iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

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Michelle Wu 吳弭 @wutrain.bsky.social · 20/08/2025

To my 10th grade English teacher, who said, “Make the conclusion count.”

A screenshot of the last paragraph of the letter to AG Bondi:

On behalf of the people of Boston, and in solidarity with the cities and communities targeted by this federal administration for our refusal to bow down to unconstitutional threats and unlawful coercion, we affirm our support for each other and for our democracy. Boston will never back down from being a beacon of freedom, and a home for everyone.

Sincerely,
Michelle Wu
Mayor of Boston

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Lisa K. Buchanan @lisakbuchanan.bsky.social · 11/08/2025

How did The Original Folk and Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm land on a banned book list? Was it machine-screened for the d-word in the jacket copy? “....Indeed, this is what makes the tales from the 1812 and 1815 editions unique--they reflect diverse voices…”

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SmokeLong Quarterly @smokelong.bsky.social · 16/07/2025

The SmokeLong Grand Micro Contest opens Aug 1st! www.smokelong.com/the-smokelon...

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josh @cyberb.space · 15/07/2025

Broke my own rule (a little bit) and wrote about writing. cyberb.space/notes/2025/p...

cyberb.space

Pencil Me In

On first drafts and psychological quirks

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Alyssa S. #BakerSquad 🏆 @drsepinwall.bsky.social · 15/07/2025

I don't have time to keep screenshotting all day from @shannonmattern.bsky.social's article (I already did other QTs) - but THIS RIGHT HERE also needs to be amplified. Yes, our elite universities - not least Penn - need to reckon with what they have wrought...

Text: When I look at Donald Trump, Elon Musk, Kevin Hassett, and their ilk, I don’t (entirely?) blame Penn — but I do see in these alums the dangers of an instrumentalist, entrepreneurial education. I see what happens when you build a university around a business school, and then run a nation like a business; when education cultivates cunning that’s deployed for the purposes of deception and extraction. When I watch these men proudly perform their ignorance and egotism and fraudulence on screen, I’m embarrassed, appalled, and furious.

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Deb Werrlein @debwerrlein.bsky.social · 14/07/2025

So good: My Sister Teaches Me How to Dice an Onion url:https://riverteethjournal.com/beautiful-things/my-sister-teaches-me-how-to-dice-an-onion-2/#comment-7325

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Deb Werrlein @debwerrlein.bsky.social · 14/07/2025

Free to Be You and Me. I remember loving the music so much I didn't want it to end. And the idea girls could grow up to do anything they wanted made a huge impression on me. The messaging would probably be prohibited in schools today. www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFzM...

youtube.com

Free To Be...You And Me (1974) Complete Show

YouTube video by The Duke Mitchell Film Club

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Deb Werrlein @debwerrlein.bsky.social · 14/07/2025

Loved this "weird little meta flash piece"!

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Linda K Sienkiewicz @lindaksienkiewicz.com · 13/07/2025

Literary collective nouns. My personal favorite is the proofreaders. So clever. #literary

Literary collective nouns showing a chapter of novelists, a draft of editors, a recommendation of booksellers, a stanza of poets, a borrowing of librarians, a blurb of publicists, an autopsy of critics, and a gruop [sic] of proofreaders.

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Bonanni Comma John @bananascallops.bsky.social · 12/07/2025

Excellent essay in @electricliterature.com by @debwerrlein.bsky.social about the gift of longhand writing: "...if writing is a process of discovery and learning, then what discoveries did I lose by speeding up the process? What connections haven’t I made?" electricliterature.com/ai-cant-gasl...

electricliterature.com

AI Can’t Gaslight Me if I Write by Hand - Electric Literature

There are all kinds of slow movements, slow food, slow families. Perhaps it’s time for slow writing

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KJ McLean 🇨🇦 @kj-mclean.bsky.social · 10/07/2025

There is a website called “One Typed Page”, to which typewriter enthusiasts submit a daily that is then shared on the website and/or emailed to subscribers. Here is my inaugural submission. #OneTypedPage

An A5-sized typed page of stream-of-consciousness writing, composed on a circa 1980 Smith-Corona typewriter, by Karen J. McLean.

