Actually think this was one of the movie's greatest weaknesses. Trying to imagine a group like this operating in a (presumably?) post-9/11 America so thoroughly strains credulity that it makes the whole movie kind of feel like a farce.

Lot of people seem to think it's stodgy to ask a film that drapes itself in the aesthetics of radical politics to have something meaningful to say about those politics beyond "the children are the future"??

Altman's "intelligence as a metered service" captures the AI moment well—it's an attempt at the formal subsumption of ever-finer microrealms of human labour embedded within capitalist production. You already have an underpaid email job but what if you also had to pay the machine to write your emails

If you’re considering asking an AI slop golem for help with your writing project, why not ask me, a real person who is good at this, instead?

Hey, if you're feeling like life has passed you by and you're too old to start something new, remember that John Brown was 55 before he killed his first pro-slavery settler in the Kansas Territory. It's never too late to follow your dreams.

Sitting down to write, the thing I supposedly love and have dedicated my life to:

We asked @shaykauwe.bsky.social for her best book of '25, the book she'd love for Xmas & her anticipated read of '26. Read the full article: https://geni.us/SolarisBks2025 to find out why she picked @sgj.bsky.social @kealakendall.bsky.social & @sheldoncosta.bsky.social! https://geni.us/killingspell

"We weren't meant to live like this." No. Every day I sit down and absorb my computer's beatific glow and immeditately know I am exactly where I need to be. My little brain wallows in infinite dopamine like a pig in its beloved mud. I am at peace.

New essay out with @lithub.com.web.brid.gy about how making Little Guys helped me come to terms with the publishing world

I loved this @sheldoncosta.bsky.social essay on "failure", and am excited for his novel The Great Work. "I felt an odd sort of ambivalence about whether the book would be published. Obviously I was nervous, but a rejection in my inbox no longer sent me spiraling. I’d done all I could, after all."

Holy shit

Northern lights book photo

#TheGreatWork by @sheldoncosta is featured in our #newbooks wrap on youtube!! watch: youtu.be/pcox9OUZIKw buy the books: bookshop.org/lists/n...#TheGreatWork#newbooks#booksky @Quirkbooks

Listen: Jess edited my book and it got starred reviews from Kirkus and Publishers Weekly AND it was an Indie Next pick. Coincidence? I think not! If you're working on a writing project I guarantee Jess will make it better!

the November horror shopping list is live! feat. new titles from @laurelhightower.bsky.social @christinahenry.bsky.social @sheldoncosta.bsky.social @lormaggot.ca @peterclines.bsky.social @vlatinalondon.bsky.social @beatriceiker.bsky.social @drewhuff.bsky.social @victormanibo.com & more!

Psyched for this one—Sheldon and I were MFA cohort-mates in a cohort full of genius weirdos but I was always exceptionally excited to see what came out of his weird brain and the sidelong occult grandness of its sensibilities; really delighted to roll around in that for a whole-ass book

How am I celebrating the launch of my book, you ask? Same as any author: by admiring the tiny diorama I made depicting a scene from the first chapter:

Happiest of publication days to this utterly singular, extremely good novel. An adventure story, an exploration of the rotten heart of the American frontier myth, a tender meditation on male friendship and making a family, and a truly freaky novel about alchemy and hunting a giant salamander.

My book The Great Work comes out today! Still can't quite believe this is a thing that is happening. Special thanks to my extremely talented editor @jesszimmerman.com and my wonderful agent @carolineeisenmann.bsky.social, both of whom were steadfast champions for this very weird novel.

Happy pub day to The Great Work! So proud of @sheldoncosta.bsky.social and his weird, dark, charming, picaresque child

Happy book birthday to THE GREAT WORK by @sheldoncosta.bsky.social, a "not to be missed" (BOOKLIST) profound and unsettling speculative Western perfect for fans of LONE WOMEN, THE ANTIDOTE, and THE LIBRARY AT MOUNT CHAR. Pick up your copy wherever you buy your books!

Oh god new pandemic coming

The Great Work got a starred review from Kirkus 🥲 "Whether Gentle is a visionary or a drunk, whether the salamander is a creature of flesh or a shared delusion, and ultimately, the meaning of the mission is as much about human frailty and grace as the nightmares that stalk the page."

A starred review for The Great Work from @publisherswkly.bsky.social! "This is a weird western done right: surprising, bizarre, occasionally grim, but ultimately life-affirming."

The verdict is in: my book is not annoying!

Oof. Feeling this one.

Cool that the democratic consultant class has built its "abundance" messaging around how great Texas is when every headline I see out of that state is some variation of "A lack of regulation brought a new data center to this small town. But now its slowly driving everyone nearbye insane."

Y’all, one of the great joys of bookshop.org is that you can select a bookstore to buy from—pick a fav from a city you used to live in, or a bookstore you’ve always wanted to visit, or your local! If you pick BINC, a percentage goes to indie booksellers who have applied for financial relief. ❤️

Jess is an absolute rockstar! Genuinly one of the smartest people I've ever had the privledge of working with. Huge opportunity here if you're looking for an editor.

Huge news for people who like good books!!

Yeah, it’s called writing a novel

“This is just a distraction” yeah it’s distracting me from being fucking miserable, bud

Such beauty in life

Genuinly not trying to be mean but if you think describing a "secret paranormal fish hospital for nyads" sounds boring maybe you just don't really like writing all that much?

Big second on this!!! My book would not be nearly as good if it weren’t for @jesszimmerman.com. It’s such a special privilege to get to work with someone who seems to know your work better than you do.

My only consolation here is that I know these people would barely make it a year before they all started eating one another. Would rather die in nuclear fire than be forced to spend any amount of time stuck in a hole with the world's Worst Possible Humans

Been having a ton of conversations lately where I find myself defending art that leaves us in a state of uncertainty. Nice to have an essay to share that perfectly articulates my feelings!

My Big Opinion is that there is a pretty direct link between Americans’ increasing disinterest in art that confounds them and their pivot towards fascism. Hardly a new insight but incredibly defeating all the same.

#bookmail!! #booksky Look what ARC I just found in my PO Box! THE GREAT WORK by @sheldoncosta.bsky.social looks so so good - weird west vibes, alchemists, A GIANT SALAMANDER! So very up my alley - can’t wait to read it!

THE GREAT WORK by @sheldoncosta.bsky.social. Look, I'm a sucker for alchemy (so much personal lore with alchemy) & all the better when we get to what the western does best: exploring the rot of North America. This is gonna be a fun one for my fall, I can tell. www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-great-...

Huge day for people who like Good Books!!

Unironically what it’s like to live with cats

I’m genuinely out of ways to handle the rage

Reading my first Raymond Chandler and literally every other line is just this

Honestly so nice seeing folks on here getting excited about a new Pynchon after years of listening to people in my MFA dismiss him out of hand for being "pretentious" (which is sort of a hilarious accusation if you've read his work)

And in our darkest hour, he returned:

Time to brush up on my bartering skills