We’ve got this, #lambs. Mariah’s parallel status as Queen of Sadness shall go unrecognized no more.

“If at times such foundations seem to loom large, it is because in the United States, government support for health care, education, and the arts is far more limited than in nearly every other democratic nation.” —Aryeh Neier and Gara LaMarche on private philanthropy

Across Georgia, thousands of students are making the same calculation. From Lakeside High to Kennesaw State, they’re deciding that a suspension is a small price to pay to draw attention to the actions of ICE and the recent tragic deaths in Minneapolis.

I wrote about my childhood friend Alexi Pretti. Please read it and share it and remember him as a human being. @theverge.com

I wrote the speech I *wish* Chuck Schumer would give tonight - as an actual opposition leader. Here it is: "My fellow Americans: At this hour, an unrestrained force of militarized and violent federal officers is carrying out a project of ethnic cleansing in the streets of American cities." 1/14

A petition to save the WPA murals inside the Wilbur J. Cohen Building in DC (which the GSA has put up for sale) now has almost 7,000 signatures. Murals are by Ben Shahn, Philip Guston, Seymour Fogel, Richmond Barthé, Ethel and Jenne Magafan, among others. www.change.org/p/save-the-w...

‘Your children, motherless, and the president says, “Good.”’ —Danez Smith

This article says it all. The preemptive censorship. The country’s largest museum body cowering instead of leading. And the head of the Smithsonian deciding which hill he’ll choose to die on.

"So if the violence of the deportations, and the crackdowns, and the cuts, and the raids, and the air strikes, haven’t been enough for you, let something so simple and evil as the daytime execution of a poet move you to action." Thank you, @literaryhub.bsky.social 💥

This review by Erin is a delight -- insightful literary analysis without loss of context. (In addition, I am a huge fan of thinking while riding the bus, which this review also has)

I reviewed Damion Searls’s great novella on navigating the present + making nostalgia meaningful for Zona Motel open.substack.com/pub/zonamote...

In the official photo provided by Bongino, the faces are blurred out. That's ... not how any of this works.

“Dozens of prominent artists and cultural organizations will participate in a series of artistic demonstrations to protest what authoritarian overreach by the Trump administration. The protests, known as Fall of Freedom, will take place on the weekend of Nov. 21...” www.nytimes.com/2025/10/14/a...

My review of Taylor’s new album is that when Beyoncé turned 35 she made LEMONADE.

Jack Straw Writers Alumni Reading Friday, October 10, 7pm Jack Straw Cultural Center, 4261 Roosevelt Way NE FREE #JackStrawWriters #RecordingStudio #Seattle

Let's reminder that Disney arguably started this wave of media capitulation by settling Trump's lawsuit against ABC last December. And now here we are...

"...weakening public discourse at a moment when open debate is urgently needed. Journalists should not have to fear losing their jobs simply for offering analysis or asking tough questions on matters of public concern." pen.org/press-releas...

🚨 Today is the LAST DAY you can leave a public comment for the CDC’s vaccine advisory committee, which meets Sep 18. Reports suggest they may falsely link vaccines to child deaths and restrict vaccines to ages 75 and up. You can submit a written comment here: www.regulations.gov/document/CDC...

Today Melania Trump met with execs in support of AI in education. It's part of a big push by tech companies and the Trump Administration to get AI products into schools fast. If there's an American child you care about, pls read my recent article about what's happening. Let's be informed.

Also, a show about Latino youth movements being replaced with one about salsa music. hyperallergic.com/1037811/smit...

If Democratic politicians do not fight this because it's a "distraction," it will simply happen. They need to get in front of every mic and say that we will not allow Trump to destroy American history. He wants a culture war? GIVE HIM ONE. There are no distractions. Have every fight.

Real talk (reel talk?): BWDR recently lost a partnership that covered nearly half our operating budget, so things are suddenly very tough. If what we do has ever meant something to you, or you’ve ever thought about subscribing, now’s the time—it *truly* makes a difference.

