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Bess Lovejoy

@besslovejoy.bsky.social
5.4K followers 409 following 632 posts

Wrote Rest in Pieces: The Curious Fates of Famous Corpses & etc. Now: research, podcasts, journalism, weird fiction. BessLovejoy.wordpress.com

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Bess Lovejoy @besslovejoy.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
I'm always telling my research students to look for sources as physically close to events as possible. Case in point: The idea that a very dead Ramses II travelled with a passport to France is a beloved "weird fact" in U.S. papers. French sources show it ain't true: factuel.afp.com/ce-passeport...
factuel.afp.com
Ce "passeport" de la momie de Ramsès II est un montage
Des publications partagées des centaines de fois sur Facebook en Suisse, France ou Belgique depuis la mi-septembre affirment que la momie de Ramsès II aurait reçu un "passeport" afin de voyager d’Egyp...
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Bess Lovejoy @besslovejoy.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Where is the AI agent that will argue with insurance on behalf of chronically ill people? I don't need help ordering groceries or shopping for ceramic plates, but if someone could figure out how much tests are and re-order these 3 scripts from 3 different pharmacies, that would actually be helpful.
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Bess Lovejoy @besslovejoy.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Dealing with some unpleasant COVID parting gifts right now, but I am THRILLED to have served on the @thestranger.com's Genius Awards Committee this year. And it was an honor to do the write-up for the Beacon Cinema's Film Genius award: www.thestranger.com/genius-award...
thestranger.com
Film Genius: The Beacon Cinema - The Stranger
The Beacon Cinema earned my devotion one night at the tail end of 2023. My obsession with the mid-century British writer of “strange stories” Robert Aickman had led me to the BBC’s A Ghost Story for C...
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Dr Surekha Davies, Historical Monster Consultant (she/her) @drsurekhadavies.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
In a world of Musks, Brins, Altmans and Zuckerbergs, be a Dolly.
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The Stranger @thestranger.com · 06/08/2026
Our August issue asks that question from every angle. Through stories about grief, death workers, remembrance, and the ways people learn to live with loss, this package explores something all of us will experience but few of us are taught how to face.
thestranger.com
What Happens When We Go? - The Stranger
Three things are certain in life: death, summer music festivals, and the absolute poetry that The Stranger’s death-themed issue is my last at this paper.  Our August issue’s feature package started wi...
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Bess Lovejoy @besslovejoy.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
Just a few more days to sign up for my summer research class with @morbidanatomy.bsky.social, and a few more spots left! Deets here: www.morbidanatomy.org/classes/p/re...
morbidanatomy.org
Back By Popular Demand: Re-Enchanting the World Through Research with Author Bess Lovejoy, Begins June 22 — Morbid Anatomy
5-Week class taught online via Zoom Monday, June 22 -July 20 2026 7 - 9 pm ET (NYC time) $180 Paid Patreon Members / $190 General Admission PLEASE NOTE: All classes will be recorded f...
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Bess Lovejoy @besslovejoy.bsky.social · 06/06/2026
I love sourdough, but I'm not sure I'd want to eat it if the yeast came from Ötzi the Iceman. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vn4H... (Also, I definitely thought this said "mommy juice" at first, and I was like, "They made bread from wine?")
youtube.com
Yum! Mummy juice bread!
YouTube video by Scientific American
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Bess Lovejoy @besslovejoy.bsky.social · 28/05/2026
Bumper sticker idea for These Times: Be the friction you want to see in the world.
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Bess Lovejoy @besslovejoy.bsky.social · 12/05/2026
Wrapping up my last research class at Folio tonight. I’ve loved teaching this one in person. Next up: an online version via Morbid Anatomy in June — plus a new on-demand edition is live. Research, archives, storytelling, vetting, info literacy, and more. Deets: besslovejoy.com/classes-talks
besslovejoy.com
Classes & Talks
George Peabody Library at John Hopkins via Library of Congress I teach classes on research for writers and creatives that are designed to help you find better material, think more critically about …
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Bess Lovejoy @besslovejoy.bsky.social · 04/05/2026
I really need @disparition.bsky.social to release the music from Season 2 though! Season 1's soundtrack has been my work soundtrack for many years. Think how productive I'd be with Season 2!
