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Alma Kell

@almakell02.bsky.social
182 followers 283 following 118 posts

I’m a Philly-based bookworm who loves reading forgotten classics to learn about the past.

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Alma Kell @almakell02.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
When I wrote my earlier post, I didn't know it was Kate Douglas Wiggin's birthday today! She was born on September 28, 1856 in Philadelphia, which is also my hometown. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kate_Do...
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Alma Kell @almakell02.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm (1903) is a (mostly) charming story featuring an imaginative young girl—much like Anne of Green Gables (1908). I enjoyed both books, but I prefer Anne’s story to Rebecca’s, which features a close friendship with Adam Ladd, a much older man. #Books #ChildrensNovels
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Kevin M. Kruse @kevinmkruse.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Yeah, it doesn’t seem like the NYT has given any coverage to the frat gang rape scandal at Cornell. Not as important as Oberlin’s banh mi or Harvard’s eating clubs I guess
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Alma Kell @almakell02.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Happy to see some good news! #Books #BuyingLocal
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Alma Kell @almakell02.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
It's APPLE SEASON! Nearby orchards have Honeycrisp, SweeTango, Sweet Maia, Ambrosia, Red Delicious, Cortland, etc. Many of these varieties didn’t exist when the USDA Pomological Watercolor Collection was created (1886-1942)--except for Red Delicious & Cortland. search.nal.usda.gov/discovery/co...
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Alma Kell @almakell02.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
The federal government cuts vital services while demanding that states and localities fill in the gaps. What am I paying federal taxes for? I'd like to pay a lot less in federal taxes and more in state and local taxes. www.inquirer.com/politics/pen...
inquirer.com
The Trump administration will make PA pay more for SNAP. Shapiro says it can't.
Burdening states with increased financial demands is “catastrophic,” said St. Joseph’s University sociologist Maria Kefalas.
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Alma Kell @almakell02.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
I've tried unsubscribing from my former college's communications, and it's impossible. They keep sending me emails, asking for money and inviting me to alumni events. I despise them; they're Trump Administration co-conspirators. I'd remove them from my CV if I could get away with it.
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Alma Kell @almakell02.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
This political cartoon from the Evening Star (Washington, D.C.), published 100 years ago, feels oddly current. www.loc.gov/resource/sn8...
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Alma Kell @almakell02.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Paul Farber, Monument Lab: "[T]here is something honest and raw and, dare I say, very Philly about living with imperfections and taking deep pride in it.” So true. I love innocuous imperfections like this. It feels so human, which is especially important right now, when so much isn't human anymore
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Emma Gallon @emmagallon.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Over the moon to see the first two books in our Understanding Languages, Cultures and Societies series with @ilcs.bsky.social publish today! It has been a total delight to work with the editors and authors of both books - congratulations to everyone involved! More details in the thread below ⬇️
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Preeti Chhibber @runwithskizzers.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
In honor of Dolly and her commitment to getting books to kids, tell me about a book you read as a child that changed your life. I’ll start: so many, but tonight maybe I’ll say A WRINKLE IN TIME, a book that taught me anger wasn’t wrong.
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Alma Kell @almakell02.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
I can’t believe I never “met” Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm as a kid! I loved Anne of Green Gables, and the two are strikingly similar. Sometimes I read about Rebecca and picture her in Avonlea—then I remember she lives in Maine. Realizing Anne may not be as unique as I thought is unsettling… #Books
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Alma Kell @almakell02.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
I've spent a lot of time this week at Pennsylvania Hospital. The reason for my visits isn't a happy one, but the beautiful and historic location in Philadelphia has been a much needed distraction.
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Project Gutenberg @gutenberg.org · 02/09/2026
Why we love literary anniversaries by Amy Wilcockson theconversation.com/why-we-love-... Gulliver’s Travels, Last Man, Winnie-the-Pooh, Murder of Roger Ackroyd at PG www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/17157 www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/18247 www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/67098 www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/69087 #books
First edition cover of The Murder of Roger Ackroyd.

The cover illustration depicts a woman with red hair in period dress, standing at a desk with an old-style telephone, appearing to search through or discover papers.
