In the midst of all the chaos, a moment of Zen. dianesilver.substack.com/p/friday-zen...

When a great poet dies, and you can't breathe.

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Art has a special role to play in this moment. It can tell a story far more effectively than someone like me. Artists, please do your thing!

Time to have fun today. Here's my review of Pat Murphy's new novel

“Employees are requested to please notify” the EPA or the Office of Personnel Management “of any other agency office, sub-unit, personnel position description, contract, or program focusing exclusively on DEI.” Nobody used the tip line.

Every Friday I try to remind myself of all the beauty in our world. Here’s today’s Friday Zen. dianesilver.substack.com/p/friday-zen...

Honestly, I know of no such blatant case of political imprisonment & infringement of political speech in the USA in modern times. Maybe there are going back decades, but this was deeply shameful, from the moment masked men unjustly kidnapped her, stuffed her into a van, & locked her up.

Can poetry bring justice?

BREAKING: Police just surrounded Rev. William Barber, prominent activist and pastor, as he and others prayed in the U.S. Capitol Rontunda. Police then expelled everyone (including press!) from the Rotunda to (presumably) arrest them. I've covered protests here a lot. Never seen anything like it.

I first met Donika Kelly when we were both students in a class on sonnets, and then I met her poetry. Wow

This

Excellent question.

May all senators with a conscience follow Cory Booker's example and hold the floor of the U.S. Senate by speaking the truth

Booker: "I confess that I have been imperfect. I confess that I've been inadequate to the moment. I've confess that the Democratic Party has made terrible mistakes that gave a lane to this demagogue. I confess we all must look in the mirror and say 'we will do better.'"

Just discovered my short story "God Only Knows," which appeared in the November 2024 issue of @chmmagazine.bsky.social, is now available for you to read free online. Enjoy! cosmichorrormonthly.com/fiction/god-...

i just cannot get over how much the administration’s response to the crash shows a profound disrespect for the lives of the people they are supposed to serve

Today I’m contemplating water

Instead of fretting or doomscrolling, spend Monday (9 am Pacific, noon eastern) with @rebeccasolnit.bsky.social and friends @lizogbu.bsky.social @akayawind.bsky.social @charliejane.bsky.social Anand Giridharadas and @billmckibben.bsky.social

Current mood: respect for everyone choosing to give official government events on Monday a pass.

Is anyone else feeling what I'm feeling?

“Hitler, Stalin and potentially Trump leave behind them death and destruction. It is comforting to remember that there are others who illuminate our world for a while and leave it richer and finer.” www.prospectmagazine...

Tuesday confession: I’m a heretic and a fan of a minister

My feeds are filling up with poems by Nikki Giovanni. What a fitting tribute. You will be missed.

This interview with Nikki Giovanni from earlier this year should be required reading. oxfordamerican.org/web-only/nik...

R.I.P. to the singular Nikki Giovanni.💔

Full interview is here: www.shondaland.com/inspire/book...

Poets, how’s your retrograde going?

You know it's a good Monday morning when your 1st job is to respond to editors (note the plural) who want to publish your work. Color me dancing. #poet #writer

A karate class and Joan Nelson may well have given me some ideas on how to live through the Trump Age.

To the extent you’re able, please support indie media including individual commentators and journalists as well as the new worker-owned outlets like Flaming Hydra and The Flytrap that are challenging the billionaire-run legacy media. I’m proud to be a part of @theflytrapmedia.bsky.social

!!! soon we're going to put out our pitch guide and in '25 we'll be able to start paying freelancers so WE ARE LISTENING

Another Friday another photo that, I hope, will give us a moment's rest

This is very notable framing on the "protect girls' sports" nonsense from @transscribe.bsky.social

There's endless whining in the science media about a "fertility crisis" because a couple of highly contested studies suggested there's been a decline in sperm count in the west, but meanwhile women are dying during pregnancy and childbirth and nobody gives a fuck.

Today I'm thinking about how we keep sane in an insane moment and how we can transform the energy of our time.

Clifton Wharton has died. Sigh. I covered him when he was president of Michigan State University & I was a student reporter. But I met him when me & thousands of my angry friends protested the Vietnam War one night. He didn't send in cops. He stepped out his front door and listened. A good man.

Hello! This is my 1st post here. I'm feeling a tad giddy. I'm a poet, progressive, and old lesbian- vintage queer who's in the midst of wrestling with a poem about monsters. Anyone want to talk?

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