iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Robyn Porteous @robynporteous.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

I greet you all in the name of @thebookerprizes.com longlist announcement day! Happy, happy to all who celebrate.

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Robyn Porteous @robynporteous.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

IT’S @thebookerprizes.com LONGLIST ANNOUNCEMENT WEEK! I repeat, it’s LONGLIST ANNOUNCEMENT WEEK!

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Robyn Porteous @robynporteous.bsky.social · 22/05/2026

Tonight, while putting Charlotte to bed, we were talking about crying (she’d had a little cry in the bath). I told her, “It’s okay to cry. Sometimes, we cry when we’re happy. And we cry when we’re sad.” To which she added, “And we cry ‘cause onions.” 😂 I mean, she’s not wrong.

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Robyn Porteous @robynporteous.bsky.social · 28/04/2026

I’d like you all to know that my daughter has adopted my habit of saying, “Look, the Moon!” whenever she sees the Moon in the sky and it’s a source of endless delight.

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Robyn Porteous @robynporteous.bsky.social · 27/04/2026

Remind me again how a bad day (read: long weekend) doesn’t make me a bad mom (I hope?!). That was hard for multiple reasons. And tonight, I am so heartsore.

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Robyn Porteous @robynporteous.bsky.social · 23/04/2026

I must admit to being endlessly intrigued by our neighbour, who is something of an eccentric enigma, but also just one of the loveliest people. He sent me this today 😂❤️ how sweet?!

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Robyn Porteous @robynporteous.bsky.social · 07/04/2026

Somehow, I find myself on the eve of Charlotte’s second birthday, awestruck at what a magical, brilliant human she is becoming, and uncertain as to where the time has gone. I am the luckiest that this girl made me a mama - and all the more so that I’m HER mama ❤️😍

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Robyn Porteous @robynporteous.bsky.social · 23/03/2026

A book in the hand is worth two on the shelf (she whispers as she adds five to cart and checks-out)

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Robyn Porteous @robynporteous.bsky.social · 20/03/2026

While I am still not 100%, my mental health called for a run - so I took myself off the trails around Delta Park and basked in Jozi’s autumnal magic. The cosmos is in full force and forever a reminder of my magnificent parents ❤️ I love this city.

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Robyn Porteous @robynporteous.bsky.social · 19/03/2026

Can’t talk I’m cultivating my whimsy

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Robyn Porteous @robynporteous.bsky.social · 16/03/2026

Louis Theroux’s documentary on the “Manosphere” is wild. W. I. L. D. A large number of men are clearly *not* okay and these extreme male influencers are just cashing in. What a truly terrifying time to be raising a daughter.

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Robyn Porteous @robynporteous.bsky.social · 08/03/2026

In honour of International Women’s Day, what is your favourite quote by a woman?

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Reposted by Robyn Porteous

Jimmer Cork-Bottle @jimmerthatisall.bsky.social · 01/03/2026

This day in history. 2023. World Seagrass Day was declared by the United Nations you see seagrass ecosystems have a greater capacity to sequester carbon and mitigate climate change than terrestrial ecosystems you really can't buy excitement like this can you.

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Robyn Porteous @robynporteous.bsky.social · 01/03/2026

“It is quite possible to leave your home for a walk in the early morning air and return a different person – beguiled, enchanted.” – Mary Ellen Chase

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Robyn Porteous @robynporteous.bsky.social · 22/02/2026

Lately, I’ve felt this deep desire to escape the city and opt for a life of quiet, of wide open skies, and horizons that stretch as far as the eye can see. It’s simply not a possibility, and besides, I love Jozi. But something in me is restless.

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Robyn Porteous @robynporteous.bsky.social · 20/02/2026

I’ve just finished re-reading Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley’s “Frankenstein,” the 1818 text. What a gut-wrenching final page. “Awake and find no baby.”

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Robyn Porteous @robynporteous.bsky.social · 20/02/2026

“Only bring the essentials.” Me packing:

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Robyn Porteous @robynporteous.bsky.social · 19/02/2026

— Franz Kafka, from "The Diaries of Franz Kafka"

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Reposted by Robyn Porteous

climatecouncil.org.au @climatecouncil.org.au · 03/02/2026

More than 50 heat records were broken across Australia in the last week of January, according to the Bureau of Meteorology. This is climate change, and it can be lethal.

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Robyn Porteous @robynporteous.bsky.social · 02/02/2026

The book I’m reading was bought on a whim (so unusual for me). Reviews touted it as reminiscent of “The Secret History” (which I loved). But so far? This gal is wildly underwhelmed. This is why I don’t whim-buy books. I’ll give it a little longer, but I’m not hopeful. Le sigh.

