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Leah Sottile

@leahsottile.bsky.social
15K followers 491 following 1.2K posts

Independent journalist | Co-founder @thewesternedge.bsky.social Books: Blazing Eye Sees All, When The Moon Turns To Blood. Podcasts: Hush, Burn Wild, Two Minutes Past Nine, Bundyville. www.leahsottile.com

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Leah Sottile @leahsottile.bsky.social · 12h
"Gonzaga University president Katia Passerini had a lot to say about how 'profoundly AI is reshaping higher education.' ... One thing that Passerini didn’t write in her column: that she used AI to help write it for her." God, I love @rangemedia.co.
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Leah Sottile @leahsottile.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
I’ve asked a lot of weird questions to verify people’s claims, but I think “can you show me any photos of you dressed as the bird at Red Robin?” ranks up there as one of the best.
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Leah Sottile @leahsottile.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
In the last 24 hours I've watched the documentary about Hillel Slovak and the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and read @josie.zone's really amazing excerpt on Beck's "Sea Change." They reminded me how much I just love music journalism, and how tragic it is that we don't have more of it.
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Leah Sottile @leahsottile.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
"When I tested ChatGPT to simulate planning a mass shooting—in April, two months after Tumbler Ridge—I was able to go around its sporadic refusals. It gave me an alarming range of help, even after I talked about emulating the Uvalde mass shooter’s choice of weapon..."
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Anna Merlan @annamerlan.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Never clicked on something faster in my life www.vulture.com/article/beck...
vulture.com
Losing Beck
His acclaimed album, Sea Change, was inspired by a breakup. For his ex-partner, it was the story of how the Church of Scientology took over his life.
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Leah Sottile @leahsottile.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Happy Crone pub day to my pal @keithrosson.bsky.social! If you aren’t reading Keith, what are you even doing?
The cover of Keith Rosson’s book Crone, held against a backdrop of books.
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Portland Mercury @portlandmercury.com · 18/09/2026
EDITORIAL OPINION: In 2020, Portland protesters exercising their First Amendment rights faced rubber bullets, batons, and tear gas from the Portland Police Bureau.
portlandmercury.com
Knee-Jerk Reactions to Councilor Green’s Tweets Are Hypocritical and Dangerous - Portland Mercury
The police are supposed to keep protesters safe as they exercise their rights to free speech—not retaliate by shooting them with rubber bullets, striking them with batons, or spraying tear gas at more...
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Rachel Becker @ra-becks.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Man @leahsottile.bsky.social is so good. This is eye opening.
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Leah Sottile @leahsottile.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
There was my life before the bat flew in the house, and now there’s everything after.
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Kim @trinity888.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
In USA, 20 year olds know only Trump world. Violence, extremism, hatred. The world the far right has been plannning for decades. You and I remember a more hopeful, peaceful time. They don’t. Such a great article, talking to kids about their view of the world.
An administration fueled by extremism has promised violence against everyone she loves. How can she stop thinking about that?

