iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Marissa Levien @marissalevien.bsky.social · 06/03/2025

Things my writing students have said lately that give me pause: "I liked that false herring..." "It reminded me of that movie The Lovely Bones..." "The Nightmare Before Christmas, directed by Tim Burton..."

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Marissa Levien @marissalevien.bsky.social · 06/02/2025

Been feeling way too many feelings and just realized the cause isn't a greater depth in my existential well, I've just been drinking too much caffeine

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Marissa Levien @marissalevien.bsky.social · 01/02/2025

Grady Hendrix might be the best Writer of Titles who ever lived.

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Marissa Levien @marissalevien.bsky.social · 30/01/2025

This is about a week late (I don't do anything in a timely manner these days), but wanted to shout out Jules Feiffer, who was a wonderful mentor and friend. He let me help with the watercolors, told me so many wonderful stories. He will be missed.

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John Wiswell @wiswell.bsky.social · 19/08/2024

The Bulwer-Lytton Awards for Worst Opening Paragraph went out and, man, I totally disagree. This opener is hilarious.

The Fantasy & Horror Bulwer-Lytton award winning line for worst opening paragraph text is shown: "Sir Arthur Pendragon, High King of the Britons, son of King Uther Pendragon, nephew of King Aurelius Ambrosius, who was in turn the son of a long list of people who weren’t kings and thus don’t matter, only slept with his sister once, but boy did it come back to bite him in the ass." -Diana Murtaugh, Baltimore, MD

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Marissa Levien @marissalevien.bsky.social · 10/04/2024

If there's one niche superpower I possess, it's that I can always spell "onomatopoeia" correctly on the first try.

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Marissa Levien @marissalevien.bsky.social · 01/11/2023

I feel like someone ought to write a children's book telling kids it's okay to give up sometimes.

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cluesan al-gaib @clueless.bsky.social · 18/10/2023

they’re dating

halloween store 90s plaid skirt set costume (clueless costume)

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Marissa Levien @marissalevien.bsky.social · 17/10/2023

Something that doesn't get shouted out as much about NYRB is the awesome colorful inner covers (which usually match the color of the typeface on the title). They always make me smile.

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Marissa Levien @marissalevien.bsky.social · 14/10/2023

This morning I am living the content life of an 80-yr-old woman: My hair is washed but I'm waiting for it to set, I've got my newspaper crossword, I'm munching on plain yogurt, the Boston Pops' rendition of American in Paris is playing on the turntable, and the cat has finally settled on my lap.

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Marissa Levien @marissalevien.bsky.social · 14/10/2023

LeVar is always the correct choice. www.npr.org/2023/10/13/1...

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Maria Konnikova @mkonnikova.bsky.social · 13/10/2023

RIP, Louise Gluck.

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Clarkesworld @clarkesworldmagazine.com · 11/10/2023

We are still assessing the financial damage caused by Amazon closing its magazine subscription program. We know we've lost hundreds of subscribers in the process. If you were one of them, or were thinking of subscribing, here are your options: clarkesworldmagazine.com/subscribe/

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Marissa Levien @marissalevien.bsky.social · 28/09/2023

I sense that Wes Anderson is going through a Brecht phase. (not a dig)

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Marissa Levien @marissalevien.bsky.social · 28/09/2023

Is it weird to read Flaubert's Parrot before reading any Flaubert?

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Marissa Levien @marissalevien.bsky.social · 27/09/2023

Preparing a lecture, and looking for some source material... does anyone have any good examples of deliberate Lacunae in literature? Obv there's "The Lacuna" by Barbara Kingsolver, and I think there's a strong case that Frankenstein has deliberate holes in the text, but there's got to be others...

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Keith Phipps @kphipps3000.bsky.social · 16/09/2023

The ending of the movie is already an explanation of the movie’s ending.

Article claiming to explain the end of A HAUNTING IN VENICE.

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Anonsee Storyweaver 🕸️ @anons.ee · 16/09/2023

If a spider winked would it do it like this ;:::) or like this :;::) or like this ::;:) or like this :::;) or like this ;;::) or like this ;;;:) or like this ;;;;) or like this :;;;) or like this ::;;) or like this :;;:) or like this ;::;) or like this ;;:;) or like this ;:;;) or

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Marissa Levien @marissalevien.bsky.social · 15/09/2023

I, too, strive for capacious syntactical edifices.

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Lincoln Michel @thelincoln.bsky.social · 12/09/2023

It's typically unsuccessful writers who angrily opine about the "rules" of writing. Successful writers know that there are no rules and every author, project, and process is different.

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Marissa Levien @marissalevien.bsky.social · 07/09/2023

Asked my students to list any classic/older books they'd read, and a student shouted out "The Alchemist"

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Marissa Levien @marissalevien.bsky.social · 04/09/2023

Weeded the garden. Discovered poison ivy. Now I've washed my arms up to the elbow in dish soap, and am waiting to see if I'm the kind of person who reacts to poison ivy.

