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my midnight kiss > your midnight kiss

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Ending 2025 with TWO new pieces under commission from the @bostonglobe.com! One is about my favorite singer (out in Sept). The other is on our relationship to detective stories in the current moment (out in Feb). And even bigger writing news to come in a couple of weeks... 🧐 Happy #newyear! 🥳

It may be winter break, but my legal work is still being closely supervised.

I have a new piece out in @smithsonianmag.bsky.social for Christmas Eve: Louisa May Alcott wrote to survive for much of her life. What became of her love affair with words later, when she was rich and adapted Dickens' A Christmas Carol for children? tinyurl.com/4ypdyyah #christmas #writers #books

Well this is just an early Christmas present from where I'm standing! Thanks, @jackelhai.bsky.social and Damn History!

There is no better high than having a new piece of writing imminently due out. None.

"I want to do something splendid…Something heroic or wonderful that won’t be forgotten after I’m dead…I think I shall write books." — Louisa May Alcott, born on this day in 1832 #AmWriting

Thankful to be invited to Thanksgiving dinner, but not to be on the menu. 🍗

Lining up interviews for my Smithsonian articles while reading First Amendment cases for my law school thesis like

There are many reasons to love my mum, not least because when she asks me what I like to read and I answer "Anything," this is what she picks:

I'm writing a new piece for Smithsonian Magazine for Christmas! 🎄🎅 In Little Women, the March sisters give their Christmas breakfast away--but I've dug up another Yuletide tale by Alcott that you've never heard of. I'll be bringing its magic back next month! ✨️ @smithsonianmag.bsky.social #christmas

Before the Epstein files, Larry Summers was public about his belief that women were innately inferior to men at math. One of the more bigoted encounters I had in my #Harvard department was with a diss advisor who defended him as a great university president, then lambasted Claudine Gay. rb.gy/sj4zu4

I'm thrilled to share that I'll be interning with the Constitutional Accountability Center in DC next summer. They take textualist and historicist approaches to progressive #SCOTUS cases as amici. And they're still hiring! Law students hoping to do work that meets the moment, take note! #lawschool

One of many things to love about legal academics: their article titles aren't longer than the actual article. Meanwhile, in the humanities: #academia

"All clean and comfortable I sit down to write." — John Keats, born on this day in 1795 #AmWriting

As we grapple with how to resist the rise of authoritarianism, I'd like to offer this op-ed by my law professor and mentor, Kate Andrias, on the power of popular movements. As she says, "Our Constitution is not dying. It is waiting...for us to claim it." www.nytimes.com/2025/10/10/o... #democracy

This is an example of the lawless conduct made possible by the #SCOTUS stay in Noem v Perdomo, allowing ICE to racially profile individuals in deciding whether to conduct a stop. It facilitates the abuse of immigration enforcement as a means of unconstitutional racial discrimination and retaliation.

If I were ever President, I would demolish the Trump ballroom and rebuild the East Wing. I would use the rebuilding process as an opportunity for educational public programming about the history of the White House and about building--and rebuilding--democracy. www.cnn.com/2025/10/25/p... #potus

I spoke to the Boston Globe about which Shakespearean tragic hero is fallen NFL coach Bill Belichick's spirit animal. Hands up, Team Richard II! 👋👑 www.bostonglobe.com/2025/10/21/l... . #shakespeare #nfl #nflnews #billbelichick #hollowcrown @bostonglobe.com @bethteitell.bsky.social

Supreme Court seems poised to further undercut the Voting Rights Act npr.org/2025/10/15/n... #SCOTUS #VRA

Wednesday mood.

Itching to write something on Hedda Gabler--aka my favorite play--given the new movie...

NB #chicago folks!

