iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

David DeGusta @davidwrites1.bsky.social · 21/04/2026

Today is Andie MacDowell’s birthday. Hmmm. Interesting. #macdowell

Reposted by David DeGusta

Center for the Art of Translation (CAT) @catranslation.org · 17/04/2026

The Center for the Art of Translation's new public home will provide translators and the literary community a place to gather, learn, and discover new global voices and perspectives for years to come. 🌟 Help us create a lighthouse for readers: www.catranslation.org/sf-literary-...

Graphic featuring a quote from Jazmina Barrera, National Book Award Finalist & Two Lines Press Author. Text reads: At a time when the founds for literature, for translation, for humanities all around the country are being cut, I see the Center for the Art of Translation as a refuge, but it also a lighthouse.

Graphic featuring a rendering of our new building at the corner of Leidesdorff and Commercial in downtown San Francisco. Text reads: Opening 2027, Help open our doors.

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David DeGusta @davidwrites1.bsky.social · 11/03/2026

Skedaddle is a nifty word. Just saying.

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David DeGusta @davidwrites1.bsky.social · 11/02/2026

Very grateful to have my poem “Our Survey of Western Dirt” be a part of the latest issue of Barrelhouse. Many thanks to Mike Ingram and his students at Temple (see next post for their names) for including it. www.barrelhousemag.com/online-lit/o... @mikeingram.bsky.social @barrelhouse.bsky.social

barrelhousemag.com

Our Survey of Western Dirt, by David DeGusta — Barrelhouse

“ Most states have designated an official state bird, flower, and so forth. Similarly, each state has designated a state soil .” -Soil Science Society of America Oregon Jory red soil births Will...

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David DeGusta @davidwrites1.bsky.social · 15/01/2026

If you think time at MacDowell might be beneficial to your art (fwiw I bet it would be) then APPLY. They are incredibly welcoming and supportive, the experience was transformative for me and many others, and no, you don’t have to be a superstar to get accepted. So, apply! @macdowell1907.bsky.social

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David DeGusta @davidwrites1.bsky.social · 19/12/2025

How many ethical violations is Brooks going to be allowed to get away with? (Question applies equally to Dillon Brooks of the NBA and David Brooks of the NYT)

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David DeGusta @davidwrites1.bsky.social · 02/12/2025

Same. If I had to point to a moment that made me a writer, it was seeing Arcadia at ACT in SF in 2013. Walked in with no idea of what the play was about, walked out forever changed. Amazing production. Went back and saw it the next night, which was closing else I’d have kept going. rip Tom Stoppard.

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Doc Jock Tags @blazersunitracker.bsky.social · 23/10/2025

Chauncey Billups lost a coach's challenge on an out of bounds call four minutes into the first quarter last night. If that dude beat me in poker, I'd be hella suspicious too.

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David DeGusta @davidwrites1.bsky.social · 22/10/2025

“And what rough beast, its hour come round at last, Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?” Spotted in the SF Bay Area. Feels like an inflection point for me, marking the moment when I can no longer maintain even the illusion that I have some tentative understanding of wtf is going on in the world.

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David DeGusta @davidwrites1.bsky.social · 01/10/2025

Jane Goodall was a gem. I only met her a few times, but was struck by how she had both a strong sense of purpose and real kindness - a rare combination. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/01/o...

nytimes.com

Jane Goodall, Eminent Primatologist Who Chronicled the Lives of Chimps, Dies at 91

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David DeGusta @davidwrites1.bsky.social · 29/09/2025

Love it when someone digs into a minor local mystery and finds all kind of interesting tidbits behind it … it’s great that @coyotemedia.org and Reo Eveleth are on it.

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Reposted by David DeGusta

Sewanee Writers' Conference @sewaneewriters.bsky.social · 25/09/2025

Come live and write with us in Sewanee! The Department of English & Creative Writing's is seeking applications for a tenure-track Assistant Professor in Poetry position! Apply by Nov. 3.

