iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by Rahawa Haile

today on @coyotemedia.org: @emmaruthless.bsky.social discovers her 6-y.o. may have been opted into AI testing — and dives into the $200+ billion edtech world, SFUSD's marriage to "benevolent" tech grants, & parents' attempts to get any kind of regulation in place. www.coyotemedia.org/sfusd-ai-ami...

coyotemedia.org

In Which I Decline to Let an AI Company Experiment on My Kid at School

Living in San Francisco means being a guinea pig for the tech industry — but I draw the line at my second-grader.

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Rahawa Haile @rahawahaile.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

If you're in the Bay Area and wondering how to get the latest COVID vaccine, @coyotemedia.org's guide is now up! Go and get your shots, people!

coyotemedia.org

First Aid Kit: How and Why to Get a COVID Vaccine (and Also When and Where)

Protect yourself and others this fall.

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Maris Kreizman @maris.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

"The cultural critic Maris Kreizman said, 'There are people claiming antisemitism when they didn’t get a book deal, but maybe they’re just bad writers.'” jewishcurrents.org/what-pen-ame...

jewishcurrents.org

What PEN America Got Wrong About Antisemitism in Publishing

Misleading anecdotes, flawed data, and oversimplified analyses are at the heart of a narrative of Jewish exclusion promoted by the free expression…

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Oakland Review of Books @oaklandreviewofbooks.org · 30/09/2026

You may have noticed that while the vibes in San Francisco are fucked beyond all belief, Oakland is still good and chill. We dispatched @redford.bsky.social to make sense of it. www.oaklandreviewofbooks.org/the-great-vi...

oaklandreviewofbooks.org

The great vibes divergence

Why does San Francisco feel so weird during this tech boom while Oakland is more or less still Oakland?

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COYOTE @coyotemedia.org · 29/09/2026

Beatrice Dong, co-founder of Berkeley’s Eastwind Books and a longtime Asian American activist, passed away last month. We asked community members to reflect on her life, legacy and the movements she helped build — and what her work meant to them. www.coyotemedia.org/beatrice-don...

coyotemedia.org

What Beatrice Dong Taught Us About Being Asian American

Bay Area community members remember “fierce and generous” Beatrice Dong, the co-founder of Berkeley’s Eastwind Books and lifelong activist for racial solidarity.

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Judy Berman @judyberman.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

The other list ain't so bad, but I do love my weird lil baby

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Emma Silvers @emmaruthless.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

moment of appreciation for the fact that @soleilho.com spat out this perfect, true, and venom-filled post in like an hour *on their birthday*

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Timnit Gebru @timnitgebru.blacksky.app · 24/09/2026

🔇🔇🔇 I want to announce a @dairinstitute.bsky.social virtual event concerning the ***REAL**** impacts of "AI" on the most vulnerable of populations, refugees. Everything you see is first experimented on them.🧵 ⏰ October 1 at 6-8pm CET/9am PDT on Zoom. ✴️ Register at us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

flyer for DAIR virtual event on October 1, 2026 from 6-8PM CET. Join DAIR as we commemorate the 2013 Lampedusa tragedy and ask, "What would it take for technology to protect people on the move, rather than deepen the risks they already face?

Meron Estefanos, Dr. Selam Kidane, Dr. Omer Shatz, Dr. Hyab Yoahnnes

Register at https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/5517888860006/WN_u2VZxx2RSciVPe2wu039wA#/registration

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Rahawa Haile @rahawahaile.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

“The political consultant class isn’t going to read this, but it’s worth saying anyway: Electability is a fake idea. It’s why we’ve spent 10 years reliving 2016.” - Soleil Ho for @coyotemedia.org

coyotemedia.org

What Is the Point of Gavin Newsom?

You can’t build a movement around a person whose only commitment is staying uncommitted.

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s. e. smith @sesmith.lol · 22/09/2026

I started working on this book in 2020. It is about grief as a collective project; how Americans struggle so much with things they can't fix; who is allowed to mourn and how; and where we go from here. I put my whole heart into it and I need your support to help it get to people who need to read it.

