ICYMI: One small-town Ohio hospital sued 2,700 patients in two years - garnishing wages and charging steep interest on families already struggling. This powerful reporting shows how medical debt is devastating Ohioans and why our bipartisan Ohio Medical Debt Fairness Act is urgently needed.

It is Banned Books Week. The Bluest Eye was my first novel by Toni Morrison. It is beat up and the pages are yellow but still one of my all time favorites. What is your best banned book? #BlackBookSky #BookSky

Be prepared: The Trump administration says ICE will be at the Super Bowl. "I think people should not be coming to the Super Bowl unless they're law-abiding Americans who love this country," Kristi Noem told a podcaster.

Got our morning coffee and watching Reading Rainbow!!! ☺️📚💖 Literally tearing up this brings so much joy!! Thank you @mychal3ts.bsky.social !!! You are an incredible host for this show!! ❤️ #BookSky #BlackBookSky #ReadingRainbow youtu.be/gHAIjSkmnYI?...

📖 All the Sinners Bleed by S.A. Cosby is our next pick! A gritty Southern Gothic thriller with blood, secrets, and justice on every page. 📅 Starts Sunday, Oct 5 📍Join us on Discord: discord.com/invite/gWpK3... 🩸 #AllTheSinnersBleed #SpokenThoughts #BookClubReads #BlackBookSky #BlackSky #BookSky

Trump's FCC yesterday voted to kill a program that provided free Wi-Fi to rural school kids at no cost to taxpayers, falsely claiming the program was "illegal" and was being used to "censor Conservative ideology."

To many, the notion that the “able-bodied” must work sounds reasonable on its face. But in reality, work requirements don’t ­meaningfully boost employment. And for people with invisible disabilities that can make work extremely challenging, the framework can unfairly cast them as lazy.

I planned to write this last month but I was distracted. Loving my body is a process and I miss the mark most days. But I am here. It is strong and that is enough for now. “The place in which I’ll fit will not exist until I make it.” James Baldwin open.substack.com/pub/crystaln...

People with autism and their family members say that the messages coming from President Trump and RFK Jr. about their families, that “autism destroys families” and that autism is a "“horrible, horrible crisis,” are harmful and wrong. ohiocapitaljournal.com/2025/09/23/r...

I planned to write this last month but I was distracted. Loving my body is a process and I miss the mark most days. But I am here. It is strong and that is enough for now. “The place in which I’ll fit will not exist until I make it.” James Baldwin open.substack.com/pub/crystaln...

TODAY, I AM OFFICIALLY AN AUTHOR!!! A CHILDHOOD DREAM COME TRUE!!!!! #TheDoubleTax is the first book I've ever written and it’s OUT EVERYWHERE TODAY. Four years. 100s of stories. Countless drafts. I woke up today as a FIRST TIME author. WOW. Get your copy TODAY: annagifty.com #booksky #blacksky

🥳🥳🥳🥳 #BLacksky #Blackbooksky #Booksky

This book has been such a needed balm. It is so tender. #BlackBookSky #BookSky

Under Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill," 10 million people are expected to lose health insurance from the legislation. Most people will lose Medicaid.

StoryGraph's AI now runs on 100% sustainable green energy

Mother Jones is doing the work. Language matters. These attacks and cuts are sanist.

Thank you from gerrymandered Ohio🙏🏾

I was part of a conversation yesterday about the Black community’s relationship to the land. Of course, I thought about my grandparents taking up space even when systems and institutions gave the message that they didn’t belong. We aren’t going anywhere. open.substack.com/pub/crystaln...

Enjoying this Black & Published podcast, hosted by @nikeshaelise.bsky.social. It features author @deeshaphilyaw.bsky.social on the topic of publishing : dispelling myths; avoiding predatory publishers. Excellent information! ✍🏾📚🎧 mahoganybooksmedia.com/podcast/blac... #BookSky #BlackBookSky

A Labor Day reminder: today there isn't a single city, metro area, or state in the U.S. where a full-time minimum-wage worker can afford a modest 2-bedroom apartment. Millions of people with jobs—even multiple jobs—aren't safe from homelessness in this country.

I just said nonfiction was my favorite but this novel right here left me speechless. I like my characters messy with a lot of twists and turns. Dominion exceeded those expectations. And Addie E. Citchens wraps it up in under 250 pages. #Blackbooksky #Booksky

This is a quick listen and definitely worth your time. Now I need to go back and start The Wire from the beginning.

The lawsuit by an Ohio woman who was arrested and charged after having a miscarriage is still ongoing, and attorneys for the woman have added two more members of hospital staff to the parties alleged to have violated the woman’s rights ohiocapitaljournal.com/2025/08/28/o...

I started listening to No More Tears yesterday🤬 Don’t let the number of hours keep you away. It is clear, concise, and the author does a good job of keeping you engaged. I did take a break because I felt myself getting so angry. #BlackBookSky #BookSky

I’m so mad that Netflix didn’t give #TheResidence a second season.

