Summer's Dusk Anthology

Recapping a Summer Writing Practice.

Sep 02, 2024

Several weeks ago, I challenged myself and other writers to embrace the spirit of summer, focusing on the unique rhythm of your workspaces¹ by writing stories related to work. And what a series evolved!

Nine stories came up…here’s the anthology:

What Comes First: Work or Family?

A manga-style illustration depicting Yiannis Sicloop, a technologist in a modern office. He is sitting at his desk, frozen in thought. His colleagues, drawn in manga style, are nearby, referring to him as a 'human metronome'. The focus is on Yiannis, whose normally rapid-fire thoughts have come to a halt. His expression is one of surprise or shock, with a blank stare, and his hands are motionless above a keyboard. In the background, a clock is slightly distorted, symbolizing the sudden stop of time in his mind. The office is a mix of modern and slightly futuristic elements, with computers and other tech devices. The overall atmosphere is tense yet visually dynamic, with sharp lines and high contrast typical of manga art.

Summertime means squeezing vacation into already packed schedules. The Sicloop family is about to find out how challenging that can be. Let’s observe, shall we?

Read the story here.

Slack Channel: Towards Neuroplasticity

A manga-style illustration depicting a diverse team working on developing an AI prompting course in an office setting. The team includes a Black male manager, an older White woman worker, a 30-something year old woman, and a twenty-something Tunisian woman. Each member is seated at their own computer, with expressions of frustration or fatigue as they struggle with prolonged discussions and unclear objectives. The office environment is modern, with computers and digital screens visible. The focus is on the lack of cohesion, with speech bubbles or lines indicating confusion and a lack of focus on the audience. The scene captures the tension and frustration of the situation, with manga-style lines and shading adding to the emotional impact.

In this case study, a team embarks on developing an AI prompting course but quickly becomes bogged down by prolonged discussions, unclear objectives, and a lack of focus on the audience. The observations that follow the study highlight critical issues and provide actionable suggestions to ensure the program’s success.

Read the story here.

A New Beginning

A manga-style illustration of a 60-year-old Black woman working as an intern in a modern office setting. She is seated at a desk, focused and engaged, with a computer screen in front of her. The woman has short, curly gray hair and wears professional attire. Her expression shows a mix of determination and curiosity, capturing the unique experience of starting a new career later in life. The office environment is sleek and contemporary, with other employees working in the background. The illustration features dynamic manga-style lines and shading, highlighting her presence and the contrast between her age and the typical intern demographic.

Scarlet Ibis James

wrote about Lena, a Boomer who accepts the internship because she will die trying! Don’t count her out!

Read the story here.

The Dreamsmith’s Apprentice

A manga-style illustration depicting a young Korean intern working at the Dream Shop. The intern, a young woman with short dark hair, is standing in a whimsical, dream-like shop filled with various curiosities and magical items. Her expression is a mix of contemplation and realization as she learns to let go of old expectations and opens herself to new possibilities. The shop is filled with shelves of mysterious objects, soft glowing lights, and a warm, inviting atmosphere. The scene is filled with a sense of wonder and personal growth, with manga-style lines and shading emphasizing the emotional depth of the moment.

Will is a young man with big dreams and an even bigger heart. He was one of those people who carried quiet confidence about him, the kind that comes from knowing who you are and what you stand for. Will recently graduated from a tiny school in the middle of nowhere. Folks think of a young man about to begin navigating what we know is the often turbulent waters of the professional world. He is the intern.

Read the story here.

Acts of Slack. Urgh!

A manga-style illustration of a young woman named Noor looking directly at the camera. Noor appears tired, with slight bags under her eyes and a subtle weariness in her expression, but she is smiling warmly. Her hair is slightly tousled, and she wears casual, comfortable clothing. The background is simple and unobtrusive, allowing the focus to remain on her face. The illustration captures a mix of exhaustion and positivity, with manga-style lines and shading that emphasize her expression and the warmth in her smile.

“Noor, would you champion the Ariba rollout?”

I had so many questions. My stomach lurched as I considered asking her for clarification, but I knew she would hold it against me.

Read the story here.

Scorched But Not Broken

A manga-style illustration depicting a young woman in a tense moment after receiving two resignations in one day. The setting is a small, modest office with a window showing the scorching summer heat outside, with the temperature reading 90°F. The young woman manager, with a serious expression, is deep in thought, possibly frustrated or worried, knowing the resignations are due to the grueling job of delivering groceries in the sweltering NYC heat, combined with low pay and disappearing tips. She is shown at her desk, perhaps holding one of the resignation letters, with sweat on her brow. The atmosphere in the office is tense, with a sense of urgency and the need to take action. The illustration uses manga-style shading and lines to emphasize the heat, tension, and the manager’s resolve to do or say something to address the situation.

Fellow Substack writer

Scarlet Ibis James

wrote about the work world prompt *upskill*.

Two resignations in one day wasn’t ideal. He knew it was because of the scorching summer heat. The job was hard — delivering groceries in the humid 90⁰ NYC heat — plus the low pay and disappearing tips made continuing to do the work a hard sell.

Read the story here.

Her Laptop Succumbed To the Summer Heat — No Sweat!

A manga-style illustration depicting a young woman named Persia slamming her laptop shut in frustration. A plume of steam is escaping from the corner of the laptop, indicating its overheating due to the intense summer heat. Persia has an exasperated expression, her hair slightly disheveled, and the background suggests a stifling, hot environment. The illustration captures the moment of frustration and the oppressive heat, with manga-style dynamic lines and shading emphasizing the intensity of the scene.

Summer heat, projects due, and pickleball come together and disrupt!

Read the story here.

“Summer and Work” Horror Stories

A horror story writer on Medium pens five dribbles (50 words or less) stories about summer and work.

Read the stories here.

How To Personalize A Massive Tech, Process, and Culture Change Initiative

A manga-style illustration depicting a tense office environment focused on a major transformation project that has become the talk of the company. The main character, Kay, a middle-aged Black woman who looks like the character in the uploaded image, with short, curly hair with gray streaks, red glasses, and a professional appearance, is feeling the pressure of increased scope from the project sponsors. She is shown sitting at her desk, surrounded by stacks of documents, sticky notes, and a laptop, with a small, overwhelmed OCM team in the background. The illustration captures the intensity of handling the people side of a massive tech, process, and culture change project. The atmosphere is one of stress and urgency, with dynamic manga-style lines and shading emphasizing the weight of the challenge.

The ERP project had become the talk of the company, with anxiety and speculation running rampant. The sponsors wanted more personal touchpoints in the change management program, but with such a small OCM team, Kay felt the pressure of such an increase in scope. Handling the people side of a massive tech, process and culture change project like this one is a labor- and time-intensive endeavor.

How To Personalize A Massive Tech, Process and Culture Change Initiative

K Joseph

Aug 20

How To Personalize A Massive Tech, Process and Culture Change Initiative

Change Management | Transformation Projects | Change Done Well | ERG

Read full story

¹ Summer Writing Challenge: If you want to break the rules—write your story and tag me! CLICK

² The author generated all the AI images in this story using Dalle-3/Chat GPT, responding to the challenge by

Hannibal Tabu

- Thank you!

K Joseph's Substack

How To Personalize A Massive Tech, Process and Culture Change Initiative

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