Me when the temperature drops to 60 in early October: (busts out overcoat and Christmas carols) Also me when Mariah Carey comes on Spotify shuffle the same day: Okay, I might have overreacted a tad... 👀

Very excited to be teaming up once again with my editors at Smithsonian Magazine on a story about a brave young woman who broke a barrier for all women who became published writers. This one will be out next year! @smithsonianmag.bsky.social #women #herstory

"Write what you know will always be excellent advice for those who ought not to write at all. Write what you think, what you imagine, what you suspect!" — Gore Vidal, born on this day in 1925 #AmWriting

Elon saying he’s going to reprogram his chatbot’s view of history is a perfect example of why these kinds of AI products aren’t the neutral “tools” people always defend them as. They’re little political projects reflecting the ideologies of their creators

Interesting fact for everyone: the War Powers Resolution (1973) accordingly places limits on the President's ability to deploy troops without Congressional authorization. Question for #law folks: any writing you recommend on how drone/other unmanned warfare limits the War Powers Resolution?

It bears pointing out that the power to declare war is vested solely and explicitly in Congress. (U.S. Const., art. 1, sec. 8, cl. 11) #law #constitution

Yesterday. The street where I live. #nyc

Been thinking about this lately: "Maybe you need to ask yourself: 'how secretly furious am I?'" #women #womenempoweringwomen youtu.be/TOEEHUjBwNQ?...

Without downloading any new pics, where are you mentally?

Unpopular opinion: there's something oddly calming about Bluebooking over your morning tea. This might become my version of yoga. #law #lawschool

Just one semester of intro administrative law has turned me into the nerdiest possible version of someone's dad. #adlaw #law

Congress just voted to block California from setting its own vehicle pollution standards - a major setback for public health & cutting climate-warming gases. Sad. It's part of the great unraveling of environmental progress that this administration & this Congress has set in motion with a vengeance.

Fav quote from the defense, from my supervisor: "This 'you go, girl' stuff only gets us so far." Responding to my point that women were major contributors to Renaissance cryptography and literature. Might have it printed on a t-shirt: the new "Nevertheless, she persisted"? #academia #humanities

Hey #academicsky, look who's #phdone! ✌️ #humanities #academia

Adding to summer reading list.

"'Right now,' she added, 'we can’t lose the battles we are facing . . . We need trained and passionate and committed lawyers to fight this fight.'" www.nytimes.com/2025/05/09/u...

Not the conclave feeling sorry for America's global image right now and tossing us a pity pope...

My cup of coffee during finals season. #lawschool

Two big life moments last week: 1) My English PhD committee signed off on my dissertation, so I'm just about done and doctored. 2) I stepped into a court for the first time to argue a moot case and, honestly--along with writing books--I've found my calling. Pumped for this new chapter. ⚖️✒️✨️

The bright spot in my day! This show was incredible live...I've seen Gypsy before and listened to different cast recordings, and I've NEVER heard them sung the way Audra McDonald sings them. ew.com/audra-mcdona...

The gentleman who runs the law school cafe came up to my table this week as I was absorbed in prepping an oral argument, handed me a poppyseed muffin (which he had warmed up for me), and said, "You need this: you are working very hard." Just like that, you can brighten someone's entire day. 💓

When I get up each morning, I think about the people who forged the hope and equality I've benefited from when those ideals weren't givens. When I consider how hard they fought (when it was hard to fight), and that hope is man-made, I'm incapable of apathy or inaction. And I'm proud to choose #law.

I believe EVERYONE should have a technical understanding of "the administrative state" and how it works. From red food dye to CO2 emissions, to Medicare benefits, to filing your taxes, to mailing a package--most of people's contact with government is with agencies. They matter. #law #democracy

If you're following the reductions and defunding of agencies, I recommend this video by my law professor (and one of the smartest people I know), Gillian Metzger, on what the administrative state is, why it matters, and how SCOTUS has curtailed its power in recent decisions. youtu.be/qRViO7GFG0c?...

We're at that point in the semester where the professor says "Your remedy is to sue them civilly" and I hear "Your remedy is to sue them silly." Ears, brain...everything above the neck needs a software update.