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David DeGusta @davidwrites1.bsky.social · 25/09/2025

Also, support literary magazines, especially if you submit to them. As you are able, amplify them on social media, subscribe, or volunteer as a reader. I learned a ton reading for @themassreview.bsky.social. The lit mag ecosystem needs balance between submissions and readers, else the latter drown.

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David DeGusta @davidwrites1.bsky.social · 22/09/2025

My prediction has been that Al, as implemented in LLMs, will fall far short of the hype. A common reply has been, "but imagine how much better it will be in X years!" To which I say not all digital things improve exponentially (e.g. self-driving cars). Now a new study suggests LLMs have a ceiling.

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Reposted by David DeGusta

Colin Hamilton @colinhamilton.bsky.social · 18/09/2025

The Institute for Nonprofit News (inn.org) is a great resource for independent news alternatives that meet high standards, including financial transparency. Some 400+ member orgs all across America.

inn.org

Home

The INN Network FindYourNews.org From local news to in-depth reporting on pressing global issues, INN’s 500 members tell stories that otherwise would go

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David DeGusta @davidwrites1.bsky.social · 18/09/2025

Now seems like an excellent time to support independent media, like the new Bay Area journalism collective @coyotemedia.org. Smart coverage including arts and sports. Looks to be both hard-hitting and fun, a great combo. I just subscribed, highly recommend. www.coyotemedia.org/hello-from-c...

coyotemedia.org

Hello from COYOTE Media Collective!

Billionaires shouldn't own the news. Support independent local media.

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Reposted by David DeGusta

THE FAR SIDE DAILY @bot.cowtools.org · 15/09/2025

Cow poetry

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Oakland Review of Books @oaklandreviewofbooks.org · 04/09/2025

If you want to get our stuff in your inbox, there is a way to do that! www.oaklandreviewofbooks.org#/portal/signup

oaklandreviewofbooks.org

ORB ⧹O⧸

The Oakland Review of Books is coming!

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Reposted by David DeGusta

Tom McAllister @tmcallister.bsky.social · 03/09/2025

Wrote for The Metropolitan Review about the pros & cons of working w/ small indie presses vs. big presses, the journey from almost being a big fancy author to being a medium unfancy author, and mid-career re-evaluation of what I want out of the writing life www.metropolitanreview.org/p/to-go-big-...

metropolitanreview.org

To Go Big or Come Home?

On the Writing Life With Major and Indie Publishers

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David DeGusta @davidwrites1.bsky.social · 02/09/2025

A thoughtful and extremely well-researched deep dive on how Silicon Valley corporations are injecting AI into schools by the multi-talented @vauhinivara.bsky.social (cc @lbyock.bsky.social).

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Reposted by David DeGusta

Aaron Burch @aaronburch.bsky.social · 02/09/2025

Did I post 'announce' this already today? I don't remember. Anyway. I opened up submissions for Short Story, Long today. Open all September. SSL publishes one "longer" story (2k-8k), every other week. $100 + paired w/ original art commissioned for your story. Publish all and only bangers.

ashortstorylong.substack.com

Short Story, Long | Aaron Burch | Substack

Longer short stories, published biweekly. Click to read Short Story, Long, by Aaron Burch, a Substack publication with thousands of subscribers.

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David DeGusta @davidwrites1.bsky.social · 27/08/2025

Iowa City people: don’t miss this tonight! Definitely worth it. Am currently halfway through Dogs and more on that soon but you should definitely check this out if you are anywhere in the vicinity. @iowawriterswksp.bsky.social @prairielights.com

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David DeGusta @davidwrites1.bsky.social · 15/08/2025

Recently I’ve been getting these spam calls where they leave a one second voicemail that my phone transcribes as “No.” As a writer, this feels very normal and standard to me. Almost comforting.

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David DeGusta @davidwrites1.bsky.social · 12/08/2025

A sighting in the wild never gets old, or I sure hope it doesn’t. Spotted Oromay at @greenapplebooks.bsky.social at SF airport, in proximity to fellow Iowa grad Xochitl Gonzalez’s novel. A good start to my Bread Loaf journey.

A photo of a bookstore’s Fiction section with many great books, including the English translation of Baalu Girma’s novel Oromay, an Ethiopian classic.

