrence in his 1929 poem “The Mosquito Knows,” recently published in the Academy of American Poets’ Poem-a-Day series. “But after all / he only takes his bellyful, / he doesn’t put my blood in the bank.” In this five-line verse, Lawrence presents a pithy portrait of an insect and then points the mirror at human behavior, the mosquito becoming a more sympathetic figure when pitted against human greed. Compose a series of miniscule poems that each revolve around an insect. Explore different facets of the bug, including how they might be irritating or harmful to people, and the ways in which their lives contrast surprisingly with human tendencies.