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Books of My Heart @booksofmyheart.net · 31/08/2026
The Oxford Guide to Scandal and Lies by Kate Westbury caffeinatedbookreviewer.com/2026/08/the-...
caffeinatedbookreviewer.com
Caffeinated Reviewer | The Oxford Guide to Scandal and Lies by Kate Westbury
The Oxford Guide to Scandal and Lies by Kate Westbury delivered an engaging historical murder mystery set against post-WWII Oxford University. Murder, spies and romance wrapped in a clever tale make…
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Alma Kell @almakell02.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Kate Douglas Smith Wiggin (1856–1923) was new to me, though she was well known a century ago--and perhaps still is. My intro to her work was Ladies-in-Waiting (1919), a set of five short stories. #Books #BookReviews www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/26928
A redheaded young woman or adolescent in a pink dress is sitting on grass.
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Alma Kell @almakell02.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
In the days before they leave for college, my twins have been revisiting pieces of their childhood—returning to favorite local haunts and rereading books they loved when they were younger. One of those books is Norton Juster's Phantom Tollbooth. #College #FreshmanYear
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Alma Kell @almakell02.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
"Change is, of course, inevitable. Sometimes it’s for the better, sometimes for the worse. And sometimes it’s neither better nor worse, just different." I'm in the "everything's getting worse camp" today--and not just in the frozen dessert aisle. Sigh. www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/r...
nytimes.com
What Happened to Talenti?
Over the past 20 years, Talenti has changed from a small, independent brand to a piece of a corporate conglomerate. Has that affected its quality?
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Alma Kell @almakell02.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
I'm very sad that my local newspaper produces articles that read like longer Facebook posts from angry neighbors. It's all rumor and opinion--very little investigative journalism or relevant news, as far as I can tell.
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Alma Kell @almakell02.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
Her review made me feel glad I never took a class with her. How Emily Wilson’s Takedown of ‘The Odyssey’ Ignited a Debate www.nytimes.com/2026/07/31/a...
nytimes.com
Emily Wilson’s Pan of ‘The Odyssey’ Ignites a Debate Among Classicists and Commenters
Wilson, whose 2017 translation of Homer’s Greek classic influenced the director Christopher Nolan, panned his screenplay for the movie version in an essay for The London Review of Books.
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Alma Kell @almakell02.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
"Benni, on the other hand, believed his condition was just a temporary glitch, and he assured everyone that he was getting better every day." A loved one of mine is at the same stage in life & reacting the same way. It is a blessing, but I wish I were in denial too. www.nytimes.com/2026/07/31/s...
nytimes.com
The Marriage I Cherished No Longer Existed
The husband I treasured had disappeared. Why was I happy?
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Alma Kell @almakell02.bsky.social · 25/07/2026
www.inquirer.com/entertainmen...
inquirer.com
A Penn professor thought she’d sell 1000 copies of her ‘Odyssey’ translation. She sold a million this year alone, thanks to Christopher Nolan.
West Philly's Emily Wilson, who penned a highly acclaimed translation of the epic poem in 2017, is having a big summer.
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Alma Kell @almakell02.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
"If you’re going to pick a population to study for the sake of everybody’s good, the Europeans are the worst you could choose,” said Jay Kaufman, an epidemiologist at McGill University who has written about race and genomics." www.nytimes.com/2026/07/20/s...
nytimes.com
The Best Genetic Risk Tools Don’t Work Equally for Everyone
Genetic prediction models are poised to revolutionize medicine. But because they have been trained on European DNA, they threaten to widen health care disparities.
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Alma Kell @almakell02.bsky.social · 19/07/2026
We had this cookbook in my house growing up! ://share.inquirer.com/SXLp9L?utm_source=social&utm_campaign=gift_link&utm_medium=referral
share.inquirer.com
‘The Frog Commissary Cookbook’ remains a Philadelphia icon over 40 years after its debut
Drawing from menu items at the Frög and the Commissary, the cookbook introduced Philly home cooks to unfamiliar ingredients. Forty-one years later, the book still has devoted fans.
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Project Gutenberg @gutenberg.org · 19/07/2026
The Debate Over Pictures in Science By Danny Robb Botanical illustrations helped bring science to new audiences—but not every scientist welcomed the change. daily.jstor.org/the-debate-o... Books in Botany at PG: www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/books... #books #botany #science
 Illustration of Myosotis capitata in Flora Antarctica. Drawn and engraved by Walter Hood Fitch, 1844. 

A botanical illustration showing the full plant with its rosette of silvery-green leaves and clusters of small purple flowers, roots, and detailed close-up dissections of an individual flower, seeds, and floral structures below.
