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Patrick Strickland

@patrickobrienstrickland.com
1.9K followers 3.1K following 275 posts

Writer from Texas Managing editor @inkstickmedia.com Books: A History of Heartache (2026), You Can Kill Each Other After I Leave (2025), The Marauders (2022) & Alerta! Alerta! (2018)

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Patrick Strickland @patrickobrienstrickland.com · 5h
With many recommendations for additional reading and resources here: inkstick.substack.com/p/the-man-wh...
inkstick.substack.com
The Man Who ‘Redefined Violence in the White Supremacist Movement’
Plus, several recommendations for reading more about the American far right and the influential ideologue Louis Beam.
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Patrick Strickland @patrickobrienstrickland.com · 29/09/2026
At @inkstickmedia.com, I wrote about Louis Beam, American fascism, and the ways he helped pioneer and shape the far-right violence we're all living through today: inkstickmedia.com/the-sedition...
inkstickmedia.com
The Seditionist: The Rise and Fall of an American White Nationalist
Louis Beam spent decades elevating violence to new heights in the white nationalist movement, then disappeared from public life.
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Inkstick Media @inkstickmedia.com · 29/09/2026
"The more stunts Beam pulled, the more alarmingly broad the Klan’s reach became. Toward the end of the decade, Beam and Duke hatched another plan: They would recruit active US military members into the Knights of the KKK." By: @patrickobrienstrickland.com
inkstickmedia.com
The Seditionist: The Rise and Fall of an American White Nationalist
Louis Beam spent decades elevating violence to new heights in the white nationalist movement, then disappeared from public life.
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Patrick Strickland @patrickobrienstrickland.com · 14/09/2026
For @inkstickmedia.com, I wrote about Israeli settler violence, its very long history, and some of what I saw and learned of it during the four years I spent reporting in the occupied West Bank.
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Inkstick Media @inkstickmedia.com · 14/09/2026
"Israeli settler violence is not new. In fact, from a campaign of bombings targeting Palestinian mayors in the 1980s to the arsons and deadly shootings of recent years, hardline settlers have carried out this violence against the backdrop of decades of impunity." By: @patrickobrienstrickland.com
inkstickmedia.com
The West Bank's Long, Deadly History of Israeli Settler Violence
Since the 1980s, hardline Israeli settlers have carried out wanton violence, attacking Palestinians and their communities without pause.
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Doric Literary @doricliterary.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
The O. Henry Prize, the oldest major prize for short fiction in America, seeks to provide a prominent platform for short story writers from around the world, at all points in their careers. @patrickobrienstrickland.com @pintsncupcakes.bsky.social @annemarieneary.bsky.social #JeremyT.Wilson
Image shows the round O. Henry prize logo & the stylized Doric temple logo of Doric Literary. Under the heading 2027 O. Henry Prize nominations, are the nominees: "Floaters" by Jeremy T. Wilson, "Golden" by Annemarie Neary, "Apogee" by Chloe N. Clark, & "Dallas, 1931" by Patrick Strickland. The text is in white on a bright blue background.
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Epiphany @epiphanylit.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Thank us later for this reading list of piercing short story collections, all published this year from former Epiphany contributors, including @patrickobrienstrickland.com
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Patrick Strickland @patrickobrienstrickland.com · 27/08/2026
An important one by @abujamajem.com: "If the US is going to rejoin the international community after Trump — not remain some rogue aggressor — it needs to re-commit to respect for basic sovereignty."
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dr. thrasher, an american writer in ex(archia)(xile) @thrasherxy.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
nice to see the overseer class among on @inkstickmedia.com ‘s 5 books to understand the chaos of trump 2 inkstickmedia.com/five-essenti...
inkstickmedia.com
Five Essential Books for Understanding the Chaos of Trump 2.0
Amid war, an anti-immigrant crackdown, and a far-right push to remake the US, Inkstick has book suggestions to understand Trump 2.0.
