How do you combat the growing threat of global kleptocracy? @alindguzik.bsky.social speaks with Leila Nazgül Seiitbek, a lawyer from Kyrgyzstan who's currently living in exile, and Tom Mayne, a research fellow, to find out. Listen to the full episode here ➡️ podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/f...

Staff Reads from our Executive Director: "This essay from @elizabethdoerr.bsky.social reminds us that we need to get to know our neighbors to keep ourselves and our communities safe."

"The art world remains very profitable for the tiny tranche of collectors who treat art as an investment tool, and a house of horrors for those who live and work in it." Cara Marsh Sheffler looks at the cross-continental sloshing of capital beneath the art market bubble.

Convo Reads: "Mifepristone is more than just an abortion pill. From fibroids to miscarriage care, its medical promise has been sacrificed to antiabortion politics." Story by @msmagazine.com.

“In a capitalist society, creative work is not valued as a productive or profitable field, which often means that artists are being underpaid for their work, if they’re paid at all.” But in Ireland, there's an alternative model. Story by @nicolefroio.bsky.social.

This is Conversation Club, a new community gathering where a Conversationalist writer dives into a recent story, like this one on potlucks. Don't miss the first one on February 20th! It's online. It's free. It's a chance to build community.✨ More info here ➡️ conversationalist.org/2026/01/21/c...

This is Conversation Club, a new community gathering where a Conversationalist writer dives into a recent story, like this one on potlucks. Don't miss the first one on February 20th! It's online. It's free. It's a chance to build community.✨ More info here ➡️ conversationalist.org/2026/01/21/c...

I had a ton of fun writing this piece for @conversationalist.org's Soapbox series. I so rarely get a chance to just go all in on a little niche thing that brings me joy and this feeds my love of weird art and people making fun things in a burning world.

"Puerto Rico is always an afterthought when it comes to U.S. policy, which has the effect of reinforcing its colonial status at every turn." Story by @aliciadkennedy.bsky.social, originally published in 2022. conversationalist.org/2022/09/27/p...

Convo Reads: "Bad Bunny, in just a few minutes of television, communicated all of this: the oppression, the ingenuity, the joy of his people." TIME on Bad Bunny’s halftime show being a symbol of resistance.

What does life look like when you're living on a five year plan? @alindguzik.bsky.social chats with Babs Daitch, the octogenarian "lesbian Forrest Gump", about why she never stays anywhere for too long and life lessons. Listen to the full podcast episode here ➡️ podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/l...

"Lately, when looking for a glimmer of hope amidst heartbreaking news from around the country and around the globe, I have been coming back to one idea: resilience." Read more in our latest Conversationalist newsletter by @mrsslrss.bsky.social. ✉️ ➡️ mailchi.mp/conversation...

Convo Reads: "We have to keep showing up for each other. And we do that by starting with the really small things.” @19thnews.org on caregiving and resistance in Minnesota.

Really enjoyed @sesmith.lol's article about #WeirdTok.

Both a paean and obituary to the FYP from yours truly!

What’s a small act of resistance that you practice regularly?

Given the WaPo disaster, I’m re-posting my starter pack of indie journalists—it probably needs an update so give me a shout to add folks. #wapo #journalism go.bsky.app/A2UpMn5

Wrote this piece on the joys of cultivating a deeply weird FYP before the TikTok TOS update but I stand by this: We gotta find and celebrate the weird in our lives or we will not make it through this.

Horses at Costco. An antique mechanical organ playing Coldplay. A tractor set to EDM. "How weird could my For You Page get? With a bit of effort, as it turns out: very, very weird." @sesmith.lol on the magic of #WeirdTok and how it reveals something deeper about being human.

"Bringing people together on a regular basis is also a reminder that small rituals can add up to something much bigger." #MsReads via @conversationalist.org conversationalist.org/2026/01/06/h...

“Living my life as a First Nations professional woman, I am livid most of the time." A haunting look at Canada’s shameful history of medical colonialism by Toula Drimonis. (originally published in 2021)

Staff Reads from Social Media Manager: "If you've been feeling a disconnect with friends right now, this article is probably for you. It dives into how Americans are living in a dual state, an alternate reality where some are living normally while others 'can be killed with impunity.'"

Vanessa Hsia reads her essay, "If Clothes Make the Man", about how her grandmother dressed her grandfather throughout their marriage (and after), and how this small act of domestic labor was an expression of love. Listen to the full podcast episode here ➡️ podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/i...

A strike and hundreds of protests are set to take place today amid a rapidly escalating ICE crackdown in the Twin Cities. Minnesotans are calling on the rest of the country to stand with them in protest. Here are some ways you can help.

January Book of the Month 📚 Life After Ambition by Amil Niazi is a deeply honest memoir about hustle culture, motherhood, and redefining success. Read why we picked it ⬇️

Come to our first-ever Conversation Club, a new community gathering where a Conversationalist writer does a deep dive into a recent story. Mark your cals for February 20th! 💥 It's free. 💥 It's informative. 💥 It's a chance to build community.

