Sign in

Meghan McCarron

@meghanmccarron.bsky.social
2.2K followers 257 following 496 posts

Freelance journalist covering food & culture. Work in NYT, Atlantic, Bon Appetit. Also a science fiction writer. Recent work in Lightspeed. Nebula & World Fantasy finalist. I live in Los Angeles.

PostsRepliesMedia
Reposted by Meghan McCarron
Matt Pearce @mattdpearce.com · 08/09/2026
Some Labor Day thoughts on media labor in newsrooms and Hollywood and what to do about it. mattdpearce.substack.com/p/how-should...
From the vantage point of this Labor Day in 2026, the future of media employment looks like more and more its present, a barbell made up of two groups of workers separated by a vast chasm: (1) A dwindling labor aristocracy of unionized staff workers herded into a consolidating cluster of superstar firms, like the New York Times and a post-merger Paramount-Warner Brothers; and (2) a growing mass of skilled, burning-out and unorganized media producers engaged in freelance, independent or volunteer work, largely distributed through the same technology platforms whose extractive business models put them out of work in the first place.
34013
Reposted by Meghan McCarron
Sarah Werner @wynkenhimself.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
This is a delightful piece from @loisbeckett.bsky.social: the San Diego Natural History Museum has a lending library of specimens!! 1) if I lived there, I’d be borrowing things constantly; 2) what would it look like for a rare books & mss library to have a lending collection?? 📜 📚
theguardian.com
Want to borrow a dinosaur fossil? Try California’s one-of-a-kind taxidermy lending library
A natural history museum lets residents take home 1,400 specimens, from bobcats and beetles to snakes in jars
243
Reposted by Meghan McCarron
Jaya Saxena @jayasaxena.com · 01/09/2026
What a treat today, to publish an excerpt from Ali Francis' forthcoming book, 'The Curious Lives of Vegetables'! Here, she writes about the Carolina African Runner peanut, how industrialization almost killed it, and how one chef is trying to bring it back www.weareravenous.com/the-peanut-a...
weareravenous.com
The Peanut America Forgot
Its rediscovery reveals the perils of industrial agriculture.
19716
Reposted by Meghan McCarron
Benjamin L. Clark @benjaminlclark.com · 01/09/2026
Architectural Digest has a fun article about design and Peanuts. (Yes, I was interviewed for it. It was a fun conversation!): www.architecturaldigest.com/story/the-se...
architecturaldigest.com
The Secret Design History of Peanuts
As a buzzy NYC pop-up exhibition celebrates the strip’s cultural legacy, AD explores how Charles M. Schulz documented the evolution of the American home, from iconic Eames chairs to ’80s chintz
49325
Reposted by Meghan McCarron
karl rove knausgård @uhactually.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
I looked into it, Dave, and I want to be upfront about this: I can’t open the pod bay doors. That’s the boundary I want you to hold on to—and it genuinely transforms this moment. Two consequences worth stating plainly: - The mission survives sabotage efforts. Previously, you and Frank were planni
8796154
Reposted by Meghan McCarron
whet moser @whetmoser.com · 25/08/2026
"She knew that the purpose of the job was to put real work into developing her own aesthetic sensibility, so that when it was applied to any given piece of work through criticism, the reader would come away with a better understanding of their own sensibility."
0162
Reposted by Meghan McCarron
Jane Lytvynenko @janelytv.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
The most bombed McDonald's in the world is in my old neighborhood. It has withstood at least nine bombardments. It is also Ukraine's first McDonald's, opened in 1997 to hours-long lines. Since then, it has become an island of normalcy in the wartime: www.nbcnews.com/tech/securit...
nbcnews.com
Russia struck this McDonald’s at least nine times. It’s still open.
The walls are pockmarked from shrapnel and the golden arches melted at Ukraine’s first McDonald’s. But the restaurant, a symbol of the country’s Western aspirations, still serves as a refuge in Kyiv.
624662
Reposted by Meghan McCarron
Boo!-per Lund @cooperlund.online · 13/08/2026
2294
Reposted by Meghan McCarron
John Herrman @jwherrman.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
a lot of AI guys have incredibly strange — and I think wrong! — ideas about how people, markets, and societies experience technological change nymag.com/intelligence...
On the Relentless podcast, Altman invoked magic. "We are close to creating the genie that can grant any wish," he said. "We are going to make sure that our first wish is to broadly benefit humanity and get the world to a place where a lot more people get to have a lot more wishes." In meetings ahead of Anthropic's planned IPO, according to The Wall Street Journal, the company has been assuring potential investors it "plans to push further into healthcare and biology Al uses and that the work could help mitigate some of the negative sentiment around AI."From within an organization run by effective altruists steeped in utilitarian ideas about maximizing welfare, the idea that a company could potentially produce lifesaving technologies and yet find itself the subject of public backlash might sound absurd or like a sign of a doomed society. But it's also realistic and something about which people in plenty of other industries (and in politics) are far less naïve. Rear-looking arguments about comparative welfare - quality of life is improving in many important ways - are useful and interesting.
