iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

The Story of Writing @sownow.bsky.social · 16h

When the 🍊🤡 lowered fuel-efficiency standards yesterday, he gave us another example of government corruption. Allowing corporations to make cars that use more fuel makes oil execs richer. Those execs give a lot of money to republican candidates. A few hundred people benefit, but we do not.

043

The Story of Writing @sownow.bsky.social · 17h

It is the birthday, in 1927, of American author Barbara Mertz. Writing under her own name as well as pen names Elizabeth Peters and Barbara Michaels, Mertz may be best known for her mystery and suspense novels, including the Amelia Peabody series. #WriterSky #BookSky #Egyptologist #History #BOTD

Barbara Mertz
Photo: HarperCollins, via Associated Press
Source: The New York Times

1113

The Story of Writing @sownow.bsky.social · 17h

It is also the birthday, in 1914, of English writer Olive Dehn. A big part of her writing was for children, but before that, she was deported from Germany for writing a satirical poem about Nazism from the perspective of a dachshund. #WriterSky #BookSky #Activist #History #BOTD

1113

The Story of Writing @sownow.bsky.social · 17h

It is the birthday, in 1810, of English novelist and biographer Elizabeth Gaskell. She wrote what are known as “society” novels, about the roles of women and the laws and customs that drew so many bright lines around their opportunities. #WriterSky #BookSky #Charlotte #Bronte #History #BOTD

Elizabeth Gaskell
Source: Nasty Women Writers

171

The Story of Writing @sownow.bsky.social · 17h

“Neither good nor evil can last for ever; and so it follows that as evil has lasted a long time, good must now be close at hand.” -Spanish writer Miguel de Cervantes, believed to have been born on this day in 1547 #WriterSky #BookSky #DonQuixote #History #BOTD

Miguel de Cervantes, circa 1590
Image: Archive Photos/Getty Images
Source: Britannica

1125

The Story of Writing @sownow.bsky.social · 17h

On this day in 1923, two League of Nations mandates went into effect. More than a hundred years later, they still have a major impact on global politics. 🧵 #MiddleEast #Unrest #War #Palestine #Balfour #History #OTD

The historic reach of the Ottoman Empire
Source: Britannica

122

The Story of Writing @sownow.bsky.social · 17h

New York changing into its September finest.

The Raquette River with changing leaves on either side

074

The Story of Writing @sownow.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

This is probably the best political ad of all time:

052

Reposted by The Story of Writing

pmamtraveller.bsky.social @pmamtraveller.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Beneath the Weeping Canopy By Jeff Stanford

121358180

Reposted by The Story of Writing

womensartbluesky.bsky.social @womensartbluesky.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

'Landscape with a Geoglyph ll' by contemporary painter Sarah Lees #WomensArt

Painting of a stylised landscape with rolling hills with fields in browns and creams and bare trees

61591247

The Story of Writing @sownow.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Can American voters not see villains? In Michigan, Abdul El-Sayed should have (at least) a 20-point lead over the human silica-gel-packet warning that is Mike Rogers. The same is true in Texas, where James Talarico is running against a man even the GOP is trying to scrape off its shoes.

The Cat and the Birds, Aesop Fables

“A Cat heard that the Birds in an aviary were ailing. So he dressed himself as a doctor, and, taking with him a set of the instruments proper to his profession, presented himself at the door, and inquired after the health of the Birds. ‘We shall do very well,’ they replied, without letting him in, ‘when we've seen the last of you.’

The moral: A villain may disguise himself, but he will not deceive the wise.

