Franco Institute Director Kate Marshall speaks at podium for the 2026 Day | Merton Symposium, blue "Franco Family Institute" banner behind. Interpreter signs for seated audience.

Kate Marshall speaks at a podium on stage to a large, attentive audience at the 2026 Day | Merton Symposium, a Franco Institute event at Notre Dame.

Rev. Robert A. Dowd, C.S.C., in a black suit and clerical collar, speaks at a podium at the Franco Family Institute's 2026 Day Merton Symposium.

Blue banner on Notre Dame Stadium reads: Franco Family Institute for Liberal Arts and the Public Good.

The Franco Institute held the first annual Dorothy Day and Thomas Merton Culture and the Public Good Symposium on Friday, April 10, 2026.

Look forward to more moments from the day and more conversations about *Attention* to follow!

Contributor features from ballast 4.1:
Here’s Dennis Hinrichsen with “drip-dry buffalo”

See more in the issue

www.ballastjournal.com/dennis-hinri...

#contributorfeature
#poem
#poems
#ballast
#DennisHinrichsen

Contributor features from ballast 4.1:
Here’s Ben Egerton with “Currency”

See more in the issue

www.ballastjournal.com/ben-egerton

#contributorfeature
#poem
#poems
#ballast
#BenEgerton

Tomorrow's the big day!

The Franco Institute is honored to welcome our four speakers for the 2026 Dorothy Day and Thomas Merton Culture and the Public Good Symposium on Friday, April 10.

franco.nd.edu/events/2026/...

Contributor features from ballast 4.1:
Here’s Marthine Satris with “Wrack Line Elegy” @msatris.bsky.social

See more in the issue

www.ballastjournal.com/marthine-sat...

#contributorfeature
#poem
#poems
#ballast
#MarthineSatris

LOOK: 2026 Art, Art History, and Design Exhibition is open until April 10 with a closing reception on April 7.

Look responds to the Franco Institute's 2025-26 research theme of attention.

Closing Reception:
🗓️ Tuesday, April 7, 4 - 5pm
📍 O'Shaughnessy Gallery East, O'Shaughnessy Hall

Contributor features from ballast 4.1:
Here’s Maia Sauer with “Risk”

See more in the issue

www.ballastjournal.com/maia-june-sa...

#contributorfeature
#poem
#poems
#ballast
#MaiaSauer

Contributor features from ballast 4.1:
Here’s Peach Delphine with “wasn’t barter but trade-“

See more in the issue

www.ballastjournal.com/peach-delphi...

#contributorfeature
#poem
#poems
#ballast
#PeachDelphine

Contributor features from ballast 4.1:
Here’s Matt Turner from 6AMING

And don’t miss the full collection coming later this year from @antiphonyjournal.bsky.social

See more in the issue

www.ballastjournal.com/matt-turner

#contributorfeature
#poem
#poems
#ballast
#MattTurner

Contributor features from ballast 4.1:
Here’s Robyn Art with “My Strange Addiction”

See the poem in the issue

www.ballastjournal.com/robyn-art

#contributorfeature
#poem
#poems
#ballast
#RobynArt

Check it out! So pleased to bring this new ballast issue to the surface.

Poster for lunch lecture "What is a language model?" from Prof. David Chiang at the University of Notre Dame with event details. Headshot of speaker against background of blue-gray starry/computer chip image.

Event notice: a lunch talk on February 5, 2025. Prof. David Chiang from the Department of Computer Science will give a talk titled “What Is a Language Model?”

The talk is open to the public, and a Zoom link will also be provided.

Promotional poster for the Franco Institute's Day | Merton Symposium on Friday, April 10, 2026. Headshots of speakers Rainn Wilson, Jenny Odell, Vauhini Vara, and Shankar Vedantam against blue branded background. Headline text reads "Four thinkers. One question. How should we hold attention?" with details for the event.

🚨 Registration now open for the 2026 Day | Merton Symposium

📍 Downes Ballroom, 7th floor Corbett Family Hall, University of Notre Dame

🗓️ April 10, 2026 | 3:30-6:30 PM
(A poster session for "attention" theme research begins an hour prior)

Details & registration here: franco.nd.edu/events/dorot...