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Pithead Chapel @pitheadchapel.bsky.social · 01/07/2025

Our July issue is live! Read here: pitheadchapel.com/volume-14-issue-7/ Words @mczyzniejewski.bsky.social @kimchinquee.bsky.social RENESHA DHANRAJ WYLEY FROHLICH JUNGERMAN TROY ANDERSON @danbillyc.bsky.social @theresegleason @claudiamonpere.bsky.social BRITTANY REDD TARA SHEA BURKE Art JACELYN YAP

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The New York Times @nytimes.com · 30/05/2025

From @nytopinion.nytimes.com “It proved an American misstep, fueled by xenophobia, that would forever alter the global balance of power.” Kathleen Kingsbury, the editor of Times Opinion, tells the cautionary story of a Chinese scientist who was deported from the U.S. during the Cold War.

nytimes.com

Opinion | The U.S. Deported This Chinese Scientist, in a Decision That Changed World History

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Deb Werrlein @debwerrlein.bsky.social · 05/05/2025

Yup. This is me. Especially poignant now, during migration.

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Lincoln Michel @thelincoln.bsky.social · 26/03/2025

“Writing a novel is a terrible experience, during which the hair often falls out and the teeth decay. I'm always irritated by people who imply that writing fiction is an escape from reality. It is a plunge into reality and it's very shocking to the system.”―Flannery O'Connor (born March 25th, 1925)

Young Flannery O'Connor standing next to painting of her with peacock

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Veena Dubal @veenadubal.bsky.social · 25/03/2025

This morning, FACULTY UNIONS led by @aaup.bsky.social sued the Trump administration over the unlawful funding cuts at Columbia. We will not let the federal government use coercion to rob us of academic freedom and critical research! So proud of my union! protectdemocracy.org/wp-content/u...

protectdemocracy.org

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Aubrey Hirsch @aubreyhirsch.bsky.social · 20/03/2025

Since it looks like Trump is actually planning to sign an order to dismantle the Department of Education TODAY, this thread has my full illustrated explainer on what the department does (and doesn't) do. With alt text! 1/4

Let’s talk about the Department of Education! Because
I’m going to actually lose my shit if I have to read any more misinformation about it!

One of Trump's main campaign promises was to eliminate the Department of Education, and he's already hard at work fulfilling that promise. Trump: “I want the Secretary of Education to put herself out of a job.” He fired 1300 staffers. He is reportedly drafting an executive order to dismantle
the DOE.

Trump constantly says: “We're trying to get the schools back into the states. Let the states run the schools!” This is a fundamental misunderstanding of the Department of Education’s function. Its mission statement is, admittedly, a bit stilted: “The Department of Education's mission is to promote student achievement and preparation for global competitiveness by fostering educational excellence and ensuring equal access.”

Here’s what it actually does: The Department of Education's mission is to promote student achievement and preparation for global competitiveness by fostering educational excellence and ensuring equal access. Gathers information about schools and shares that research widely to help improve the quality of education. Highlights important education issues and suggests ways to improve schools. Makes sure everyone has fair access to education and prevents discrimination.

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Marisa Kabas @marisakabas.bsky.social · 19/03/2025

“How long will I be here?” “I don’t know your case,” the man said. “Could be days. Could be weeks. But I’m telling you right now – you need to mentally prepare yourself for months.”

theguardian.com

I’m the Canadian who was detained by Ice for two weeks. It felt like I had been kidnapped

I was stuck in a freezing cell without explanation despite eventually having lawyers and media attention. Yet, compared with others, I was lucky

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Z.K.A. (she/her) @pegasusunder.bsky.social · 25/02/2025

My agent @clgslr.bsky.social has a really cool and fun podcast all about agenting and publishing related things, super useful for those querying and also interesting to anyone who wants to see behind the veil! creators.spotify.com/pod/show/flu...

creators.spotify.com

Flublishing • A podcast on Spotify for Creators

Welcome to Flublishing, your candid publishing podcast. Hosts literary agents Carleen Geisler and Andie Smith are here to provide some insight into one of the lesser talked about topics in publishing:...

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Rebecca Colesworthy @rcolesworthy.bsky.social · 27/02/2025

Not gonna lie, I was reading these again while prepping the project for production and pinching myself. Big time. You don't need me to be like "hey have you heard of this Anzaldúa writer??" because, I mean...!! But seriously, I'm ridiculously excited (and honored!).

