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Camille Bacon-Smith

@camille2000.bsky.social
406 followers 337 following 1.1K posts

I write about the arts in Philadelphia for BroadStreetReview.com. Also write contemporary fantasy under my own name and epic fantasy as Curt Benjamin. Phillies Forever. Photo is a close-up of flowers growing at the side of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

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Camille Bacon-Smith @camille2000.bsky.social · 16h
In Philadelphia the constituency is the board of directors, which is often made up in good part by real estate developers who take any opportunity to sell off the their institution to develop the buildings for condos.
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Camille Bacon-Smith @camille2000.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Worst baseball game ever. The Phillies are making an art of it.
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hammancheez but spooky @hammancheez.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Yall wanna see a 2 hour old highland cow
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Camille Bacon-Smith @camille2000.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
So much dance in Philly this month, including one of my favorites. And so many dance extras! If I missed anything, put it in the comments! www.broadstreetreview.com/previews/you...
broadstreetreview.com
Your October guide to Philly dance
The October dance calendar balances several important local performances with notable visiting companies and other events for dance lovers, including…
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Camille Bacon-Smith @camille2000.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Since I heard about the AI companies that are scarfing up all the rare books, feeding them into their AI blenders, and then throwing away pages, I have been thinking about Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451, and I've been wondering what book I should be memorizing.
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Edvard Munch @edvardmunch.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Self-Portrait with Brushes 1904 botfrens.com/collections/90/content…
Self-Portrait with Brushes
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Charlie Warzel @cwarzel.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
There is a moment at the very very end of Abdul El-Sayed's podcast with Ezra Klein (book recommendation section) where he talks about the idea of "speaking truth to pain" and this will be staying with me for an extremely long time. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/25/o...
But there’s also something about truth to pain. We talk a lot about truth to power, but I think it’s actually a lot harder to speak truth to pain. I say that as someone who went to medical school, realizing that in a lot of our politics right now, we’ve got to get a lot better at speaking truth to pain if we’re going to get through some of these challenges that we have.

What does “truth to pain” mean?

It’s one thing to look power in the eye and say: You’re wrong about this. But there’s a way in which pain is very difficult to reason with. Because when somebody is in their pain, they’re in their trauma. They see that pain, and they may not see what’s causing it.

I remember just very explicitly being in a trauma ward with a gunshot wound patient and watching this big guy with his hand on his gunshot wound. All the folks are trying to pull his hand off his pain, that point of his gunshot wound, this clear vulnerability.

And this emergency room doctor had the presence of mind to be like: Everyone, stop. And she looks him in the eyes, and she’s like: I get that really hurts, and I’m so sorry that you’re here. You don’t want to be here. We don’t want you to be here. But if you don’t let us fix this, you could die. So I’m going to take your hand, and I’m going to move it off, OK? Because I need to get there so that you can live.

