REPOST from our student reporter, Erica Afenya: “I had the privilege of attending the 49th annual Peter Lisagor awards on behalf of 15 West. Thank you to Chicago Headline Club Foundation for having me!”

So so so proud of my neighbors! We did that y’all 🥹. #BerwynProud

Just finished #somethingverybadisgoingtohappen … enjoyed it waaay more than I anticipated. 8/10

Congrats to the three fellows chosen for the 2026 Metcalf Ocean Nexus Academy (MONA)! We're excited to welcome @gaeacabico.bsky.social, @jgasspoore.bsky.social, and @nabeelawashington.com to the URI campus in Kingston, May 4-6. 🌊 @uprootproject.bsky.social ow.ly/WLWc50Yy7YG

Anita is such a beautiful soul. I had a blast writing this and I hope I get to participate in her next quilting workshop! www.15west.org/anita-piotro...

I don’t know who needs to hear Jesse Jackson leading the kids on Sesame Street in this beautiful call-and-response reminding them that every child is somebody, but here it is

Be angry. Be exhausted. Be shocked that is happening in this country. Yell. Raise hell. Be educated. Post what you feel. Share the victims names. Remember to take care of yourself, too. We weren’t meant to intake this much trauma and news. Fuck 🧊.

Mayor Frey: "I just saw a video of more than 6 masked agents pummeling one of our constituents and shooting him to death…How many times must local and national leaders must plead with you, Donald Trump, to end this operation and recognize that this is not creating safety in our city."

ohmmgg please leave Greenland alone

A WP reporter's home was searched. There'll be some outrage. But it'll become normalized. Then, some reporters will be rounded up, sent to a facility somewhere, and no explanation will be given. And that'll be normalized, too. We'll become desensitized.

I hope thee Lynn Jones-Turpin and the team at Jacksonville Free Press are all thriving and not losing any sleep for having the guts to be human in this sad, small-minded world.

THE PITT SEASON 2 DROPS THIS THURSDAY???! this is excellent news.

Who’s ready for #ThePitt season 2

In 2026 I want all of the decent people to remember one thing. You aren’t meant to be this disciplined, this self-sacrificing to survive. The environment is supposed to support good living. We can have that. You are not a failure. That is politics. That is all.

It’s so icky out today. Guess I’ll rewatch Heated Rivalry 😏

Welcome to 60 Minutes. Our top story tonight is Snakes: Nature’s Spaghetti

2025 was…🫨. But I managed to write some things, and get behind the camera more. Dropping stories that shaped me this year in the thread. Here’s to more curiosity in 2026.

"A heat vulnerability index created by Northwestern University could direct environmental resources to Chicago’s most impacted neighborhoods, but it’s locked behind bureaucracy." Uprooter @nabeelawashington.com for @prismreports.org prismreports.org/2025/12/01/c...

Here’s the story I’m most proud of writing in 2025. It says what many know. We don’t need more data or another white paper stating the obvious. We need ACTION - leaders with integrity. We need to give communities of color what they need to live FULL, thriving lives. Why is this so hard? 😔

"This promise of an AI future, is really just a collective anxiety that wealthy people have about how well they're gonna be able to control us in the future." - @tressiemcphd.bsky.social with an absolute mic drop moment about AI bullshit. Incredible words. Listen to all of it!

“There is an art of gathering what to burn.” In her latest exhibition, a mascletà for burning and flowering at Leisure Gallery, artist Natasha Mijares asks: What traditions do we inherit? What violence do they carry? And how do we choose what blooms in their place?

At this point, I wouldn’t be surprised if they thought Black Friday was a DEI holiday 😭

Jaw been hanging since I got the tour announcement email 🥹. We’re so back

A few days ago, I learned I won a grant to support an ongoing journalism project — my first grant for writing, let alone journalism and research. I kept rereading the email in disbelief. Then I glanced over and saw my dog excitedly jumping up and down. Pretty sure he’s gonna up his rates now 😭

Tired of unanswered questions and fragmented information, Janel King and fellow residents like Patricia Ostaszewski are creating new paths to transparency in #Berwyn. Scroll ⬇️ for the TLDR or click the link to read more! 15west.org/silence-isnt...

Me after the latest episode of #AndJustLikeThat:

Man self-promo is tuff but here goes. If you’re seeing this, I’ve started a newsroom called 15 West (@15West.org)! This wouldn’t be possible without a grant from Cook County and @citybureau.bsky.social.

I fell in love with a cinnamon roll this weekend. It was so good that I’m planning to get 2 more this weekend. For anyone with a sweet tooth like mine, the cinnamon roll in question was the “Apple Butter Bun” from pHlour Bakery in Edgewater.

One thing about editing a lit journal is you’ll spend days & days & weeks & sometimes months reading subs, and you’ll start to think, “why do I do this? wtf am I even doing with my life??” and then you’ll read one that you fall in love with and it will all feel like one of the best things ever again

Ew.. Someone thought they were being so clever posting about ignoring a journalist who was following up on a pitch. Pitching is already hard enough as it is. Let alone having the courage to follow up despite getting ghosted, having your ideas stolen. Some people are just…weird…

Y’all, being a corgi mom as an introvert is such an interesting experience. I kinda feel like he’s my life coach at this point, idk.. 😭 If he had a LinkedIn his About would say,“From herding to Life Coach, book a session with Benito today.”

We only need 25 new readers to reach our goal. Tell a friend about the extraordinary work that our writers do every day.

Is anyone else obsessed with Ravyn Lenae and Debbii Dawson??

I’m clearly in the wrong timeline. Tell me why I’m planning my wedding, and there’s now a line item for “additional tariffs” 🫠

I asked Siri to wake me up with Doechii’s Tiny Desk and I was not disappointed

personally would like to see every store show what part of the price increase is due to tariffs bc if these tariffs ever come down, i need to see that price go right back down

Do something restorative today. Take a walk. Feel the sun on your skin. Color. Meditate. Buy or pick flowers. Make a cup of tea and take your time drinking it.

I need the recipe for Jimmy John’s bread 😩

It was never just about schools, it was never just about libraries, and it isn't actually about the books. It's about finding a way to banish entire people, entire ideas, out of society, back into the closet or worse. www.chron.com/politics/art...

Me when anyone cancels or delays our plans

last year @nobordersbooks.bsky.social sent 600+ books to Rikers; this year our book drive is for teens who are incarcerated in Brooklyn. please purchase a book if you can—most of these are requested titles, and a $7 Goosebumps book would mean A LOT to a kid in detention bookshop.org/wishlists/70...

I love this headline 😍 And what a win for New Mexico. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

Katy Perry and Gayle King going to space feels more like a filler episode than real life.

Just published my first Substack post. Please cheer 🫣 letsbreakbread.substack.com/p/unplugged-...

Hmm..let’s see how I want to spiral this weekend… #TheHandmaidsTale or #BlackMirror…

Just got a quirky pitch accepted. The day is still young, but I’m feeling like HER 🙂‍↔️.

I just finished binge-watching this show and it’s SO good.

Belinda didn’t “Tanya” Pornchai. End of story lol. #WhiteLotus

“This is not what we voted for.” Yes, yes, it is. You just didn’t think it could destroy you, too.