Paul Cote @paul-the-cote.bsky.social · 21/09/2026Hey DC/MD/Virginia folks: tomorrow (9/22) at noon, I’ll be giving a Henson Week talk in the University of Maryland on unproduced Muppet screenplays, including the legendary “Into the Jaws of the Demons of Death: the Cheapest Muppet Movie Ever Made.” Full info in picture: be there and/or be square! 032
Reposted by Paul CoteZane's Video @zanesimon.bsky.social · 19/09/2026A legend. RIP Gerrit Graham. 022
Reposted by Paul Cotethe babahuck @tylerhuckabee.bsky.social · 16/09/2026rip annie dillard 1134411140
Reposted by Paul CoteZane's Video @zanesimon.bsky.social · 08/09/2026Getting to be that time... Site is about 75% of the way to where I want it (still some product descriptions and formatting to do), but I'm going to be converting all my social media over to my new business going forward. zanesvideostore.comzanesvideostore.comZane's VideoZane's Video 42214
Paul Cote @paul-the-cote.bsky.social · 08/09/2026Everything Rachel writes is great, but this piece really is extraordinary, some her absolute best work. While the circumstances behind her releasing it this way are … *strains to find a diplomatic word* … “frustrating,” I’m glad that everyone else finally gets to read the essay. 131
Reposted by Paul CoteRachel Vorona Cote @rvoronacote.bsky.social · 04/09/2026Before Emerald Fennell's adaptation of "Wuthering Heights" was released, an editor commissioned an essay from me on it. It was later killed. For months, I wasn't sure what, if anything, to do with it. Today I decided to publish it in my newsletter: cornflakevictorians.substack.com/p/how-do-you...cornflakevictorians.substack.comHow do you solve a problem like Nelly Dean?(This is an essay on “Wuthering Heights” that was previously intended for publication elsewhere) 3268
Reposted by Paul Cotegrant @grantpardee.bsky.social · 31/08/2026"Tiny Tim, who DESERVED to die," 9297862595
Reposted by Paul CoteDan of the Year @downwithdan.bsky.social · 19/08/2026"this edible ain't shit" two hours later: 185182564359
Paul Cote @paul-the-cote.bsky.social · 30/07/2026Beautiful new piece from Rachel that also ended up serving one of my long-in-the-making goals: finally getting her to read Watership Down. 131
Reposted by Paul CoteRachel Vorona Cote @rvoronacote.bsky.social · 30/07/2026My latest piece for @theatlantic.com is about animal narrators in fiction, with particular attention to Paul Yoon's extraordinary new novel, Etna, which Homer and/or Nolan heads will be happy to learn is another version of The Odyssey. Here's a gift link: www.theatlantic.com/books/2026/0...theatlantic.comWhy Animal Narrators Are All the RageA new novel helps explain why so many storytellers enlist animal narrators to explore humanity. 24111
Reposted by Paul CoteHelena Fitzgerald @hellafitzgerald.bsky.social · 22/07/2026for the great @oaklandreviewofbooks.org, I wrote about the On the Calculation of Volume novels, why I find them so bizarrely compelling, and what it might have to do with our favorite new american proverb www.oaklandreviewofbooks.org/maybe-it-wil...oaklandreviewofbooks.orgMaybe it will happen todaySolvej Balle monitors the situation. 74217
Paul Cote @paul-the-cote.bsky.social · 02/07/2026Every single answer I’ve seen is the correct one, but also, Who Framed Roger Rabbit? 140
Reposted by Paul CoteJoe Berkowitz @joeberkowitz.bsky.social · 29/06/2026A.I. Artificial Intelligence came out 25 years ago today. I wrote about the one scene in the movie that most accurately predicted The Way Things Are now.fastcompany.com25 years ago, this scene from Steven Spielberg’s ‘A.I.’ predicted the collapse of objective realityThe sci-fi epic depicted a futuristic world where digital oracles tell information-seekers exactly what they want to hear. Sound familiar? 162
Reposted by Paul CoteC. Robert Cargill @crobertcargill.bsky.social · 26/06/2026There is a very real argument being made in Hollywood that AI democratizes filmmaking, making it available to outsiders. In truth, the cost of effective generative AI is cost prohibitive to all but corporations, leading to no improvement in quality at the cost of jobs both above and below the line. 321923526
Reposted by Paul CoteRachel Vorona Cote @rvoronacote.bsky.social · 02/06/2026Maggie O’Farrell’s new novel, Land, is her most ambitious to date: sprawling, mystical, and filled with wonder at the vastness of Irish history. I reviewed it for @vulture.com: www.vulture.com/article/magg...vulture.comMaggie O’Farrell Goes MaximalistThe Hamnet author’s new novel, Land, is her most ambitious work to date. 34813
Reposted by Paul CoteVulture @vulture.com · 02/06/2026The ‘Hamnet’ author’s new novel, ‘Land,’ about an Irish family in the aftermath of the Great Hunger, is sweeping in its ambition, writes Rachel Vorona Cote.vulture.comMaggie O’Farrell Goes MaximalistThe ‘Hamnet’ author’s new novel, ‘Land,’ about an Irish family in the aftermath of the Great Hunger, is sweeping in its ambition, writes Rachel Vorona Cote. 0132
