Latest news with #HarvardPoliticalReview
Irish Examiner
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Examiner
Beginner's pluck: Writer and student Austin Taylor
GROWING up on a dairy farm, Austin loved sport and reading. 'I'd take two books out of the library one morning, and change them for two more the following day,' she says. She wrote stories from age seven to 12 but realised writing wasn't a realistic career. 'I was also into maths and science,' she says. At Harvard, she wrote articles for the Harvard Political Review and took a creative writing class with Jill Abramson, who had worked for The New York Times. 'I got great feedback,' she says. 'I didn't enjoy spending hours in a lab but I loved science policy. My thesis was on science communication.' After graduating, Austin worked part-time for a year, then deferred her place at Harvard Law School. 'During that year, I wrote a novel.' She found an agent but not a publisher. 'Meanwhile, I started working on Notes on Infinity. I took a second year off to finish the novel and sold it at auction in the US and the UK.' Who is Austin Taylor? Date of birth: 1999 in Waterville, Maine. Education: NokomisRegional High School; Harvard, chemistry and English. Home: 'Maine. But I'm moving to the west coast to start law school at Stamford. I'm worried what AI will do to publishing and, as an attorney, think I'll have a voice for change.' Family: 'My extended family all live in central Maine.' The Day Job: Writer, and soon-to-be law student. In Another Life: 'I play the bass guitar. I'd love to play in a rock band.' Favourite Writers: Zadie Smith; Lauren Groff; Barbara Kingsolver; Kurt Vonnegut; Jennifer Egan; Sally Rooney. Second Book: 'I'm working on two things, hoping one will work out.' Top Tip: 'Write a lot and read good writing.' Website: Instagram: @austintaylorwrites The Debut: Notes on Infinity. Michael Joseph: €17.32 Meeting in a Harvard chemistry class, Zoe is intrigued by Jack. From diverse backgrounds — Zoe's the daughter of a professor, Jack comes from poverty — they are united by their brilliance and fierce ambition. They combine their expertise in a start-up to overcome ageing. Unstoppable, they are soon in a committed relationship. Life seems perfect. Then Zoe uncovers Jack's shocking secret. The Verdict: Quite brilliant. A real rollercoaster of a read. I loved it.
Miami Herald
13-05-2025
- Health
- Miami Herald
Amid loneliness ‘epidemic' in US, one group maintains strong community, poll finds
As Americans report feeling more and more socially isolated, a new study finds that one group maintains a strong sense of community belonging. But that group has been dwindling, according to researchers. Former U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy called the social disconnection an 'epidemic of loneliness' and equated its impact on lifespan to 'smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day,' according to a 2023 report. Recently, a Harvard Youth Poll found that 18% of young adults said they 'do not feel a strong sense of belonging anywhere.' Comparatively, 17% of young adults said they felt 'deeply connected to at least one community.' Twenty-six percent said they felt 'somewhat connected,' per the poll. Religious Americans — including evangelical Christians, Protestants and members of non-Abrahamic faiths — reported much higher levels of community contentedness, researchers said. The poll, published April 25 in the Harvard Political Review, found that 62% of young adults who find religion 'very important' felt a sense of community, while 36% of those who are not religious felt the same, according to the poll. The survey of 2,096 Americans between 18 and 29 years old was conducted between March 14-25, researchers said. 'Americans who belong to a church or place of worship generally have more people they can count on for help and support than the religiously unaffiliated have,' researchers from the Survey Center on American Life said in a 2024 study. But according to a 2024 Gallup poll, most faith groups in the U.S. have been seeing a drop in regular religious service attendance. Thirty percent of Americans said they went to religious services every week or almost every week in 2024, down 8 percentage points from a decade ago, according to the poll, which cited the increase in Americans who aren't religious as the reason. This decline has appeared to stabilize in 2025, according to a Pew Research Center survey, but still remains in the low 30s. Other findings The Harvard survey also identified where people live and education levels as indicators of loneliness. About half of people who live in cities and suburbs said they feel connected to a community, according to the poll. Thirty-nine percent of people living in rural areas and 32% of people living in small towns said the same. Twelve percent of people who have not attended college said they felt deeply connected to a community, while 22% of people with college degrees agreed, the poll found. People with college degrees are more likely to live in areas with public spaces, which helps with feeling more connected, researchers said. Those who are college educated are also more likely to participate in a religious organization, per the poll.
