iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

clair dunlap @smallgourd.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

issue 123 of Vagabond City is up today: vagabondcitylit.com

clair dunlap @smallgourd.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

poetry subs are back open at vagabond city! as always, i am just one person w/a full time job & a chronic condition but i look forward to reading your work & please just address me as clair

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clair dunlap @smallgourd.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

nine years ago it was my first day of library school!

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Karen K. Ho @karenho.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

This gallery of ICE crop/seed art at this year's Minnesota State Fair is incredible, especially the one based on Pablo Picasso's Guernica by Jennifer Nelson, which features the last words of Alex Pretti and Renee Good in Morse code: www.cropart.com/Resist.pdf

A seed art entry in the 2026 Minnesota State Fair based on Pablo Picasso's Guernica. It features a loon, the words "Ice Out" and two representations of Renee Good and Alex Pretti’s. Notably, the mouths of Good and Pretty include their last words in Morse code:
‘I’m not mad at you,’ and ‘Are you okay?’” The artist is Jennifer Nelson.

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clair dunlap @smallgourd.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

poetry submissions will open back up on Sept 15 & i'll be reading for jan 2027 and beyond!

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clair dunlap @smallgourd.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

latest Vagabond City Lit is here, poems by Ivy Scott, Z.T. Corley, Malaika Kamau, & Priyanuj Mazumdar: vagabondcitylit.com

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clair dunlap @smallgourd.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

i personally have described these poems as "body horror migraine texts rendered nearly physically impossible to read" so watch out for that this fall

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clair dunlap @smallgourd.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

my poems are "very compelling works"?!?!

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clair dunlap @smallgourd.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

i got a really nice poetry acceptance last night and i am in awe and also feeling like I'm Back

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clair dunlap @smallgourd.bsky.social · 08/08/2026

first poetry acceptance in two years today :')

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Matthew Noe @noethematt.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

"This might be unpopular but I'd like to discriminate against an entire class of people" If this is you, I hope the next 500 books you try to read are a disappointment.

maybe this is unpopular but I'd love libraries that kids aren't allowed in. truly don't want to be interrupted by running, crying, & yelling while i'm working/reading.

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clair dunlap @smallgourd.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

will try to be better about posting, but latest Vagabond City Lit has dropped: vagabondcitylit.com

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clair dunlap @smallgourd.bsky.social · 30/04/2026

I think Benn Jordan did a video on it? Not sure how deep the dive is though, my partner said it was informative.

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William Shakespeare @shakespeare.lol · 22/01/2026

are they not monsters?

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Susan L. Leary @susanlleary.bsky.social · 01/12/2025

More from Chessy Normile ♥️

OK, LOOK

I went into the woods alone alone
and came out wet and aware
of the blight that's killing the aspens.

You could write things down just as they are, just as you see them. You could try that.

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Claire Wahmanholm @cwahmanholm.bsky.social · 20/10/2025

Two more sonnets of my drought crown have appeared! This time in 32 Poems, a very favorite. The whole issue hits, as usual, and you should absolutely subscribe if you don't already, but they've got a couple picks of the latest issue online too, plz go read ❤️

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clair dunlap @smallgourd.bsky.social · 14/10/2025

my partner & i are reading The Mabinogion (Davies translation) out loud before bed and "it is unfortunate that I spent one hundred and forty pounds worth of precious ointment on a man without knowing who he is" had me crying laughing reading The Lady of the Well the other night

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Keezy Young🌼 @keezyyoung.bsky.social · 25/09/2025

children are human beings. that's what almost everybody refuses to acknowledge. they are /people/. and hating people for who they are is actually pretty uncool at best

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jessamyn @librarian.bsky.social · 07/09/2025

“You can tell [the book] was made by some early-gen AI bot, because it can’t even spell monetization correctly” Clayton Cheever, Sarah Manning, @tuphlos.bsky.social @sonderbooks.com & others talk about the thorny problem of LLM-made books in libraries. americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2025/09/02/b...

Illustration from a book that has an ornate frame and reads "To you, Dear Abbé, who watched by me, when in my fever I dreamt this dream, I dedicate the little book"

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Erika Meitner @rika99.bsky.social · 29/08/2025

It’s possible you might want to read my poem in the new issue of Bennington Review taken almost entirely from lines in the @nytimes.com that begin with “Scientists say…”? www.benningtonreview.org/fourteen-mei... #ecopoetry #poetry

benningtonreview.org

Erika Meitner — Bennington Review

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clair dunlap @smallgourd.bsky.social · 06/08/2025

oh!!! very excited vagabond city is the home of a finalist this year! go read Teddy L. Friedline's "self portrait as roadkill" in issue 92!

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clair dunlap @smallgourd.bsky.social · 06/08/2025

highly recommend playing board games with library teenagers for two hours to recover from having your conference proposal rejected~

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Chaucer Doth Tweet @levostregc.bsky.social · 05/08/2025

WRYTE WEIRDE BOOKES

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In the Library with the Lead Pipe @libraryleadpipe.bsky.social · 16/07/2025

"messages that librarians should be enthusiastic + optimistic about technological changes... frequently described as inevitable, often imply or outright assert that those who question or resist certain tech developments are simply overwhelmed by irrational fear + anxiety that they need to overcome."

