iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Brad Richard @bradrichard.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

Hi, BlueSky friends, sorry I haven't been here in a while. I plan to post here more often. Hope you're doing well, in spite of all the things.

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Gil Durán @gilduran.com · 01/09/2026

Oakland! Only a few tickets left to “The Nerd Reich” event at Clio’s with @adambecker.bsky.social Get ‘em before they’re gone. www.eventbrite.com/o/clios-book...

Screenshot of Need Reich event at clio’s

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Freedom of the Press Foundation @freedom.press · 01/09/2026

It won’t improve journalism to impose “significant monetary damages whenever the inevitable mistakes occur,” @seth-stern.bsky.social told @theguardian.com, expressing alarm at the $300,000 defamation verdict against Louisiana newspaper.

theguardian.com

Press freedom advocates alarmed by $300,000 defamation verdict against Louisiana newspaper

Experts say ruling could undermine the ‘actual malice’ standard and make publishers more wary of critical reporting

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Alejandra Caraballo @esqueer.net · 12/05/2026

Anyone who cares about reproductive care access should be extremely alarmed. They could easily do the same to abortion providers in blue states. They are testing this out on trans people hoping most people won't care enough about it to stop it.

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Brad Richard @bradrichard.bsky.social · 11/05/2026

May 15 is the deadline to nominate a poet who volunteers to assist a literary event or org to submit a manuscript to the Hilary Tham Capital Collection. May 31 is the deadline for manuscript submission. Contact me with any questions! wordworksbooks.org/submissions/...

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Mary L Trump @maryltrump.bsky.social · 05/02/2026

Every American needs to watch this:

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Philip Bump @pbump.com · 28/01/2026

Trump’s fundraisers are now using the threat of dispatching ICE against citizens as an email engagement tactic.

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Bruce Little @brucedlittle.bsky.social · 24/01/2026

Four-time Grammy Award nominee Jesse Welles performs his song "Join Ice." Bob Dylan once said a single folk singer could defeat an entire army. Ladies and gentlemen, I think we have our man.

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Brad Richard @bradrichard.bsky.social · 15/01/2026

This is horrific. Sharing from Lorna D Cervantes: (Today’s eye-witness report from Minneapolis) “Things I’ve seen with my own eyes as of 11:23 AM Pacific today, January 12, 2026: —ICE ramming a civilian car through a red light on Snelling in St Paul, dragging an injured, [1/5]

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Eric Umansky @ericumansky.bsky.social · 13/01/2026

This is 10th-grader Arnoldo Bazan. A citizen. Immigration agents grabbed him and put him in a chokehold. "We're from the United States bro!' he screamed. Agents took and sold his phone And when he finally got home hours later, his shirt was ripped, he neck had angry, red welts, and he sobbed.

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Cameron 🇺🇸🗽🦅 @cameroncorduroy.bsky.social · 08/01/2026

for fucking decades i've had to listen to right wingers jerk off to their fantasies of masked federal agents turning their guns on innocent Americans and then the moment it actually happens they're sniveling boot-licking scum

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Brad Richard @bradrichard.bsky.social · 07/01/2026

Huge gratitude to Jennifer Barber, whose insightful and beautifully written review of my Turned Earth and Rosanna Warren's latest, Hindsight, is up at On the Seawall! www.ronslate.com/on-turned-ea...

ronslate.com

on Turned Earth, poetry by Brad Richard & Hindsight, poetry by Rosanna Warren – On the Seawall

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Hannah Cohen @hcohen.bsky.social · 27/12/2025

living in 2025, almost 2026:

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Brad Richard @bradrichard.bsky.social · 26/12/2025

@tisserand.bsky.social saw this on the evil site, thought you'd be interested/horrified.

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Lincoln Michel @thelincoln.bsky.social · 23/12/2025

It's actually Occam's Razor to assume that in the age of Trump, RFK, Musk, etc.

