Most men's pro sports leagues are (sadly) pretty retrograde workplaces. What makes the NHL stand out isn't necessarily its embrace of outmoded social values, but its uncanny (its genuinely elite) knack for acting against its own economic interests. www.sbnation.com/nhl/1104402/...

What's especially awful about the US men's hockey team is these guys spent the fortnight telling us they wanted to stick to hockey. That's at least a little troubling in itself, but it was also bullshit. If you want to be shills for this immoral administration, at least admit it up front.

Like, I just think this essay understands SO MUCH about writing and reading and thinking. We are always so pulled into doing shit or not doing shit based on some anticipated reaction or outcome, and that's MAYBE okay for, I don't know, public policy, but it kinda sucks as an artistic philosophy.

I think the thesis here is basically right. Athletes are artists (of many stripes). Sports are human emotion and expression. GENUINELY appreciating that is the ultimate rejection of corruption, hypocrisy, sportswashing, jingoism, and greed.

If you're a nerd like me, this is gonna be fun.

As if he didn’t do enough in net, #NHLJets Connor Hellebuyck got the secondary assist on the golden goal by Jack Hughes. He did it all!

I have complicated feelings. Happy to see 37 play so well. The difference is a puck getting a little caught in Werenski's skates. A great, great sporting event, with all the intensity and emotion you'd hope for.

Would I rather this hockey game in a tie than 3 v 3 OT? Maybe. Maybe I would. Whatever the case, this has been the highest of high emotion. Peak sports. Both teams going to think they missed their shot in regulation. US lucky to be in OT. A massive narrative about to be built around a random bounce.

Blue Currents, by Tunji Adeniyi-Jones, 2025, 📸 by @tiltoncreative

Yes we absolutely can

What John Roberts will actually get is a steaming bowl of shit (which he will proceed to eagerly gobble).

Never a bad time to watch this banger.

My grandpa spent most of his career at NCAR. When I got to meet a bunch of his former colleagues at his memorial, they were just the nicest, most obviously curious folks. The work they do is important. Gutting stuff, honestly.

The IOC seems to believe that, w/o the threat of punishment, athletes would speak out constantly and compete in political costumes, but elite sports mostly incentivize silence. This decision is reactionary paranoia, the fear of athletes as humans with values beyond sport. apnews.com/article/hera...

Read Sophie Newman’s interview with “Tacoma” author Aaron Burch. They talk about the last 20 years of the literary scene, writerly obsession, autofiction, and more. buff.ly/wOBxFyz

If the people on this helmet had died in a plane crash, the IOC wouldn't do this. But they died in (a cruel and illegal) war, so the helmet breaks the rules? Even IF one concedes some expression limits are needed in comps, this isn't a good place to apply them. www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/f...

I'm thrilled to announce that @jacqdoyle.bsky.social @lynnmundell.bsky.social and @dawnsteffler.bsky.social are reading with me later this month at @booksonb.bsky.social !

Have you seen us reference “Discord” each time we promote an event? Not sure what it entails? Luckily, we’ve recorded a short tour of our Discord server, where all our events take place! P.S. If you’re unfamiliar with Discord, worry not, as a tutorial is in the works!

This is tonight! 8pm CT!

NBC opening its primetime Olympics preview of pairs figure skating's 90s night with Vanilla Ice is a....choice, I guess?

Happy Football Independence Day to all who celebrate.

1/ ProPublica collected handwritten letters in mid-January from children held at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center, the same facility where 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos was taken. Hundreds of kids are still detained. We’ll let the children’s words speak for themselves. 🧵

El Pais on Bizarro Halftime: "La oferta la encabezaba Kid Rock, gloria pasada del rap metal...y la completaba un puñado de cantantes country de segunda." Gosh, I hope the rap-metal has-beens and second-rate country stars don't read El Pais. They'd get real offended. elpais.com/us/entreteni...

Exhibit A of this admin's view of free speech is that a skier who does an EVENT none of these assholes have ever heard of is the object of ire for saying, frankly, some pretty diplomatic shit that stayed purely first-person. Keep talking, folks. It pisses them off. www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-l...

"No," a spokesperson for the administration said. "The San Siro crowd was simply chanting 'OOOOsha.'" www.thedailybeast.com/jd-vance-bru...

Cheers to @terryhorstman.bsky.social and @underreviewlit.bsky.social. One of my favorite journals out there. Terry's "Letter From the Editor" is a must read.

