I think younger Natalie would be chuffed, but also very confused to somehow have 4 journalism awards and have published, of all things, a children's nonfiction book...but here we are.

Stoked that my studio (The Banditry Co.) took home another 2 Lisagor Awards this year alongside our collaborators at WTTW. And 2 new categories too! Best Illustration/Graphics and the 'Big One' aka Best Feature Reporting Series - Video It's for this lovely series: www.thebanditry.co/ourwork/wttw...

Sometimes, all of your projects require a lot of pre-production and budgets, so you write something simpler, shorter, and you scratch the itch making a short film with friends. #skywriters

Starting a 2026 live arts thread... ...in May, because I felt bad that I, an actor, comedian, and holder of a theatre degree, started a media thread but not a live arts thread. [Note: if I was IN the show, I'm not gonna thread it. I do multiple shows a week, that'd be insane.]

Indie Bookstore Day haul + 2 books I bought while signing stock on Thursday, despite the fact that I knew I'd be visiting 15 bookstores on Saturday 👀 #ibd2026 #booksky

Friends with little ones have been sending me photos of my book in their school libraries and I'm definitely being really chill about it. #skywriters

Hey Chicago #booksky, signed copies of my book, 'An Epic History of Failure,' are available at Three Avenues bookshop (Southport & Wellington) #shopindie

Got an iced coffee this AM, at some point @justinyounger.bsky.social handed me a hot coffee. I got half way through that coffee before I realized I was dual wielding coffees. Now he's trying to convince me to get a THIRD COFFEE TREAT. I'm not done with 1 or 2 and I am scared!

Hey, guys, I was cool not knowing who Banksy was. I'd much rather we point that investigative energy towards like solving the climate crisis, protecting trans kids, or ousting the pedo-in-chief or something.

As a writer, actor & improviser, I should probably designate different notebooks to different tasks/disciplines. As it stands, I cross-pollinate all projects in one, single daily-carry notebook that, if lost, would baffle anthropologists, historians, and/or law enforcement.

If you ever wondered how and why the heck Chicago dyes the river green for St. Paddy's ... youtu.be/eHbvkWAzqac?... #chicago #stpaddys

Finished The Secret History and immediately pulled My Dear Henry off the shelf as my next read. Do these books have anything to do with each other? No. But it made me laugh. IYKYK 🤷‍♀️ #booksky

Just saw someone's dream fan-cast of The Secret History had Timothee Chalamet for Richard and I hate it here.

ME: omg i have so much to do today BRAIN: best i can do is none of it so that you don't feel bad for only doing some of it ME: that doesn't make any sense BRAIN: don't tell me how to do my job

IT. IS. GAPING.

Second election in a row that my partner and I have dropped our ballots in the mailbox on the same day and he's gotten his confirmation and I haven't...so now we make ANOTHER voting plan, I guess.

I wrote about how the US and Israel carried out an attack on an Iranian girls school on par with the OKC bombing and US media relegated it to a back page story. No stand alone evening news segments, no front page stories, it made A11 in the NYT then everyone moved on.

fellas drop everything , cancel all your plans and take your girl to this . and i Fucking Guarantee she will nut you off

A buddy Pad snapped this pic of 'An Epic History of Failure' in the wild (aka the children's 'New & Notable Nonfiction' section at one of my favorite Chicago bookstores) Thanks @unabridgedbooks.bsky.social , you're the best! 😍

My kingdom for a check and/or balance.

It's HEEEEERE! Happy US Publication Day to An Epic History of Failure. This blundering book full of fun facts and mindless mishaps for the curious 5-8 y.o. readers in your life is officially on shelves at major US and UK retailers + online. Go forth and blunder, friends #booksky

A very happy birthday to a very distinguished gentledog

I am a chaotic reader at the best of times.