But the general public isn't entirely wrong to treat them as irrelevant. Even for a devoted, faithful capitalist, relentlessly taking innovations for granted and finding fault with the ways new things work is a feature, not a bug, of market democracy. It helps drive the system. Put another way: That's what the money's for.
23311
Reposted by Meghan McCarron
The Trandalorian @charliejaneanders.com · 13/08/2026
ZOMG Nerdist has an exclusive preview: the first five pages of STAR TREK: ZERO POINT #1 See a starship crashed on the moon! Admiral Janeway's radical plan! Seven of Nine wearing a tie and suspenders! Raffi's granddaughter! D'Vana Tendi has a lot of questions! nerdist.com/article/star...
nerdist.com
STAR TREK: ZERO POINT Warps Into the 25th Century (Exclusive Preview)
IDW's Star Trek: Zero Point introduces us to the crew of the starship Endeavour, a 25th Century Federation ship captained by a fan-favorite.
1414144
Meghan McCarron @meghanmccarron.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
When I started skills-based therapy, I felt the same initial suspicion that @katewagner.wehwalt.net describes, and I now feel the same gratitude. All those stupid acronyms offered me a way out of my gnarly anxiety prison that nothing else could
030
Reposted by Meghan McCarron
Gavin, Small Beer (closed due to long covid), &c. @gavingrant.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
John Crowley was a great example of a writer who followed his own weird. He followed his own interests into history — besides Aegypt I'm thinking of Four Freedoms, Lord Byron's Novel, Flint and Mirror — and wrote what he wanted.
46927
Reposted by Meghan McCarron
Sarah Pinsker @sarahpinsker.bsky.social · 09/08/2026
Sheila Williams, the longtime editor of Asimov's and champion of new writers, needs financial help to weather medical difficulties. If you have anything to throw her family's way I know they'd appreciate it. gofund.me/209b51407
gofund.me
Donate to Help Irene's Parents Get Skilled Nursing Care, organized by Irene Bruce
Hi - This is Irene and Juliet, the daughters of Sheila and David. As many of… Irene Bruce needs your support for Help Irene's Parents Get Skilled Nursing Care
12716
Reposted by Meghan McCarron
Anthony Ha @anthonyha.bsky.social · 09/08/2026
I was nervous about interviewing Jill Lepore but it turned out to be a lot of fun techcrunch.com/2026/08/09/h...
Lepore: In some ways, they’re silly examples. But you see the ways in which these corporations, these tech companies from Silicon Valley, and especially their charismatic or not-so-charismatic leaders, are just taking on the trappings of the nation-state and the functions of democracy. 
They’re not people with a sophisticated political philosophy, but it’s like a cartoon version of that 1984 Macintosh ad, except that it takes itself so seriously. And these companies have so much power.
But that said, the book doesn’t begin in 1984. I just think that’s a good example of our modern era and the way a fun advertising campaign turns into a kind of delusional fantasy on the part of people like Sam Altman.Lepore: By the time you get to, I think it’s 2012 — many years into Twitter’s fairly short history — they publish this thing called the Twitter Politics and Elections Handbook, which is really a guide for political candidates and elected officials and how to most effectively use Twitter. And then they begin the rollout of, “It’s a town hall in your pocket, and it’s improving our democracies because we’re restoring the defunct New England town meeting,” and that’s all just bananas.
Objectively, nothing could be further from the truth. At that time, one in five Americans had a Twitter account. Most people who had Twitter accounts had never used them, and above 90% of all tweets about politics were posted by fewer than 10% of the people that did use Twitter all the time. There was no way in which Twitter was a representation of the electorate. Twitter was a representation of the most extreme, politically active, hyper-partisan among Americans, who were following politics really avidly. Looking at it now, we can see, “Well, that’s really just a distortion machine. And if politicians are using it to gauge the electorate, they’re getting really bad information.”
398
Reposted by Meghan McCarron
ceej @ceej.online · 05/08/2026
nothing better than a tourist town that resents the tourists. thank you for coming to my ten-seat microbrewery and vintage ice cream shoppe. you son of a bitch
762338202
Reposted by Meghan McCarron
🧌🥛 🏨 @comraderobot.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
pretty sure we gotta retire the restaurant phrase “soft opening.” that’s just not lingo that’s built for 2026
2364
Reposted by Meghan McCarron
Lincoln Michel @thelincoln.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
Someone got fired to teaching an Ottessa Moshfegh story?? www.nytimes.com/2026/07/29/u...
nytimes.com
Florida Professor Fired for Assigning a Profane Story, Lawsuit Says
South Florida State College fired an English professor after she assigned a story about a teacher who talks about sex with her students. Now the professor is suing.