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Robyn Porteous @robynporteous.bsky.social · 13/01/2026

Tonight, my toddler insisted on falling asleep with a book in her hands. No genetic testing needed. That’s my gal 🥰

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Reposted by Robyn Porteous

Sipho Kings @siphok.bsky.social · 01/12/2025

England's right wing print newspapers were doing disinformation long before the platforms came along. A key example of why ownership matters - and how corrupting elites can wield media to their own ends. Talk about a country in need of media ethics and standards.

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Robyn Porteous @robynporteous.bsky.social · 01/12/2025

Nothing quite like completely changing the narrative of your novel a couple of months after you have begun to write it.

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Robyn Porteous @robynporteous.bsky.social · 03/09/2025

My mum heart is aching. I won’t see my babe until Wednesday next week!

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Robyn Porteous @robynporteous.bsky.social · 08/08/2025

How do we shift from simply being in attendance at gatherings to being in community? What defines the notion and reality of being in community for you?

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Robyn Porteous @robynporteous.bsky.social · 29/07/2025

“You seem happier.” Thanks, it’s @thebookerprizes.com longlist announcement day.

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Robyn Porteous @robynporteous.bsky.social · 29/07/2025

I greet you all in the name of @thebookerprizes.com longlist announcement today! 🥳

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Robyn Porteous @robynporteous.bsky.social · 15/07/2025

Let’s talk about books you’re convinced people pretend to like 👀

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Reposted by Robyn Porteous

FrcMajeure @frcmajeure.bsky.social · 10/07/2025

Kindest and most respectful people I’ve ever met.

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Robyn Porteous @robynporteous.bsky.social · 10/07/2025

Today two years ago. “Snow” in Jozi. That was fun.

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Robyn Porteous @robynporteous.bsky.social · 08/07/2025

In a world so full of terror, hatred, and suffering, you always have the opportunity and the chance to show another person kindness. Why would you ever choose not to? Have you known what kindness can feel like? It can feel like a lifeline.

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Robyn Porteous @robynporteous.bsky.social · 07/07/2025

When I say “Africa”, what is the first thing that comes to mind?

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Robyn Porteous @robynporteous.bsky.social · 03/07/2025

More and more I’m learning that it is a significant privilege to have your children in close proximity to you.

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Robyn Porteous @robynporteous.bsky.social · 08/05/2025

It irks my English nerd heart that the em dash is now considered the trademark of generative AI, rather than one of the punctuation tools at a writer’s disposal in the artful crafting of a well-worded work. Ugh.

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Robyn Porteous @robynporteous.bsky.social · 06/05/2025

I, a bibliophile, once walked out of a bookstore without buying a book. Please clap.

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Robyn Porteous @robynporteous.bsky.social · 28/04/2025

Nothing I’ve done has humbled or nourished me quite like becoming a mother. It’s a constant breaking and building. Unlearning and moulding. Heartache and raw beauty. Vulnerability and strength. Every. Single. Day. It’s my whole world held in the tiniest pair of hands.

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Reposted by Robyn Porteous

Adam Sharp @adamcsharp.bsky.social · 22/04/2025

The Vietnamese word for a ladybird, bọ rùa, means “turtle bug.” The Ukrainian word, сонечко (sonechko), means “little sun.” And the Norwegian word, marihøne, means “Mary’s chicken.” But my favourite word for a ladybird will always be the Welsh buwch goch gota, which I’d translate as “stubby red cow”

A ladybird / stubby red cow resting on a purple flower

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Robyn Porteous @robynporteous.bsky.social · 22/04/2025

I’m thinking of getting the chop. The hair chop. Going from long locks to a lot less. Husbae is hesitant. Talk me out of it?

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Robyn Porteous @robynporteous.bsky.social · 14/04/2025

One year. We made one year of breastfeeding. And I don’t mark the moment because I believe that I’m better than anyone else. When it comes to mums and their babes, and the wellbeing of both, fed IS best - whatever that looks like.

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Robyn Porteous @robynporteous.bsky.social · 06/03/2025

Okay, I'll bite: someone explain to me why diversity, equity, and inclusion are "very bad things" (as per Trump's criminally limited vocabulary)? And use the full words when you share your explanation.

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Robyn Porteous @robynporteous.bsky.social · 06/03/2025

I'm working on an article about workplace sexual harassment (in South Africa, specifically). If you have experienced sexual harassment or worked in an organisation where accusations of sexual harassment were made, I'd appreciate the chance to ask some questions. All interviews will be kept anonymous

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Reposted by Robyn Porteous

WeRateDogs @weratedogs.com · 05/03/2025

We've been saving this little pup for when we thought you all might really need a gold star. And, given the current circumstances, here she is. 13/10

a tiny white dog stands on a tile floor and looks up at you. they’re wearing a big plush yellow star around their teensy noggin, like the world’s most congratulatory lion mane. we really needed to see her today.

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Robyn Porteous @robynporteous.bsky.social · 24/02/2025

For no reason whatsoever and in particular no reason that has anything to do with the leaders (official and otherwise) of the US, or the white men twirling for them here in South Africa, here’s a book recommendation:

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