ICYMI, I wrote a book... 🎉📚🌟 And people whose job it is to read books and write about them, did just that! 📝📰 Introducing 'An Epic History of Failure' published by @neonsquidbooks.bsky.social . Out in the UK now and the US March 3. #booksky

Look, I'm not mad, but...but this book was BASED on a movie... a movie based on a book based on movie based on the novel Push by Sapphire #booksky

Hey #booksky, what is a book that you loved/thoroughly enjoyed but rarely recommend? [extra credit: why?]

The fact that two of the most checked out books at libraries right now are one that caught everyone's attention bc the adaptation got rave reviews and one that caught everyone's attention bc the adaptation got panned is very fun.

[work]daily Bohr - 2.23.26

When your friend with very different taste than you is reading a book you love and you're just waiting for them to tell you they didn't like it...

Trump Suffers Setback Unrelated To Child Rape

About halfway through my library copy of Bog Queen by Anna North I realized that I had MEANT to check out The Bog WIFE by Kay Chronister. I'm not mad about it though, I'm really enjoying this. I'm just also dumb. #booksky

I do love how much I agree with several critical points in this negative-ish review of my upcoming children's nonfic book, but I also love "report writers should look elsewhere" on a book for 8 year olds -- www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews... #booksky

Hosted a Galentines romance book swap & craft hang (I called it 'Arse & Crafts'), books were wrapped to keep the swap 'blind' and we played spin the bottle to determine who got to choose next. A great success. #booksky

My children's nonfic book "An Epic History of Failure" hits UK shelves in 3 days and US shelves in 2.5 weeks, but we've already got a very kind review from Jane Kirby @connaughttelegraph.bsky.social -- www.con-telegraph.ie/2026/02/16/f... #booksky #neonsquid

[work]daily Bohr 2.11.26

[work]daily Bohr 2.10.26

Welp, I had plans for tonight, but Date Everything is 50% off on @steampowered.com so...

Rep. Delia Ramirez to DHS officials: "I have as much respect for you as I do for the last white men who put on masks to terrorize communities of color. I have no respect for the inheritors of the Klanhood and the slave patrol. Those activities were criminal and so are yours."

When one of the animators needs a video reference and you're the only one at the studio with a BFA in theatre...

Thank you, Ursula, for the major time jump between books 2 & 3. I feel like contemporary fantasy series punish me for my habit of taking a year+ break between books...which is wild considering that's generally the minimum amount of a break I'd have if I was reading them AS they were published!

Folks keep throwing that "Bill Clinton is in the files too" reaction at Millennials like we enthusiastically toddled to the polls to vote for him at 2 years old.

Momentarily put down 'The Secret History' to start a new library book, and there was a reference to 'The Secret History' less than 10 pages in. Fine, I'll get back to Donna, jeez.

Writers, publishers, and related folks, if you have any big literary news for February (especially events), let me know. I'm taking over the @thirdcoastrvw.bsky.social Chicago Is Lit column. Please send me press releases! Last month's: thirdcoastreview.com/lit/2025/01/...

I actually rated quite a few books 4+ stars this month, but thanks for calling me out for binging Lore Olympus, Storygraph. no regrets. #booksky

A friend asked for book recs of "Romance written for adults"...at first I thought that she meant romances where the spice is well-written. Upon follow-up Qs, I think she's just looking for romance where the writing itself doesn't make her eyes roll out of your head...and/or literary romance.

ICE does not need more training. They’re doing exactly what they’re trained to do. Democrats cannot vote for a single cent to ICE.

Sister-in-law just sent me a photo of my nephew (10) reading a book I bought him for his birthday. 🤩

going insane watching people call Alex Pretti’s murder the second or third murder by ICE. going insane watching people claim ICE isn’t law enforcement and it’s bad messaging to name them as such. wake! tf! up! fuller/more eloquent thoughts on this here: open.substack.com/pub/cohen489...

Looking at a user-generated list of books folks are using to fulfill a reading prompt of: a book set in South America, and, yikes, a reallll disconcerting amount of y'all think Mexico is in South America (not to mention the rest of Central America) #booksky