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Kate Brett Lewis @katebrettlewis.bsky.social · 23/02/2025

Five things I did this week: 1. Dropped Amazon 2. Got a Costco membership 3. Promised my husband I wouldn't talk politics until he's ready (he's too heartbroken) 4. Had an anxiety attack 5. Talked to my granddaughter

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Deb Werrlein @debwerrlein.bsky.social · 21/02/2025

Just a little Friday micro to spice up your day!

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Kate Sheppard @k8shep.bsky.social · 17/02/2025

When you wrote a book but don’t get to put your name on the title page. But your brother’s name is there so that’s fine. #WomenInEgyptology

Title page of The Englishwoman in Egypt, written during a trip there with E. W. Lane…BY HIS SISTER

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Dr Florence AKA Toto @marietoto.bsky.social · 17/02/2025

Fired National Park Ranger is protesting 👇🏾

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Split Lip Magazine @splitlipthemag.bsky.social · 03/02/2025

We will always be committed to diversity on our staff & in our issues. We encourage submissions from historically marginalized groups, the disabled, trans & nonbinary people, queer folks, & people of all races, ethnicities, genders, religions, & ages. 💖 We love our literary community. 💖

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Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez @aoc.bsky.social · 30/01/2025

If you are a federal worker being offered a buyout, I would advise against taking it. Of course, this is a personal decision for everyone and it’s your choice. But these offers are a rush job. The legality is questionable and this admin does not keep to its word. They aren’t firing for a reason.

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🎃 Trip Ghouley 🎃 @trip.bsky.social · 30/01/2025

On Small Acts of Defiance, a wee 🧵 I grew up in an abusive environment, but I still have to go back there once in a while. Now that we’re all faced with an abuser in power, I thought I’d share something that’s helped me in my personal situation, in case it helps anyone else. (YMMV, obvi) 1/10

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The Cincinnati Review @cincinnatireview.bsky.social · 29/01/2025

"'If you leave now, I'll kill us both,' she said." In this week's miCRo, @babaklak considers the reverberations of violence across space and time. buff.ly/3CnLVZu

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Emma Bolden @emmabolden.bsky.social · 22/01/2025

hey just a reminder to support libraries and small presses and independent bookstores and independent journalists bc oh my god do we need them and oh my god are we going to need them more and more

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Deb Werrlein @debwerrlein.bsky.social · 22/01/2025

I lost an hour of work last week trying to figure out how to deal with this. I was able to turn it off in my Windows version, but it's still there, so who knows what it's up to.

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Robin Bradford @tuphlos.bsky.social · 21/01/2025

YES. THIS. And spend that currency on something that matters to you.

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Deb Werrlein @debwerrlein.bsky.social · 22/01/2025

This excellent journal published one of my earliest CNF pieces back in 2016. So glad to see it back, with some whopper beautiful essays. Welcome back Literary Mama!

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Deb Werrlein @debwerrlein.bsky.social · 22/01/2025

I always love reading the micros at @cincinnatireview.bsky.social, so i'm thrilled to have this piece about aging, self-love, and the grit of body and mind appear there. www.cincinnatireview.com/micro/micro-...

cincinnatireview.com

miCRo: "Summit" by Deb Werrlein

I say no age is too old for living.

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Identity Theory @identitytheory.bsky.social · 21/01/2025

It's a beautiful day to destroy the oligarchy and write a poem.

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The Baffler @thebaffler.com · 10/01/2025

Back in the 1800s, Joseph Lancaster sold American elites on a bold experiment to educate children en masse—without teachers, at minimal cost. It was a complete failure. Today’s conservatives would like to repeat his mistakes.

thebaffler.com

Schoolhouse Crock | Jennifer C. Berkshire

In every generation, charlatans come along with a plan to make education better by spending less money on schools.

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Simeon Berry @simeonberry.bsky.social · 07/01/2025

“Of numbness I know enough. // And to you I’ve now written too much, / dear cloud of thalidomide, // dear spoon trembling at the mouth, / dear marble-eyed doll never answering back.” — @paulmguest.bsky.social poets.org/poem/persist...

poets.org

On the Persistence of the Letter as a Form

Dear murderous world, dear gawking heart,

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Deb Werrlein @debwerrlein.bsky.social · 09/01/2025

Last night, I finished the novel James, by @percivaleverett.bsky.social, and it was so good I wanted to flip back to the beginning and start reading all over again.

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