Today's writing progress looked like cutting three chapters and rewriting one of them, so I'm now at 4000 words fewer than I was yesterday. But it had to be done. The second act was not working. #writing #rewriting #revising

Today would have been my mom's 74th birthday.

Since Congress Let Obamacare Subsidies Expire, Millions Are Dropping Coverage www.nytimes.com/2026/05/01/b...

What's this??? Am I including a deleted scene from Fortunate Son in my next newsletter? You'll have to sign up to find out! Next issue drops FRIDAY! www.melindamitchell.com/contact #scifibooks #deletedscenes #lgbtqbooks #lgbtqscifi @notapipe.bsky.social

Doge was literally just the private equity model applied to the public space- take over, loot, leave. Coincidentally it was also the British empire model

Me, drafting: Ooo that's a good line! Wait, that sounds like I might have read it somewhere else. It sounds like maybe I wrote that down from somewhere? Me, randomly at 4:30am: oh, right, I used that line in the novel that came out last year.

If you buy 10 fake assassination attempts, the 11th one is free.

um????????

Mom passed two months ago tonight. It feels both like yesterday and years ago. Time and grief are weird.

In the old days Wolf Blitzer’s shoe would have a Twitter account by now

This is probably the most American thing to happen.

I wish Lincoln was half as lucky as that bastard

Normal people have absolutely had enough and they are starting to cook lmao

Minneapolis is only barely beginning to process SOME of what we've been through & continue to experience.

I was at #spaceforgrace2026 & made this video on the importance of storytelling, but especially how retellings can be powerful in finding new meaning and lifting up marginalized &/or silenced voices. What I'm doing with the Stardust & Ashes series from @notapipe.bsky.social #storytelling #retelling

7. "Okay, so what does this have to do with Black people and the OKC Bombing 30 years ago today?" I'll tell you. Timothy McVeigh was no "lone wolf." He was part of a much larger project of white supremacy spawned after Vietnam. But it was anti-government as well.

I miss my mom. 💔

Will likely have more later, but currently from @rns.org: In criticizing Leo and depicting himself as Jesus, Trump sparks outcry from religious allies —> religionnews.com/2026/04/13/i...

A rumination on Glassblade, characterization, and writing. #booksky #writesky Catch up: www.wattpad.com/story/406254... Subscribe: josephs-newsletter-41aee1.beehiiv.com Upgrade to support the story: josephs-newsletter-41aee1.beehiiv.com/upgrade

If he thinks the Pope is weak on crime, I can't wait until he finds out who proclaims release to the captives. Also: see Hebrews 13:3

NEW: Archbishop Paul Coakley, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, responds to Trump’s post attacking Pope Leo. Says he is “disheartened” and argues that Leo is “not a rival” but rather “the Vicar of Christ who speaks from the truth of the Gospel." www.usccb.org/news/2026/ar...

Hatch is open!!!

omg astronauts made it all the way to the dang moon and then all the way home and now they can't get the satellite phone to work and NASA is basically like "hey okay but did you press the right button okay so just a sec we'll call you back" and I'm 100% convinced they're calling tech support

Y'all they are back on earth and *immediately* having the most extremely earth-bound tech issues imaginable

idk I would’ve stayed up there until things got a bit better here

How lovely to experience joy.

Imagine being one of those four astronauts. On Monday, you went to work around the moon. You got back to Earth just in time for the weekend.

Splashdown!

Now that's a beautiful sight

Perfect descent, "crew sounding hale and hearty." 1 min to splashdown

Oh thank God.

Absolutely glued to the screen watching Integrity prepare to return to earth. Thankful for the crew that have shown us such joy in a time when the world needs it.

Absolutely remarkable statement from Pope Leo today. One for the history books www.theguardian.com/world/2026/a...

For the curious: RNS was originally founded in 1934 as editorially independent affiliate of the National Conference of Christians and Jews, an organization that was, in turn, created to push back against a wave of anti-Catholicism and anti-semitism that emerged in the 1920s. So, uh…Yeah.

...btw I link to evidence that the anti-trans backlash was a highly coordinated and well–funded (especially via right-wing orgs) movement in this essay: www.bostonreview.net/forum/how-no...

This will be in a textbook

Kyle Marino with the follow-through to make it 5-0! #MILhockey

We used to sing songs that said “I am the man who will fight for your honor… I’ll be the hero you’re dreaming of… we’ll live FOREVER” And then win the karate tournament!!!

You could have had free universal healthcare this entire time. The money was always there.

And here it is!

This mf don’t miss!

Five books to get to know me by: Birth of the Firebringer Watership Down The Hobbit The Stand Teaching a Stone to Talk

NASA just dropped this image of Artemis II astronaut Christina Koch looking back at us. The first woman to ever see our planet in its entirety. I’m not crying you’re crying 🥹🔭🧪 📸: NASA

Finished reading Cut Me Out in Little Stars, the third book in the Satori Chronicles by @amysundberg.bsky.social I loved this series (think the Wayfarers by Becky Chambers for a similar vibe). Satisfying conclusion to Sienna's story! #booksky #reading #indiebooks

Holy Saturday: tamales from the local farmers market for lunch, some journaling, plans for a walk, a nap, some reading and writing. Maybe a family movie tonight.

Saw Project Hail Mary. And while I enjoyed it, my problem is that Ryan Gosling is now always Ken. I kept expecting him to lift up the microphone and start singing "I'm Just Ken." Can't unsee.

BREAKING: President Trump has told AG Pam Bondi she'll "soon be removed" from her position, a White House official tells MS NOW. MS NOW's Ken Dilanian has the latest.

Boston University’s student paper, The Daily Free Press, reports about the multiplication of pride flags on campus following the administration’s attempted crackdown on free speech.

This is why I keep it out of my classrooms. This is why I teach my students to be careful/critical in their consumption of gAI. This is why universities shouldn't be so bloody ridiculously uncritical in forcing gAI on faculty, staff and students. We're inculcating dependence on a catastrophic scale

There is no humiliation great enough to equal the aboslute dogshit quality of Microsoft Outlook, nor any proof too positive that it should not be an industry standard program for anyone.