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Brad Richard @bradrichard.bsky.social · 18/12/2025

Trans friends, I am very sorry and very angry that the U.S. House of Representatives has voted to make it a felony to provide gender-affirming care to trans youth. I refuse to link any stories about it here. Fellow cisgender folks: please call your senators.

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Holly Welker @hollywelker.bsky.social · 18/12/2025

When I was young, I *hated* nihilism. It mattered terribly to me that nothing mattered. I wanted to *make* things matter, somehow. Now that I'm old, I'm resigned to the fact that nothing matters--and there's nothing I can do about it, except exactly what I would do if things mattered.

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Eric Michael Garcia @ericmgarcia.bsky.social · 04/12/2025

Rand Paul tells me that he wants the full video of the Venezuelan boat strike released. “And I think if the public sees images of people clinging to boat debris and being blown up, I think that there is a chance that finally, the public will get interested enough in this to stop this.”

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Drew Flanagan Ph.D @drewflanaganphd.bsky.social · 06/11/2025

My book has a webpage and a release date (April 20, 2026). And if you preorder now, it's 40 percent off. It's all happening! @lsupress.bsky.social lsupress.org/978080718678...

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Joel @snufkinlib.bsky.social · 04/11/2025

VP Cheney will be honoured with a 21 gun salute accidentally aimed directly at 21 of his friends

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Brad Richard @bradrichard.bsky.social · 28/10/2025

Also: this is a particularly ugly, poorly cut trenchcoat. Please see Neil Patrick Harris in STARSHIP TROOPERS for some inspiration.

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Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 28/10/2025

🚨BIG changes happening -- ICE leadership is being purged tonight. The old guard, which prioritized targeted enforcement operations aimed at people with criminal records, is being replaced with Border Patrol and Gregory Bovino's "Midway Blitz" style. Think things are bad now? It'll get worse.

Bill Melugin
@BillMelugin_
BREAKING: Per four senior DHS & Trump admin sources, a mass removal of ICE leadership around the country is underway, with up to 12 ICE field office chiefs being removed & reassigned in an effort to increase deportation numbers. I'm told the move is spearheaded by Corey Lewandowski, and a handful of the ICE Chiefs will likely be replaced by Border Patrol & CBP officials, some of whom will be hand-picked by aggressive & controversial Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino. I'm told some of the ICE leadership removed from their positions include the ICE Field Office Directors in:

- Los Angeles
- Phoenix
- Philadelphia
- Denver
- El Paso
- San Diego
- Seattle/Portland
- New Orleans

Border Patrol officials taking over ICE leadership positions would be extremely significant, as Border Patrol and ICE do different things, and I've done numerous ride-alongs/embeds with both.

Generally speaking, ICE typically conducts very targeted operations, largely going after criminal illegal aliens or those with deportation orders, but almost always knowing who they are targeting for arrest, often conducting surveillance to learn their schedules before and waiting hours before arresting them if needed.

Border Patrol, under Trump 2.0, while sometimes doing their own targeted operations, has been extremely aggressive and has been at the forefront of some of the most controversial immigration enforcement operations we've seen so far, carrying out roving patrols in Los Angeles, Chicago, etc, often at Home Depot, car washes, flea markets etc, leading to a handful of federal judges around the country issuing injunctions against them. A majority of the viral videos you see online are Border Patrol agents, including the use of a Trojan horse style Penske moving truck at a Los Angeles Home Depot, an operation organized by Bovino.

ICE often gets blamed for what Border Patrol does, as the media and activists often cannot tell the difference between federal agents, and everyone is called "ICE". I'm told there are growing concerns about the political and PR fallout associated with some of the roving patrols Border Patrol is conducting as lawsuits continue to stack up and mid-terms approach next year.

I'm told there is significant friction within different wings of DHS and the administration, with Border Czar Tom Homan & ICE Director Todd Lyons preferring to prioritize targeting criminal aliens & the "worst of the worst" or those with deportation orders, while DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, Corey Lewandowski, and BP Commander Bovino prefer to use aggressive tactics to arrest anyone in the US illegally, including but not limited to criminals, to ramp up deportation numbers and achieve President Trump's promises of mass deportations.