Military "showing force" at the very same site where Japanese Americans were rounded up for incarceration during WWII.

In light of Vanity Fair's recent idiotic decision, WaPo's offering its veteran critic a buyout, the NYT's "reassigning" three arts writers critics, etc., a lot of us are talking about the public's (and thus publications') lack of interest in criticism. It's part of a larger pattern of a war...

RFK Jr. backs down all the time when he gets push back, so if anyone wants to call, here's the HHS number 1-877-696-6775. I'd also call your senators/reps as well.

Knew this was coming with the GSA shutdown, but it still shocks.

Israel destroyed a Palestinian seed bank today. This is such a specific kind of evil, targeting literal hope for the future. Attempting to further alienate Palestinians from their home and land. So much destroyed just for the sake of destroying. It's awful.

"I don't understand why we are the ones who have to change our behavior because somebody else decided that they were too angry to just walk by something that they didn't agree with," said Pelton.” And the unraveling continues at the Smithsonian.

The full March Xness — ‘90s Sadness Edition — list is out!

The perfect excuse to finally delve into my beloved’s memoir this summer.

With the 48th pick it's @erinlangner.bsky.social selecting Mariah Carey's "Without You" (1993): www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hat1...

“Ms. Sherald said that Mr. Bunch on Monday had proposed replacing the painting with a video of people reacting to the painting and discussing transgender issues.” Truly astonishing.

"It doesn’t matter if you live in a state where abortion is protected. Nearly 200 Planned Parenthood clinics and all of the invaluable services these facilities provide could soon be lost." Read the full op-ed here: www.teenvogue.com/story/trumps...

🚨 Cover reveal alert! 🚨 @electricliterature.com was kind enough to publish the exclusive book cover reveal for Let the Moon Wobble, featuring a gorgeous painting by Katherine Bradford. Read what designer Tiani Kennedy and I had to say about the cover here: electricliterature.com/exclusive-co...

On the largest Ai Weiwei exhibit in the U.S., by @erinlangner.bsky.social

Emergency press conference after Homeland Security and Immigration agents target the National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts & Culture in Chicago

Honored to have an extremely abbreviated review of an Ai Weiwei touch station in the fantastic issue 15 of @thedrift-mag.bsky.social

HUGELY Important.

Pulitzer prize for this Jay L. Clenendin image of LAPD stormtroopers in front of Barbara Kruger's "Untitled (Questions)"

1. Great ruling out of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. The 9th Circuit has ruled that there is no "first amendment" religious right to discriminate against transgender customers. The latest from S. Baum. Subscribe to support our journalism.

Do I have to tap the sign?

Records matter. Email to tell Congress to reinstate Dr. Hayden, the Librarian of Congress. It takes less than a minute. bit.ly/EmailHayden

The FDA is stopping the Covid vax for everyone under 65 or predisposed (whatever predisposed will mean). Here’s the correct link to stop them: www.regulations.gov/commenton/FD...

Last night a number of small presses including @twolinespress.bsky.social and @openletterbooks.bsky.social received this insane letter. Please read small press books, recommend them, buy them, request from your library. The continuation of these publishers is vital!

*please repost or forward* Here’s a sheet where arts orgs can record information about their NEA grant termination. Annie Dorsen is collecting this info as a first step towards coordinating a response docs.google.com/spreadsheets...

Hello, U.S. museums.

The Boston Museum of Fine Arts has apparently been trying to work with the (son of the Lehman Brothers CEO) donor of the Benin Bronzes collection to transfer ownership back to Nigeria, but instead he's taking all the statues back and they're closing the gallery entirely.

My piece for ARCADE on why Sea-tac airport’s art collection is so important in this moment of assault on public art. www.arcadenw.org/arc/art-that...

Worth noting that the whole school vouchers movement has its roots in segregation. Also, kids with vouchers often don't do better than the public school population. www.nybooks.com/articles/202...