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Barbara Krasnoff

@barb.bsky.social
10K followers 529 following 206 posts

Former reviews editor at The Verge, Computerworld, and other pubs; current science fiction writer (although I write mostly fantasy).

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Barbara Krasnoff @barb.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
So I'm re-reading Oliver Twist for the first time in many years, and the impressive length of the very first sentence reminds me that Charles Dickens was a genius in many ways - in this case, at being a paid-by-the-word freelance writer.
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Barbara Krasnoff @barb.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
On Scott Edelman's podcast Eating the Fantastic, we talk about Brooklyn, writing, and people we have known and loved.
krasnoff.wordpress.com
Pad Thai, Scott Edelman, and Eating the Fantastic
When I was at Readercon last July, Scott Edelman -- writer, fan, and all-around good guy -- took me to lunch and interviewed me for his podcast Eating the Fantastic. Episode 293 is now live, and it amazes me how well Scott has edited it to make me sound like a reasonably knowledgeable person. We talked about shared experiences of growing up in Brooklyn, people we have both known and loved, how I came to write…
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Barbara Krasnoff @barb.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
I've been very lazy over the past few weekends, but this weekend, I've actually got two events coming up.
krasnoff.wordpress.com
Flights of Foundry and a Book Fair coming up
I've been very lazy over the past few weekends, but this weekend, I've actually got two events coming up. Flights of Foundry is a completely virtual SF/F convention that I've taken part in for the last few years. Unfortunately, this year I'll only be able to attend on Friday -- for one thing, I'll be hanging out at the Brooklyn Books & Booze Author Book Fair this coming Saturday, more on that in a minute -- but I've got a panel and a reading.
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Barbara Krasnoff @barb.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Yes, that's a golem next to a dalek. I'll get to them in a minute. This post is more about my current thoughts about aging. Aging is -- weird.
krasnoff.wordpress.com
On aging and golems
Yes, that's a golem next to a Dalek. I'll get to them in a minute. This post is more about my current thoughts about aging. When I was still in college, I went with my grandmother to visit my grandfather's grave. She had been an active and fit 66-year-old when he died; it was now 12 years later. She stared at his headstone and said, "Yosef, I've grown old since you left.
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Barbara Krasnoff @barb.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
I thought I had become completely ossified in my music preferences, but I guess not. Seeing the pro-shot of Hadestown led me to its album which led me to the music of Anais Mitchell which (somehow) led me to Rhiannon Giddens, who is my current favorite. Where she will lead is anybody's guess.
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Barbara Krasnoff @barb.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
A story sold and a book fair coming up I'm pleased to announce that I've sold a story, entitled "Lily and Brown Bear," to Kaleidotrope, a really nice independent online press. The story, which I would classify as subtle horror, is based on an incident from my childhood (which I won't go into now,…
krasnoff.wordpress.com
A story sold and a book fair coming up
I'm pleased to announce that I've sold a story, entitled "Lily and Brown Bear," to Kaleidotrope, a really nice independent online press. The story, which I would classify as subtle horror, is based on an incident from my childhood (which I won't go into now, because spoilers!). I'll let y'all know once it's scheduled. Meanwhile, I'll be taking part in the…
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Barbara Krasnoff @barb.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
Movie moments that annoy me: In Avengers: Infinity War, Our Heroes have Thanos temporarily incapacitated, and they're trying to pull off his glove. Every time I see that scene, I wonder: why didn't they just chop off his hand? Because the plot demands that they fail? Or is there a logical reason?
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Reposted by Barbara Krasnoff
Mike Allen (Mythic Delirium Books📚) @mythicdelirium.bsky.social · 12/07/2026
FINAL DAY, FINAL HOURS! With our newest book, THE LANGUAGE OF KNIVES by Haralambi Markov, and many more! @readercon.bsky.social, come see us before we go…
The Mythic Delirium table at ReaderconThe Mythic Delirium table at Readercon
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Barbara Krasnoff @barb.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
I'm a huge fan of Cj Cherryh's work, and I was very happy to have the opportunity to express my feelings in this essay that has just gone up on @reactorsff.bsky.social. reactormag.com/a-heartfelt-...
reactormag.com
A Heartfelt Appreciation of C.J. Cherryh - Reactor
Looking back on the incredible career of science fiction icon with awe and admiration.
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Barbara Krasnoff @barb.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
When I was about 12, I pulled a record out of my parents' collection: blues artists Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee. It was on an old, fragile red vinyl disk and of course I dropped it. It shattered. My mother was furious. Listening to them now, I can't really blame her. youtu.be/aLKvn6WRwQM?...
youtu.be
Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee: Red River Blues and Crow Jane
