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Alexander Sorondo @bigreaderbadgrades.bsky.social · 30/06/2026

Last week I flew to Sacramento to interview William T. Vollmann about his terminal illness, his new 3,096-page novel, and what he plans to do with the time he has left. bigreaderbadgrades.substack.com/p/we-always-...

bigreaderbadgrades.substack.com

"We Always Leave Things Unfinished"

William T. Vollmann is dying. In his Sacramento studio, he talks America, unfinished work, and the 3,096-page opus he finished just in time.

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Reposted by Alexander Sorondo

biblioklept @biblioklept.bsky.social · 30/06/2026

This bit in @bigreaderbadgrades.bsky.social's new interview with William Vollmann is like horrifying and sad and made me laugh out loud.

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Alexander Sorondo @bigreaderbadgrades.bsky.social · 13/05/2026

Thanks for the kind words! I worked on this for a long time, it's great to see people are still finding and enjoying it!

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Alexander Sorondo @bigreaderbadgrades.bsky.social · 27/03/2026

I spent 4 months reporting this profile of Bret Easton Ellis, culminating in an interview with the man himself. substack.com/home/post/p-...

substack.com

The Very Good Soldier

On the American Journey of Bret Easton Ellis

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Burning Ambulance @burningambulance.bsky.social · 26/03/2026

A very long essay about Bret Easton Ellis. I admit my interest waned after the section dealing with GLAMORAMA (which is not only Ellis's best book, but one of the best books of the 1990s) but I read the whole thing. You should too. www.metropolitanreview.org/p/the-very-g...

metropolitanreview.org

The Very Good Soldier

On the American Journey of Bret Easton Ellis

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Alexander Sorondo @bigreaderbadgrades.bsky.social · 24/02/2026

For the 35th anniversary of #AmericanPsycho, by Bret Easton Ellis, here's a long investigative piece charting how the book was sold, then written, the canceled open.substack.com/pub/bigreade...

open.substack.com

How "American Psycho" Was Sold, Written, Cancelled and Saved

An excerpt from a Bret Easton Ellis profile.

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Alexander Sorondo @bigreaderbadgrades.bsky.social · 07/12/2025

@rangedtouch.bsky.social I'm really excited for your Alan Moore interview at the end of Promethea! Have you set a date for when it woll be posted?

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Alexander Sorondo @bigreaderbadgrades.bsky.social · 04/12/2025

After one week, my 11,500-word profile of Alan Moore and his ambitious new project with @bloomsburybooksuk.bsky.social, THE LONG LONDON, is getting picked up by other venues! open.substack.com/pub/metropol...

open.substack.com

Giant of the Attic

On the Majesty of Alan Moore

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Andy Boyle @andymboyle.bsky.social · 27/11/2025

rewatching stranger things and realizing “oh that’s the same music they used during the ‘birth’ of Doctor manhattan in the watchmen” and wondering why I can remember this but not my sister’s birthday

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Alexander Sorondo @bigreaderbadgrades.bsky.social · 29/11/2025

I spent the past few months reporting a profile of Alan Moore: his shift to full-time novelist, his fallout with DC, and his new, risky, huge project at @bloomsburybooksuk.bsky.social Indiscreet here, but I think @pattonoswalt.bsky.social would like it open.substack.com/pub/metropol...

open.substack.com

Giant of the Attic

On the Majesty of Alan Moore

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John Foo @j0nf00.bsky.social · 28/11/2025

Alan Moore awakened by news of a forthcoming V for Vendetta prestige tv series

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Alexander Sorondo @bigreaderbadgrades.bsky.social · 29/11/2025

Grateful to @kottke.org for sharing the deep-dive Alan Moore profile I wrote for The Metropolitan Review!

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Alexander Sorondo @bigreaderbadgrades.bsky.social · 27/11/2025

Thank you so much! I'm glad you enjoyed it! And I'll take advantage of the kind word as a reason for reposting it -- www.metropolitanreview.org/p/giant-of-t...

metropolitanreview.org

Giant of the Attic

On the Majesty of Alan Moore

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Alexander Sorondo @bigreaderbadgrades.bsky.social · 27/11/2025

Liefeld allegedly has a tape recording of a 3-hour phone conversation with Alan Moore from when he (Moore) had just seen Pulp Fiction for the first time. "I can't get Tarantino off my MIND..." Moore insists he's never spoken with Liefeld on the phone. Liefeld says he'll release the tape someday.