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Bess Lovejoy @besslovejoy.bsky.social · 04/05/2026
Very pleased there's a new story in the Alice Isn't Dead universe. I have few fandoms in life, but this is one. Mostly because the music by Disparition is so sublime, but the narration, the quiet eeriness ... all A+. Just search your podcast apps for Alice Isn't Dead -- "Don't Tell Alice."
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Maryn McKenna @marynmck.bsky.social · 21/04/2026
You thought you heard a roll of thunder, but it was actually thousands of medical historians cracking their knuckles and rolling up their sleeves to revisit centuries of “dirty immigrant” canards.
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Bess Lovejoy @besslovejoy.bsky.social · 09/04/2026
Shameless 1921 watercolor of cherry blossoms for attention, but hey Seattle: my research class for creative types launches on Monday! In the beautiful Folio library inside Pike Place Market. Sign up here (select 4/13 as start date—it's not sold out!) www.folioseattle.org/event-detail...
Watercolor of a branch of pink fukurokuju cherry blossoms on a dun-colored background, by Kōkichi Tsunoi, 1921, via the Library of Congress
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The Jer Witch Project @neveronbrand.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
How it feels doing literally any task right now.
Viral photo from some years back of a man nonchalantly mowing his yard with a tornado on the horizon .
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Bess Lovejoy @besslovejoy.bsky.social · 05/04/2026
I have decided that astrology is the pumpkin spice of the occult sciences and will not be taking questions at this time.
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Bess Lovejoy @besslovejoy.bsky.social · 03/04/2026
Grateful I got the chance to work with you, Eric! Sending my best.
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Bess Lovejoy @besslovejoy.bsky.social · 31/03/2026
Important news: Have just discovered that the name Betelgeuse came from the French rendering of 9th-century Arabic that can be translated as "armpit of the Great One," and suddenly a whole bunch of stuff has started to make sense.
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Bess Lovejoy @besslovejoy.bsky.social · 25/03/2026
Seattle, I’m teaching an in-person class at Folio on research for writers & creative types. In a moment when knowing what’s trustworthy matters more than ever, we’ll dig into search, libraries + archives, evaluating sources, organizing, interviewing, narrative — and AI. Starts 4/13! bit.ly/4bHoKac
folioseattle.org
Workshop: Research for Writers and Creatives with Bess Lovejoy | FOLIO SEATTLE
A 5-week workshop at Folio
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Bess Lovejoy @besslovejoy.bsky.social · 23/03/2026
This is also probably just me being an old and standing up for a subculture that may have transmogrified once again. But anyway it's true Dick Hebdige already explained this.
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Bess Lovejoy @besslovejoy.bsky.social · 23/03/2026
I loved Tabs today but I am confused about what Dinergoth has to do with goth and I refuse to read that essay to find out.
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Bess Lovejoy @besslovejoy.bsky.social · 17/03/2026
Aw, thank you!
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Bess Lovejoy @besslovejoy.bsky.social · 16/03/2026
Can you believe this dress is made from paper? Specifically, hanji — handmade Korean paper that can last for 1,000 years. It was such a delight to speak to artist Aimee Lee about hanji, artists' books, and resilience for @thestranger.com's Spring Arts issue. www.thestranger.com/books/2026/0...
A dress made from hanji paper by artist Aimee Lee. The piece is called "Arrived" (2025). Indigo on hanji, thread, mulberry bark lace.
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Bess Lovejoy @besslovejoy.bsky.social · 06/03/2026
I wrote about the world's first Scent Lending Library for The Art Newspaper. Read all about scent art, scent literacy, and what happened with the bottles I borrowed (it was not quite what I expected!) Sorry to say that peacock doesn't have a smell, tho. www.theartnewspaper.com/2026/03/05/a...
theartnewspaper.com
Artist creates the world’s first scent-lending library
The Seattle-based artist Donna Lipowitz provides a popular service that no one nose they need
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Bess Lovejoy @besslovejoy.bsky.social · 05/03/2026
Living with a long term mystery illness has given me a lot to think about in terms of our culture's discomfort with uncertainty and it's ... interesting? ... to think about how that discomfort is getting baked into these systems. What catastrophes will that cause?