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Inkstick Media @inkstickmedia.com · 18/08/2026
"When Trump and his administration call immigration an 'invasion,' they are tapping into a conspiracy theory that has fueled deadly violence in the United States for nearly two centuries."
inkstickmedia.com
The Long, Lethal History of Trump's 'Invasion' Rhetoric
In 2018, Trump began to routinely describe immigration as an ‘invasion.’ That rhetoric has fueled deadly violence for nearly two centuries.
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Inkstick Media @inkstickmedia.com · 30/07/2026
"At the end of the controversial 'Antifa trial,' Daniel Sanchez Estrada was sentenced to three decades in prison for moving a box of zines and antifascist literature. His sister wants people to know the real Daniel." By: @tylerfromtexas.bsky.social inkstickmedia.com/a-prairielan...
inkstickmedia.com
A Prairieland Defendant's Sister Speaks Out After 'Antifa Trial'
The sister of a Prairieland Antifa trial defendant speakers out against the Trump administration's crackdown on left-wing activism.
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Inkstick Media @inkstickmedia.com · 29/07/2026
"Seven publicly traded companies hold active contracts or data agreements with ICE and DHS: GEO Group, CoreCivic, Palantir, Axon Enterprise, Thomson Reuters, RELX (whose LexisNexis division provides ICE with its Accurint database), and GlobalX Airlines." By: @tylermcbrien.com and Jon Nealon
inkstickmedia.com
Are Your Investments Fueling For-Profit Immigrant Detention?
Activists around the US are turning toward divestment as ICE increasingly relies on for-profit companies to handle immigrant detention.
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Inkstick Media @inkstickmedia.com · 26/07/2026
Inkstick is hiring: We’re looking for an editorial producer who understands how people consume information online and wants to experiment with new ways of translating rigorous journalism into compelling short-form storytelling. inkstickmedia.com/careers/soci...
inkstickmedia.com
Social Editorial Producer (Part-Time, Contract)
Help us build the future of national security journalism.
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Patrick Strickland @patrickobrienstrickland.com · 24/07/2026
A development:
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Inkstick Media @inkstickmedia.com · 22/07/2026
Throughout Trump 2.0, experts say, white nationalist ideological tenets have gained influence inside the government. By: @tylerfromtexas.bsky.social inkstickmedia.com/is-white-nat...
inkstickmedia.com
Is White Nationalism Baked into Trump’s Immigration Agenda?
Long considered fridge ideas, white nationalist talking points have now become baked into Trump's immigration agenda.
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Inkstick Media @inkstickmedia.com · 16/07/2026
"Ninety years ago, a young American communist named William Herrick crossed the Atlantic Sea with dreams of killing fascists. He returned with a bullet in his spine and resentment for his old comrades. Decades later, he'd become a novelist and turn his pen against the left he once championed."
inkstickmedia.com
The ‘American Orwell’ Who Fought in the Spanish Civil War
After turning to fiction later in his life, William Herrick's chronicles of leftist betrayal earned him the nickname the 'American Orwell.'
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Patrick Strickland @patrickobrienstrickland.com · 29/06/2026
Shocked and grateful my book made this summer reading list:
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Inkstick Media @inkstickmedia.com · 26/06/2026
In Texas, defendants were sentenced between 30 and 100 years because of their affiliation with a supposed 'Antifa cell' that doesn't exist. inkstickmedia.com/antifa-trial...
inkstickmedia.com
'Antifa Trial' in Texas Heightens Fears of Free Speech Chill in US
Will the outcome of a controversial trial against protesters accused of being Antifa lead to a chill on free speech in the US?
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Patrick Strickland @patrickobrienstrickland.com · 10/05/2026
I got to go on @texaspublicradio.bsky.social's Book Public, hosted by the unmatchable Yvette Benavides, and talk about my new book A History of Heartache.