Staff Reads by Newsletter Editor @mrsslrss.bsky.sociall: "Growing up, I was captivated by stories about the wild ponies of Chincoteague and Assateague Islands. I loved reading this ode to the annual Pony Swim tradition on the islands, and its reflections on human relationships with horses."

Revisiting founder @alindguzik.bsky.social's reflections in light of the recent events in Minnesota: "It was easy, and terrifying, to see the parallels to the U.S.: The East German secret police’s growth over time reminded me of ICE and Border Patrol’s expanded reign of terror..."

To oppose colonialism can never just be ideological or intellectual. In their art and in their lives, these five musicians contend with that duality and create as an act of resistance.

Journalist and Conversationalist contributor Aliya Bashir discusses her anti-nihilistic approach to climate reporting, and the importance of finding hopeful narratives when things are feeling bleak. Listen to the full podcast episode here ➡️ podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/f...

Staff Reads from our Social Media Manager: "In a world of AI trash, having a tangible object that captures culinary stories and history feels more important than ever. I loved this piece by Emiko Davies about why cookbooks matter so much right now."

Have you had a chance to turn a challenging moment into an opportunity for growth lately? Read about practice, not perfection (and more!) in our latest Conversationalist newsletter by @mrsslrss.bsky.social. ✉️ ➡️ mailchi.mp/conversation...

💥 Connect with real Conversationalist writers 💥 Learn more about global feminism 💥 Build meaningful community Join the Conversation Club, a new community gathering coming Feb 20th! Learn more here ➡️ conversationalist.org/2026/01/21/c...

On the 53rd anniversary of Roe v. Wade, we’re looking at how its overturning has reshaped reproductive rights around the world, with far-reaching and devastating consequences. (Story originally published in 2023)

"It is crucial that feminists welcome people of all gender identities in the ongoing fight for gender equality. It only benefits all of us when we do." Anna Hamilton on how coming out as nonbinary reinforced their feminism.

"Yes, it’s an extremely dark time, but that’s not exactly a historical outlier. People have been making babies throughout the worst of them. And nothing motivates me more to build a better future for all of us than this little girl..." Story by founder @alindguzik.bsky.social.

"It would take an ego death and a spiritual rebirth for me to allow it to change mine, and a healthy dose of decolonization to see just how profoundly lonely my anthropocentric individualism had made me. Luckily, a whole world of friends awaited me on the other side."

Writer and Conversationalist Contributing Editor Kovie Biakolo reads her piece, "Is Anyone, Anywhere Having a Good Time?"—and shares more about how the story came to be. Listen to the full podcast episode here ➡️ podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/i...

A brilliant report on a crazy crime - the kidnapping of 26 kids and their school bus driver in 1976 in the fantastically named California town of Chowchilla. Superb writing by Kaleb Horton www.vox.com/the-highligh...

Staff Reads from Executive Editor @ginamei.bsky.social: "A few months ago, the writer Kaleb Horton died. I was lucky to have known him and to have worked with him, and revisiting his writing has been an endless reminder of just how talented and singular he was."

🌸 Female organic flower farmer 🌸 Based in Fujino, Japan 🌸 Growing a community of other female farmers This is Day in a Life, a new series where we follow interesting people doing interesting things. Meet Satoko of Four Peas Flowers. Who do you want to see next?

my veganism isn’t perfect, but it is fundamental to who i am. i wrote an essay for @conversationalist.org about how we can all reject cruelty and nihilism: conversationalist.org/2026/01/13/m...

After going vegan, @marianneeloise.bsky.social slipped up and ate cheese. Instead of seeing it as a failure, it reshaped how she thinks about veganism and her belief system. "I’ve decided that being imperfect is better than abandoning my morals altogether."

"Bringing people together on a regular basis is also a reminder that small rituals can add up to something much bigger." The power of a weekly neighborhood potluck. 🍔

"A male coworker had pointed out the small puddle of blood forming beneath my desk, wondering aloud where it had come from: Was the ceiling weeping blood, like something out of a horror movie?” Raina Lipsitz's essay on fibroids.

“For months, I’ve tried to make sense of my sudden inability to write about societal collapse. Then, I found out I was pregnant.” conversationalist.org/2026/01/09/h...

I wrote about what it’s been like growing a little person inside me while the world is on fire. Let’s just say both the hopefulness and cognitive dissonance are real. Also, my way of sharing that I’m having a baby in a couple weeks! conversationalist.org/2026/01/09/h...

“It’s an extremely dark time, but that’s not exactly a historical outlier. People have been making babies throughout the worst of them. And nothing motivates me more to build a better future for all of us than this little girl…” Founder @alindguzik.bsky.social closes Hope Week with an announcement.

Check out The Flytrap's own @nicolefroio.bsky.social in @conversationalist.org, writing about a UBI program for artists in Ireland! Funding the arts is good, actually.

"Why Ireland’s Basic Income for the Arts program is just the first step in better supporting the country’s artists . . . " conversationalist.org/2026/01/07/h...