Paul Cote @paul-the-cote.bsky.social · 29/05/2026“I’ve had enough of your aggravation: I’m gonna steal the Death Star plans / Saturday night’s all right for fighting…” 010
Reposted by Paul CoteMark Harris @markharris.bsky.social · 26/05/2026For many reasons, my piece about Bob Fosse's 1974 film LENNY is the most challenging Criterion essay I've ever been asked to write. The Blu-ray is out now and looks just stunning. Here's the essay. www.criterion.com/current/post...criterion.comLenny: High-Wire ActFeaturing a quasi-documentary format that was innovative for its time, Bob Fosse’s complex portrait of stand-up comedian Lenny Bruce is a gesture of postmortem outreach from one prickly, jagged-edged ... 2729150
Reposted by Paul CoteAlexander Chee @alexanderchee.bsky.social · 22/05/2026Ramzi is fundraising for himself and his family in Gaza if you can help. chuffed.org/project/1319...chuffed.orgHelp ramzi from GazaMy name is Ramzi from Gaza, I am 20 years old. My house was destroyed and we are living the most difficult days of our lives. My family consists of 4 members and we suffer every day. We have been disp... 583
Paul Cote @paul-the-cote.bsky.social · 21/05/2026Introduce yourself with 10 bands you’ve seen live: The National Aimee Mann Pulp Roxy Music St. Vincent Yeah Yeah Yeahs Interpol B.B. King Flogging Molly Nick Cave/Grinderman 020
Reposted by Paul CoteMarisa Kabas @marisakabas.bsky.social · 21/05/2026NEW — My first true foray into AI haterdom is about how those of us not convinced by AI’s inevitability are a real constituency worthy of a voice. Give it a read:thehandbasket.coHating AI is good, actuallyLinkedIn may be awash with boosters, but shunning AI is the human choice. 12769311719
Reposted by Paul CoteKJ Charles @kjcharleswriter.com · 18/05/2026I am once again begging, praying, weeping for lists of written instructions rather than videos. I do not want to watch your two minute video in the hope of catching the two seconds where you whizz past what goddamn menu the thing is under. Write. It. Down. 165108162617
Reposted by Paul CoteDana Stevens @thehighsign.bsky.social · 16/05/2026This @joshgondelman.bsky.social spoof of looksmaxxing is ... an actual masterpiece of humor writing? 821342
Reposted by Paul CoteAsheesh Kapur Siddique @asheeshks.org · 05/05/2026JCK is wrong & this article is ridiculous, but universities need to emphasize what makes higher education different than AI / tech companies, and the answer to that question is that which they have marginalized for decades: curiosity-driven, rather than market-driven knowledge. 14560128
Paul Cote @paul-the-cote.bsky.social · 01/05/2026My 10 Favorite Films (Today), off the top of my head, one per director It’s Such a Beautiful Day F for Fake The Muppet Christmas Carol The Dark Crystal Duck, You Sucker! Wings of Desire The Company of Wolves Brazil Ed Wood Moonrise Kingdom 020
Reposted by Paul CoteMoira Donegan @moiradonegan.bsky.social · 24/04/2026Trying to remember that viral tweet from years ago—lodged in my brain like a dormant virus in my spinal chord—that was like “it is cultural appropriation for women to write about Marilyn Monroe if they’re not hot.” 635227
Reposted by Paul CoteRachel Vorona Cote @rvoronacote.bsky.social · 17/04/2026Loved having this convo! Buffy ~FOREVER~ 111
Reposted by Paul CoteScott Lynch @scottlynch78.bsky.social · 01/04/2026moby-dick, his eyes enormous: from hell's heart you STAB at moby? for hate's sake you spit your last BREATH at moby? oh! oh! the great shroud of the sea for ahab! the great shroud of the sea rolling on as it rolled five thousand years ago!!!! 4558602175
Reposted by Paul CoteAbra / Jessica Conwell, Carmella Creeper's Gender Doula🏳️⚧️ 🇲🇽🌼 @pairofclaws.bsky.social · 24/03/2026"For the love of God, Montresor!" 6549141
Reposted by Paul CoteRachel Vorona Cote @rvoronacote.bsky.social · 26/02/2026I wrote about Claire Baglin’s seething debut novella for @thenation.com and spend considerable time interrogating how literature depicts working class labor (especially amid so many books/tv series/films set in the corporate workplace). I hope you’ll read! 🍟 www.thenation.com/article/cult...thenation.comHas Contemporary Fiction Ignored the Working Class?Claire Baglin’s bracing On the Clock gives its readers a close look at work behind the fry station, and in the process asks what experiences are missing from mainstream letters. 67128
Reposted by Paul CoteChris Scott @iamchrisscott.bsky.social · 16/02/2026A Presidents’ Day poem from me, at Michigan City Review of Books. Enjoy. mcrb.neocities.org/timetraveler 230683
Reposted by Paul CoteMike Schuster @mcs212.bsky.social · 07/02/2026Breaking: Tragedy at the Winter Olympics 7186222550