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Rahawa Haile @rahawahaile.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

I am trying to wrap my mind around the fact that, for the most part, the only books-related posts that get real traction on Bluesky involve the shittiest, most rage-inducing garbage and people. This isn't true for film or music. It feels like there's a real void here, and I hate it.

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Rahawa Haile @rahawahaile.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

I wrote about this last month for Scratch, an independent literary publication that hates fascists and loves books :)

talkscratch.com

Legacy Media Wants to Hire You (No, Not You)

Not me either, but that's OK.

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Joshu @rhwlo.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

I’m so delighted that this interview has a discussion about one of the things that grabbed me about this piece, namely that @cara.city uses a drone the way she uses a camera: with her finely-honed skill at photography, *especially* composition.

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Rahawa Haile @rahawahaile.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

This week, Scratch ran a long, two-part interview with the author Deesha Philyaw about the publishing industry, money, rejection, and the trajectory of her career. You can read part one here: www.talkscratch.com/the-scratch-...

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Maris Kreizman @maris.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Its the season of most anticipated lists, and at a time when the publishing industry seems to have lost faith in nonfiction, I wanted to highlight 14 nonfiction titles that I’m really excited to read. lithub.com/is-nonfictio...

lithub.com

Is Nonfiction in Crisis? These 14 Books Suggest Otherwise

The first official day of fall is this coming Tuesday, September 22, but if you’re reading this then by now you’ve probably seen a few “most anticipated for fall 2026” lists. There is so much great…

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Reposted by Rahawa Haile

COYOTE @coyotemedia.org · 17/09/2026

While the mayor’s on Instagram touting block parties with Train, SF artists at the fringes say real support has been elusive. “We were all living in an era of cookie crumbs keeping us somewhat sustained and now we have no crumbs,” says filmmaker Maria Judice. www.coyotemedia.org/san-francisc...

coyotemedia.org

Forget Lurie’s Boosterism. SF Artists Say Only DIY Organizing Can Save the Scene

While the mayor boasts about Vogue World as a win for the local “creative community,” one thing’s never been more clear: A healthy art scene can’t depend on politicians or wealthy donors.

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Rahawa Haile @rahawahaile.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Part II of Scratch’s interview with Deesha Philyaw is up today. Her novel is one of the most anticipated fall publications. For anyone who misses the Longform podcast, these 7,000+ words are for you. P.S. Scratch is a four-person worker-owned literary website! If that’s your jam, please subscribe!

talkscratch.com

The Scratch Interview #8: Deesha Philyaw on Literary Community, Part II

“The last thing we need when we're trying to make art is to feel ashamed by what we don't have, and yet here we are.”

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Joel Pinckney @jpinckney.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

This is the message: yes, shop early, but also, be ready and willing to trust the expertise of booksellers. There's a way of shopping at bookstores that acts as if the booksellers are just there to stock the shelves with product. I guarantee you, bookselling is not that kind of job.

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Rahawa Haile @rahawahaile.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

I’m proud of the work Scratch is doing, but the candor and generosity with which our interviewees have spoken might be the thing that’s moved me most these last six months. www.talkscratch.com/the-scratch-...

A screenshot from the link in the quoted post that reads:

“Something I want to make sure I say is part of how we artists survive this is being in community, helping each other out. There was a time for almost a year where another artist friend of mine paid my rent.

And I had no idea how long she would be able to do that or whatever, but it certainly helped with the transition to leaving that corporate job. There were times when…I remember I had to buy some bread and all I had was nickels. I made a note to myself to remember that there's going to come a time where it's not going to be like this, that it hasn't always been like this, but this moment matters because this too is part of the sacrifice and the uncertainty of choosing this particular profession. There's highs and lows.”

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Rahawa Haile @rahawahaile.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

talkscratch.com

The Scratch Interview #8: Deesha Philyaw on Literary Community, Part II

“The last thing we need when we're trying to make art is to feel ashamed by what we don't have, and yet here we are.”