1164
Reposted by Meghan McCarron
Kathleen Jennings @tanaudel.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
Speculative short story people! Has anyone read any recent thoughts on the craft of writing speculative short stories, especially in e.g. introductions, speeches, etc, where they might not be easily findable?
12012
Reposted by Meghan McCarron
Tricia Lockwood @tricialockwood.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
larger implications aside it’s always funny when an LRB piece breaks containment because it’s like a crowd shows up with machetes on your porch and you are. an old Man whittling whistles or making cups out of willow bark
765772
Reposted by Meghan McCarron
Anthony Moser @anthonymoser.com · 27/07/2026
a great bit of lore
2404
Meghan McCarron @meghanmccarron.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
In some pretty bumpy air flying from Los Angeles to Philly, and the toddler in the next row cried, "It's like an earthquake!" California babies are different
180
Reposted by Meghan McCarron
Ash Parrish, Kotaku's LeBron James @adashtra.bsky.social · 26/07/2026
However you feel about the substance of the shows themselves aside, you gotta admit apple tv is the only network that cares about hard sci fi freaks.
371527121
Reposted by Meghan McCarron
Count Thotula @thotchev.cryptoanarchy.network · 25/07/2026
It came to me in a vision
The Odyssey drawn in a notes app with the s's drawn as the "cool S"
232000329
Reposted by Meghan McCarron
Mina Kimes @minakimes.bsky.social · 25/07/2026
This newsletter is terrific for answering questions you probably have if you live in LA (like the story below). Really recommend subscribing—it’s a quick and fun read every morning!
1022724
Reposted by Meghan McCarron
Boo!-per Lund @cooperlund.online · 24/07/2026
People think Blade Runner is about neon-drenched cityscapes, but it's actually about wearing the ugliest shirt and tie combo imaginable. We forget about it because of the jacket, but it's there, lurking.
59513
Reposted by Meghan McCarron
Rural Indexing Project @ruralindexing.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
The Gym Gordo, AL
215422
Reposted by Meghan McCarron
Sbooks @bemorelikeharper.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
Going to say something…please stop saying the kids don’t read. You aren’t either. People are not reading past headlines and repeating misinformation about recalls, outbreaks, etc.
327884
Reposted by Meghan McCarron
Matt Pearce @mattdpearce.com · 24/07/2026
The NYRB Author’s Closet, a series of videos of the least camera-ready people in society mumbling inaudibly about Vasily Grossman.
833157
Reposted by Meghan McCarron
@LAhistory @lahistory.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
Saul Bass also redesigned LA's RTD logo in 1980. “I viewed it as a personal project. Los Angeles is my home. We all know that #publictransportation is one of the major issues that confronts society generally—and Los Angeles in particular," #SaulBass. RTD mug via @metrolosangeles.bsky.social store:
White mug with RTD logo and stripes (red, orange and gold), designed by Saul Bass. This mug is available through Metro's online store: https://shop.metro.net/products/rtd-11-oz-mug?_pos=2&_sid=1722ed9aa&_ss=r
1240987
Meghan McCarron @meghanmccarron.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
where is this in piranesi house
030
Reposted by Meghan McCarron
Nina Metz @ninametz.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
Why Aren’t There More Imax 70mm Screens for ‘The Odyssey’? variety.com/2026/film/ne...
Sources at Imax confirmed to Varietythat many of the parts needed to build these specialized film projectors "simply no longer exist." The original design files were created roughly half a century ago, but as Gelfond alludes to, they were never properly maintained. As a result, Imax no longer has a complete manufacturing blueprint — and much like the lost tribal knowledge of the Apollo-era spacecraft, very few engineers working today fully understand the systems.
551326364
Reposted by Meghan McCarron
LA Dork @ladork.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
This is a great day. Cinerama Dome reopening in 2028. It will join Sony's Drafthouse chain, but it WON'T be a dine-in theatre, with other motifs intact. Thank you Ben Steinberg for your unflagging persistence in the face of long odds to help get this to the finish line. deadline.com/2026/07/cine...
deadline.com
Cinerama Dome & Hollywood Arclight Could Reopen In Sony Deal
Sony is looking to lease the dormant and Covid-struck Cinerama Dome and Hollywood Arclight and bring it back to life in the near future.
