About "The USA in Focus"
This newsletter is an independent publication launched in July 2026 by Allison O'Dell. As an American English Communication Coach (www.allisonodell.com) to professionals and graduate students around the world, Allison wants a way to share educational material about the US as it's evolving in real time. A secondary objective is to provide an educational resource where the context isn't simplified (i.e., graded). This is an opportunity to learn as an intermediate to advanced global professional in small daily chunks.
During the soft launch, you'll get full access to the website as well as daily emails to serve as an extension of your growing understanding of American English and the culture that shapes it.
Starting in September 2026, there will be a free and paid subscription. The free subscription will receive the Monday and Friday emails, whereas the paid subscription receives emails all five days. While this is subject to change based on feedback during our pilot launch, each week will be broken down to give a well-rounded look at a weekly topic.
- Monday: A high-level executive briefing explaining a trending US business, economic, or cultural lifestyle phenomenon.
- Tuesday: Two executive summaries for related news articles that attempt to offer different angles or emphases on the same topic. In addition, there will be three intermediate to advanced reading comprehension and critical thinking cues for you to consider on the topic.
- Wednesday: Four to five intermediate to advanced, high-impact business vocabulary words or industry terms relevant to the topic. Each will include the part of speech, International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) American English pronunciation, a clear definition, and two separate, contextual sentences showing the word in action.
- Thursday: A feature of three modern American English idioms, phrases, or phrasal verbs relevant to the topic. A sample sentence and notes on when to use and when NOT to use the phrase are also provided.
- Friday: The week's topic wraps up with a strategic reflection and discussion prompts to spark engagement and conversation.
*When subscription levels reach an appropriate point, a premier subscription level will be added that will make this a live Zoom session, with a recorded version sent out if you can't attend the live meeting.
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