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Rahawa Haile @rahawahaile.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

AHEM. This interview with Deesha Philyaw about publishing, and the reality of finances for writers, and facing rejection is great, and you should really read it. Scratch is an entirely reader-supporter independent literary publication. Please check us out and subscribe here: talkscratch.com

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Reposted by Rahawa Haile

Maggie Mertens @maggiemertens.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

This feels like a big moment for @talkscratch.bsky.social. @deeshaphilyaw.bsky.social is not only a phenomenal writer, she was so generous with her time w/ @latriagraham.bsky.social and so open about survival... financial and otherwise. So many gems here! www.talkscratch.com/the-scratch-...

talkscratch.com

The Scratch Interview #8: Deesha Philyaw on Committing the Cardinal Sins of Publishing, Part I

“So despite short stories ‘not selling,’ I just found other things so that I could keep writing my short stories.”

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Rahawa Haile @rahawahaile.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

You won't find a more honest conversation about money, publishing, and race this week than the one between Deesha Philyaw and Latria Graham that went up on Scratch today. Also, we are a worker-owned collective, and we would love your support. talkscratch.com

talkscratch.com

The Scratch Interview #8: Deesha Philyaw on Committing the Cardinal Sins of Publishing, Part I

“So despite short stories ‘not selling,’ I just found other things so that I could keep writing my short stories.”

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Reposted by Rahawa Haile

Reo Eveleth @reveleth.com · 16/09/2026

Happy one year anniversary to the @coyotemedia.org calendar! Over the past year we've featured 2400+ events at 498 different venues across the Bay Area. I really try to find something for everyone! Free stuff, COVID safe stuff, sober stuff, all ages stuff, etc. www.coyotemedia.org/coyote-calen...

coyotemedia.org

COYOTE Calendar: September 17-September 23

This week we've got piracy, several forms of trash, cake, Sappho, texting, and more.

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Reo Eveleth @reveleth.com · 15/09/2026

Sorry I just think this piece is so good in part because the questions are as good as the answers. "Not to put a fine and very Black point on it, but this country has literally hundreds of years of monetizing perceived fugitivity under its belt." www.coyotemedia.org/records-of-e...

coyotemedia.org

An Oakland Photographer Surveils the Surveillance State

Cara Esten Hurtle’s drone-based art project shows the difference between being seen and being spotted.

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Maggie Tokuda-Hall @maggietokudahall.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Coyote really is doing the best work

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Rahawa Haile @rahawahaile.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

I interviewed @cara.city about her incredible photography project “Records of Enemy Surveillance.” Topics discussed include Flock, borders, and perceived fugutivity. Up now at @coyotemedia.org.

coyotemedia.org

An Oakland Photographer Surveils the Surveillance State

Cara Esten Hurtle’s drone-based art project shows the difference between being seen and being spotted.

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Reposted by Rahawa Haile

COYOTE @coyotemedia.org · 11/09/2026

For today, we've pulled the paywall off this must-read story by @soleilho.com.

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soleil ho @soleilho.com · 11/09/2026

I rarely talk about how I was 6 blocks away from the WTC on 9/11. & it's less bc of the trauma and more the sheer shame of how the US turned that trauma into grist for more killing. here, I talk about how the attacks became a formative moment in my political life www.coyotemedia.org/september-11...

coyotemedia.org

I Watched the Planes Fly Past My Classroom Window. Then Came 25 Years of Grievance

For Soleil Ho, September 11 was their political origin story.

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Ethan Marcotte @ethanmarcotte.com · 07/09/2026

I’m still so proud of this little book. If you read it, I hope it’s useful to you. And I’ve said it before, but if you’d like a copy but don’t feel you can swing the purchase right now—shipping costs, how your budget’s looking this month, whatever—just send me an email. We’ll figure it out. ❤️‍🔥

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Megan Wachspress @meganwachspress.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

Wrote about immigrant detention camps in the Bay Area and why, if we want to close them permanently, we'll need to close jails, too.

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soleil ho @soleilho.com · 03/09/2026

sharing this because I love you — Oakland, you can get Trini doubles this weekend! preorder here: www.hotplate.com/sfdoubles/19...

hotplate.com

SF Doubles Shop

We sell Trinbagonian doubles! IYKYK

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Rahawa Haile @rahawahaile.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

Speaking of @coyotemedia.org, we’ve officially launched our long-awaited merch page! You, too, could have a great hat! coyote-media-collective-shop.fourthwall.com

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Rahawa Haile @rahawahaile.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

I just burst into @coyotemedia.org’s slack to say the same. Hoping there’s a nod to Raul Julia’s sad clown M. Bison painting from the original Street Fighter film somewhere in there.

