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J. Marshall Freeman

@jmarshallfreeman.bsky.social
482 followers 241 following 3.7K posts

Novelist, poet, musician, queer aesthete, Toronto biker, older and only marginally wiser. jmarshallfreeman.com My new short story collection, "To Wrap Yourself in Light," is now available on Amazon.

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J. Marshall Freeman @jmarshallfreeman.bsky.social · 20h
As long as I don’t think about the climate change implications, I can say that it’s nice to sit on the back porch and do my work without even a sweater on October 1 while a hermit thrush, taking a break from its migration south, wanders around foraging.
Hermit thrush, who visits the garden twice a year during migrations. I wonder if it’s the same bird every time?
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J. Marshall Freeman @jmarshallfreeman.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Zebra spider inspects our house’s brickwork. #photography #spider
A tiny zebra spider, perhaps 4mm long, climbs up a red brick which occupies the 80% of the photo. The bottom 20% shows the darker grouting beneath the brick
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J. Marshall Freeman @jmarshallfreeman.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Canada is eagre to join the rest of the world in shredding itself for the sake of billionaires. open.substack.com/pub/davidmos...
open.substack.com
The Case Against Billionaires
You can have an ultra-wealthy class or you can have democracy. You can’t have both. Choose...wisely.
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J. Marshall Freeman @jmarshallfreeman.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
I was just listening to the cerebrocast.bsky.social episode with kierongillen.bsky.social from 2022 about Mister Sinister, and every time they say “colonialist,” I heard “CLONEialist,” which frankly made just as much sense.
cerebrocast.bsky.social
CEREBRO (@cerebrocast.bsky.social)
CEREBRO is a podcast about Marvel's Merry Mutants, the Uncanny X-Men, hosted by Connor Goldsmith. Each episode highlights one character. www.cerebrocast.com patreon.com/cerebrocast
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J. Marshall Freeman @jmarshallfreeman.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Talk about common sense.
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J. Marshall Freeman @jmarshallfreeman.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Tomato obelisk #photography #abstractphotography #artphotography
An aqua (verging on sky blue) water bottle with a silver lid sits on a pebbled blue/green countertop. Golfball-sized tomatoes surround the bottle in two rings. The upper left corner has a dark triangle, and mirroring that is a flat yellow triangle in the lower right corner.
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J. Marshall Freeman @jmarshallfreeman.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Funny
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J. Marshall Freeman @jmarshallfreeman.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
I’m listening to @bigjoel.bsky.social read from Mr. Beast’s “novel.” It’s absolutely reprehensible: a contest with life and death stakes to find THE ONE PERSON able to save our damaged world. They will be given $1 billion to spend. Beast doesn’t get that cooperation, not competition will save us.
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Jean Yoon @jeanyoon.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Carney isn’t a Liberal Prime Minister; he’s a Conservative asset manager merrily auctioning off our public infrastructure, resources, our environment, our labour & safety regulations, our future and our children’s future. But he sure talks nice. He’s Stephen Harper without the ICKY reptilian vibe.
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J. Marshall Freeman @jmarshallfreeman.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Wit and joy in architecture. Awesome.
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J. Marshall Freeman @jmarshallfreeman.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Bizarre! I just watched the Netflix doc about the Ed Sullivan Show. Clearly this project started as a doc about Sullivan’s contribution to the civil rights movement and giving a national stage to black performers during segregation times. 1/2
Ed Sullivan with Harry Belafonte, a frequent guest on his show.
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J. Marshall Freeman @jmarshallfreeman.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
This along with a shift in funding from infant and child mortality research to erectile dysfunction and sperm count research. The 21st Century is sure gonna be a great time for American science!
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ℳatt @matttomic.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Worth noting, as Macklemore was banned by NFL owners in what will be dubbed "fighting antisemitism", that Kanye, who - sold merch with swastikas - said on Alex Jones that he idolizes Hitler - tweeted he was "going Defcon 3 on Jewish people" is currently on a multi-city tour of NFL stadiums
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Dan of the Year @downwithdan.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
wtf kind of pets they got in there
SMOKING
BARE FOOT
PETS
PROHIBITED IN BUILDING
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J. Marshall Freeman @jmarshallfreeman.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
Bugs on flowers. #photography #insects #flowers
Bumble bee on zinniaGreater angle-wing katydid, front legs on a big leaf.Male mosquito (almost invisibly wispy) on a coneflower. A second coneflower, red instead of orange, and even more faded is ahead of it like an echo.