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Alexander Sorondo @bigreaderbadgrades.bsky.social · 27/11/2025

Ultimate stamp of approval: spending 3 months researching a 40pg profile about an eccentric, challenging author--and getting a thumbs up from that author's fans when it's done. Read about Alan Moore's latest career moves at The Metropolitan Review! www.metropolitanreview.org/p/giant-of-t...

metropolitanreview.org

Giant of the Attic

On the Majesty of Alan Moore

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Alexander Sorondo @bigreaderbadgrades.bsky.social · 27/11/2025

I read this more than twelve hours ago and just as Christmas carols are tinkling through every storefront I've got "Monster Mash" stuck in my head on loop

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Alexander Sorondo @bigreaderbadgrades.bsky.social · 26/11/2025

A new 11,000-word profile about #AlanMoore, now a full-time novelist, and his risky new venture: a five-part fantasy series for Bloomsbury open.substack.com/pub/metropol...

open.substack.com

Giant of the Attic

On the Majesty of Alan Moore

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Alexander Sorondo @bigreaderbadgrades.bsky.social · 09/07/2025

The Metropolitan Review just published my 15,000-word investigative piece about #houseofleaves author @markzdanielewski.bsky.social, his 27-volume novel THE FAMILIAR, and offers the first profile of his father, the cult filmmaker, Tad Danielewski substack.com/home/post/p-...

substack.com

Revolution Man

On Mark Z. Danielewski, His Unfinished Novel, and His Father's Ghost(s)

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Alexander Sorondo @bigreaderbadgrades.bsky.social · 02/04/2025

Bummer he's gotta point out that latter part as a feature but I appreciate the sentiment.

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Alexander Sorondo @bigreaderbadgrades.bsky.social · 27/03/2025

Phrases like "staggeringly good" are disarming because (1) I've never written anything that gained a big readership, (2) this article pitch was rejected at least 30 times

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Alexander Sorondo @bigreaderbadgrades.bsky.social · 23/03/2025

For the past couple months I've been working on a story of William T. Vollmann's 3,000 page novel, TABLE FOR FORTUNE, and the tragic saga surrounding its publication. It's long, but it's published, and I've never had a more rewarding experience as a writer. open.substack.com/pub/metropol...

open.substack.com

The Last Contract

William T. Vollmann's Battle to Publish an American Epic

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Alexander Sorondo @bigreaderbadgrades.bsky.social · 25/02/2025

Elon Musk, enemy of wasteful government spending, created a multi-million dollar government crisis this weekend when he demanded every government employee send him an email explaining what they did last week. On Monday he said it was a joke. bigreaderbadgrades.substack.com/p/musk-waste...

bigreaderbadgrades.substack.com

Musk Wastes Millions of Dollars on "Joke"

Elon Musk, tasked with identifying wasteful/fraudulent government spending, burned untold millions of taxpayer dollars on a weekend stunt.

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Adam Kinzinger @adamkinzinger.substack.com · 12/02/2025

The new iconic photo that i predicted ultimately destroys the relationship:

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Alexander Sorondo @bigreaderbadgrades.bsky.social · 12/02/2025

2-disc greatest hits album of Supertramp is one of the first i ever bought. I was 15. Loving one track and then getting tense when it switched to the next one. Started questioning my understanding of music if this was really a "greatest hit"...

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Kevin M. Kruse @kevinmkruse.bsky.social · 11/02/2025

I can’t believe the Supreme Court said the president was above the law and now the president is acting like he’s above the law.

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Alexander Sorondo @bigreaderbadgrades.bsky.social · 09/02/2025

Party of Law & Order: "Actually judges kinda suck?lol"

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Alexander Sorondo @bigreaderbadgrades.bsky.social · 09/02/2025

“[I]f cutting the federal government is what this is all about, then Trump and Musk wouldn't bother with U.S.A.I.D., whose budget of $40 billion is less than 1% of the government’s. The point is not a policy fight; it’s an execution. They are killing 1 agency to terrify 1,000 others.”—Susan Glasser

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Alexander Sorondo @bigreaderbadgrades.bsky.social · 08/02/2025

Remarkable how many Democrats in these focus groups can easily imagine Oprah Winfrey ordering a drone strike.