YouTube video by GtrWorkShp
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Barbara Krasnoff @barb.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
I've seen quite a few colleagues laid off over the past few months. Hell, I'm one of them. But this is one that really makes me sad. I was once a great reader of Scientific American, and now I regret all the issues that I missed. Best of luck to @katewong.bsky.social.
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Barbara Krasnoff @barb.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
My Readercon 2026 schedule Well, I've gotten my final schedule for this year's Readercon, which will take place at the Boston Marriott Burlington in Burlington, MA during the weekend of July 9th - 12th. Looking forward to reuniting with a bunch of friends (and meeting some new ones)! Here's where…
krasnoff.wordpress.com
My Readercon 2026 schedule
Well, I've gotten my final schedule for this year's Readercon, which will take place at the Boston Marriott Burlington in Burlington, MA during the weekend of July 9th - 12th. Looking forward to reuniting with a bunch of friends (and meeting some new ones)! Here's where I'll be -- when I'm not attending panels and readings, or just hanging out.
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Barbara Krasnoff @barb.bsky.social · 08/06/2026
Moving this on because it caught my attention as something worthy for folks to know about.
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Barbara Krasnoff @barb.bsky.social · 20/05/2026
Not part of this mishegas anymore (because of a layoff back in January), but can't help feeling a little anxious for my former colleagues at The Verge. Keeping my fingers crossed for them.
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Barbara Krasnoff @barb.bsky.social · 04/04/2026
I was interested in this because I saw the 1975 Broadway play with Tovah Feldshuh and loved it - and strongly disliked the Streisand film. I would have been curious to see this one had it a chance of coming to NY.
forward.com
This isn't Barbra Streisand's 'Yentl' — it isn't I.B. Singer's either
In a new production currently playing in London, Isaac Bashevis Singer’s Yeshiva boy makes an awkward transition to the Yiddish stage
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Barbara Krasnoff @barb.bsky.social · 17/03/2026
I took a tour of Hart Island this morning, and it was windy, freezing, and utterly fascinating. It concentrated on women who were buried in or associated with the island, but I fully intend to try to get to the island again to see more of it. Many thanks to the Parks Dept staff who guided us today.
Long field with sticks and black letters in rows. Rocky Field with a sign sign that says Hart Island, a pole. Do what's left, small religious sculptors to its right, and trees and people in the background.A gravestone with a tiny other gravestone leaning against it in front of a white picket fence.
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Barbara Krasnoff @barb.bsky.social · 09/03/2026
I've been interested in Hart Island (NYC's "Potter's Field") for years, and this struck me as special. Dawn Powell was a NYC author from the 1920s - 50s, writing satirical novels & plays. I've just started reading her novel Turn, Magic Wheel, a satire of NYC's publishing industry. Can't wait.
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Barbara Krasnoff @barb.bsky.social · 17/02/2026
Just a reminder.
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Barbara Krasnoff @barb.bsky.social · 15/02/2026
youtube.com/watch?v=dxpj...
youtube.com
JANE AUSTEN'S PERIOD DRAMA / 2026 Oscar®-Nominated Short Film
YouTube video by JULIA AKS
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Barbara Krasnoff @barb.bsky.social · 15/02/2026
Why wasn't I aware of this hilarious little gem before? youtu.be/dxpjzOLVRR0?...
youtu.be
JANE AUSTEN'S PERIOD DRAMA / 2026 Oscar®-Nominated Short Film
YouTube video by JULIA AKS
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Barbara Krasnoff @barb.bsky.social · 14/02/2026
Sometimes, it's a nice distraction to research a phrase you've never come across before.
krasnoff.wordpress.com
In the 1930s, “mushroom club” = “pop-up club”
I read a lot of 19th and early 20th century novels -- not surprising from somebody who became enamored of Sam Weller at the age of 11 (see: Dickens' The Pickwick Papers). So it's not surprising that I became familiar with a few obsolete phrases along the way. However, I also tend to read too quickly for my own good, and can often miss details that I trip over on my second (or third, or tenth) reread.
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Barbara Krasnoff @barb.bsky.social · 11/02/2026
I just surprised myself by subscribing to @theverge.com, the publication that laid me off. Well, maybe not that surprising -- even if it made the mistake of getting rid of me, I know damn well how good the rest of the staff is, so what the hell.
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Barbara Krasnoff @barb.bsky.social · 10/02/2026
Dr Strangelove, here we come. www.nytimes.com/2026/02/09/u...
nytimes.com
Newly Unbound, Trump Weighs More Nuclear Arms and Underground Tests
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Barbara Krasnoff @barb.bsky.social · 07/02/2026
Lots of interesting authors and agents hanging out at Barrow's Intense in Industry City in Brooklyn right now. Brave the cold and come by.
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Barbara Krasnoff @barb.bsky.social · 04/02/2026
In 1976, Rupert Murdoch bought the NY Post, which had been a liberal paper with fine columnists and sports coverage. Overnight, it became a far right tabloid; my father immediately cancelled his subscription. Seeing what's happened to WaPo, which once broke Watergate, the comparison is striking.