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The New York Times @nytimes.com · 18/07/2026
Half of Canada’s wildfires are in remote areas with no road access. Not only is it impossible to get firefighters on the ground, there is also insufficient time to react.
nyti.ms
Most Forest Fires in Canada Are Simply Impossible to Put Out
Half of Canada’s wildfires are in remote areas with no road access. Impossible to fight, they are often left to burn.
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Alma Kell @almakell02.bsky.social · 18/07/2026
When a mysterious woman buys out a church fair, the town is agog. Who is she? Why did she buy every item? These are the questions at the heart of An Alabaster Box, published in 1917, by Mary E. Wilkins Freeman & Florence Morse Kingsley. #Books #BooksReviews www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/1...
gutenberg.org
An Alabaster Box
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Alma Kell @almakell02.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
I sautéed the lettuce and beet greens to reduce the risk of cyclospora, but I’ll do it again because it tastes good! #Lunch #Outbreak
There is a small orange plate of sauteed lettuce and beet greens mixed with quinoa. There is a drizzle of sriracha sauce on top. A silver-colored spoon rests on the side of the plate. In the background, barely in view, is part of a Wellesley College mug and part of an orange mug.
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Alma Kell @almakell02.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
In Alice Brown's Country Neighbors, a 1910 short story collection, many of the characters are “love-cracked” spinsters. Some remain single by circumstance or choice, while others eventually find love. All are reasonably happy in the end. #Books #BookReview www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/2...
gutenberg.org
Country Neighbors
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Alma Kell @almakell02.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
Looks like I'm stir-frying my lettuce--and maybe every other vegetable I have--until further notice. #outbreak #publichealth #foodsafety Cyclospora Cases Rise Rapidly, With No Source Yet Confirmed www.nytimes.com/2026/07/15/w...
nytimes.com
Cyclospora Cases Rise Rapidly, With No Source Yet Confirmed
The parasite, which has sickened thousands across the U.S., is notoriously difficult to track. Funding cuts haven’t made the job easier.
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Max Kennerly @maxkennerly.bsky.social · 12/07/2026
Anyone have an incoming Martlet* in the family? My daughter's off to McGill this fall (Arts & Sciences) and doesn't know anyone there yet. If they're interested in connecting, shoot me a DM. *Martlet is a mythical footless bird representing continuous effort and never-ending quest for knowledge.
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Wellesley College @wellesley.edu · 08/07/2026
Museums, publishing, translation, universities, libraries, and the art market, Professor Peggy Levitt argues, are interconnected pieces of a larger ecology through which cultural authority is continuously reproduced. Read more: bit.ly/3SQZ990
artsfuse.org
Book Review: Beyond the Canon - How Cultural Authority Is Made - The Arts Fuse
"Move Over, Mona Lisa" maps the “inequality pipeline” linking museums, publishing, and academia—and challenges the systems that shape what the world sees and reads.
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Alma Kell @almakell02.bsky.social · 11/07/2026
Louis Tracy’s Cynthia’s Chauffeur (1910) pairs an American heiress—a “pukka Gibson Girl”—with an English viscount posing as her driver on a tour of England. He takes the role to help a friend, not to win her over, but trouble follows once his feelings change. #Books archive.org/details/cynt...
archive.org
Cynthia's chauffeur : Tracy, Louis, 1863-1928 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive
353 p., [4] leaves of plates : 20 cm
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David Roberts @volts.wtf · 10/07/2026
The thing is, doing sports like Norway (focused on fun, companionship, team spirit) rather than the US (focused on intensity, suffering, competition, which individual is "best") isn't just healthier & more pro-social, it produces *better athletes*.
slate.com
A Recent Supreme Court Opinion Completely Misunderstands the Point of Sports. One World Cup Superstar Is the Corrective.
We’re fundamentally misunderstanding the point of sports.
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Alma Kell @almakell02.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
Stella Langdale's illustrations in The Little House (1920) are beautiful and atmospheric. What a lovely little read. #Books #WW1
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Alma Kell @almakell02.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
I didn’t know Coningsby Dawson’s The Little House (1920) was a Christmas story until I started reading it. Still, July is as good a time as any to enjoy this charming little WWI-era story told from the perspective of a 198-year-old house. #Books www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/5...