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Ben Hart @pavlovforgoths.com · 21/06/2025

Here's how you remove Google AI from your mobile devices.

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Instead of being in settings its in the google app. Also, google, not chrome. Icon is a G, not the circle thing. Click on your pfp to open a menu

From there, go Settings > Gemini > Digital Assistants > Switch to Google Assistant. This disables Gemini, google's Al assistant, and switches you back to the old one. We aren't done yet.

Go back to Settings. From there, we go Settings > Google Assistant > scroll to find General > Google Assitant on/off > turn it off

They really tried their best to make it a pain, but you can eventually disable it. Holding the power button on your phone still pulls up a menu and asks you to turn it back on, but this is the least intrusive you can make it.

Applies to all non-apple phones afaik. For sure Samsungs and Pixels but idrk about others

Edit: thank you my friend @/teeth-kid for confirming that this also works on Motorola

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clair dunlap @smallgourd.bsky.social · 18/06/2025

absolutely stoked that my prints from @tommyarnoldart.com came in the mail today! unfortunately impossible to capture print + my abhorsen tattoo (on the other side of my arm ha)

A hand and arm are visible holding up an art print still in a protective sleeve. The print is of the special edition cover for Abhorsen with art by Tommy Arnold. The main character is floating just above still water, and her hair, sword, and bells are also levitating as if drawn upward from her body.

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Rebecca Tamás @rebeccatamas.bsky.social · 23/05/2025

Alice Notley got it. She GOT it.

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clair dunlap @smallgourd.bsky.social · 20/05/2025

as a writer and a librarian, this is so, so deeply insulting.

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Anna Beers @beeeeeers.bsky.social · 19/05/2025

Hey all, here's a post at @ssrc.org about how anti-trans talking points are getting wrapped into Google's AI search results. AI search not only cites anti-trans disinfo, but sanitizes it, making practices like conversion therapy sound legitimate and safe.

just-tech.ssrc.org

Anti-Transgender Disinformation in the Age of Algorithmic Search Summaries

Recently Google introduced a feature in its search engine that algorithmically creates summaries of one's search results. Though it could be viewed as a useful tool, researcher Anna Beers argues this ...

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clair dunlap @smallgourd.bsky.social · 18/05/2025

dw i 'di bod yn dysgu siarad Cymraeg am bedwar mis rŵan! really proud actually of my progress (dw i'n hapus efo faint dw i 'di dysgu mewn amser byr!)

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Chaucer Doth Tweet @levostregc.bsky.social · 07/05/2025

"Ich askid ChatGPT," Well Ich askid the stones, and the forest, and the rayne, and the wynde, and what thei seyde was learninge, and dreames, and growinge thinges, and a worlde wher we talke to each othir.

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Lost Under the Couch Barbie. @wstafrican.blacksky.app · 06/05/2025

The chatbot people are so upset. What are you going to do? Come to my home and force me to use ChatGPT?

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clair dunlap @smallgourd.bsky.social · 06/05/2025

she wrote a bit more about it here if interested, at the time (last fall) we didn't really find anyone with explicit policies: alki.pubpub.org/pub/4es8rosh...

alki.pubpub.org

Addressing AI in Collection Management Policies

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clair dunlap @smallgourd.bsky.social · 06/05/2025

my best addition to this conversation is that another of our librarians drafted a new portion of our collection dev policy to address AI generated books and it was adopted (2.1.5.C.e): www.nols.org/policies/

nols.org

NOLS Policies - North Olympic Library System (NOLS)

Find policies and regulations governing Library operations, including collection management, borrowing privileges, confidentiality of records, and more.

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박사라 Sarah Park Dahlen @readingspark.bsky.social · 06/05/2025

Published today: Research on Diversity in Youth Literature (RDYL) 6.2! Check out our peer-reviewed articles + book reviews + art. Many thanks to our writers, artist, co-editors, reviewers! iopn.library.illinois.edu/journals/rdyl #RDYL #iSchoolUI #iSchoolCCB #YouthLit #ChildLit #YALit #OpenAccess

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An Unofficial Hugo Book Club Blog @hugobookclub.bsky.social · 17/02/2025

Some may claim racism has no place in science fiction, but sadly SF has a long history of enabling fascist worldbuilding That's why you need to read @jordanscarroll.bsky.social's "Speculative Whiteness," a first-rate takedown of racist subtext in sci-fi Blog: hugoclub.blogspot.com/2025/02/the-...

hugoclub.blogspot.com

The Nerd Reich

Discussion of Hugo Award nominees for best novel, other science fiction novels, and analysis of the awards. We read all the nominees before we vote.

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Matthew Noe @noethematt.bsky.social · 19/04/2025

Parents have a responsibility to ENGAGE with what their children are reading and to help GUIDE them in smart choices. They absolutely do NOT have a right to control their kids' reading. No one does.