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J. Marshall Freeman @jmarshallfreeman.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
To be clear…
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jenny tightpants @jtp.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
welcome to 2020s tech. we got - pervert glasses - wiretap - wiretap - wiretap - wiretap - the button that does nothing - we outta ram - we outta hard drives - we outta graphics cards - ten trillion vibe coded apps that nobody uses - wiretap
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J. Marshall Freeman @jmarshallfreeman.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
For years, our dog walks took us past a house with a Madonna in a stone garden shrine, lit by spotlights and behind bars. The house was sold, and one night, we found her out in the garbage. We took her home. I love her chipped paint and asymmetrical face. #photography #icon #Mary
A plaster Madonna statue,  symmetrically from the breast up, hands touching her sacred heart. The paint is chipped, and the end of the nose broken. The background is a dusty ochre.
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J. Marshall Freeman @jmarshallfreeman.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
This feels very important. It’s a kind of digital eugenics, promising to predict which segments of the population will veer into crime in the future. It reminds me of the third season of “Westworld.”
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J. Marshall Freeman @jmarshallfreeman.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Textures. #photography #storm #sky #curtains #texture
Close up of a beaten-copper table top. A row of diamond shapes that call to mind eyesA stormy sky before it opened and flooded our city last weekThe curtains of my bedroom, mostly closed. A triangle of sky and cloud in the upper middle, and below it, a strip of curtain like burning gold, sharply contrasting the rest of the curtains' greyish blue shadow
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J. Marshall Freeman @jmarshallfreeman.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Labour Day factoid from someone in his 60s: When I was entering the job market, the prevailing wisdom was that 25% of your earnings should go to your housing. In many cases today, people are spending 40% to keep a roof over their heads. Housing shouldn't be a market-driven commodity.
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J. Marshall Freeman @jmarshallfreeman.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Amazing concert by Meshell Ndegeocello and her band, touring last year’s album “No More Water” based on the writings of James Baldwin. I love how Meshell has become the still centre of the moving groove, even letting others take most of the vocals. The eye of the hurricane. youtu.be/HzfHOI9lTMI?...
youtu.be
Meshell Ndegeocello - What Did I Do? / Travel / Eyes / Trouble / Pride II - Live at Le Guess Who?
YouTube video by Le Guess Who?
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J. Marshall Freeman @jmarshallfreeman.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
A little shrine on the first anniversary of the death of my husband's mother, featuring the most glorious rose from our garden and a Mary statue we rescued from a neighbour’s garbage. #photography #mementomori #roses
A portrait oriented collection of memorial objects. On the left is a red votive candle, lit. In front of it, a small portrait of the deceased, a black and white photo of a woman with dark hair and eyes in a clear plastic frame much larger than the photo. Right of centre stands a plaster Madonna with chipped pain. In front of her is a clear vase with a huge rose in red and coral hues. The wall behind is ocher , with reds and splatters of light from the candle.
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J. Marshall Freeman @jmarshallfreeman.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
90% of our motivation is belonging to a club where we feel safe and seen. This is both a beautiful and a dangerous impulse.
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J. Marshall Freeman @jmarshallfreeman.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
So still and silent early on a holiday Sunday morning. The sound of a squirrel cracking a fruit pit two doors down is enough to catch my attention. Later today, the airshow will scream overhead. 
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Digital Brain @yourdigitalbrain.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
In 1988, Sesame Street mocked a greedy real estate tycoon named Ronald Grump who wanted to bulldoze the neighborhood for luxury towers. Sound familiar?
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J. Marshall Freeman @jmarshallfreeman.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
Think of the international optics of this, too. In 2026, Toronto and Ontario will be a laughing stock. With the regressive fossil fuel policies of the Carney gov’t, Canada must be treated as an international pariah on climate change issues. And tearing out existing bike lanes looks like madness.
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J. Marshall Freeman @jmarshallfreeman.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
There are times (like right now) when the perfidious, gleeful cruelty of people with wealth and power makes me want to give up. I just don’t feel like performing hope right now. They grind every flower of civilization into pulp and make us pay for the grinding blades.
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J. Marshall Freeman @jmarshallfreeman.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Direction. #photograpy #abstractphotography
A yellow poplar leaf stuck by rain to the chassis of a blue car. The leaf points directly to the right. Various white markings like smudgy clouds mar the blue, and in the lower section, a reflection of the photographer’s red shirt creates a plum-coloured area.