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Alma Kell @almakell02.bsky.social · 05/07/2026
Making America Less Safe by the Day: "The Trump administration is scrapping [dozens of] firearms regulations, abandoning a crackdown on illegal sales, restoring gun rights to some people with mental illness and loosening oversight of private weapons transactions." www.nytimes.com/2026/07/05/u...
nytimes.com
Trump Administration Rolls Back Dozens of Gun Regulations
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Wellesley College @wellesley.edu · 26/06/2026
For America’s 250th birthday, the New York Times asked their opinion writers and columnists to pick a moment from the country’s history that exemplifies the best of the United States. The “unofficial anthem” by Katharine Lee Bates, class of 1880, made the list. nyti.ms/4f6nEYk
nyti.ms
Opinion | For America’s 250th, 16 Opinion Writers on the Country at Its Best
Two hundred and fifty years in, Opinion writers offer 16 reasons the national experiment endures.
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Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
Damn. @nbcnews.com www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...
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Dr. Mar @boldnewme.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
Families with children make up a substantial share of the homeless population. We have a moral crisis in America.
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today i learned (and so should you):
40% - 60% of homeless people have jobs
19% - 22% of homeless people are children
5% - 13% of homeless people are veterans
6% of homeless people are 65 or older
14% of all college students are homeless
... yet we still call it a housing crisis instead of a moral one.
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Alma Kell @almakell02.bsky.social · 28/06/2026
I still can't believe LUCY WORSLEY INVESTIGATES THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION completely cut Philadelphia out of the story. #PBS #LucyWorsleyInvestigates
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Alma Kell @almakell02.bsky.social · 28/06/2026
Philly vs. Boston www.inquirer.com/life/boston-...
inquirer.com
Boston thinks its Revolutionary history might be better than Philly’s. We think that’s pretty cute.
An objective and scientific look at the historical "rivalry" between two great American cities.
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Alma Kell @almakell02.bsky.social · 27/06/2026
It’s hard to sympathize with folks who think Canada’s possible Eurovision debut undermines the contest’s place as a “bulwark against North American cultural hegemony” when Europe colonized so much of the world—including North America. www.nytimes.com/2026/06/25/a...
nytimes.com
Is Canada About to Enter the Eurovision Song Contest?
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Alma Kell @almakell02.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
When I sit in meetings with other nonprofit leaders, I'm always shocked at how many of them demand their employees go into the office 5 days/week. It's definitely to control them. www.nytimes.com/2026/06/22/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | The Secret Reason Bosses Want Everyone Back in the Office, Every Day of the Week
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Carnegie Mellon University @cmu.edu · 16/06/2026
Carnegie Mellon University has announced a $3 million investment over the next five years to support initiatives that will directly benefit Pittsburgh’s residents and neighborhoods. Our roots in Pittsburgh run deep, and so does our commitment to helping the city thrive.
cmu.edu
Carnegie Mellon University Announces $3 Million Investment in Pittsburgh Community Initiatives
Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) today announced a $3 million investment over the next five years to support initiatives that will directly benefit residents, students, educators and workers across th...
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Erich Hatala Matthes @ehatmat.bsky.social · 28/05/2026
My paper "The Ethics and Aesthetics of True Crime" is now out in The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism! It's currently available for free as an "Editor's Choice" article, so grab it while you can! doi.org/10.1093/jaac... @wellesley.edu @academic.oup.com @amersocaesthetics.bsky.social #philsky
academic.oup.com
The Ethics and Aesthetics of True Crime
Abstract. True crime is an incredibly popular genre of entertainment that crosses many forms of media including books, movies, TV shows, and podcasts. Is t
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Alma Kell @almakell02.bsky.social · 15/06/2026
Haverford College should be embarrassed that Howard Lutnick--a horrible person, a Trump Admin member, and Jeffrey Epstein associate-is an alum. www.inquirer.com/education/ha...
inquirer.com
A group of Haverford alumni is pushing the college to remove Howard Lutnick’s name from library
Haverford said in a statement that many community members also have expressed to the college that they oppose the creation of a review committee. "The matter is not closed," the school said.
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Alma Kell @almakell02.bsky.social · 14/06/2026
LOANS are not the answer to rising health care costs due to the Republican-controlled Congress's decision to end Obamacare subsidies. Voting Republicans out of office is. Can’t Pay Medical Bills? Trump Officials Suggest Getting a Loan. www.nytimes.com/2026/06/11/b...
nytimes.com
Can’t Pay Medical Bills? Trump Officials Suggest Getting a Loan.
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Alma Kell @almakell02.bsky.social · 14/06/2026
If I make it to 80+, I hope life will be as fulfilling as these celebrities make it seem. However, as I support my almost 86-year-old father as his health fails, I just don't have a lot of optimism about aging.
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