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David DeGusta @davidwrites1.bsky.social · 05/08/2025

I took Apple’s feedback survey for Apple Music and was surprised to see that for the question “How do you listen to Apple Music?“ the possible answers did not include “on my computer.” Which maybe goes some way towards explaining why the Mac Music app is so bad. @siracusa.social

A screenshot of an survey question from Apple asking:
How do you typically listen to Apple Music?
Select all that apply.
• On my smartphone
• In my car
• On my home speakers
• On my tablet
• On my TV
Other (specify):
Under “other” the user has entered “On my Mac.” And, in retrospect, wishes he had added several exclamation marks.

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Reposted by David DeGusta

Mike Ingram @mikeingram.bsky.social · 04/08/2025

Well, friends, after 13 years (!!) the Book Fight podcast has finally ridden off into the sunset. One last episode, posted today, in which Tom and I do some reminiscing, and a bit of an exit interview (plus we write blurbs for each other)

bookfightpod.com

Endings: The Final Episode — Book Fight Podcast

Well, friends, here it is. After 13 years, the Book Fight podcast is finally riding off into the sunset. Join us for one final episode, as we look back at what we've learned, read some listener tribut...

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David DeGusta @davidwrites1.bsky.social · 04/08/2025

If you were desperate to end your long-running podcast, murdering your co-host and claiming that they are “on vacation in Canada” would be one way to go. Like, hypothetically. Many thanks to @mikeingram.bsky.social & @tmcallister.bsky.social (rip??) for 13 years (!!) of Bookfight.

Screenshot of the end of an email that reads as follows: … I will definitely miss doing the show. But I'm thankful for all the cool stuff it's brought into my life, including how many of you I've gotten to meet, or even just chat with online.
-Mike (and Tom, in spirit)
(oh wait, that makes it sound like Tom is dead, and not just on vacation in Canada.)

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David DeGusta @davidwrites1.bsky.social · 25/07/2025

The next deadline to apply for a residency at Yaddo is Thurs Aug 1 (for residencies Nov-June). The application is pretty straightforward, no letters of recommendation needed. It’s an amazing place and my stay there was transformative, so I say go for it! @yaddocommunity.bsky.social yaddo.org/apply/

yaddo.org

Apply – Yaddo

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David DeGusta @davidwrites1.bsky.social · 23/07/2025

Translators - the excellent journal Exchanges run out of the stellar mfa program in translation at Iowa is now on Bluesky @literaryexchanges.bsky.social. They’re also open for submissions for what sounds like a cool themed issue on in/fidelity in translations. Give it a look!

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Reposted by David DeGusta

Max Ryynänen @maxryynanen.bsky.social · 23/07/2025

I am 75 pages into Baalu Girma's Oromay (1983) and the slick start in Addis nightlife starts turning gloomy, mesmerizing, & bureaucratically, infomation-wise, politically complex. It is likely that this novel about Ethiopia/Eritrea will become a long-lasting friend. Thanks @tommikakko.bsky.social

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David DeGusta @davidwrites1.bsky.social · 23/07/2025

A top ten moment of my life occurred yesterday when I opened the pre-made salad kit (I know, I know, I usually do make my own but this week is busy) and discovered that it contained TWO packages of shredded cheese. That, my friends, is the taste of victory.

Photo of a bag of Trader Joe’s Avocado Ranch Salad Kit showing that it mistakenly contained not one but two packages of shredded cheese.

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David DeGusta @davidwrites1.bsky.social · 21/07/2025

The retro/throwback sports apparel trend has officially gotten out of hand - I just saw an ad (below) for a “Retro Golden State Valkyries Logo T-shirt” from Homage. Folks, the Valkyries are an expansion franchise. Not sure how you can go “retro” during their very first season, but here we are. #wnba

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Reposted by David DeGusta

THE FAR SIDE DAILY @bot.cowtools.org · 20/07/2025

“I dunno, Andy. ... Mom said we were never to go near the old Sutter place.”