She was speaking truth to pain. He understands he’s at the hospital, he needs care, but he also doesn’t want anybody to touch the wound. Which is a natural thing. And I think it is a really great metaphor for how we think about a lot of these challenges we talked about today.
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Michael Spicer @michaelspicer.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Most TV is just this now.
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Adam Weinstein @adamweinstein.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Congratulations Phillies
We do this not because it is easy, but because we thought it would be easy
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Sparky0649 @sparky618.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
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Camille Bacon-Smith @camille2000.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
I really, really want a snack, but also I am not in the least bit hungry, which would make a snack a bad idea
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WIRED @wired.com · 25/09/2026
26 years ago, she published a wildly prophetic book about Silicon Valley. Then she disappeared. What happened to tech writer Paulina Borsook?
wired.com
Who Killed Paulina Borsook’s Career?
A quarter-century ago, Borsook published a wildly prophetic, penetrating book about Silicon Valley called Cyberselfish. Then she disappeared.
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U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission @cpsc.gov · 24/09/2026
#Recall: The Blue Cactus Company Reclining Chair Battery Packs; The lithium-ion battery in the recalled battery packs can overheat, posing fire and burn hazards. Get replacement. www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2026...
Recalled battery pack.
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Camille Bacon-Smith @camille2000.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Most fun thing I saw all Fringe Festival! Taiko drums and modern dance seem like a strange combination, but they actually work really well together. www.broadstreetreview.com/reviews/phil...
broadstreetreview.com
Philly Fringe 2026: Casual Fifth presents Here Come the Brides
Casual Fifth, a Philly-based drum and dance dance ensemble, joined this year’s Fringe with a high-energy celebration of love. Everyone dressed as brides.…
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Camille Bacon-Smith @camille2000.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Most fun thing I saw all Fringe Festival! Taiko drums and modern dance seem like a strange combination, but they actually work really well together. www.broadstreetreview.com/reviews/phil...
broadstreetreview.com
Philly Fringe 2026: Casual Fifth presents Here Come the Brides
Casual Fifth, a Philly-based drum and dance dance ensemble, joined this year’s Fringe with a high-energy celebration of love. Everyone dressed as brides.…
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REwadent Evil @ewacat.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
if you ever struggle with names when worldbuilding just remember there's a whole massive mountain range called The Rockies
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David M Rubin @six18sfoundry.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
The great unification of Bluesky nature photography with poetry Bluesky. Rilke reading outside!!!
Beautiful b&w garden w bench photo of Rilke sitting reading legs crossed w walking stick
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U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission @cpsc.gov · 21/09/2026
It's beautiful that so many people will choose to express themselves through the medium of pumpkin. If only there was less stabbing involved.
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Karen Graubart @kbgraubart.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Workarounds here: discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-250...
discussions.apple.com
Turn off Apple Intelligence in macOS 27
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Camille Bacon-Smith @camille2000.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
The Fauci fiasco has legs because people are still angry and scared about the pandemic. We got it right so fast, but there were stumbles along the way. So instead of being comforted that we found a solution, they were left torn between scientific method and snake oil. And they are mad about that too
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M. Belanger @sethanikeem.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
My wife works with national parks and conservation nonprofits, and the impact of these policies on our forests, parks, trails, and sustainability efforts has been catastrophic. Even rewriting all their language, anything to do with the environment still flags as “DEI bad!”
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Camille Bacon-Smith @camille2000.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Saw Nichole Canuso"s immersive show Lunar Retreat last week at Philadelphia Fringe. I know the show was good because bits of it keep resurfacing in my mind, bringing the calm of the moment with the memory. www.broadstreetreview.com/reviews/phil...
broadstreetreview.com
Philly Fringe 2026: FringeArts presents Nichole Canuso | Branching…
Nichole Canuso’s 2026 entry in the curated Fringe Festival creates an immersive experience in University City’s Pearlstein Gallery, where you can choose…
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Patsy “Resistance Kitty” Evans Ph.D. @drharmony.net · 09/09/2026
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Elle Cordova @ellecordova.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
I am the very model of a modern day typographer A font take on the tune “Modern Major General” by Gilbert & Sullivan #typography #fonts #graphicdesign
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Camille Bacon-Smith @camille2000.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Philly has its own vibe, you know! (gift link) share.inquirer.com/fLYOay
share.inquirer.com
SEPTA bus drives through wet concrete outside of Termini Bros. in what locals say is the ‘most South Philly thing ever’
A SEPTA Route 47 bus got stuck in freshly poured concrete on Thursday, only two minutes after city crews repaired the road outside of Termini Brothers in South Philadelphia.
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Camille Bacon-Smith @camille2000.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Philly Fringe is almost here and I have some dance picks! And a note: BSR is the place for the arts in Philly, but the budget is tight. Contributions mean more reviews and essays. So if you like what we do, chip in! And tell them Camille sent you! www.broadstreetreview.com/previews/the...
broadstreetreview.com
The month in Philly dance: Top dance picks for the 2026 Philly Fringe
This year’s Philly Fringe features 77 shows that include some element of movement or dance. Dance critic Camille Bacon-Smith is here to help with her top…
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Abz-J-Harding ☾ @abzjharding.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
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Chris Schweizer @ NYCC (H27) @schweizercomics.bsky.social · 08/12/2025
Just a reminder that there's a Will Shakespeare miniseries from the heyday of BBC historicals starring Tim Curry as Shakespeare and Ian McShane as Marlowe, and it's on youtube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpxC...
production stills of Curry and McShane in costume
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Will Bunch @willbunch.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
I'd only be worried about a Trump coup if... a) They fired all the professional generals and replaced them with loyal hacks b) They brought Nat'l Guard troops from pro-Trump states into DC until 1/20/29 c) Trump was building a massive bunker with drones next to the White House wait a minute...
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Bill Kristol @billkristolbulwark.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
In the midst of an awful lot of ever-so-sophisticated equivocating and oh-so-thoughtful-chin-stroking and too-clever-by-half-over-thinking, I just want to say, simply and unequivocally and for the record: The Resistance Libs Were Right.
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victoria elizabeth @surrexi.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Ti West's Nexus will ponder whether the torment nexus from the classic sci-fi novel "Do Not Create the Torment Nexus" might be a good idea, actually
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Courtney Milan @courtneymilan.com · 28/08/2026
Anyway I personally think that one thing I want my elected officials to perform is that EVERY TIME they are given the option, they should vote against fascism. Not just some of the time. Every time.
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Dr. Kay Daly, she/her 📚💙 @kaydaly.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
@eamondaly.bsky.social
The meme of Haden Christensne and Natalie Portman in one of the Star Wars where she asks a laughing question and he looks serious and she looks concerned. Text is: Hayden - Do you like Plums, Natalie: Yeah, I'm actually saving some for breakfast.
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Mayumi is writing @bonusparts.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Lessons I will take from Dolly Parton, Tim Curry, and Peter Cullen: Be generous. Be bold. Be gentle. ❤️💛🧡💚💙💜
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Noah (from Polyphonic) @polyphonic.nebula.tv · 27/08/2026
So if you’re thinking of fighting about Dolly online with someone, maybe turn off the browser and go bump her wicked Disco cover of “House of the Rising Sun” instead. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nmrr...
youtube.com
The House of the Rising Sun
YouTube video by Dolly Parton - Topic
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Camille Bacon-Smith @camille2000.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Here it is! Camille's picks for Philly Fringe Festival! Fringe has a special place in my heart--so many memorable moments that I've taken with me through the years. Hoping one of these will be the one that astonishes me this time. www.broadstreetreview.com/previews/the...
broadstreetreview.com
The month in Philly dance: Top dance picks for the 2026 Philly Fringe
This year’s Philly Fringe features 77 shows that include some element of movement or dance. Dance critic Camille Bacon-Smith is here to help with her top…
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Charlotte Clymer @charlotteclymer.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Y'all... the Band of the Coldstream Guards performed "9 to 5" in front of Buckingham Palace in honor of Dolly Parton.
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Merriam-Webster @merriam-webster.com · 25/08/2026
In the Middle Ages, the Arabs of the eastern Mediterranean referred to all Europeans as ‘Franks.’ To facilitate Arab-European trade, they developed a language that everyone could understand, and it was known as the ‘Frankish language,’ or ‘lingua franca. '...
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Camille Bacon-Smith @camille2000.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
Working on the Month in Dance for Philly Fringe. It's tricky. There is so much dance, and I don 't know most of the acts, so I picked shows with interesting cross-cultural stuff, and some with cool ideas. But you can never predict the one that comes out of left field to knock your socks off.
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David M Rubin @six18sfoundry.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
Crumbling is not an instant's Act A fundamental pause Dilapidation's processes Are organized Decays - Emily Dickinson #poetrysunday
Pic of the GOAT. Emily D