🌸🌸🌸
Here’s Rebecca Valley and “January in the Japanese Garden” for ballast 3.4’s contributor features

Read the full poem here

www.ballastjournal.com/rebecca-valley

#contributorfeature
#poem
#poems
#ballast
#RebeccaValley

REGISTRATION NOW OPEN!

The Franco Institute invites the community to join us March 3 at Stockroom East for an Evening with N. K. Jemisin.

This is a free but ticketed event with limited seating availability. Visit our event page for our Eventbrite link.

franco.nd.edu/events/2026/...

Here’s Misha Tentser and “Sacred Heart” for ballast 3.4’s contributor features

Read the full poem here

www.ballastjournal.com/misha-tentser

#contributorfeature
#poem
#poems
#ballast
#MishaTentser

year-end review

because it’s vital to share how art and creativity not only happen in spite of difficulties and dumpster fires but as a refusal to accept the dumpster fires

Grateful to the editors, collaborators, contributors, journal neighbors, press mates, & readers:

Community > gloating

Here’s Hannah Azar Strauss and “Warner’s Lolly” for ballast 3.4’s contributor features

Read the full poem here

www.ballastjournal.com/hannah-azar-...

#contributorfeature
#poem
#poems
#ballast
#HannahAzarStrauss

Here’s Kelly R. Samuels and “Re: Talking of Wallpaper” for ballast 3.4’s contributor features w/ @kellyrsamuels.bsky.social

Read the full poem here

www.ballastjournal.com/kelly-r-samu...

#contributorfeature
#poem
#poems
#ballast
#KellyRSamuels

Judging your own poetry is like holding your hand to your own forehead to check for a fever.

Here’s · R L · powell and “Polaroids I didn’t take only to leave in Basque” for ballast 3.4’s contributor features

Read the full poem here

www.ballastjournal.com/rl-powell

#contributorfeature
#poem
#poems
#ballast
#RLPowell

Here’s Meg Pokrass and “The Stranger Likes Soup” for ballast 3.4’s contributor features @megpokrass.bsky.social

Read the full poem here

www.ballastjournal.com/meg-pokrass

#contributorfeature
#poem
#poems
#ballast
#MegPokrass

Here’s Caroline Picker for ballast 3.4’s contributor features

Content Warning: grief, loss of child

Read the full poem here

www.ballastjournal.com/caroline-pic...

#contributorfeature
#poem
#poems
#ballast
#CarolinePicker

Thank you, Eric!

✨Contributor Features from ballast 3.4✨

Here’s Matthew Murrey with “L” @mytwords.bsky.social

Read the full poem here!

www.ballastjournal.com/matthew-murr...

#contributorfeature
#poem
#poems
#ballast
#MatthewMurrey

A rolling stone gathers no moss? Well, good thing I’ve let this project have a few years of growth to accumulate ALL THE MOSS.

My second full-length, *Ugly Ground Swell Moss*, is heading out into the world sometime soon with Carbonation Press.

✨Contributor Features from ballast 3.4✨

Here’s Pete Miller with “Ethanol”

Read the full poem here:

www.ballastjournal.com/pete-miller

#contributorfeature
#poem
#poems
#ballast
#PeteMiller

Digital broadside of a poem by Jory Mickelson in ballast issue 3.4. Black text on light pink background with black curly line on right side. Text of poem reads “So maybe a hotel room's really a pastoral. It's all there right on the surface. So, pastoral with comforter & pillow. Pastoral with telephone on the nightstand. Pastoral with stranger's pubic hair on the gleaming toilet seat.”

✨Contributor Features from ballast 3.4✨

Here’s Jory Mickelson @poetryphone.bsky.social with “[Sometimes a hotel room]”

Read the full poem here!

www.ballastjournal.com/jory-mickels...

#contributorfeature
#poem
#poems
#ballast
#JoryMickelson

✨Contributor Features from ballast 3.4✨

Here’s Andrew Maxwell with “nunc dimittis”

Read the full poem here!

www.ballastjournal.com/andrew-maxwell

#contributorfeature
#poem
#poems
#ballast
#AndrewMaxwell

✨Contributor Features from ballast 3.4✨

Here’s Jason Labbe with “Everybody”

Read the full poem here!

www.ballastjournal.com/jason-labbe

#contributorfeature
#poem
#poems
#ballast
#JasonLabbe