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Barbara Krasnoff @barb.bsky.social · 31/01/2026
I'm considering this my unofficial no-longer-working-so-will-have-time-to-write celebration. So come say hi!
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Barbara Krasnoff @barb.bsky.social · 29/01/2026
I've opted out of this GoFundMe - I've got some savings and other resources, so I'm okay for now - but I've got ex-colleagues who are now dealing with very difficult situations, especially in this job market. So I'm boosting this for anyone who can help.
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Barbara Krasnoff @barb.bsky.social · 27/01/2026
A heartbreaking remembrance of Alex Pretti by @kristenradtke.bsky.social, a former colleague at @theverge.com who grew up with him. I've lost close friends, but none so brutally. My condolences to Kristen, and to Alex's family. May his memory be a blessing.
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Reposted by Barbara Krasnoff
Brooklyn Books & Booze @ Barrow's Intense @bklynbooksbooze.bsky.social · 23/01/2026
NOTE: The first-ever BBB Author Book Fair (on Feb. 7) now has MORE to offer! We welcome @crazy8press.bsky.social and #ShivaKumar to our flock of authors -- come out and join us starting at 11am for books, agents, presentations, snacks, a raffle, and joy! 📖🍸🌟 More: www.facebook.com/events/10969...
Authors images arrayed promoting BBB's author book fair on Feb. 7 at 11am in Barrow's Intense Tasting Room
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Barbara Krasnoff @barb.bsky.social · 17/01/2026
You know, I used to shake my head at people - men mostly - who couldn't deal with retirement because they felt they lost their identity with their job. Yet here I am, newly laid off from what is most certainly the last full time job I will ever have, and I feel like I'm mourning my life.
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Reposted by Barbara Krasnoff
Brooklyn Books & Booze @ Barrow's Intense @bklynbooksbooze.bsky.social · 14/01/2026
Brooklyn Books & Booze's first Author Book Fair is pleased to announce an addition to our authors and presenters: @luciennediver.bsky.social ! Be sure to be there for her noon presentation "Reader and Writer: The Art of Connection" & pick up one of her books!📚 More: www.facebook.com/events/10969...
Lucienne Diver at Brooklyn Books & Booze's Author Book Fair 2/7 11am-5pmBrooklyn Books & Booze Author Book Fair - Books for Sale! Pitch an Agent! Raffle! Plus photos of authors and agent - Saturday February 7 11-5pm Barrows Intense Tasting Room
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Barbara Krasnoff @barb.bsky.social · 09/01/2026
My colleagues at The Verge Awards have chosen their "best of" awards for CES 2026, and it's a great collection of stuff -- and a lot of fun to read, even for devices you'd never actually buy. (Although I'm going to be really tempted by those $10 speakers...) www.theverge.com/tech/858494/...
theverge.com
The Verge Awards at CES 2026
Rollable laptops, twice-folding phones, and a ‘longevity station.’ This is the CES tech we come back for.
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Barbara Krasnoff @barb.bsky.social · 08/01/2026
Points to Bose for open-sourcing its old smart speakers instead of bricking them. (Not that I've ever been able to afford a Bose speaker, but it's still nice to hear when a company abandons its products but not its customers." www.theverge.com/news/858501/...
theverge.com
Bose is open-sourcing its old smart speakers instead of bricking them
Bose speakers un-bricked
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Barbara Krasnoff @barb.bsky.social · 30/12/2025
Agree -- this is very funny and a great satire.
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Barbara Krasnoff @barb.bsky.social · 22/12/2025
Every year at @theverge.com, the staff comments on their favorite books of the year (which I love, because it gives me so many ideas). This year, it includes books by @theodoragoss.bsky.social, @appletwigli.bsky.social, and one of my favorites, Ursula K. Le Guin. www.theverge.com/entertainmen...
theverge.com
The best books we read in 2025
Great stuff to read
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Barbara Krasnoff @barb.bsky.social · 11/12/2025
Sitting waiting for an ultrasound and forced to listen to a 15 minute upbeat report on CBS on an author who died of brain cancer and how brave & peaceful & accepting & cheerful & loved she was. I want to throw my phone at the screen.
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Barbara Krasnoff @barb.bsky.social · 10/12/2025
Listening to @thebrianlehrershow.bsky.social on WNYC as I usually do with half an ear while editing an article, and suddenly I realize I've been listening to one of my colleagues, @tinanguyen.bsky.social, being an expert on AI regulation. Pay attention, Barbara!
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Barbara Krasnoff @barb.bsky.social · 25/11/2025
When I was 5 years old, my parents had a record of Elizabeth Cotton singing Freight Train. I used to sing with the record all the time. So the song is in my head. www.tiktok.com/t/ZTrFyR1Hf/
tiktok.com
Original reel in the Pete and Toshi Seeger film collection. American Folklife Center, Library of Congress. #elizabethcotten #folk #folkmusic #dimestoreradio #americanmusic
TikTok video by Dime Store Radio
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Reposted by Barbara Krasnoff
Mike Allen (Mythic Delirium Books📚) @mythicdelirium.bsky.social · 17/11/2025
In a celebration of Mythic Delirium debuts, we’ve made @csecooney.bsky.social’s BONE SWANS—which turned 10 years old this year— @barb.bsky.social’s THE HISTORY OF SOUL 2065, and @fluoritewitch.bsky.social’s LIKE SMOKE, LIKE LIGHT available at HUGE discounts in e-book & [US Only] paperback … [2/3]
MYTHIC DELIRIUM returns in 2026
 