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Marissa Levien @marissalevien.bsky.social · 03/09/2023

My husband mentioned that I was amazing while we waited for take-out and the server took him at his word. 😊

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Cats of Yore @catsofyore.bsky.social · 02/09/2023

A round friend from 19th century Japan. collections.lacma.org/node/188351

A pleasantly round and soft-looking ivory carving of a very fat cat, yellowed with age. It is curled into an upright sleeping position, its front paws are barely visible, neatly tucked under its chin.

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Marissa Levien @marissalevien.bsky.social · 01/09/2023

Particularly love @thelincoln.bsky.social's latest substack for observing that surrealism is now the foundation of Super Bowl ads: countercraft.substack.com/p/fear-of-th...

countercraft.substack.com

Fear of the Surreal

On David Lynch, surrealism, and hating art that "makes you feel weird."

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Jason Diamond @jasondiamond.bsky.social · 01/09/2023

Book blurbs are important because there are a few people whose names I see blurbing certain books and it tells me I for sure would not like to read the book.

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Nicole Chung @nicolechung.bsky.social · 30/08/2023

"Johns Hopkins leaders say three key steps powered their demographic change: the elimination of “legacy” preferences ... a massive increase in financial aid for families in need; and more extensive recruiting in places where the university is not well known." www.washingtonpost.com/education/20...

Johns Hopkins leaders say three key steps powered their demographic change: the elimination of “legacy” preferences in admission for children, grandchildren and siblings of alumni; a massive increase in financial aid for families in need; and more extensive recruiting in places where the university is not well known.

In 2013, 9 percent of incoming freshmen at Hopkins had “legacy” connections, the university said, and 18 percent identified as Black, Latino, American Indian, Native Alaskan or Native Hawaiian. By last fall the legacy share had plummeted to less than 2 percent while the percentage from the underrepresented racial and ethnic groups had soared to 34 percent. The White share of freshmen, meanwhile, sank to 17 percent in 2022. Federal data show it had been 46 percent a decade earlier.

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Marissa Levien @marissalevien.bsky.social · 30/08/2023

Me getting saucy with me Sontag teaching notes

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Michael del Castillo @delcastillo.bsky.social · 30/08/2023

Viva la Mexico! Mexico latest country where government is considering passing new laws to criminalise environmental destruction: amp-theguardian-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/amp.theg...

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Saeed Jones @theferocity.bsky.social · 29/08/2023

“There is a certain mode of reading connected to a tradition of colonial practices in which every book by any Black writer appears as sociol-ogy. Then all of that book's explorations, its meanings, and its ambitions lodge in a place called identity.” — Christina Sharpe, Ordinary Notes

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Marissa Levien @marissalevien.bsky.social · 29/08/2023

First day of fall semester. The highs: my student brought me cookies. The lows: MY TA and I got lost trying to find the new building where they'd moved our class. Ran late. The second high: the students stood and applauded when we finally found it.

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Marissa Levien @marissalevien.bsky.social · 28/08/2023

From Susan Sontag. When I was an actor, I got sent on a lot of auditions for "sympathetic though also incredulous girl friend."

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yaoi gagarin @mel.bzky.team · 25/08/2023

HERE IS A BONUS BLOWDRIED COW BUT THIS ONE IS A BABY. YOU HAVE EARNED IT AS A TIMELINE CLEANSER AFTER EVERYTHING THATS BEEN GOING ON

a brown baby cow that has been blowdried. it is the cutest possible organism it's so fluffy and it's eyes are so round

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Marissa Levien @marissalevien.bsky.social · 24/08/2023

There's a little girl on the subway with a rainbow polka dot slicker, a striped yellow umbrella, yellow crocs, and blue socks pulled to her knees embroidered with hard candies. And if somebody doesn't write a book where this girl careens around the UES solving mysteries, I don't know what I'll do.

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Marissa Levien @marissalevien.bsky.social · 23/08/2023

A relative just tried to save my soul for the umpteenth time. I like Deism... when is Deism gonna get cool again?

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GreGORY Maupin @gjmaupin.bsky.social · 18/08/2023

“O, raisin not the knead!” - Lear, requesting a plain bagel

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Marissa Levien @marissalevien.bsky.social · 15/08/2023

Been living on a tight budget lately, which means I've become a total homebody, but it also means I've learned how to froth milk at home. So good morning to you all!

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Raphael ʕ⁎̯͡⁎ʔ༄ @ralphy.bsky.social · 10/08/2023

Hey guys, my ‘Āina needs your help during these tough times. 🙏🏾 Please Reskeet.

hawaiicommunityfoundation.org

Maui Strong Fund

Maui Strong

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Marissa Levien @marissalevien.bsky.social · 15/08/2023

Instagram is advertising Harry Winston to me... I know I should be creeped out by ad algorithms but mostly I'm flattered that they think I'm that fancy

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Marissa Levien @marissalevien.bsky.social · 14/08/2023

Critiquing student work is better with a martini

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Marissa Levien @marissalevien.bsky.social · 14/08/2023

Still saving up for proper turntable furniture, but regardless, this is my favorite corner in the whole house.

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