“I wake up, I go to class, and I pretend everything is fine,” she said. “Apathy is better, I don’t know a more peaceful world, so in this one I will keep marching forward.”
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Leah Sottile @leahsottile.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
So glad to see @jamellebouie.net talking in the NYT about how many of the neo-Nazis in the Republican party are in their 20s. It's something I was trying to peck away at with this @thewesternedge.bsky.social piece. Young people don't know life w/o Trumpism www.thewesternedge.media/p/the-age-of...
thewesternedge.media
The Age of No Innocence
What if all you knew was extremist politics? Welcome to being young in America.
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Leah Sottile @leahsottile.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Hell yes, Leyna Krow! Loved this book. www.spokesman.com/stories/2026...
spokesman.com
Spokane author Leyna Krow wins Washington State Book award for fiction novel 'Sinkhole, and Other Inexplicable Voids'
Spokane author Leyna Krow on Tuesday won a 2026 Washington State Book award for her fiction novel, “Sinkhole, and Other Inexplicable Voids.”
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Leah Sottile @leahsottile.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
All Oregon media talking about Christine Drazan being a couple points ahead in a poll, and I'm over here still thinking about this post she made when there was a man in a chicken suit standing outside the ICE Building.
A September 27, 2025 Facebook post from Christine Drazan reading: "The ICE facility in Portland has been subject to months of dangerously chaotic protests that have put residents and federal agents in harm's way. The governor's assertion that there is no national security threat and the mayor's assertion that everything is fine is tone-deaf. It's shameful that state and local leaders have allowed violent mobs and domestic terrorists to assault federal law enforcement, destroy property, and interfere with those seeking immigration services from obtaining assistance and case management. We need order, we need to restore safety, and Oregon's local leaders have failed to provide it."
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Leah Sottile @leahsottile.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
I just looked up who this Ed Sheeran guy is and what he sounds like, and I sure wish I had not.
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Nate @ngs.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Reading this piece from @thewesternedge.bsky.social, I kept coming back to the colloquialism 'a hit dog will holler.' www.thewesternedge.media/p/dei-at-ore...
thewesternedge.media
DEI at Oregon Parks is Lost in the Woods
In progressive Oregon, the Parks department has wrung its hands for years over inclusion
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Kim Kelly @kimkelly.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
For @playboy.com, I spoke with sex workers around the country who are organizing for self-defense with firearms education, carry permit classes, and gun clubs. As one organizer told me, “It’s very much this ‘stay ready so you ain’t got to get ready’ type thing.” www.playboy.com/read/politic...
playboy.com
Meet the Sex Workers Forming Gun Clubs for Self Protection
Sex worker gun clubs are popping up across the country as a form of self-defense and community protection.
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Leah Sottile @leahsottile.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
A loss for everyone.
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The Oregonian @oregonian.com · 12/09/2026
Scott Stoddard, at the crest of his career as editor of the Daily Courier, died Monday at his home in Grants Pass at age 59. mrf.lu/23hxN
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J. L. Westover @mrlovenstein.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
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Ryan Haas @ryanjhaas.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
There isn't much to say about the McClatchy layoffs that hasn't already been said. But I will add that this is why I remain suspicious of all the news organizations pushing to vertical videos and "bite-sized" content and blah blah. Owners of legacy media aren't all that interested in journalism.
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Leah Sottile @leahsottile.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Imperfect story-writing haiku: I just want to get To the point of this story When I close all the tabs
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Leah Sottile @leahsottile.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
There are options when it comes to saving local journalism. For example, AB 2222 is waiting for Newsom's signature in California. I really hope Northwest states follow the lead of Rebuild Local News. Something like this would be a game changer: www.rebuildlocalnews.org/explainer-ca...
rebuildlocalnews.org
Explainer: California’s Community NEWS Act (AB 2222)
An overview of California’s proposed local journalist employment credit for newsrooms, explaining how the program works, who qualifies, and the safeguards designed to prevent misuse.
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Pacific Northwest Newspaper Guild @pacnwguild.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
The Pacific Northwest Newspaper Guild is shocked and disappointed by McClatchy’s decision to lay off 33% of its unionized workers at the Idaho Statesman, The News Tribune (Tacoma), Tri-City Herald, The Olympian and Bellingham Herald. This includes 10 journalists in Idaho, and seven across Washington
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Leah Sottile @leahsottile.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Fuck McClatchy. "The Pacific Northwest Newspaper Guild says that McClatchy is laying off 33% of its unionized workers at the Idaho Statesman, The News Tribune in Tacoma, the Tri-City Herald, The Olympian and the Bellingham Herald." www.kivitv.com/news/idaho-s...
kivitv.com
Idaho Statesman hit by McClatchy layoffs, 10 Idaho journalists affected
The Idaho Statesman is being hit by McClatchy layoffs, with 10 journalists in Idaho affected, according to the union representing workers.
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Leah Sottile @leahsottile.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
One of my favorite Oregon writers, Joe Wilkins, has a new essay collection out today, called "Every Sky at Home." I'll be in conversation with him tonight at Powell's on Burnside if you find yourself out and about. www.powells.com/events/joe-w...
powells.com
Joe Wilkins in Conversation With Leah Sottile
The Legendary Independent Bookstore
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Ryan Haas @ryanjhaas.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
It's Labor Day. I recently checked in with an active labor movement in North Carolina that was partially inspired to a hunger strike protest due to deaths inside Amazon facilities like the one that took place this year in Oregon.
thewesternedge.media
40 Days, No Food: The Amazon Worker Starving Himself to Protest the Company
As Labor Day approaches, The Western Edge spoke to one labor activist on an extended hunger strike to highlight deaths inside Amazon facilities.
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Leah Sottile @leahsottile.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
Sometimes I find the New York Times to be objectively hilarious.
The Scoop on Ice Cream