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clair dunlap @smallgourd.bsky.social · 15/04/2025

one told me "keep being you (you're awesome)" which is just not something anyone usually tells you anymore once you're in your 30s and why not?!

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clair dunlap @smallgourd.bsky.social · 15/04/2025

my coworker had my teen advisory board make me a birthday card last week when i was off work & 😭 truly cannot express how much i needed a card telling me i'm someone's favorite librarian rn

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The Poetry Society @poetrysociety.org.uk · 05/04/2025

'Black lake, black boat,' by Emily Skaja was published in The Poetry Review Spring 2025, which is out now and available for purchase via the link in our bio, and is freely available to read on our website.

Black lake, black boat, by Emily Skaja. 'Black lake, black boat, black fog I can't find my way through. Black trees, black moon. I once knew the sky from the water. This course I remember, its narrowing. How I crept my way down the ladder like clutching the gluey rungs of a throat. I know you know how I've been. Like you, like blood sucked from a cut. A hot metal gash, a beat of alarm, too late. The water is listening. That's my name in its mouth.'

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clair dunlap @smallgourd.bsky.social · 05/04/2025

but also we inaugurated our next county poet laureate and ~60 people of all ages came out on a beautiful friday night to hear and write poetry

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clair dunlap @smallgourd.bsky.social · 05/04/2025

my state library emailed me to let me know to halt any more purchases with the grant i was awarded happy friday

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clair dunlap @smallgourd.bsky.social · 04/04/2025

From Washington, I can't find on the website but was sent this at work:

The Impact of Losing Federal Funding for WA Libraries
Federal funding plays a crucial role in supporting libraries across WA. Each year, the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) provides annual funding through the Grants to States program. The current award is 3.9 million. This funding is managed by the WA State Library (WSL) and directly benefits public, tribal, K-12, and community college libraries. Losing these funds would have devastating consequences, especially for smaller and rural libraries. Here's what is at stake:
Key Library Programs at Risk
1. Access to eBooks and Audiobooks:
WSL oversees the WA Digital Library Consortium, which serves 40 library systems.
This consortium lends over 1 mill eBooks and audiobooks annually.
Without federal funding, this vital resource would be in serious jeopardy.
2. Research Databases:
WSL negotiates statewide database licenses, ensuring affordable access to high-quality research tools.
Federal funds cover half the cost, making these resources available to all libraries.
3. 24/7 Reference Help:
AskWA chat service allows patrons to get answers anytime.
WSL covers 50% of the service cost.
4. Digitized Heritage Materials:
Historical newspapers and local materials are digitized and hosted online.
Over 1 mill pages from more than 100 historical WA newspapers are available.
Over 1 mill records are available through the Northwest hub for the Digital Public Library of American (DPLA) platform from more than 300 contributors.
5. Support for Rural Libraries:
WSL hosts and maintains websites for 13 small libraries and provides technical support.
Programs like LibTech supply broadband equipment and internet access to underserved areas.
6. Tribal Library Support:
WSL helps tribal libraries secure funding, update technology, and improve services.
7. Consulting
Libraries across the state look to WSL as a wellspring of expertise and experience, and WSL consults with libraries in all areas of need.
8. Training
WSL offers extensiv…

Recorded training is available statewide via the Niche Academy platform.
Grants help librarians attend conferences, bring in trainers, and support onsite staff training.
Certified training for school librarians is provided during the state's October In-Service Day, including participants being able to collect official clock hours through OSPI.
9. Institutional Library Services and the WA Talking Book and Braille Library
30% of the annual federal award goes to maintaining and expanding service to the ILS and WTBBL programs.
Loss of these funds would threaten the existence of the Institutional Library program and severely weaken the breadth of service for WTBBL.
Impact on Staff
Federal funding supports 32 partially or fully funded Library Development staff, staff at WTBBL in Seattle, and prison and hospital library staff.
Consequences of Losing Funding
No eBooks: Smaller libraries won't afford digital collections.
Fewer Resources: Loss of research databases, training, and AskWA chat service.
Rural Libraries at Risk: Many small libraries depend on WSL for websites, broadband, and technical help.
Prison and Hospital Libraries: Institutional libraries would be endangered.
Staff Cuts: Jobs supported by federal funding would be eliminated.
End of Innovative Projects: Programs like tabletop gaming grants and digital newspaper pilots would stop.
Why Federal Funding Matters
Libraries are essential to WA communities. They provide free internet, job training, and access to books and resources for people of all backgrounds. Federal funds make this possible. Without them, countless programs and services would disappear, leaving many communities without access to the resources they rely on.
We must ensure continued support to keep WA libraries strong and accessible to everyone.
Sara Jones (she/her)
WA State Librarian
WA State Library | Office of the Secretary of State

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Protato @protato42.bsky.social · 31/03/2025

Happy Trans Day of Visibility

A picture of David Lynch with the caption Fix your hearts or die

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clair dunlap @smallgourd.bsky.social · 23/02/2025

♥️💙 I'm hoping he will stop by the public library to tell me what he thinks of bloodmarked! I give legendborn to nearly every teen who asks for a fantasy book—it's got traction out here in rural WA!

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