I am hearing from both sides of this friction.

One senior DHS official tells me:

"ICE started with the worst of the worst, knowing every target they are hitting, but since Border Patrol started in LA in June, we've (DHS) lost our focus, going too hard, too fast, with limited prioritization. It's getting numbers, but at what cost?".

Border Patrol agents I've talked to defend their tactics, with one telling me:

"What did everyone think mass deportations meant? Only the worst? Tom Homan has said it himself, anyone in the US illegally is on the table."

It's quite a situation, as both sides of this are on the same team, with the same end goals, but different perspectives on how to get there.

Another DHS official confirmed the personnel changes to me on deep background, adding that the moves are based on performance and doing what is needed to achieve the best results.

Official statement to
@FoxNews
via
@TriciaOhio
:

"While we have no personnel changes to announce at this time, the Trump Administration remains laser focused on delivering results and removing violent criminal illegal aliens from this country."
7:57 PM · Oct 27, 2025
·
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Views

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Laura Jedeed @laurajedeed.bsky.social · 20/10/2025

I don't understand how anyone looks at 7 million people on the street and sees anything but raw potential for a mass movement. I don't understand tearing it down or telling people it's for nothing. I don't understand this at all.

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Brad Richard @bradrichard.bsky.social · 16/09/2025

Honestly, I never thought much of 1984 as a novel, so it really sucks to end up living in an even crappier version of it.

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Brad Richard @bradrichard.bsky.social · 13/09/2025

This is not normal political discourse: this is further incitement to violence & further justification for weaponizing the legal and electoral systems against MAGA's "enemies." Do not brush this off as something so extreme it's not worth taking seriously. www.foxnews.com/video/637738...

foxnews.com

Stephen Miller: The Democratic Party is a 'domestic, extremist organization' | Fox News Video

Deputy chief of staff for policy and Homeland Security advisor Stephen Miller discusses how Democrats have let crime run rampant in Chicago on ‘Hannity.’

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Steve McPherson @steventurous.bsky.social · 11/09/2025

Melissa Hortman practiced politics the right way.

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Erin Reed @erininthemorning.com · 11/09/2025

There has been a rush among centrists like Gavin Newsom and Ezra Klein to brush over the hateful life of Charlie Kirk and valorize the man. Let me be clear, killing Charlie Kirk was wrong and abhorrent. We must condemn murder without sanitizing a man who built his empire on hate. My latest piece.

erininthemorning.com

We Must Not Posthumously Sanitize Charlie Kirk's Hateful Life

Influential anti-LGBTQ+ activist Charlie Kirk was assassinated on Wednesday. While condemning violence is something most can get behind, sanitization of his hate has gone too far.

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Stephen Yuffrida Brown (he/him) @scarletwitchy.bsky.social · 05/07/2025

Putting together a new project! Masc Anthology. Please share around. 🤙😎 #poetry #writing #cnf #writingcommunity

A call for submissions to the Who's the King?: Men, Manhood, and Masc Anthology.

Who's the king? How does being the king, or the expectation thereof, impact our mental and social well-being? Defining "king" broadly as someone who expresses themselves in a masculine way regardless of gender identity, Who's the King?: Men, Manhood, and Masc Anthology seeks to explore and express the interconnected challenges which now impact our public and private lives.

Now accepting poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and visual art.

Submissions open from July 5th, 2025 to December 1st, 2025.
Email submissions to kingsanthology at gmail dot com.
Email Subject Example: Poetry Submission
Submissions open for print anthology. Works of poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and visual art are welcome.
Poetry: Up to 5 pieces.
Prose: Up to 5k words.
Visual Art: Show me what you got.
Formatting: Be reasonable.
Simultaneous submissions are accepted. Please let me know immediately if your work is accepted elsewhere.
Previously published work may be considered if author retains the rights, but please include acknowledgements.
No Al-generated work.
I cannot compensate contributors at this stage.
Now accepting Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction, and Visual Art for print anthology.