Reposted by Paul CoteDanielle Froom 🏳️🌈 @danifroom.bsky.social · 06/02/2026"I need AI to make art, human art is only for the rich and privileged-" 64147635620
Reposted by Paul CoteRachel Vorona Cote @rvoronacote.bsky.social · 15/01/2026Regarding the below — the brilliant @caitjgibson.bsky.social reported out a devastating, yet galvanizing story on the mothers in Renée Good’s community. The worst thing we could do is stop fighting. Gift link: wapo.st/3YGqcnbwapo.st‘She was a mom’: Renée Good’s killing amplifies the stakes for parentsIn the wake of the Minnesota shooting by an ICE officer, parents grapple with the risk calculus of activism: “I’m much more scared of what happens if we don’t fight back.” 22714
Reposted by Paul Coteceej @ceej.online · 10/01/2026do you guys hear that bell tolling? wonder who it’s for. it’s so loud lmao 7846861005
Reposted by Paul CoteRachel Vorona Cote @rvoronacote.bsky.social · 05/01/2026Second piece of 2026! For @theatlantic.com, I wrote about Kay Cicellis’s brilliant, brutal short story trilogy, The Way to Colonos, which consists of three modern retellings of Sophoclean tragedies. This one is for all the Greek mythology girlies. ❤️ Gift link: www.theatlantic.com/books/2026/0...theatlantic.comWhy Authors Can’t Let Go of Greek MythsThe fascination with these stories reflects an existential interest in what in life is inevitable, and what we can control. 1238
Reposted by Paul CoteRachel Vorona Cote @rvoronacote.bsky.social · 04/01/2026Here’s my first piece of 2026! For @washingtonpost.com’s Book World, I had the pleasure of reviewing Trina Moyles’ fascinating, deeply sensitive memoir, Black Bear: A Story of Siblinghood and Survival, which recontextualizes humanity in a compelling way. Gift link: wapo.st/3L1SDc5wapo.stReview | A woman’s life among black bears taught her a lot about being humanTrina Moyles’s memoir, “Black Bear,” examines her experiences in wilderness and her contentious relationship with her brother. 1196
Reposted by Paul CoteAmber Sparks @ambersparks.bsky.social · 24/12/2025This so perfectly articulates the best thing about this movie: Mary. “It’s a Wonderful Life is, in part, the story of someone becoming, kicking and screaming, against all intentions and desires, a big man. Mary sees the big man in George from the first, because she is a big woman.” 2615
Paul Cote @paul-the-cote.bsky.social · 31/10/2025It’s actually Frankenberry’s Cereal. Frankenberry is the name of the scientist, not the cereal. 030
Paul Cote @paul-the-cote.bsky.social · 06/09/2025Going to start pronouncing Silksong “SILK-sung” the way Brando pronounces Krypton “KRYP-tun.” 021
Reposted by Paul CoteJosh Gondelman @joshgondelman.bsky.social · 08/08/2025Do all those hustle culture guys whose schedule is like… Wake up at 4am. Eat a tiny meal. Exercise for 15 minutes. Tiny snack. 10 minute nap. Splash around in a bowl of water. Get dressed in practical clothes already laid out. …realize that’s the same agenda as a literal baby? 1794781
Reposted by Paul CoteRachel Vorona Cote @rvoronacote.bsky.social · 23/07/2025“Laugh, so they’ll know you’re one of them. Laugh, or he’ll kill you. Laugh, and maybe you won’t be next.” A real gut punch, from @petridishes.bsky.social 033
Reposted by Paul CoteRachel Vorona Cote @rvoronacote.bsky.social · 15/07/2025For @theatlantic.com, I wrote about Linn Ullmann’s new novel, Girl, 1983, a fascinating work of autofiction that pushes us to consider how what we forget might be as important to storytelling as what we (think we) remember. Gift link here: www.theatlantic.com/books/archiv...theatlantic.comWhat We Gain by ForgettingIn Linn Ullmann’s memoiristic fiction, the erosion of memories is a feature, not a bug. 1132
Reposted by Paul CoteCaitlin Gibson @caitjgibson.bsky.social · 10/07/2025Marah Maher had just begun her final year of high school when the war started. Now she is part of a generation of pediatric amputees from Gaza, grieving her family and longing to go home as she learns to walk again in the United States. Gift link below - thank you for reading. wapo.st/40cgCcSwapo.stFor this teen from Gaza, her legs are the least of what she’s lostPart of a generation of young amputees, Marah Maher is learning to walk again. Every step brings her closer to an unimaginable future. 01814
Reposted by Paul CoteJosh Gondelman @joshgondelman.bsky.social · 29/06/2025I do kind of miss when the news was just on the news and not a bunch of other places where people got mad at you for not also being the news. 655831
Paul Cote @paul-the-cote.bsky.social · 28/06/2025My hypothetical NYT Top 10 Films of the 2000s. Limited myself to 1 per director. Honorable mentions to Ryuichi Sakamoto: Opus, Ennio, Persepolis, Pan’s Labyrinth, Royal Tenenbaums, A.I., New World, Inglorious Basterds, In the Mood for Love, All or Nothing, and Tale of Princess Kagura 010