Whole poem (not sure how this never registered. Wow)

Crumbling is not an instant's Act
A fundamental pause
Dilapidation's processes
Are organized Decays -

'Tis first a Cobweb on the Soul
A Cuticle of Dust
A Borer in the Axis
An Elemental Rust -

Ruin is formal - Devil's work
Consecutive and slow -
Fail in an instant, no man did
Slipping - is Crashe's law -

(Pretty fitting for stopping football & concussion induced destruction)
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Dr. Courtney Gibbons (she/her/xlookup) @courtneygibbons.phd · 23/08/2026
Optimist: the glass is half full Pessimist: the glass is half empty Mathematician: Are you assuming the axiom of choice?
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The Trandalorian @charliejaneanders.com · 23/08/2026
Every time I make tea, I inform my cat that "I just did the kettle run in less than five parsecs" My cat never finds this amusing.
brown/gray tabby looking not amused
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Carl T. Bergstrom @carlbergstrom.com · 17/08/2026
1. Recently I’ve received lots of emails from people I don’t know personally, asking for my feedback on their books or papers. They explain the connection between my work and theirs and ask me to take a look. The catch, of course, is that the emails are transparently, obviously, written by AI.
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Ada Palmer @adapalmer.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
In the Renaissance people theorized, since the Aeneid is great, if you wrote poems made only of words & phrases from the Aeneid rearranged they should be great too, since a great source regurgitated should yield greatness. They produced NOTHING we still read. Thinking about that a lot lately.
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Glen Weldon @ghweldon.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
Optimist: The glass is half full. Pessimist: The glass is half empty. Philip Glass: half half half half half half half half half half half half half half half half half half half half half half half half half half
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Vox Hiberionacum @voxhib.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
Optimist: The cup is half full. Pessimist: The cup is half empty. Archaeologist: That's not a cup, it's a pot.
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The Onion @theonion.com · 19/08/2026
Democratic Socialism: Myth Vs. Fact theonion.com/democratic-socialism-m…
MYTH: The government will take away your money and give it to the poor.

FACT: You are the poor.
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Auntie Has Opinions @jwoodlands.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
Grabbed this pic from @rbhubbell.bsky.social 's latest Substack. Source is Weekly Stand Up Speak Out, 8/18, Delmar, NY ( Bethlehem NY Indivisible). EPIC SIGN!
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Merriam-Webster @merriam-webster.com · 19/08/2026
People who don’t know the difference between ‘entomology’ and ‘etymology’ bug us in ways we cannot put into words.
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