In the wake of many disappointments from the political realm that seems hell bent on vilifying critical thinking and reasoning, the community of creatives and scholars have blessed us over the past two years with a number of highly satisfying oases to soothe our collective nerdish thirsts. As we close out spring there are a few essential things that every respectable geek will find helpful in making sure we are ready for summer.

The Marvel Matinee Recap – Do you need to catch up before Avengers: Endgame and Spider-man: Far From Home? At this point you probably don’t have time to re-watch all the movies and shows, (without losing your job) but you DO have time to check out these summaries and reviews to get you current.

The MARVELous Timeline for the 90’s You Wish You’d Had Before Watching Captain Marvel

10 Things You Need To Know Before You Watch Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (No Spoilers)

11 Ways To Protect Your Relationships With Your Black Friends After Watching Marvel’s Black Panther

The Real Wakanda: General Okoye

The Real Wakanda: When Art Imitates Black Life

How Big of a Black Panther Fan Are You?

Dear Marvel Studios, It’s Time For the Oncoming StormMid-South Summer Comic Cons – Have you locked down your summer vacation plans yet? For those of us who live in the American South, it is often more than a notion to get our coins together to travel to Comic Cons on the West and East Coasts.  So, I thought I’d point out a few of the Cons that are taking place in the mid-south (yes, I’m looping in Atlanta because, well…I can) in case you want to do a Con that you can drive to without too much trouble.

MomoCon – Atlanta (GA)

MobiCon – Mobile (AL)

Arkansas Comic Con – Little Rock (AR)

Sawa Con – Covington (LA)

Arkansas Anime Festival – Bentonville (AR)

Mississippi Comic Con – Jackson (MS)

Ranger Stop and Pop Con – Atlanta (GA)

SpaCon – Hot Springs (AR)

Heroes and Villains Fan Fest – Nashville (TN)

Anime BluesCon – Memphis (TN)

Tupelo Comic Con – Tupelo (MS)

DragonCon – Atlanta (GA)Youth Programs for Feeding the Body – Many families rely on their children receiving two meals per day while in school through programs such as the Free and Reduced Lunch program. For those families with children living near the poverty line ($26K to $37K) summertime can result in financial hardships when it comes to both putting food on the table and affording childcare. School-based programs are not active during the summer session when schools are closed.  There is a nationwide effort to fill this gap that allows those in need to find places in their community where children can receive free meals during the summer recess.    Click HERE to learn how to find your local community sites.SciFi Summer Stream Surfing – For those who will have a little extra time on their hands this summer may be planning on catching up with tv programs that you’ve just not had a chance to get around to yet. There are so many cool shows coming out that are changing the look and feel of SciFi and Fantasy like those I mentioned in The MARVELous Rise of Princess Shuri, Ironheart and Spiderwoman  and MARVELous Progress With A DC Twist. Follow this guide to see where some of my favorites are streaming right now.

Youth Programs for Feeding the Mind: A List of STEAM Summer Camps – 2019 Arkansas Edition – Yes, this is the educational summer camp list that you have been waiting for, Arkansas! You’ll want to check back on this list often as I will update it as I find more opportunities. Also, keep in mind that registration deadlines are approaching rapidly and many of these camps have limited enrollment. Click HERE for the 2019 STEAM Camps list for Arkansas.

Marta C. Youngblood is a writer, education and social entrepreneur based in Hot Springs, Arkansas. For more information on her current projects visit https://about.me/MCyoungblood.