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Martha Barnette

@marthabarnette.bsky.social
1.7K followers 2.4K following 260 posts

Co-host, “A Way with Words” public radio show. Speaking requests: info@marthabarnette.com Author of the bestselling FRIENDS WITH WORDS: ADVENTURES IN LANGUAGELAND marthabarnette.com #etymology #writing #books #words @wayword

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Martha Barnette @marthabarnette.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
On Tues. Nov. 10, I’m speaking about beautiful words here in the 10,000-book library at scenic Oxmoor Farm in Louisville, one of Kentucky’s most beautiful hidden gems. Details TBA. Join me!
Ornate interior of Oxmoor Farm’s library of 10,000 books.
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Martha Barnette @marthabarnette.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
Yep, that @merrylgoldberg.bsky.social IS a rockstar! 😁
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Martha Barnette @marthabarnette.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
A story about her book is on the front page of the U-T today, too.
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Martha Barnette @marthabarnette.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
Yuppers! I mean, just briefly, but yeah, that cool stuff she writes about Bach and Brahms et al encoding words into music. The way she outwitted the KGB is part of a long tradition!
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Martha Barnette @marthabarnette.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
Awwwww! She Is brilliant! I’m talking about her book on next weekend’s show. 🙂
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Martha Barnette @marthabarnette.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
Merryl, too!
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Martha Barnette @marthabarnette.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
Meet my fellow San Diegan, Darth Vader. #sandiego
gizmodo.com
'The Emperor Is a Fan of Flock': Darth Vader Speaks at City Council Meeting
"This council was elected to serve the police, not the public," said Vader.
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Martha Barnette @marthabarnette.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
Now you can get FRIENDS WITH WORDS in paperback! (That’s his heavy breathing, not mine.)
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Martha Barnette @marthabarnette.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
IKR??
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Martha Barnette @marthabarnette.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
theguardian.com
Secondhand booksellers in UK and Ireland suspect AI firms behind ‘strange’ bulk orders
Development comes after Anthropic was found to have spent millions on books to scan for ‘data acquisition’
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Martha Barnette @marthabarnette.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
health.yahoo.com/conditions/d...
health.yahoo.com
Do You Have 'Ghost Poops'? Here's What That Says About Your Health.
Pay attention before you flush the toilet.
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Martha Barnette @marthabarnette.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
Some wonderful recommendations here. I’m especially looking forward to digging into Crossing the Wine-Dark Sea and There Is No Place for Us. 🙏
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Martha Barnette @marthabarnette.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
Oh my. What a voice and what a loss for the rest of us. Her point about foxholes and trenches caught me up short. 🙏🏼for posting.
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Martha Barnette @marthabarnette.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
Agree, and good question about Patel!
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Martha Barnette @marthabarnette.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
Yeah, as she noted, it’s not like she’s punching down, FFS.
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Martha Barnette @marthabarnette.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
Yes indeed! It’s an action film starring an action hero. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but this hero’s hardly complicated. That said, I loved Circe’s pork-in-progress!
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Martha Barnette @marthabarnette.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
Agree!! Although the high point for me was Circe’s pork-in-progress. 🐷
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Martha Barnette @marthabarnette.bsky.social · 25/07/2026
Longtime fan of Emily’s, and now a brand-new fan of your pod! 🙏🏼
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Martha Barnette @marthabarnette.bsky.social · 25/07/2026
Yes! 🙏🏼
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Martha Barnette @marthabarnette.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
Oooo! 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼
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Martha Barnette @marthabarnette.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
People keep asking what I think of the movie. Here, @wmarybeard.bsky.social explains it all for you. 🙏 to @cartersherman.bsky.social for this splendid interview.
theguardian.com
Mary Beard on The Odyssey and how empires fall – Stateside with Kai and Carter
Christopher Nolan’s new adaption of The Odyssey is an absolute monster of a hit, grossing $264m in its opening weekend. But celebrated classicist Mary Beard tells host Carter Sherman that Nolan’s film...
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Reposted by Martha Barnette
Lauren Hall-Lew (she/her) @lhlew.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
Haben Girma rocks!!! Illuminating, powerful, and also funny :)
habengirma.com
France made me a Knight, and my mission is Braille!
Official website of Haben Girma, keynote speaker, bestselling author, and advocate.
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Martha Barnette @marthabarnette.bsky.social · 18/07/2026
Yes, I saw The Odyssey, and yes of course, I have thoughts. But I’ll save them until more folks have seen it (except to say that Samantha Norton must be a goddess in real life).
Ancient Greek red-on-black vase depicting Odysseus & Circe
