iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Adam Sawyer @adamjst.bsky.social · 27/01/2026

Reposted by Karen Babine

Neighborism. www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...

If the Minnesota resistance has an overarching ideology, you could call it “neighborism”—a commitment to protecting the people around you, no matter who they are or where they came from. The contrast with the philosophy guiding the Trump administration couldn’t be more extreme. Vice President Vance has said that “it is totally reasonable and acceptable for American citizens to look at their next-door neighbors and say, ‘I want to live next to people who I have something in common with. I don’t want to live next to four families of strangers.’” Minnesotans are insisting that their neighbors are their neighbors whether they were born in Minneapolis or Mogadishu. That is, arguably, a deeply Christian philosophy, one apparently loathed by some of the most powerful Christians in America.

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Hamilton Nolan @hamiltonnolan.bsky.social · 23/01/2026

Thousands outside Terminal 1 at the Minneapolis airport now.

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skryptical @skryptical.bsky.social · 23/01/2026

Organizations that could use financial donations ASAP include: Second Harvest Heartland: www.2harvest.org Twin Cites Food Justice: www.tcfoodjustice.org The Food Group MN: www.thefoodgroupmn.org Minnesota Immigration Rights Action Committee: www.miracmn.com

2harvest.org

Second Harvest Heartland | Local Minnesota, Wisconsin food bank | 2harvest.org

There is more than enough food for everyone. As one of the nation’s largest hunger relief agencies, it’s our job to make sure healthy, nutritious food gets to the households who need it. Every day, we...

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Brevity / Dinty W. Moore @dintywmoore.bsky.social · 15/01/2026

Brevity's new issue launched this morning. Flash essays from Nicole Walker, Alex Sokol, Sean Thomas Dougherty, Shuly Cawood, Thomasin LaMay, Charles Montgomery, Derek Maiolo, José Orduña, Josh Martin, Liz Sauchelli, Margaret Grayson, and Rocky Halpern. Artwork by Michael Todd Cohen. brevitymag.com

brevitymag.com

Brevity: A Journal of Concise Literary Nonfiction | Brevity: The journal devoted exclusively to the concise literary nonfiction.

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I didn't know until he died that my grandfather, Sgt Bill Babine, was awarded a Bronze Star at the Battle of the Bulge (he's left in this pic) as part of the Army's 84th Infantry, the Railsplitters. He also received a Purple Heart for his injuries. #armisticeday #veteransday

Lt jg Kermit Kleene, U.S. Coast Guard, USS Charlottesville. When he returned after four years at war, his family thought he had been "on a four year vacation." Except for one night, two months before he died, my grandfather never spoke of the war and what he had seen. #ArmisticeDay #VeteransDay

My great-grandfather, William Henry Babine, Sr., on this #ArmisticeDay, because he's one of the focal points of my Nova Scotia book. I suspect he saw action in France, but I can't prove it. What Bill, Sr. saw or didn't see still affects generations he never met. #veteransday

Chaplain Lt. Col Dan Babine, United States Air Force, ret. #ArmisticeDay #VeteransDay

Josh Marshall @joshtpm.bsky.social · 09/11/2025

Reposted by Karen Babine

Sounds like the squishes in the senate caucus are ready to pull the plug with no ACA changes. This is real. If you want to register your opinion you shld call yr senator in the next hour. They not only want to reopen w/nothing. They want cover from their colleagues who still want to hold out.

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Kevin M. Kruse @kevinmkruse.bsky.social · 09/11/2025

Call the United States Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and they will connect you with your senator's office. If you're represented by one of the squishier centrists, be sure to make a call. Now.

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Karen Babine @karenbabine.bsky.social · 08/11/2025

Not a bad use of a Saturday. My house smells really good right now. Florence, in the background: felt cute, might make soup later

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Assay: A Journal of Nonfiction Studies @assayjournal.bsky.social · 06/11/2025

This Throwback Thursday, we’re revisiting Assay issue 1.1 with Ned Stuckey‑French’s essay “Our Queer Little Hybrid Thing.” “The essay has also gotten lost under the big tent of terms..." Read the complete article here: buff.ly/vmZg07o #ThrowbackThursday #CreativeNonfiction #CreativeWriting #Queer

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Minnesota Star Tribune @startribune.com · 05/11/2025

Kaohly Her will be the first Hmong mayor of St. Paul. We asked her how she wants people to pronounce her name.

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NPR @npr.org · 20/10/2025

Gas utility bills are rising even though natural gas prices are down. That's because a much larger share of your gas bill now goes to infrastructure instead of fuel.

n.pr

Natural gas prices are low, but your monthly gas bill is up. Here's why

Gas utility bills are rising even though natural gas prices are down. That's because a much larger share of your gas bill now goes to infrastructure instead of fuel.

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The Tennessee Holler @thetnholler.bsky.social · 12/10/2025

‼️ CHATTANOOGA - Public school kids outperform voucher kids AGAIN As @GovBillLee steers more and more taxpayer funds away from public schools to private (mostly Christian) schools for wealthy families who are already there. More: www.timesfreepress.com/news/2025/oc...

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Karen Babine @karenbabine.bsky.social · 09/10/2025

So excited for Julija Šukys' new book! It’s not *about* campus shootings, but about the archives left behind. The stories we leave and the stories we tell are not neutral, and the choice not to tell a story is as much a story in itself. Grateful to my dear friend for this powerful, timely work.