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Bess Lovejoy @besslovejoy.bsky.social · 05/03/2026
On a better note, went to a sneak peek of the Seattle Art Museum's Beyond Mysticism show yesterday and it's pretty glorious. Of course I got stuck in the Surrealism section, gaping at work by Leo Kenney, a Seattle Surrealist I'd never heard of. www.historylink.org/File/5350
A midcentury Surrealist painting by Leo KenneyA midcentury Surrealist painting by Leo Kenney
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Bess Lovejoy @besslovejoy.bsky.social · 05/03/2026
Some good food for thought on AI in the military and beyond here; I particularly appreciated the note that these systems are not trained to *ever* say "I don't know" and the types of mistakes they make are not ones we are used to looking out for. www.kuow.org/stories/anth...
kuow.org
Anthropic–Pentagon contract dispute raises questions about AI's use in the military
The contract dispute points to the increasing role of AI in the military and what safeguards may exist for its use both domestically and in war.
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Bess Lovejoy @besslovejoy.bsky.social · 07/02/2026
I've heard this happens a lot!
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Bess Lovejoy @besslovejoy.bsky.social · 07/02/2026
I'm attending a Washington State Immigrant Solidarity Know Your Rights training Feb 11, because I need a refresher on what to do when crap is going down here. And it is going down. This morning there was an ICE arrest a few blocks from where I grew up. I'm livid. Join me Feb 11? waisn.org/events/
waisn.org
Upcoming Events & Trainings - WAISN
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sara m. b. simon @sarambsimon.bsky.social · 04/02/2026
quick, someone help, we've got a vegetable situation
three thick big books, all titled "vegetable situation"
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Bess Lovejoy @besslovejoy.bsky.social · 01/02/2026
Yes! Kids grow up so fast these days.
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Bess Lovejoy @besslovejoy.bsky.social · 31/01/2026
Young adult in babydoll dress and Docs around the corner from Easy Street records: "It's In Utero's 30th anniversary?!" Friend: "I don't know who the fuck that is." Babydoll: "It's not a person!" #thekidsarealright
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Bess Lovejoy @besslovejoy.bsky.social · 30/01/2026
I'll never forget trying to describe the bodega cats to a friend in Vancouver, BC when I moved from there to NYC. "They just have cats ... in the grocery store? Doesn't the health department have anything to say about that?"
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Bess Lovejoy @besslovejoy.bsky.social · 30/01/2026
Look, even the cats are against ICE now. www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/im-...
mcsweeneys.net
I’m a Bodega Cat, and I Guess I’m in Charge Now?
Dear Customers: Some humans (I think? Hard to tell) in masks and vests showed up this morning and took Manny and Kumal away. As you may have notice...
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Bess Lovejoy @besslovejoy.bsky.social · 30/01/2026
Washington state investors: Seattle City Employees’ Retirement System, Washington State Investment Board
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Bess Lovejoy @besslovejoy.bsky.social · 28/01/2026
It's important to remember that we still have a free press -- unlike regimes that are full-on authoritarian or fascist. Pay attention to it. Support it with your money. Tell others.
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Bess Lovejoy @besslovejoy.bsky.social · 28/01/2026
Today's On Point (which should appear here eventually) was about how Minneapolis is resisting ICE--even people who don't consider themselves "political," even people who voted for Trump. The whole city is saying no. We should all be paying attention to how it's done. www.npr.org/podcasts/510...
npr.org
On Point with Meghna Chakrabarti
Get ready for your aha moment: Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti pierces your news bubble to expose the whole story. Getting answers to the questions that need to be asked, examining our history ...
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Bess Lovejoy @besslovejoy.bsky.social · 25/01/2026
Given current events, are we sure the success of Heated Rivalry isn't some kind of Psych Ops by the Canadians?