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Martha Barnette @marthabarnette.bsky.social · 18/07/2026
YES! My fave in the whole thing!
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Martha Barnette @marthabarnette.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
Happy to support you, Scoopy Scoop!
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Martha Barnette @marthabarnette.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
Yes, LOVE umarell, or as we called it on the show “the Italian alter kocker” - waywordradio.org/umarell/
waywordradio.org
Umarell, the Italian Alter Kocker
You’ve seen this guy before: the older gent who strolls around at construction sites, asking questions, offering suggestions, and kibitizing about the activities there. The Italian dictionary Lo…
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Martha Barnette @marthabarnette.bsky.social · 13/06/2026
Oh my gosh, how incredibly beautiful, Mignon. I’m so sorry for your loss. She must have been so very proud of you.
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Martha Barnette @marthabarnette.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
No mention of widdershins OR deasil???
theguardian.com
Humans prefer to walk anticlockwise, scientists find – but reason is unclear
From Spain to Japan, experiments have repeatedly shown a left-turn bias, but exact mechanic ‘is still an open question’
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Martha Barnette @marthabarnette.bsky.social · 08/06/2026
Aw, shucks! And good to hear from you!
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Martha Barnette @marthabarnette.bsky.social · 08/06/2026
So glad you agree! It’s now waaaaaay up there on my all-time favorites!
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Martha Barnette @marthabarnette.bsky.social · 08/06/2026
This Tuesday night. Join us!
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Martha Barnette @marthabarnette.bsky.social · 11/05/2026
Hey, #sandiego! Take a break and feed your mind along with fellow language lovers as we celebrate some wonderful words! It’s free and open to the public, but you must register.
eventbrite.com
A Way With Words - An Evening with Martha Barnette
Join us for an evening with the author of "Friends with Words: Adventures in Languageland" and co-host of "A Way with Words" radio program
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Martha Barnette @marthabarnette.bsky.social · 09/05/2026
Oh goodness yes! LOVE this one. 🙏🏼
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Martha Barnette @marthabarnette.bsky.social · 05/05/2026
Exactly!
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Martha Barnette @marthabarnette.bsky.social · 05/05/2026
“At least they nailed Odysseus’ Boston accent.” www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie... #language
hollywoodreporter.com
‘The Odyssey’: Everybody Using American Accents Is Definitely a Choice
"Let's go!" Fans thrown by American accents, modern speech in new trailer for ancient Greece epic: "It sounds like they're outside a Starbucks."
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Martha Barnette @marthabarnette.bsky.social · 26/04/2026
That’s the technique! Just cover your eyes p.r.n. and keep going! Definitely worth it.
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Martha Barnette @marthabarnette.bsky.social · 26/04/2026
It’s there tomorrow too! Nicely combined with the farmers market today tho.
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Martha Barnette @marthabarnette.bsky.social · 25/04/2026
I’m still down at Artwalk 🙂
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Martha Barnette @marthabarnette.bsky.social · 25/04/2026
Oh poo! I woulda wandered over!
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Martha Barnette @marthabarnette.bsky.social · 21/04/2026
A recording of which should be sent out into space to show some of the best of us.
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Martha Barnette @marthabarnette.bsky.social · 09/04/2026
Pleased to learn a new-to-me phrase today!
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Martha Barnette @marthabarnette.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
Sheesh. Looking at my new passport photo and all I can think is “Girl, who licked the red off of YOUR candy??” 😐
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Martha Barnette @marthabarnette.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
Oh hell, yes! Welcome! Looking forward to more. :)
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Martha Barnette @marthabarnette.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
Oooooo, cool – I just learned a new word!! Thanks, AG!
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Martha Barnette @marthabarnette.bsky.social · 26/03/2026
Oh—and watch with subtitles or you’ll miss a lot of the delicious language. But seriously, I’m a wimp when it comes to ick, but this is some of the best television ever made.
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Martha Barnette @marthabarnette.bsky.social · 26/03/2026
Just squint during those parts. What strikes me most about the rest is that it feels like the skilled teamwork of an old-fashioned newsroom close to deadline.
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Martha Barnette @marthabarnette.bsky.social · 21/03/2026
Super-fun live show by @susiedentwords.bsky.social live show in Basingstoke today. Agreed that we need a word for that first wonderful whiff of autumn. Mind the lexical gap!
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Reposted by Martha Barnette
I’m Dave Williams. You’re probably not @skirwingle.bsky.social · 21/03/2026
Logophiles assemble! Just back from @susiedentwords.bsky.social at the Haymarket, where I found myself sitting next to @marthabarnette.bsky.social from 'A Way With Words' 📖
media.tenor.com
a man in a suit and tie says welcome to the nerd zone
Alt: Stephen Colbert saying "Welcome to the nerd zone, my friend."
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Martha Barnette @marthabarnette.bsky.social · 21/03/2026
Hahahaha! It was so nice to chat with you, Dave! I’ve no doubt we could have nerded out for several more hours. 👊🏼
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Martha Barnette @marthabarnette.bsky.social · 20/03/2026
Woot! Congrats, y’all!
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