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Joel Pinckney @jpinckney.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

New one today for @defector.com: in the wake of the most recent declaration of reading's demise, I was curious what booksellers, almost always ignored by the post-literate prognosticators, made of such claims. Here's what they told me:

defector.com

What Do Booksellers Make Of “The End Of Reading”? | Defector

If you haven’t yet encountered the cover story for the August issue of The Atlantic, I have some bad news to share: “The End of Reading Is Here.” It’s an intentionally provocative headline for a sligh...

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Rahawa Haile @rahawahaile.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

For COYOTE (and my fellow music nerds), I spoke with the publisher of Tape Op magazine about their new book, Making Music: Conversations with Record Producers, and the art of audio production.

coyotemedia.org

Sounding It Out: A New Book Celebrates 30 Years of ‘Tape Op’

Publisher John Baccigaluppi on 'Making Music,' a new collection of 24 interviews from the essential record production magazine.

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Reposted by Rahawa Haile

soleil ho @soleilho.com · 31/08/2026

having never heard of Tape Op before (I'm sorry!), I was really thrilled to learn about how this mag has done so much to make the nitty gritty of music production cool and accessible, via this interview with COYOTE's @rahawahaile.bsky.social www.coyotemedia.org/making-music...

coyotemedia.org

Sounding It Out: A New Book Celebrates 30 Years of ‘Tape Op’

Publisher John Baccigaluppi on 'Making Music,' a new collection of 24 interviews from the essential record production magazine.

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Rahawa Haile @rahawahaile.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

For COYOTE (and my fellow music nerds), I spoke with the publisher of Tape Op magazine about their new book, Making Music: Conversations with Record Producers, and the art of audio production.

coyotemedia.org

Sounding It Out: A New Book Celebrates 30 Years of ‘Tape Op’

Publisher John Baccigaluppi on 'Making Music,' a new collection of 24 interviews from the essential record production magazine.

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Riley MacLeod @rcmacleod.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

So psyched to work with our pals at Coyote and @soleilho.com to bring this story to you together! If you want to know what's happening in the Bay Area, from important issues to cool cultural events, do check them out!

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Naomi Kritzer @naomikritzer.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

This is a fantastic piece and also helped me pin down why Dolly reminded me so strongly of my Grammie. (Who grew up on a subsistence farm in the Appalachian hills, though in Virginia and not Tennessee.)

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Colin Dickey @colindickey.com · 27/08/2026

Many great pieces on Dolly Parton this week, but @rahawahaile.bsky.social's in Scratch is by far my favorite. Just a jaw-dropping piece of beautiful writing. www.talkscratch.com/dolly-parton...

But this is the point I’m making, in this publication about how writers survive—I don’t think one can ever stop being themselves. For those of us not born to wealth, conviction is our greatest fortune. Dolly never squandered hers. Her values were clear: Pay your union dues, stand with labor, love the castaways, put money directly in people’s pockets. Make great art (and own your work). Share books freely. Uplift the land as the land has lifted and lifted you. Higher still, even. And help the people climb.

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Rahawa Haile @rahawahaile.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

I want to add that Dolly wrote this song less than a decade after eugenicist Harry M. Caudill's Night Comes to the Cumberlands was published, pathologizing Appalachia during the country's "War on poverty." That "Despite your contempt, the things I love are worth loving" part runs DEEP.

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Rahawa Haile @rahawahaile.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

Appalachia losing Dolly while still having to endure JD Vance feels like such a cruel joke.

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Rahawa Haile @rahawahaile.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

A perfect “how it started / how it’s going” for @coyotemedia.org today. www.coyotemedia.org/san-francisc...

Screenshot of a Bluesky post by COYOTE’s Emma Silvers from six months ago asking if she should report a story on SF Rec and Parks terrible website, followed by a post by Emma today linking to that story.

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