At least that’s the goal! And the first phase is underway, with the forthcoming publication of Haralambi Markov’s debut collection of horror & Weird fiction, THE LANGUAGE OF KNIVES. (Introduction by Ann VanderMeer!)
 
In a celebration of Mythic Delirium-enabled debuts, we’ve made C.S.E. Cooney’s BONE SWANS—which turned 10 years old this year—Barbara Krasnoff’s THE HISTORY OF SOUL 2065, and Yukimi Ogawa’s LIKE SMOKE, LIKE LIGHT available at HUGE discounts [US Only] in e-book AND paperback editions, WITH pre-orders of LANGUAGE OF KNIVES + shipping costs included in the prices!
 
Please check it out & spread the word—all found here: https://bit.ly/BoneSwans10thMYTHIC DELIRIUM returns in 2026
 
At least that’s the goal! And the first phase is underway, with the forthcoming publication of Haralambi Markov’s debut collection of horror & Weird fiction, THE LANGUAGE OF KNIVES. (Introduction by Ann VanderMeer!)
 
In a celebration of Mythic Delirium-enabled debuts, we’ve made C.S.E. Cooney’s BONE SWANS—which turned 10 years old this year—Barbara Krasnoff’s THE HISTORY OF SOUL 2065, and Yukimi Ogawa’s LIKE SMOKE, LIKE LIGHT available at HUGE discounts [US Only] in e-book AND paperback editions, WITH pre-orders of LANGUAGE OF KNIVES + shipping costs included in the prices!
 
Please check it out & spread the word—all found here: https://bit.ly/BoneSwans10thMYTHIC DELIRIUM returns in 2026
 
At least that’s the goal! And the first phase is underway, with the forthcoming publication of Haralambi Markov’s debut collection of horror & Weird fiction, THE LANGUAGE OF KNIVES. (Introduction by Ann VanderMeer!)
 
In a celebration of Mythic Delirium-enabled debuts, we’ve made C.S.E. Cooney’s BONE SWANS—which turned 10 years old this year—Barbara Krasnoff’s THE HISTORY OF SOUL 2065, and Yukimi Ogawa’s LIKE SMOKE, LIKE LIGHT available at HUGE discounts [US Only] in e-book AND paperback editions, WITH pre-orders of LANGUAGE OF KNIVES + shipping costs included in the prices!
 