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Alexander Sorondo @bigreaderbadgrades.bsky.social · 07/02/2025

My heart sang when I'd been writing daily political pieces on Substack for three or four months without a single Like or Comment--and suddenly, I got a notification. Someone's reading! Someone's responding! Open it up and it's a commenter with a MAGA hat thumbnail: "Go fuck yourself"

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Alexander Sorondo @bigreaderbadgrades.bsky.social · 07/02/2025

Commentary this week from Heather Cox Richardson and Yuval Levin shows that Donald Trump, in his third week of office isn't just succumbing to a White House cycle--he's showing how he's actually gotten worse at this job. bigreaderbadgrades.substack.com/p/trumps-ord...

bigreaderbadgrades.substack.com

Trump’s Orders Are Already Crumbling

A first-week blitz of Project 2025's long-planned maneuvers gave the administration a false air of competence.

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Alexander Sorondo @bigreaderbadgrades.bsky.social · 05/02/2025

Spent a couple weeks on Lola Young's music. Now I've spent a week on her YouTube shorts. There's something very pure about her joy that I don't think makes sense without the music.

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Alexander Sorondo @bigreaderbadgrades.bsky.social · 05/02/2025

This is perfect, just subbed! I've been giving WIRED the same dumb look I gave Rolling Stone, when they were killing it with political reporting in 2024: "Yeah they have a good one this week, but thats not my kinda magazine..." Took a while to just respect that quality is quality.

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Alexander Sorondo @bigreaderbadgrades.bsky.social · 05/02/2025

Secretary of State Marco Rubio went to Panama this week to discuss U.S. annexation of the Canal. Panamanian President Jose Mulino signaled refusal to discuss it. So why would an emissary of Trump even go? Probably cuz that wasn't his actual goal. open.substack.com/pub/bigreade...

open.substack.com

Want to Know Trump's Real Plan? Watch Rubio.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited Panama this week for a discussion of annexing its Canal. The Panamanian president signaled to reporters he would not even discuss it. So why go?

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Alexander Sorondo @bigreaderbadgrades.bsky.social · 05/02/2025

To their credit, Dems are working on the messaging. They're getting better.

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Alexander Sorondo @bigreaderbadgrades.bsky.social · 05/02/2025

"He's a bad fucking guy." -- Joey Robinette.

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Alexander Sorondo @bigreaderbadgrades.bsky.social · 04/02/2025

To help Trump save face, by making bullshit "concessions" before he lifted the tariffs on Mexico, President Sheinbaum made Trump promise to work on the flow of guns from the U.S. into Mexico. 70--90% of traceable guns in Mexico came down from the U.S. www.rawstory.com/trump-mexico...

rawstory.com

Mexican president reveals U.S. concession Trump failed to mention as tariffs paused

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo issued a "read-out" of her call with U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday — but her list of what the two leaders agreed to is different from his in one major...

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Alexander Sorondo @bigreaderbadgrades.bsky.social · 04/02/2025

Speaking of books that lend to queer readings, I don't think I've even unpacked a lot of the stuff in Gatsby yet. Part of what makes it a masterpiece is it seems to comment on everything: capitalism, friendship, grief, love, sexuality, obsession, failure, success... It's a book to age with.

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Alexander Sorondo @bigreaderbadgrades.bsky.social · 04/02/2025

Sidenote: I re-read THE GIVER two years ago and it lends *remarkably* well to a queer interpretation. Like there's something on every page.

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Alexander Sorondo @bigreaderbadgrades.bsky.social · 04/02/2025

My debut novel came out yesterday, I keep feeling apprehensions about promoting it on social media, then I see how @meidastouch.com promotes their content and, good lord, we should all be more like that.

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Alexander Sorondo @bigreaderbadgrades.bsky.social · 04/02/2025

Trump, on tariffs in Europe: “So the UK is way out of line and we’ll see the, uh—the UK, but European Union is really out of line. UK is out of line, but I’m sure that one—I think that one can be worked out. But the, uh, European Union is, it’s, uh, an atrocity. What they’ve done.” He's lost.

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