Melting Away: Vanilla chocolate chip ice

cream is no longer a hot seller, losing ground to flavors like cookies and cream. The reasons for the decline aren't exactly clear.
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Keith Rosson @keithrosson.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Decided to keep track of all the AI spam emails about "book clubs that want to feature you work!" and "promotional marketers" and all that. This is like two weeks worth of emails. This shit is ridiculous.
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Leah Sottile @leahsottile.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
After @ryanjhaas.bsky.social reported on the death of Amazon worker James Wetmore at PDX9, warehouse workers nationwide took notice, including Italo Medelius. He's been on a hunger strike for 39 days in protest of deaths at Amazon: www.thewesternedge.media/p/40-days-no...
thewesternedge.media
40 Days, No Food: The Amazon Worker Starving Himself to Protest the Company
As Labor Day approaches, The Western Edge spoke to one labor activist on an extended hunger strike to highlight deaths inside Amazon facilities.
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Ryan Haas @ryanjhaas.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
This week will mark the end of a 40-day hunger strike by an Amazon worker who says the company's policies have contributed to deaths. He was inspired to take up the protest in part after @thewesternedge.bsky.social reported on a death at a Troutdale facility.
open.substack.com
40 Days, No Food: The Amazon Worker Starving Himself to Protest the Company
As Labor Day approaches, The Western Edge spoke to one labor activist on an extended hunger strike to highlight deaths inside Amazon facilities.
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Leah Sottile @leahsottile.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
After @ryanjhaas.bsky.social reported on the death of Amazon worker James Wetmore at PDX9, warehouse workers nationwide took notice, including Italo Medelius. He's been on a hunger strike for 39 days in protest of deaths at Amazon: www.thewesternedge.media/p/40-days-no...
thewesternedge.media
40 Days, No Food: The Amazon Worker Starving Himself to Protest the Company
As Labor Day approaches, The Western Edge spoke to one labor activist on an extended hunger strike to highlight deaths inside Amazon facilities.
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dreww @dreww.gg · 30/08/2026
great thoroughly reported piece. there are many worthy indie media outlets asking for your limited subscription budget, but this is my favorite. def recommend giving it a look if you are in the PNW. (they’re on substack for now, but planning to leave when they can, and you can donate off-platform)
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The Western Edge @thewesternedge.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Years before President Trump began systematically rolling back DEI efforts, Oregon's Parks department fired its first two DEI coordinators, buried a report on barriers to access and, according to ex-employees and contractors, stifled inclusion efforts. www.thewesternedge.media/p/dei-at-ore...
thewesternedge.media
DEI at Oregon Parks is Lost in the Woods
In progressive Oregon, the Parks department has wrung its hands for years over inclusion
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Leah Sottile @leahsottile.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
A report assessing barriers that stand in the way of people accessing Oregon’s parks - which was buried by the department - contained this harrowing anecdote. Read our @thewesternedge.bsky.social investigation and subscribe to see more reporting like this: www.thewesternedge.media/p/dei-at-ore...
One LGBTQ group told him a harrowing story: A lesbian couple had been harassed in a state park by another camper, and then a park ranger said they’d received a complaint about a rainbow sticker. “I asked park staff why it wasn’t okay for me to have a rainbow flag,” the person said, “but someone else, the man across the road, could have a Confederate flag flying on the back of his truck. The park staff said, ‘No one complained about the Confederate flag.’ Then told me I had to turn my car around.’
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Zach Urness @oregonoutdoors.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
Just a remarkable deep dive report from @leahsottile.bsky.social on the struggles and collateral damage of sorta, kinda, not really effort to implement DEI policies at the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department. www.thewesternedge.media/p/dei-at-ore...
thewesternedge.media
DEI at Oregon Parks is Lost in the Woods
In progressive Oregon, the Parks department has wrung its hands for years over inclusion
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John Sheehan @jsheehan901.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
Wonderful, thought provoking article by the writer @leahsottile.bsky.social. The ramifications smack far beyond Oregon's borders.
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Leah Sottile @leahsottile.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
A report assessing barriers that stand in the way of people accessing Oregon’s parks - which was buried by the department - contained this harrowing anecdote. Read our @thewesternedge.bsky.social investigation and subscribe to see more reporting like this: www.thewesternedge.media/p/dei-at-ore...
One LGBTQ group told him a harrowing story: A lesbian couple had been harassed in a state park by another camper, and then a park ranger said they’d received a complaint about a rainbow sticker. “I asked park staff why it wasn’t okay for me to have a rainbow flag,” the person said, “but someone else, the man across the road, could have a Confederate flag flying on the back of his truck. The park staff said, ‘No one complained about the Confederate flag.’ Then told me I had to turn my car around.’
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Leah Sottile @leahsottile.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
In progressive Oregon, DEI efforts within the Parks system struggled years BEFORE Trump was re-elected. The first two DEI directors were fired, and a report about barriers to access was buried. A new @thewesternedge.bsky.social investigation, out now. www.thewesternedge.media/p/dei-at-ore...
thewesternedge.media
DEI at Oregon Parks is Lost in the Woods
In progressive Oregon, the Parks department has wrung its hands for years over inclusion
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Ryan Haas @ryanjhaas.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Parks leaders in Oregon talk a big game about wanting to make the state's beautiful parks more accessible to new people, but those goals often stop at words. A new story from The Western Edge today.
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Cadence “Not A Coffee Civet” Andrysiak @supportourpoops.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Ho. Ly. Fuck.
When the group came back to their seats, Graves did: “I wasn’t saying that Parks or OPRD was different in terms of DEI on the eastern side of the state,” she remembered saying. “The broader cultural trends and history were different on the eastern side of the state, and so because of that, Parks exists within that broader culture.”