Please check it out & spread the word—all found here: https://bit.ly/BoneSwans10thMYTHIC DELIRIUM returns in 2026
 
At least that’s the goal! And the first phase is underway, with the forthcoming publication of Haralambi Markov’s debut collection of horror & Weird fiction, THE LANGUAGE OF KNIVES. (Introduction by Ann VanderMeer!)
 
In a celebration of Mythic Delirium-enabled debuts, we’ve made C.S.E. Cooney’s BONE SWANS—which turned 10 years old this year—Barbara Krasnoff’s THE HISTORY OF SOUL 2065, and Yukimi Ogawa’s LIKE SMOKE, LIKE LIGHT available at HUGE discounts [US Only] in e-book AND paperback editions, WITH pre-orders of LANGUAGE OF KNIVES + shipping costs included in the prices!
 
Please check it out & spread the word—all found here: https://bit.ly/BoneSwans10th
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Barbara Krasnoff @barb.bsky.social · 17/11/2025
As someone who has been collecting Playbills since she was six years old, I originally thought this would be about how to preserve them... www.nytimes.com/2025/11/17/t...
nytimes.com
What Should I Do With My Playbill?
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Barbara Krasnoff @barb.bsky.social · 22/09/2025
I asked some of my colleagues from The Verge about books that changed their lives. I got some interesting answers. www.theverge.com/tech/774085/...
theverge.com
Books that changed our lives
Reading can affect your life.
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Barbara Krasnoff @barb.bsky.social · 17/09/2025
My grandmother was a left-wing Jewish radical and I wrote "Red Dybbuk" to honor her. That story is part of THE HISTORY OF SOUL 2065, included in the Mythic Delirium celebration.
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Reposted by Barbara Krasnoff
Mike Allen (Mythic Delirium Books📚) @mythicdelirium.bsky.social · 15/09/2025
This is the 10th anniversary of the release of our first debut collection, BONE SWANS by @csecooney.bsky.social, so we've made a celebratory sale/preorder offer that includes THE HISTORY OF SOUL 2065 by @barb.bsky.social & LIKE SMOKE, LIKE LIGHT by @fluoritewitch.bsky.social bit.ly/BoneSwans10th
The covers of THE HISTORY OF SOUL 2065 by Barbara Krasnoff, BONE SWANS by C.S.E. Cooney and LIKE SMOKE, LIKE LIGHT by Yukimi Ogawa
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Barbara Krasnoff @barb.bsky.social · 14/09/2025
Walking down 55th St. in Brooklyn, I passed a playground and 2 homes playing loud danceable music from 3 different cultures. If I lived next door to any of them, I probably would have been annoyed, but walking down the street, it was a cool experience.
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Barbara Krasnoff @barb.bsky.social · 01/09/2025
Just a short note that I'll be reading a part of my story "The Didibug Pin" (from the anthology Menial: Skilled Labor in Science Fiction) tonight at 9pm on Hour of the Wolf, WBAI-FM wbai.org/listen-live/
wbai.org
WBAI-FM Live Radio Player
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Barbara Krasnoff @barb.bsky.social · 26/08/2025
It's the 105th anniversary of the 19th Amendment to the US Constitution. youtu.be/Kj1UQuJjrXI?...
youtu.be
The Nineteenth Amendment | Journey to American Democracy
YouTube video by Heather Cox Richardson
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Barbara Krasnoff @barb.bsky.social · 06/08/2025
Love the way Tina describes this as "the Game of Thrones of it all."
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Barbara Krasnoff @barb.bsky.social · 06/08/2025
I was recruited to contribute to this; not sure when (or if!) it will appear, but I'm sure all the other writers will be great!
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Barbara Krasnoff @barb.bsky.social · 14/07/2025
My Readercon schedule, just in case you'll be hanging around the Boston area this coming weekend. krasnoff.wordpress.com/2025/07/14/r...
krasnoff.wordpress.com
Readercon 2025
For years, I’ve tried to keep up with the custom of announcing which cons I’m going to and which panels I’m going to be one, and because I’ve been terrible at keeping up wit…
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Barbara Krasnoff @barb.bsky.social · 12/07/2025
I'm fascinated by adventures like these - especially because it's not something I'd ever try. youtu.be/0Y4qlkciOcs?...
youtu.be
I built an e-bike with unlimited range and tried to ride 450 miles on it...
YouTube video by Becca Farsace
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