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Debutiful @debutiful.bsky.social · 24/04/2026
Patrick Strickland, author of A History of Heartache, answered our My Reading Life Q&A so readers could get to know the books that shaped his life and influenced his writing! debutiful.net/2026/04/23/a... @melvillehouse.bsky.social
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The de Groot Foundation @degrootfoundation.bsky.social · 21/04/2026
HAPPY PUB DAY to Director's Grant recipient Patrick Strickland @patrickobrienstrickland.com for the release of A HISTORY OF HEARTACHE through Melville House! @melvillehouse.bsky.social Learn more & order your copy: degrootfoundation.org/a-history-of...
Headshot of writer Patrick Strickland in a light pink shirt with short brown hair and a short beard ,looking at the camera in front of a black background. The cover of his new book, A HISTORY OF HEARTACHE, is in the bottom left corner.
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Patrick Strickland @patrickobrienstrickland.com · 21/04/2026
Out tomorrow with @melvillehouse.bsky.social — get it here: bookshop.org/a/121591/978...
bookshop.org
A History of Heartache
Check out A History of Heartache - <b>In this debut collection, celebrated journalist Patrick Strickland's vivid and character-driven stories are as true to life as his award-winning reportage.</b><br...
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Patrick Strickland @patrickobrienstrickland.com · 21/04/2026
“Through his vivid, voice-driven prose, Strickland mingles societal crises and systemic obstacles with his characters’ attempts at personal survival or redemption.” So grateful for this considerate and smart review of A History of Heartache: chapter16.org/ghosts-of-a-...
Chapter 16 review of A History of Heartache:

“The world depicted in Patrick Strickland’s debut story collection, A History of Heartache, is thick with undercurrents of personal violence, addiction, cynicism, and economic instability. Jobs are scarce and menial. Drugs are abundant. Parents slosh their wine and whiskey. Kids get high and play too rough.

Through his vivid, voice-driven prose, Strickland mingles societal crises and systemic obstacles with his characters’ attempts at personal survival or redemption. Strickland’s stories persistently braid these elements together as they work to generate the stories’ thematic power.”
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Dallas Observer @dallasobserver.com · 20/04/2026
North Texas native Patrick Strickland will be at Deep Vellum Books this Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. to discuss his new book. 🔗 www.dallasobserver.com/arts-culture…
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Patrick Strickland @patrickobrienstrickland.com · 18/04/2026
A History of Heartache is out Tuesday with @melvillehouse.bsky.social and I'd just appreciate the snot out of it if you'd preorder it right here: bookshop.org/a/121591/978...
bookshop.org
A History of Heartache
Check out A History of Heartache - <b>In this debut collection, celebrated journalist Patrick Strickland's vivid and character-driven stories are as true to life as his award-winning reportage.</b><br...
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Patrick Strickland @patrickobrienstrickland.com · 18/04/2026
"But in A History of Heartache, a short-story collection that is his first work of fiction, he returns to Texas and peels back the mask of a worn-out suburbia to reveal stark human tragedy." I'm stoked as all heck to get this thoughtful and generous review of my book from the Dallas Morning News:
dallasnews.com
Characters stumble through uncertain lives in D-FW author's story collection
In "A History of Heartache," Patrick Strickland returns to Texas and peels back the mask of a worn-out suburbia to reveal stark human tragedy.
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Southern Review of Books @southrevbooks.bsky.social · 15/04/2026
"Beyond the pain and the characters who bear it, this book is a commentary on the ways America abandons its people to fend for themselves." @tobyleblancauthor.bsky.social reviews A HISTORY OF HEARTACHE by Patrick Strickland. @melvillehouse.bsky.social southernreviewofbooks.com/2026/04/15/a...
southernreviewofbooks.com
“A History of Heartache” Is a World Where No Saviors Are Coming
Bleak, clear-eyed, abrasive, and thoughtful stories about the forgotten folks of East Texas.