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Karen Babine @karenbabine.bsky.social · 08/10/2025

Revisiting MFK Fisher this morning and I just want to wrap this book around me like a blanket. She should not be so relevant in these days. #amreading #foodwriting

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Karen Babine @karenbabine.bsky.social · 07/10/2025

Chattanooga friends, come hang out with me and Sybil Baker in my last event of this wonderful Summer of Book with The Allure of Elsewhere! Tickets available in the link! www.thebookandcover.com/events/36477...

thebookandcover.com

The Allure of Elsewhere: An Evening with Author Karen Babine | The Book & Cover

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Reposted by Karen Babine

Assay: A Journal of Nonfiction Studies @assayjournal.bsky.social · 06/10/2025

The first conversation piece in Assay 12.1 is Desirae Matherly’s “In Defense of Navel Gazing.” “Navel-gazing as a criticism is most often applied to works that focus merely on the self and do not look out from it." Read it here or visit the link in our bio: buff.ly/eUpi85N #CreativeNonfiction

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Irish Literary Times @irishlittimes.bsky.social · 04/10/2025

“The past beats inside me like a second heart.” – John Banville, The Sea

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Irish Literary Times @irishlittimes.bsky.social · 02/10/2025

Remembering Brian Friel. Hard to believe that ten years has passed since his death.

Remembering Brian Friel who died ten years ago today

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Reposted by Karen Babine

Dr. Lucky Tran @luckytran.com · 01/10/2025

"If we lose hope, we're doomed." We must continue Dr. Jane Goodall's mission and all fight for the future of the planet.

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Assay: A Journal of Nonfiction Studies @assayjournal.bsky.social · 01/10/2025

Happy October! Assay Issue 12.1 (Fall 2025) is here, full of delightful new nonfiction scholarship and pedagogy! buff.ly/Sv9yxzt #AssayJournal #SubmissionsOpen #SubmitYourWork #Pedagogy #Nonfiction #Interviews #LiteraryCriticism #TeachingResources #NewIssue #MagazineLaunch

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Karen Babine @karenbabine.bsky.social · 22/09/2025

Hey friends, I asked this a while ago, but returning to it: who's publishing your favorite nonfiction craft books? I've got my list, so I'm wondering if I've missed any.

media.tenor.com

a man is writing in a notebook with a pen .

ALT: a man is writing in a notebook with a pen .

Karen Babine @karenbabine.bsky.social · 17/09/2025

Knoxville friends, I'm going to be reading at Union Ave Books for their First Friday event on Oct 3--would love to see you there! unionavebooks.com/event/2025-1...

unionavebooks.com

October First Friday Poetry Night

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Lit Hub @literaryhub.bsky.social · 16/09/2025

“I’m also glad to see such an excellent choice by the Library of Congress, which has recently been a target of Trump and his hogmen—I was afraid this year’s Laureate would be someone like Kid Rock.” lithub.com/arthur-sze-i...

lithub.com

Arthur Sze is the new U.S. Poet Laureate.

The Library of Congress just announced that Arthur Sze will be the nation’s 25th Poet Laureate for 2025-2026. He will take over the position on October 9th from the previous Laureate Ada Limón, who…

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Karen Babine @karenbabine.bsky.social · 16/09/2025

Irreverent RIP to Robert Redford: when I was growing up, other cookbooks offered Better than Sex cake recipes. My mom made Better than Robert Redford cake.

Karen Babine @karenbabine.bsky.social · 07/09/2025

Because Miss Ruby, our custodian, asked me last week when I was going to make snickerdoodles. My house smells awesome right now. Can’t wait to see her face tomorrow.

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Karen Babine @karenbabine.bsky.social · 07/09/2025

Dara offers Peets of Skepticism to all in need. The world is back on its bullshit today, so make sure you sniff the milk before you drink it. And if whoever’s knocking at your door was important, they would have texted first.

Karen Babine @karenbabine.bsky.social · 05/09/2025

"But who do you come from is not the question we ask: we ask where do you come from? We ask where, as if the place, the land, the terra pater, the Motherland, is what we mean when we want to know our origins." -Karen Babine, The Allure of Elsewhere: A Memoir of Going Solo

"What’s curious to me is that where do we come from is a compelling question at all. I can understand the desire to know who we come from, the line of humans who share our blood, so we can know that we’re not unmoored in the world, that we’re not alone, that we don’t stand in this place truly alone, that our dead are never truly dead.

But who do you come from is not the question we ask: we ask where do you come from? We ask where, as if the place, the land, the terra pater, the Motherland, is what we mean when we want to know our origins."

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Reposted by Karen Babine

The Tennessee Holler @thetnholler.bsky.social · 27/08/2025

MINNEAPOLIS: “A deliberate act of violence… don’t just say this is about thoughts and prayers. These kids were literally praying. It was the first week of school. They were in a church.” 2 kids dead, over a dozen others wounded by another heavily armed gunman. Heartbreaking.

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Karen Babine @karenbabine.bsky.social · 17/08/2025

#watercolors, Day ??? Classes start tomorrow, so here’s how I spent my afternoon

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Mark Harris @markharris.bsky.social · 10/08/2025

It's profoundly saddening to read that AP will no longer be assigning or running book reviews because readers don't engage with them enough and they take too much effort to plan and assign. People complain about critics as gatekeepers; wait until all that's left is marketing.

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Karen Babine @karenbabine.bsky.social · 09/08/2025

Needing some comfort food to distract me from the semester starting next Monday, so I think I’m going to hang out with Cordelia Cupp