About the Editor.
Find him at scarletwitchy.bsky.social.

Stephen Yuffrida Brown (he/him) is a writer-activist with a Philly attitude and a background in LGBT+ studies. He is dedicated to the belief that art shapes ideology and that education is crucial for achieving social justice and social mobility.

Former Managing Editor and Fiction Editor of Rathalla Review, Stephen's poetry and prose have appeared in various literary journals and anthologies, mostly queer ones. He is the author of two multi-genre chapbooks, A Portrait of Brotherhood as Two Boys from Space (2025) and His Boyfriend Materials (2024), both of which are available from Bottlecap Press.

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Marisa Kabas @marisakabas.bsky.social · 30/08/2025

this is “stuff pillows under the blanket to make it look like someone is sleeping in the bed” levels of cover up

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Alejandra Caraballo @esqueer.net · 29/08/2025

One of the things the Nazis did when coming to power was push propaganda that Jews were criminals and prone to violence by focusing on crime committed by Jews or fabricating crime they falsely attributed to Jews. The last 36 hours on X has been this on a massive scale against trans people.

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John Carl Baker @johncarlbaker.bsky.social · 28/08/2025

I also think we need to keep hammering home that you don’t go to college to “debate.” You go to learn, which is not the same thing.

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Olga Katsovskiy @writingincurves.bsky.social · 28/08/2025

"I need to decide what leaving means losing" 💛 beautiful piece

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Roxane Gay @roxanegay.bsky.social · 26/08/2025

We are creating a Spanish language section on The Rumpus, for original creative work written in Spanish and are looking for a volunteer editor for this section. If this could be you, please send a brief letter of interest to roxane@therumpus.net by Tuesday, September 2nd!

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Mari Cohn @maricohn.bsky.social · 25/08/2025

Transgender studies professor Dr. Susan Stryker tears Gavin Newsom a new one while accepting the Transgender Legacy Award from the California state legislature 🔥🔥🔥 @susanstryker.bsky.social

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John Breen @breen.tech · 27/08/2025

Hard to put into words how bad things are getting

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Raider @iwillnotbesilenced.bsky.social · 27/08/2025

After DEA GOONS begin to harass and question a man sitting in Starburst Plaza in NE Washington DC, local neighbors remind him of his rights and stand with him until the GOONS give up on their harassment.

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Reconstructionist @unavaleable.bsky.social · 26/08/2025

jesus fucking christ man

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Adrian Van Young @bopgoth.bsky.social · 11/08/2025

Writers & educators of New Orleans! Check out poet-teacher wunderkind @bradrichard.bsky.social 's new suite of curricular & manuscript consultation services on his newly revamped website. Definitely vouch for this altogether capable & brilliant human, who you shan't regret working with....

bradrichard.org

Brad Richard

Visit the post for more.

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Brad Richard @bradrichard.bsky.social · 08/08/2025

Hey, friends! I've launched a Substack. 2 posts up: 1) why I named my Substack after the genus of all goldenrods; 2) the afterword to the second edition of Motion Studies, reflecting on how Katrina and writing that book changed me as a poet. Right now, everything is free. Thanks for checking it out!

bradrichard528526.substack.com

Solidago | Brad Richard | Substack

Posts about writing, reading, teaching, and related topics by a poet and gardener in New Orleans. Occasional interviews. Occasional writing activities and discussion thereof. Click to read Solidago, b...

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Michael Tisserand @tisserand.bsky.social · 06/07/2025

ANTI-VAXXER: (n) Someone who prefers anecdotes to antidotes

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Brad Richard @bradrichard.bsky.social · 09/06/2025

Cowrie's essay is one of the best things I've read about where we are and how we got here. "The defense of white freedom in U.S. history might more accurately be thought of as racialized anti-statism, in which the federal government is understood as a usurper of individual and states’ rights."

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