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Bess Lovejoy @besslovejoy.bsky.social · 13/01/2026
Somehow only just now stumbling on the Public Domain Review's collection of "decayed daguerreotypes," in case you need a distraction from the news for some weird reason publicdomainreview.org/collection/d...
publicdomainreview.org
Decayed Daguerreotypes
A selection of images from the <a href="http://www.loc.gov/pictures/search/?sp=1&co=dag&st=grid" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Library of Congress</a> of decaying daguerreotypes whose phot...
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Bess Lovejoy @besslovejoy.bsky.social · 09/01/2026
But what I actually came here to say is that if you want a fast, legit way of staying on top of the false claims being spread by this admin (and how they're being supercharged by AI), I recommend NewsGuard's newsletter: www.newsguardrealitycheck.com?r=39ar2 (I am not affiliated)
newsguardrealitycheck.com
NewsGuard's Reality Check | Substack
A report on how false claims online are undermining trust — and who’s behind them. Produced by co-CEOs Steven Brill, Gordon Crovitz, and the NewsGuard Team. Click to read NewsGuard's Reality Check, a ...
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Bess Lovejoy @besslovejoy.bsky.social · 09/01/2026
Reminded me of my favorite bday party this year: Nothing like a room full of black-clad, heavily tattooed goths dancing funky to Snap!
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Bess Lovejoy @besslovejoy.bsky.social · 09/01/2026
Spent the first hour of my morning listening to early 90s r&b and hip-hop after PM Dawn's "Set Adrift on Memory Bliss" played in an ad and I HIGHLY recommend this as a coping mechanism.
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Bess Lovejoy @besslovejoy.bsky.social · 06/01/2026
Seattle was gray and also gorgeous today. (This is a pocket park with waterfall on the site of where UPS was founded.)
A view inside Seattle's Waterfall Park
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Bess Lovejoy @besslovejoy.bsky.social · 06/01/2026
This ... thing ... has been hanging out in my building's common area lounge for who knows how long. I'm very pleased it has been allowed to just be.
some sort of headless and very fake black bird beneath a photo of desert trees in a lounge
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Bess Lovejoy @besslovejoy.bsky.social · 27/12/2025
My mom (a rabbi) lives in one of the most diverse zip codes in the state, if not the country. There is really no need to pretend everyone celebrates Christmas here and yes I will die on this hill.
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Bess Lovejoy @besslovejoy.bsky.social · 27/12/2025
Went out to dinner for my mom's birthday and our server asked, "How was your Christmas?" "We don't celebrate Christmas," I said, trying not to snap. (I have no chill on this issue.) "Neither do I!" she said and looked SO happy. Then she gave my nephew a deal on cheeseburgers with unlimited fries. 😎
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Bess Lovejoy @besslovejoy.bsky.social · 22/12/2025
“What gets remembered is a function of who’s in the room doing the remembering." What a legend. www.kqed.org/news/1206821...
kqed.org
Betty Reid Soskin, Oldest U.S. Park Ranger and Trailblazing Historian, Dies at 104 | KQED
Betty Reid Soskin, the nation’s oldest National Park Service ranger and a pioneering historian at Rosie the Riveter WWII Home Front National Historical Park, devoted her life to preserving Black histo...
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Texas Chainsaw Writing Workshop @kellylink.bsky.social · 19/12/2025
Hearing murmurs that publishing houses are pushing editors to use AI in their work. How can writers help employees push back against this? If you work in publishing & don’t feel comfortable replying directly, I am opening up my DMs.
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Bess Lovejoy @besslovejoy.bsky.social · 17/12/2025
Reading this tonight and it's utterly delightful. Sly, perfect, inventive, very human and very strange all at once. I'll be excited for this in January! us.macmillan.com/books/978125...
A marigold yellow pamphlet holding the short story Our Lady of Resplendent Misfortune by Senaa Ahmad, published by One Story.
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Bess Lovejoy @besslovejoy.bsky.social · 13/12/2025
Way to ruin Christmas
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Bess Lovejoy @besslovejoy.bsky.social · 13/12/2025
It's "Chappy Chanukkah" or go home.
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