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Patrick Strickland @patrickobrienstrickland.com · 14/04/2026
Stoked that my new story collection, A HISTORY OF HEARTACHE, made this list of April's best southern books. It's out April 21 with @melvillehouse.bsky.social Pre-order: bookshop.org/a/121591/978...
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Patrick Strickland @patrickobrienstrickland.com · 28/02/2026
I am downright stoked to get such a generous and positive review from Publishers Weekly for this story collection I’ve spent six, seven years chipping away at. ‘A History of Heartache’ is out April 21 with @melvillehouse.bsky.social — www.publishersweekly.com/9781685892357
Stories of addiction and underemployment feature in the bare-knuckled fiction debut from journalist Strickland (You Can Kill Each Other After I Leave). The unnamed narrator of the title entry, a high school senior, dreams about heading to California from his hometown in north Texas, leaving behind his alcoholic mother and memories of his older brother who died at age 16 from a heroin overdose. In “Mockingbirds,” a former teacher, now mopping floors at an abortion clinic, is hounded by an anti-abortion protester intent on making him into a villain online. In “Rent Money,” a woman in her early 20s comes to terms with the shortcomings of her 41-year-old husband, a heavy-drinking slumlord for “meth monsters” who tries to goad her into collecting rent, a far cry from the “clean, simple life” he promised her when they got married five years earlier. Strickland laces his hardscrabble scenes with lyricism, as in “Screaming East on I-10,” when a young drifter living alongside crack addicts describes taking a hit of the drug, then notices how “night bruises the sky purple.” In each piece, grief underscores the characters’ recklessness, imbuing the collection with an unsentimental but tender emotional register. Strickland’s humane depictions of people living on the margins acknowledge the forces that shape them.
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Patrick Strickland @patrickobrienstrickland.com · 22/03/2026
I have a new piece up @tomdispatch.bsky.social about Trump’s promise to “help” Iranians, the brutal US-Israeli war on Iran, and the long history of imperial offers of aid that are so often deadly for the very people Washington says it wants to help: tomdispatch.com/why-donald-t...
Why Donald Trump Just Can’t Stop Going to War

When Imperial America Offers Help, It Just Might Get You Killed

BY PATRICK STRICKLAND

After protests across Iran turned deadly in January, President Donald Trump promised Iranians that “help is on the way.” On February 28th, the U.S. and Israel launched what immediately became a devastating war on Iran. American and Israeli warplanes began dropping bombs on a country of some 93 million people. Trump soon put out a video address, telling Iranians that “the hour of your freedom is at hand.” Around the time that video appeared, Iranians in the city of Minab were sorting through the corpses of more than 165 people killed in an airstrike on an elementary school for girls.
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Patrick Strickland @patrickobrienstrickland.com · 18/03/2026
I wrote a thing at @inkstickmedia.com: With Trump's war on Iran and anti-immigrant policy, Republicans are escalating Islamophobic incitement and Christian nationalist rhetoric.
inkstickmedia.com
From the US to Iran, Trump World is Waging Holy War
For decades, the Islamophobia industry has pumped out 'Holy War' conspiracy theories and provided justification for US wars.
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Inkstick Media @inkstickmedia.com · 17/03/2026
By the time the US-Israeli war on Iran is said and done, the Christian nationalists around Donald Trump will be sad to learn that Armageddon, in fact, has not come. By: @patrickobrienstrickland.com inkstickmedia.com/from-the-us-...
inkstickmedia.com
From the US to Iran, Trump World is Waging Holy War
For decades, the Islamophobia industry has pumped out 'Holy War' conspiracy theories and provided justification for US wars.
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Inkstick Media @inkstickmedia.com · 05/03/2026
As Trump's DHS fights to pull local police onto its side, an immigrant’s safety largely depends on how much their community stands up for them. By: @tylerfromtexas.bsky.social inkstickmedia.com/how-trumps-d...
inkstickmedia.com
How Trump's DHS is Fighting to Pull Local Cops to its Side
As Trump's DHS grows in size and power, it is attempting to pull local law enforcement on its side in its war on sanctuary policies.