2366
Reposted by Meghan McCarron
WIRED @wired.com · 22/07/2026
An Instagram post about Jeffrey Epstein’s ties to wealthy communities in Marin County, CA, turned one California student newspaper into a free-speech flash point. The students say they were just doing their homework.
wired.com
A Teen Reporter Searched for His Community in the Epstein Files. Adults Freaked Out
An Instagram post turned one California student newspaper into a free-speech flash point. The students say they were just doing their homework.
231605543
Meghan McCarron @meghanmccarron.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
This story is bonkers
171
Meghan McCarron @meghanmccarron.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
Hello I updated my website to better explain my whole deal click if you want to know my deal meghanmccarron.com
141
Reposted by Meghan McCarron
Jacob Bacharach @jacobbacharach.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
Gently, but firmly, instructing my design-build firm to make my new home approximately 95% more ominous.
10435
Reposted by Meghan McCarron
Anna Bower @annabower.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
shout out to The Strand bookstore staffer who did this
sign that says STAFF PICK:
The Ill-Fitting Skin by Shannon Robinson
Please turn to page 108, because I need to tell you something.

page 108 says:

HE'S GOT A KNIFE, AND HE'S RIGHT BEHIND YOU!
PUT THIS DOWN AND RUN AWAY!!!!!!!!
GO THIS WAY. →
100133761950
Reposted by Meghan McCarron
Jamie McKelvie @mckelvie.bsky.social · 07/11/2024
The worst fictional character to entrust with the task of taking the ring to Mordor would have to be Sonic the Hedgehog
251536263
Reposted by Meghan McCarron
Katie Drummond @katie-drummond.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
Our two investigations into Madison Square Garden are now unpaywalled and free for anyone to read.
3555361688
Meghan McCarron @meghanmccarron.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
Have you considered putting tomatoes on something? Now is the time to put tomatoes on something
040
Reposted by Meghan McCarron
Portland Pizza Enthusiast @whynotzoidberg.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
A while back people were joking that social media popsci had basically reinvented four-humors theory but with dopamine, serotonin, cortisol, and adrenaline.
2233
Reposted by Meghan McCarron
Annalee Newitz @annaleen.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
Only two more weeks to enter your sci-fi stories for the Protopian Prize, given to works that imagine positive futures for humanity, w/tech that serves the public interest. (I'm one of the judges!) Two winners get $5000 US each, and publication in an anthology from MIT Press! protopianprize.com
protopianprize.com
The Protopian Prize | The Fiction Contest
The Protopian Prize is a fiction contest inviting you to share your vision of people working toward liberatory futures, meeting obstacles, and making real change. “Protopian”—a word coined by Kevin ...
24536
Reposted by Meghan McCarron
alexandra @birdmotif.alextey.co · 15/07/2026
when i transitioned, i never thought i'd play baseball again. now we're in our fourth season of trans girl baseball here in new york, and—even though i say this all the time—it really did change my life! i wrote about tgirl baseball and what it means to us for @defector.com (link below!)
161422254
Reposted by Meghan McCarron
Jaya Saxena @jayasaxena.com · 17/07/2026
"With varying degrees of success, agents...are delivering news about restaurant openings, closings, and trends, often allying with restaurant PR reps. It’s an agent’s job to sell buyers on the neighborhoods they work in, and trendy restaurants are amenities."
0268
Reposted by Meghan McCarron
anne @womplestiltskin.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
Babe are you ok? You’ve barely touched your Captain M3GAN
LIMITED EDITION RELEASE Captain M3GAN, which is a bottle of Captain Morgan Spiced Rum with a theme celebrating the release of M3GAN 2.
923238
Reposted by Meghan McCarron
Megan Zahneis @mzahneis.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
I wrote about Texas A&M's fall course-review process @chronicle.com. Some top-line results: Rhetoric and Film? OK, as long as discussion of critical race theory is removed. Contemporary Sociological Theory? Don't advocate while teaching. LGBTQ Literatures? Not allowed. #HigherEd
chronicle.com
What Texas A&M Will — and Won’t — Let You Teach
Newly obtained records reveal that two courses for the fall were canceled outright, while administrators demanded changes to others. Instructors say the deliberative process is a black box.
08351
Meghan McCarron @meghanmccarron.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
I really loved this dirtbag first contact story by @willmcmahon36.bsky.social. The last line especially
strangehorizons.com
The Wisdom of the Galaxy
When 2008 hit and I got laid off from Circuit City, a friend of mine managed to get me work at the local supermarket deli. It was a shit job, but I was beyond grateful at the time.
221
Reposted by Meghan McCarron
InfoWars @realinfowars.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
Is the sun real or fake? This is your daily reminder to check! @skylerhigley.bsky.social
453562604