LA friends. I'll be reading from She's Under Here and discussing the book with the magnificent @samydunn.bsky.social at Diesel Bookstore on Sunday, September 28 at 3:00 p.m. Please come—I'd love to say hi. (p.s. A reservation helps the store plan.) dieselbookstore.com/event/2025-0...

Same. And I want it right now.

This article from Persuasion on Substack stopped me in my tracks today: “Is America Still a Free Country?”

“Ginsberg: I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness. Twitter: Hold my beer.” I have real work to do yet here I am, immersed in this addictive crack thing of a novel by @marksarvas.bsky.social #amreading

Mexico sent more than thoughts and prayers.

This is pretty astounding. 79% of Republicans are happy with the way America is right now, 4% of Democrats are.

Maybe only journalists will get this, but damn I still laughing…

Is our creative class disappearing? What does it mean to be "problematized"? Matthew Specktor and Meghan Daum are two of America's most exciting writers at the intersection of cultural criticism and personal narrative. Experience them both on this episode of BOOKISH—

Surreal. www.nydailynews.com/2025/04/17/c...

“Slouching toward tyranny” is a phrase. I read the other day, and it seems to be more and more accurate…

The White Lotus season 4 should be set among the crisis PR staff at White Lotus headquarters, just dealing with everyone constantly dying at all their properties

If my husband is actually being paid by George Soros as MAGA contends the protesters are, we might actually be able to afford groceries now that the tariffs have kicked in…

“Your failures and fears are portals. Step through.” Spent some time with the luminous Lidia Yuknavitch— enjoy our conversation here:

For all who celebrate…😂 A More Realistic AWP Schedule www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/a-m...

“I have chosen to spend my life creating literature as resistance.” Lidia Yuknavitch does indeed. Read our conversation: www.ocregister.com/2025/03/14/w...

No surprise that the Democratic Party approval ratings are in the toilet right now.

“The world is in greater peril from those who tolerate or encourage evil than from those who actually commit it.” —Albert Einstein

I thought austerity plans were for when a country is in a recession or depression, not to put us in one.

And how are you enjoying your dystopia?

I am accepting submissions for my emerging writer series at gay.submittable.com. You should have three publications or fewer and no book contract. Yes, this is a paid opportunity. Guidelines at the link. Plz follow the guidelines.

Per Heather Cox Richardson: Martin Matishak of The Record, a cybersecurity news publication, broke the story that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered U.S. Cyber Command to stop all planning against Russia, including offensive digital actions. Gee. I wonder why…

So this is where we are.

“White House Correspondents’ Association sees control of pool reports to Kremlin.” There, I fixed it. www.politico.com/news/2025/02...

No kings. Pass it on.

“Siri, how do you oppose a dictator?”

Allegory alert!

“We all should be worried by what we are seeing. No democracy lasts forever.” — Constitutional scholar Erwin Chemerinsky. I just didn’t think it would be in my lifetime.

Raskin: "Yesterday, Donald Trump banned the Associated Press, a 179-year-old newspaper organization, from the White House because it declines to call the Gulf of Mexico the "Gulf of America." This is straight up press censorship based on retaliatory viewpoint discrimination."

I once ghostwrote a book for a Navy SEAL. One of the things I think about a lot now are the three elements of a successful attack: Surprise, Speed and Violence of action. He also used to say: “Admit nothing. Deny everything. Make counter-accusations.”

“Look closely at the first two weeks of Donald Trump’s second term and you’ll see something very different than what he wants you to see.” A must-watch. youtu.be/K8QLgLfqh6s

The cognitive dissonance of getting up every morning and making coffee and walking the dog and going to meetings and answering emails and wondering what to make for dinner while there is a real live actual coup d’etat happening is BONKERS

If only it would, Chuck. If only it would.

When I was a Hill staffer in 2009, a Dem trifecta was trying to pass universal healthcare. In response, Senate GOP released a memo detailing all of the tactics they in the minority could use to delay the effort as much as possible. I'm recirculating that 2009 GOP memo here. Take inspiration from it.

…And that’s how they learned that democracy wasn’t an ironclad system, but a series of fragile conventions and agreements, ones that had no external enforcement or protection…

A friend asked me about the potential risk of losing public broadcasting funding. If you're interested, I recommend this comprehensive report from "On The Media," which explains what's always saved CPB funding in the past, and why it might not now. www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/otm...

The source of grief for so many of us isn’t what “they“ are doing. It’s the fact that so many of our fellow Americans wanted this for our country.

Overwhelmed is a strategy.

A while back I asked folks why they’re joining Bluesky and the most common response I saw was, “I just want a good place to get my news” and, yall, no. Bad. GET YOUR NEWS FROM THE NEWS PBS Newshour is FREE FOR EVERYONE. youtu.be/PMOYN8JWdUk?...

Current Google searches…

For some of us, this feels a lot like childhood. Mean drunks in charge of your security, narcissists controlling the place and stupid cousins looking on, too scared to do anything helpful.

Now more than ever.

Trying to read the news and a line from @therickwilson.bsky.social keeps repeating in my head: “The lawlessness is the point.”

I just received the most timely and accurate press release I’ve ever received….

What a fantastically rich, educational and inspiring piece this is on the Black community of Altadena #fires redcanarycollective.org/magazine/alt...

Los Angeles teachers, if you lost your classroom library in the fire, I am a HS English teacher and YA author and I will get you books whenever you're ready for them. The bookish community is here for you. There is no expiration date. tinyurl.com/LAFireBookDo...

“Are you ok?” Well-meaning friends ask. How does anybody in the Southern California answer that right now? My essay: www.ocregister.com/2025/01/12/w...

Happy New Year, everyone!

I wish I lived in a country where Mitch McConnell, John Kelly, Bill Barr and John Bolton had at least half the balls of E. Jean Carroll, Stormy Daniels, Christine Blasey Ford, or Anita Hill.

Poor character written by an author who has experienced poverty: My problem is that I'm $300 short on the rent and now my car is making a noise Poor character written by a rich author: My problem is that I feel so inferior beside these beautiful, sophisticated rich people