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Patrick Strickland @patrickobrienstrickland.com · 04/03/2026
At Inkstick, @moiralavelle.bsky.social reviews @mollycrabapple.bsky.social's 'Here Where We Live Is Our Country,' out next month.
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Patrick Strickland @patrickobrienstrickland.com · 02/03/2026
A harrowing letter from Gaza: "For two years, I have not so much as turned on a heater. What would be the point? There is neither gas nor electricity. The only source of warmth are wood fires, and they are suffocating."
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Patrick Strickland @patrickobrienstrickland.com · 02/03/2026
At Inkstick, @tylerfromtexas.bsky.social spoke to Behrooz Ghamari, a former political prisoner in Iran and author of the new book 'The Long War on Iran' (from @orbooks.bsky.social) "The interventionist policy only creates disasters," he said.
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Inkstick Media @inkstickmedia.com · 28/02/2026
"When family members of the disappeared immigrants arrived, there was no sign of their loved ones. What they found instead were customized ace of spades playing cards that read 'ICE Denver Field Office.'" inkstickmedia.com/how-trump-is...
inkstickmedia.com
How Trump is Bringing America’s Wars Home – Again
As US President Donald Trump brings America's wars home once again, ICE agents escalate violence and deportations around the country.
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Patrick Strickland @patrickobrienstrickland.com · 28/02/2026
Pre-order here at @deepvellumbooks.bsky.social Bookshop: bookshop.org/a/121591/978...
bookshop.org
A History of Heartache
Check out A History of Heartache - <b>In this debut collection, celebrated journalist Patrick Strickland's vivid and character-driven stories are as true to life as his award-winning reportage.</b><br...
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Patrick Strickland @patrickobrienstrickland.com · 28/02/2026
I am downright stoked to get such a generous and positive review from Publishers Weekly for this story collection I’ve spent six, seven years chipping away at. ‘A History of Heartache’ is out April 21 with @melvillehouse.bsky.social — www.publishersweekly.com/9781685892357
Stories of addiction and underemployment feature in the bare-knuckled fiction debut from journalist Strickland (You Can Kill Each Other After I Leave). The unnamed narrator of the title entry, a high school senior, dreams about heading to California from his hometown in north Texas, leaving behind his alcoholic mother and memories of his older brother who died at age 16 from a heroin overdose. In “Mockingbirds,” a former teacher, now mopping floors at an abortion clinic, is hounded by an anti-abortion protester intent on making him into a villain online. In “Rent Money,” a woman in her early 20s comes to terms with the shortcomings of her 41-year-old husband, a heavy-drinking slumlord for “meth monsters” who tries to goad her into collecting rent, a far cry from the “clean, simple life” he promised her when they got married five years earlier. Strickland laces his hardscrabble scenes with lyricism, as in “Screaming East on I-10,” when a young drifter living alongside crack addicts describes taking a hit of the drug, then notices how “night bruises the sky purple.” In each piece, grief underscores the characters’ recklessness, imbuing the collection with an unsentimental but tender emotional register. Strickland’s humane depictions of people living on the margins acknowledge the forces that shape them.
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Patrick Strickland @patrickobrienstrickland.com · 24/02/2026
Important piece @inkstickmedia.com by @tylermcbrien.com on the ever-worsening drive to profit off deportation and immigrant incarceration in America.
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Patrick Strickland @patrickobrienstrickland.com · 22/02/2026
At least five people are dead and another 20 are missing after a boat carrying refugees and migrants capsized near Greece's Crete.
ekathimerini.com
Five dead, 20 missing, as migrant vessel capsizes off Crete | eKathimerini.com
At least five people have died and around 20 are reported missing after a migrant vessel capsized off the southern coast of Crete early Saturday.