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J. Marshall Freeman @jmarshallfreeman.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Klimt leaf. #naturephotography #photography
A  maple leaf with a blight that makes it look gilded, somewhat in the manner of a Klimt painting
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J. Marshall Freeman @jmarshallfreeman.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Sex. Sidewalk abstraction. #photography #abstractphotography
Paint marking on sidewalk in white with yellow residue. X symbol in the centre, and to the left, a piece of black twig, bent twice to make something like a simple, angular letter S. The sidewalk itself has an artificial gradient from blue up top to ochre at the bottom.
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Lupita Nihongo @otsumamiboy.blacksky.app · 01/09/2026
If buying isn't owning then piracy can't be theft. Any reasonable corporation knows that.
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J. Marshall Freeman @jmarshallfreeman.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
Amazing turnout and energy on the Critical Mass cycle tonight through Toronto! Save our lanes!!!
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J. Marshall Freeman @jmarshallfreeman.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
Here, I made something.
Postcard of Niagara Falls with "Niagara" scribbled out and "America" scribbled in above. A word balloon coming in from the left says, "Maybe we should workshop this one, Sir."
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J. Marshall Freeman @jmarshallfreeman.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
My sister doesn’t understand why I say I don’t want to visit the States, even to see family. The list of reasons keeps growing.
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J. Marshall Freeman @jmarshallfreeman.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
There’s a special beauty to wilting #flowers. #photography #summer
Three wilting blooms with aphids on their stemsWilted flowers in yellow and white over green leaves
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J. Marshall Freeman @jmarshallfreeman.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Yeah, Ford ain't my hero just because he's "our" bully.
Image from "The Beaverton" of Ontario Premier Doug Ford and US President Trump with a school bus between them, and the headline beneath: "Breaking: Doug Ford challenges Donald Trump to a corruption fight in the school parking lot."
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J. Marshall Freeman @jmarshallfreeman.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Geranium about to pop. #flower #photography #summer
A dark red geranium shot in close up from below. Several of the individual florets are peeking out red, and up top is one, more fully exposed. A blue piece of wrought iron column can be seen behind the green and red of the flower.
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J. Marshall Freeman @jmarshallfreeman.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
A bézier shadow. #photography #abstract #astro
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J. Marshall Freeman @jmarshallfreeman.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
This is a video on how bisexuals are fundamentally discriminated against by our standard models of discussing sexuality and queerphobia. I’d love see @dansavage.bsky.social discuss it, because it’s a brilliantly argued take. youtu.be/h2ou2A_-8JU?...
youtu.be
The Bisexual Problem
YouTube video by verilybitchie
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J. Marshall Freeman @jmarshallfreeman.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
Rheos making bold Canadian noises. We won't be pushed around.
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J. Marshall Freeman @jmarshallfreeman.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
Rush’s “50th” tour has rekindled my love/hate relationship with the band. I’m currently investigating their 1982 album, “Grace under Pressure” and noting its congruency with the Police’s “Ghost in the Machine (1981).” Synths, chorused gtrs, pretentious socially-conscious lyrics. I like both albums.
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J. Marshall Freeman @jmarshallfreeman.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
There’s always new propaganda; you have to stay vigilant.
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J. Marshall Freeman @jmarshallfreeman.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
Absolutely the right thing to do. The word-guessing machine can’t catch nuance or feel
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J. Marshall Freeman @jmarshallfreeman.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
But wait, are “instant classics” iconic or emblematic?
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Phil McAndrew @philmcandrew.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
A COMPANY THAT STARTED AS AN ONLINE BOOKSTORE, THAT WENT ON TO DO IMMEASURABLE DESTRUCTION TO THE PUBLISHING AND BOOKSELLING INDUSTRY, THAT NOW PROFITS FROM HUMAN DEATH AND CONCENTRATION CAMPS, IS NOW BUYING AND PHYSICALLY DESTROYING AS MANY RARE BOOKS AS THEY POSSIBLY CAN.
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J. Marshall Freeman @jmarshallfreeman.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
MS Word's text suggestions are hilarious. I'm editing a Bible translation, and it wants me to change "For one thing, you may certainly not charge such a person interest" to "For one thing, you may certainly not charge such a person OF interest." As if this is a script for CSI.
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J. Marshall Freeman @jmarshallfreeman.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
Or as Jennifer Saunders said of working on "Muppet Treasure Island," "It's very hard to be in a Muppet movie because you have to work all day with someone's hand up you."
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J. Marshall Freeman @jmarshallfreeman.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
My grandmother, blowing out one of her last birthday cakes. #photography #availablelight #birthday
An elderly woman with white hair blows out birthday candles. The image is blurred as the only source of light for the old film camera is the candles. The predominant colour is red, and the background is a black void. Her eyes, too, are sharp and dark in the blurry surroundings.
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