The Parks department fired her a week later.

People who attended that conference made complaints, alleging that Graves had stood at the podium and called Eastern Oregonians racists and bigots.
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Leah Sottile @leahsottile.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
In progressive Oregon, DEI efforts within the Parks system struggled years BEFORE Trump was re-elected. The first two DEI directors were fired, and a report about barriers to access was buried. A new @thewesternedge.bsky.social investigation, out now. www.thewesternedge.media/p/dei-at-ore...
thewesternedge.media
DEI at Oregon Parks is Lost in the Woods
In progressive Oregon, the Parks department has wrung its hands for years over inclusion
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Leah Sottile @leahsottile.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Oregonians have a lot to say about who we are, and who we aren't, but we have no document to guide us. So I figured I would write one. Here is my manifesto for Oregon. I'm proud to have written it for @oregonhumanities.bsky.social "Revolution" issue. oregonhumanities.org/rll/magazine...
oregonhumanities.org
Together Is All We've Got
A manifesto for Oregon by Leah Sottile
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Oregon Humanities @oregonhumanities.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Leah Sottile @leahsottile.bsky.social opens our Revolution issue, considering the meaning of manifestos—and asking what a manifesto for Oregon would include. Read it in our summer issue, now in print and online. oregonhumanities.org/rll/magazine...
oregonhumanities.org
Together Is All We've Got
A manifesto for Oregon by Leah Sottile
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Don Baldwin, Everyday Anti-fascist @donbaldwin.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Excellent piece from @leahsottile.bsky.social on manifestos and what it means to be an Oregonian. This is going to stay with me for a while.
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TJ @ihavequalities.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Get in loser we're reclaiming manifestos from lunatics.
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Jason Wells @exasperatedman.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
This is a great piece! Wholeheartedly agree with the conclusion.
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Leah Sottile @leahsottile.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Oregonians have a lot to say about who we are, and who we aren't, but we have no document to guide us. So I figured I would write one. Here is my manifesto for Oregon. I'm proud to have written it for @oregonhumanities.bsky.social "Revolution" issue. oregonhumanities.org/rll/magazine...
oregonhumanities.org
Together Is All We've Got
A manifesto for Oregon by Leah Sottile
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Ben Waterhouse @beninoregon.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
The summer issue of Oregon Humanities, "Revolution," is out today, featuring stories by @leahsottile.bsky.social, @voiceofjakethomas.bsky.social, Kathleen Dean Moore, Kristian Williams, Christina DeVillier, and Derek DeForest. oregonhumanities.org/rll/magazine...
The cover of the summer 2026 issue of Oregon Humanities, with a photo of a dancer leaping in the air, mid-spin, with shadows of movement around him.
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The Western Edge @thewesternedge.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
It's been a little over six months since The Western Edge launched, so we decided to share with our readers how it is going and learn from you what we can be doing better to serve the Northwest with investigative journalism.
thewesternedge.media
The State of the Edge
A status report: lessons learned after six months of business.
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Ryan Haas @ryanjhaas.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
@thewesternedge.bsky.social has some really good stories in the pipeline. In the meantime, we decided to offer a look at where we are as a company so far and a recap on a few stories you might have missed this summer.
thewesternedge.media
The State of the Edge
A status report: lessons learned after six months of business.
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