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Inkstick Media @inkstickmedia.com · 17/02/2026
Tripoli is Lebanon’s medieval-era jewel by the sea. But decades of state neglect and poverty are coming to a head amid a deadly spate of collapsing buildings. inkstickmedia.com/lebanons-dea...
inkstickmedia.com
Lebanon's Deadly State of Neglect Adds to Woes of Life After War
In Lebanon, a deadly state of neglect threatens the country's fragile security in the wake of a grueling Israeli war.
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Patrick Strickland @patrickobrienstrickland.com · 12/02/2026
A Greek coast guard ship "collided with" a boat carrying refugees, killing 15. Now an autopsy shows that the Afghans who died in the incident perished because of head wounds rather than drowning.
reuters.com
Autopsies show migrants in shipwreck off Greece died of head injuries, not drowning
Most of the 15 Afghan migrants who were killed off the Greek island of Chios last week when their dinghy collided with a coast guard vessel died of head injuries, not from drowning, autopsy results se...
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Patrick Strickland @patrickobrienstrickland.com · 12/02/2026
This is a powerful and grim piece by Palestinian journalist Issam Adwan, a reflection on what it truly means to be a reporter in Gaza and how grave the risks are.
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Inkstick Media @inkstickmedia.com · 06/02/2026
"Imperialism defines much of this country’s history, but the latest escalation comes at a time when ICE agents have also been deployed to grab immigrants off the streets and whisk them to detention centers. Meanwhile, Trump has continued to preach the jingoistic gospel of stopping new arrivals."
inkstickmedia.com
When the Border is Both the Crime and the Crime Scene | Inkstick
In a world divided by borders, the US has a long tradition of blaming people fleeing the wars and violence it played a part in fueling.
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Inkstick Media @inkstickmedia.com · 30/01/2026
"In a world divided by borders, the US has a long tradition of blaming people fleeing the wars and violence it played a large part in fueling."
inkstickmedia.com
When the Border is Both the Crime and the Crime Scene
In a world divided by borders, the US has a long tradition of blaming people fleeing the wars and violence it played a large part in fueling.
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Inkstick Media @inkstickmedia.com · 04/02/2026
US Vice President JD Vance wants to use law enforcement to punish his critics — regardless of any proof of criminality. By: @tylerfromtexas.bsky.social inkstickmedia.com/with-defense...
inkstickmedia.com
With Defense of ICE, JD Vance Clarifies His Next Target: You
US Vice President JD Vance wants to use law enforcement to punish his critics — regardless of any proof of criminality.
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Christopher Mathias @letsgomathias.bsky.social · 03/02/2026
3 yrs ago I started writing a book that is in stores TODAY. It's narrative nonfiction, anti-fascist spy thriller set in Trump era. It's timely as hell & I'm proud of it. A thread of what people are saying abt it & why I hope you'll help make it a bestseller www.simonandschuster.com/books/To-Cat...
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Christopher Mathias @letsgomathias.bsky.social · 03/02/2026
The great @patrickobrienstrickland.com wrote this absolute banger of a review for @inksters.bsky.social inkstickmedia.com/on-surveilli...
inkstickmedia.com
On Surveilling, Infiltrating, and Disrupting Fascists in America
In a new book, journalist Christopher Mathias sets about the difficult task of chronicling anti-fascist activists who don't seek acclaim.
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Inkstick Media @inkstickmedia.com · 29/01/2026
In his new book 'The Long War on Iran,' former political prisoner and sociologist Behrooz Ghamari takes a scalpel to decades of misguided US policy toward Tehran. By: @tylerfromtexas.bsky.social inkstickmedia.com/once-a-priso...
inkstickmedia.com
Once a Prisoner, Behrooz Ghamari Dissects the 'Long War on Iran'
In his new book 'The Long War on Iran,' Behrooz Ghamari takes a scalpel to decades of misguided US policy toward Tehran.
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