✨SURPRISE!!✨ Starting today, I am offering author services!! Check out my most recent post on IG for more details: www.instagram.com/p/DNwCPd24lj... #Booksky #BlackBooksky 💙📚 #AuthorBooksky #AuthorServices

The fastest-growing homeless population in America? School-age children. Last year, student homelessness in California—where rents continue to soar past wages—rose by 20,000, reaching its highest level in a decade. But sure, keep insisting homelessness is all about mental illness and addiction.

Wesley Payne has been waiting years for Yvette Young to stop grieving and start living. When he brings the ex-Army investigator a missing persons case, he gets more than he bargained for: corporate murder, federal crimes, and finally—finally—a chance to prove they're better together than apart.

Kiese Laymon, a Jackson-native writer who works as the Libbie Shearn Moody professor of English and creative writing at Rice University in Texas, says that his work is rooted in his childhood of living in the capital city in addition to the musical and cultural traditions of Mississippi.

I carry this collection with me in the car because I don’t want to be away from it. Hell’s Bells made me think of this VS episode with W.J. Lofton where he said, “how do you talk to me about hell when I don’t believe in prisons.” podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/v... #BlackBookSky #BookSky

🧵 Do you know what construction workers, repair technicians, artists, and service workers have in common? Some of the highest suicide rates of all occupations. NIOSH collected that data and was positioned to address it. In 10 years, how many grieving families might have been spared? #SaveNIOSH

I just started reading but had to share this cover. It is beautiful. #BlackBookSky #BookSky

The weekend was more than anticipated but I was determined to let the people who love me to love on me. I wrote a brief birthday reflection. Initially, I felt that I needed more words on the page but I wrote enough for now. I am full. Don’t forget to subscribe. open.substack.com/pub/crystaln...

BREAKING: President Trump signed an executive order directing states to criminalize and institutionalize people experiencing homelessness, addiction, and mental health disabilities.

This gem arrived a couple of weeks ago but I am just now reading it. I am looking forward to learning more about Toni Morrison (from Lorain, Ohio) as an editor. I am also exited that Libby had the ebook available so I have more options. Libraries are important. #BlackBookSky #BookSky

IT'S OFFICIAL. I WROTE MY FIRST BOOK! 🤯 #TheDoubleTax unpacks the cost of being a woman, why the bill runs higher for women of color, and how closing the gaps moves us ALL forward. #blacksky #booksky #econsky PRE-ORDER NOW: tinyurl.com/doubletax-or... Get Involved: tinyurl.com/doubletax-join

You are cordially invited to our Anti-Prime Sale, where every purchase will financially support bookstores, NOT billionaires 🥳

A legal team led by a former state rep has filed a class action lawsuit challenging Ohio’s plan to pay for a new Cleveland Browns stadium. The state budget finds the money by taking ownership of unclaimed funds left in the its care for more than 10 years. ohiocapitaljournal.com/2025/07/09/a...

Attorneys for Planned Parenthood Federation of America filed a lawsuit Monday challenging a provision in the Trump-Republican megabill they say will affect more than 1 million patients who use their clinics across the U.S. ohiocapitaljournal.com/2025/07/08/r...

Take action against book bans in the United States at www.bookbanpetition.us

Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was wrongly deported to a notorious mega-prison in El Salvador, endured “severe beatings, severe sleep deprivation, inadequate nutrition, and psychological torture” while there, his attorneys wrote in a late Wednesday filing. ohiocapitaljournal.com/2025/07/03/r...

I talk about structural oppression every day. These systems are not broken but operating as they were created. At the same time, medicine and therapy can change lives. Thank you for sharing and clicking the subscribe button. #BlackTherapistsSky #BlackMentalHealth open.substack.com/pub/crystaln...

I talk about structural oppression every day. These systems are not broken but operating as they were created. At the same time, medicine and therapy can change lives. Thank you for sharing and clicking the subscribe button. #BlackTherapistsSky #BlackMentalHealth open.substack.com/pub/crystaln...

trying the online socialization thing friend me on @thestorygraph.com my account was made an hour ago #BlackBookSky app.thestorygraph.com/profile/theo...

Many libraries are unable to offer digital services, losing access to eBooks & audiobooks through Hoopla, through Libby. We can help! Libraries NEED us to use our outside voice, tell everyone what libraries mean to you! The Library is for Everyone 💛 📚🎨: @devthepineapple.bsky.social 🧵 2/2

If you're arrested in Illinois protesting against Trump's war on Iran for Israel, I can represent you pro bono. Email me at [email protected].

I finished Challenger and thought I needed to read a less intense story. Well, Isaac is keeping me on my toes and he just had be pulling out a pencil with my copy of The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin. I am having a good time. #BlackBookSky #BookSky

The last couple of weeks, couple of months, couple of years have been heavy. Laughter is healing. Thank you for reading, sharing, and clicking the subscribe button. open.substack.com/pub/crystaln...