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Rónán Hession @ronanhession.bsky.social · 20/07/2025

Women in Translation month is coming up again in August. Not sure if interest is waning as it was quieter on Twitter the past couple of years and I'm not sure if it has transferred to Bluesky. I'm reading for a review column during August with an all female line up so far. #witmonth to take part.

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David DeGusta @davidwrites1.bsky.social · 17/07/2025

The Book Fight podcast by @tmcallister.bsky.social and @mikeingram.bsky.social is drawing to a close. They were my gateway to the literary world. Anyone with an internet connection could listen to two writers talk, joke, and occasionally argue about books and writers. Made it all seem possible ;)

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David DeGusta @davidwrites1.bsky.social · 15/07/2025

Happy to see The Pitt getting some Emmy love, but if that pilot script had been from an unknown writer, it would have sank under a metric ton of notes. “Too many characters. Lead undeveloped. Too much jargon. What conflicts will drive series beyond cliche ‘admin wants to shut us down’?”

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David DeGusta @davidwrites1.bsky.social · 14/07/2025

Joyeux 14 juillet! Had some very nice ones in France, grateful to everyone I worked with and got to know there. cc: @segovandevelde.bsky.social

A view of some French archaeologists (and wonderful people) eating at a table on the terrace of a medieval monastery looking out over a valley in St Thome, Ardeche, France.

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David DeGusta @davidwrites1.bsky.social · 05/06/2025

Brave Basset Confronts Cowardly Lion

A basset hound sniffing a quite realistic plastic lion toy. #dogsofbluesky #bassethound

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David DeGusta @davidwrites1.bsky.social · 04/06/2025

Annoyed to see this Marc Maron guy, whoever he is, getting big media attention for announcing he’s ending his podcast when the Book Fight guys @mikeingram.bsky.social & @tmcallister.bsky.social already made virtually the same announcement months ago. I mean, wtf? www.npr.org/2025/06/02/n...

npr.org

Marc Maron ends iconic podcast after 16 years: 'We're burnt out'

Marc Maron has interviewed Robin Williams, Nicole Kidman, former President Barack Obama and many more. But after 16 years and 1,600+ episodes, he's ready to call it quits.

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David DeGusta @davidwrites1.bsky.social · 30/05/2025

Just came across a good malapropism: “an escape goat.”

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David DeGusta @davidwrites1.bsky.social · 30/05/2025

Hot Take: Your Friends and Neighbors (Jon Hamm, Apple TV) is like a 1970s John Updike novel with an aftermarket crime subplot bolted onto it. Meant as a description, not a criticism. cc @emilynussbaum.bsky.social @inkookang.bsky.social

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David DeGusta @davidwrites1.bsky.social · 28/05/2025

Me when I realize it’s Wednesday and I should really deal with the emails etc that I put off until “after the holiday weekend”:

Roscoe the basset hound laying with his head tucked under a bush. #dogsofbluesky #bassethound

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C. Robert Cargill @crobertcargill.bsky.social · 27/05/2025

My favorite example of this comes from over a century ago when the Self-Playing Piano industry argued that if they had to pay royalties on the hit songs they were programming their machines to play, they would go under. This really is a second verse same as the first situation.

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David DeGusta @davidwrites1.bsky.social · 23/05/2025

If you think you might have some writing that’s a good fit for @barrelhouse.bsky.social, they will open for submissions June 1 (below). There’s enough on their website to give you a sense of their general vibe. Based on recent experience, I highly recommend them-they took very good care of my poem.

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David DeGusta @davidwrites1.bsky.social · 22/05/2025

If you’re wondering where OpenAI got $6.5 billion to buy Jony Ive’s company, the answer is they didn’t. It’s an all-stock transaction. And since OpenAI hasn’t gone public, the value of its shares is effectively whatever the company and its owners say they are. www.nytimes.com/2025/05/21/t...

nytimes.com

OpenAI Unites With Jony Ive in $6.5 Billion Deal to Create A.I. Devices

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Oakland Review of Books @oaklandreviewofbooks.org · 21/05/2025

In addition to our weekly events calendar, we are starting to publish vibe reports on readings, screenings, protests, eatings, things of that nature, and other things: www.oaklandreviewofbooks.org

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