“Start again with 1, 2, 3 and keep going until something takes shape from when you were a child. A pebble, a shard of glass, a secret memory, but find it, join the dots and see.” “Join the Dots” by Nora Nadjarian @noranadj.bsky.social, new flash fiction out today at OKD: buff.ly/WWxn5eF

One reason Minneapolis remains in the world's eye is we have one of the most robust & independent media ecosystems remaining in the country. You all need this...and more! @mprnews.org @startribune.com @sahanjournal.bsky.social @minnesotareformer.com @minnpost.bsky.social @racketmn.com etc.

I know Italy is a big country, but JD Vance needs to be much, much farther away from the pope.

Hurray! Great to see this review of @crsutton.bsky.social's KRACKLE'S LAST MOVIE as we hype up for the release on Tuesday!

This was a great first day of class piece! I LOVE the way the narrative moves forward while remaining stuck in place. I love the way it takes something familiar and recreates its texture. I love the inner life it lets us into. Excellent writing. ghostparachute.com/issue/januar...

Ghost Parachute always brings it, so I'm extra honored this piece will be in their forthcoming anthology! ghostparachute.com/issue/august...

Bezos isn't destroying the Washington Post because it isn't profitable. He's destroying the Washington Post because he's calculated that a robust free press threatens the ability of his class to warp society around their interests

Our third question for @crsutton.bsky.social about KRACKLE'S LAST MOVIE, and it's every author's favorite question (i.e. "What's your own favorite line from the book you just slaved over writing?")

At a certain point, "ideological litmus tests" are actually just citizenship tests. If you're out there complaining about "too much politics," you might just be failing civics.

My serious question for the "stop saying Nazi" people is: where would you place this administration? If ICE isn't the Gestapo, are they the Stasi? Is Trump closer to Pinochet or Orban? I'm all for linguistic precision, but there's no point quibbling when the main point's conceded wherever you land.

So far, it is indeed our female Olympians making the most direct anti-ICE statements. More of this please. And it is definitely worth violating an IOC rule to do something on the medal stand. www.nbcnews.com/sports/olymp...

The February 2026 issue of Ghost Parachute is here! Cover illustrated by @genevievetyrrell.bsky.social. tinyurl.com/yz54jnyb

Going to be monitoring political statements by athletes during the Olympics. Two early hypotheses: 1) Female athletes will be more outspoken (braver) than their male counterparts. 2) You'll hear almost nothing from NHL players, aside from aggressive non-participation. Hope we get robust dissent.

This headline is data fraud. Sure, documentaries don't usually earn $8mil at the box office. But NONE have ever cost $75mil to make and market. Denominator erasure. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/31/b...

Read @patriciaqbidar.bsky.social's Pardon Me For Moonwalking. Stunning stories of life's humor, loss, love, absurdity. So many great lines: "A pair of her false eyelashes like mating spiders on the hospice end table" "I'm a lucky bastard of scattered habits" "The seawater would sigh,'ah.ah.ah.'"

Republican Senator X voted against lowering your health insurance costs and instead gave 75 billion MORE dollars to ICE there you go democrat hopefuls, i better see this on every TV and in every mailbox this fall

"Not a regular smoker, just a circumstantial one." It's hard to write politics and stay glued to characters' humanity. The language is so well-crafted here. It doesn't let politics and humanity forget each other. It doesn't let them upstage each other either. Worth a read.

The Ten Club is closed Friday, January 30 as we stand with the people of Minnesota to protest the actions of ICE and murders of Alex Pretti, Renee Good, Sliverio Villegas González, and Keith Porter Jr. For more information on how to participate in the National Shutdown, visit: nationalshutdown.org

HELLO AND YES THIS IS GOOD NEWS! We're ecstatic to share that @haydenmcasey13.bsky.social's story collection SHOW ME WHERE THE HURT IS has been named a FINALIST for the @penamerica.bsky.social 2026 Robert W. Bingham Prize for Debut Short Story Collection!

The word of the day is: claquers.

"Enhanced operations." Where have I seen that phrase before? Apparently, being a GOP "moderate" these days just means regurgitating Orwellian focus group data from the mid-to-late 2000s. Same shit, different day, much wider scale. www.politico.com/news/2026/01...

My latest interview for Volume One Brooklyn is with author Chelsea Sutton, whose novella “Krackle’s Last Movie” is a fast and fantastical read, pertinent to our times. Out now from Split Lip Press Find the entire interview here: tinyurl.com/4wxkx54p @crsutton.bsky.social @vol1brooklyn.bsky.social

Great one.

Why should you be a member of Lit Match Collective? Aside from the monthly chats, workshops, Q&As, accountability, and readarounds included in your membership… you’ll get to work with Steve @stevexisxok.bsky.social and Autumn @autumnwatts.bsky.social! Here’s what our members have to say.