062

The Story of Writing @sownow.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

“As the boy slices his skin to watch a scar form, he thinks how loathsome and intolerable life was before he thought to do it, and how comforting it is to belong to the new aristocracy of people who have had the imagination to have an intention to wound themselves.” -George W. S. Trow, BOTD 1943 🧵

George W. S. Trow (undated image)
Photo: uncredited
Source: The New Yorker Magazine

131

The Story of Writing @sownow.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

It is the birthday of the musician who wrote, “Darling, darling / Stand by me.” American singer-songwriter and composer Ben E. King was born on this day in 1938. 🧵 #MusicSky #Songwriter #SaveTheLastDanceForMe #History #BOTD

252

The Story of Writing @sownow.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

On this day in 1928, Scottish physician and microbiologist Alexander Fleming noticed something odd in his laboratory. A few weeks earlier, Fleming had put Staphylococcus, a bacterium commonly known as staph, on culture plates... 🧵 #SciSky #Antibiotic #Medicine #Discovery #History #OTD

Alexander Fleming (undated image)
Photo: © Baron—Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Source: Britannica

185

The Story of Writing @sownow.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

"Silent Spring," written by Rachel Carson, was published on this day in 1962. There is hope in wisdom. #SciSky #Environmental #Conservation #Sustainability #OTD

Those who contemplate the beauty of the Earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts. There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature – the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after winter.

–Rachel Carson, "Silent Spring," 1962

083

The Story of Writing @sownow.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

On this day in 1962, Rachel Carson published her landmark book "Silent Spring." It is one of the most important works of the 20th Century. The book itself is a story of Carson’s brilliant mind, her ability to write, and her will to create an enduring document of life on Earth. 🧵 #WriterSky #BookSky

Rachel Carson, standing outside on a hill with trees behind her. Over her jacket and skirt, she has binoculars.
Source: Pittsburgh Botanic Garden

1135

Reposted by The Story of Writing

ebisback.bsky.social @ebisback.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Truth 💥

30786722079

The Story of Writing @sownow.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

I will also continue to boycott Starbucks for this exact reason. And because their coffee tastes like it's been run through a strainer made by old underpants and used gym socks.

151

The Story of Writing @sownow.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

“Every first draft is perfect, because all a first draft has to do is exist.” -American writer Jane Smiley, born on this day in 1949 Her best known work, "A Thousand Acres," transports the story and themes of Shakespeare’s King Lear to an Iowa farm. #WriterSky #BookSky #Pulitzer #BOTD

Jane Smiley (undated photo)
Photo: Mark Bennington
Source: Penguin Random House

1141

The Story of Writing @sownow.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

On this day in 1942, the senior Nazi official August Frank issued his memo on evaluating the possessions of people sent to their death at Auschwitz and other extermination camps. It is one of the more chilling documents of the 20th Century. 🧵 #Genocidal #Fascists #Profiting #Murder #History #OTD

August Frank, the Nazi official who wrote the memo evaluating the belongings of people sent to death camps during WWII.
Source: Wikipedia

275

The Story of Writing @sownow.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

“If there is a book you want to read but isn`t written yet, write it.” -American poet, illustrator, and songwriter Shel Silverstein, born on this day in 1930 He is best known for his books of children’s poetry that speak to people of any age. 🧵 #WriterSky #BookSky #Poetry #History #BOTD

Cover of Shel Silverstein's "Crouchin' On the Outside" album (1973) showing him in a creepy crouching position on a beach as the water's coming in. He's sticking his jaw out to complete the stalking/menacing look.
Source: Janus Records

Shel Silverstein (undated image)
Photo: CSU Archive/Everett Collection/Alamy
Source: Britannica

142

The Story of Writing @sownow.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

“We must be free not because we claim freedom, but because we practice it.” -American writer William Faulkner, born on this day in 1897 🧵 #WriterSky #BookSky #Sound #Furry I meant #Fury #BOTD

William Faulkner, 1938
Photo: Eric Schaal/Time LIfe/Getty Images
Source: The Guardian

182

The Story of Writing @sownow.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

On this day in 1957, Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas was integrated by the Little Rock Nine. They were Black students - enrolled at the school - who tried to enter a couple days earlier, but a mob of around 1,000 angry White people protested integration. 🧵 #Racism #Segregation #OTD

Elizabeth Eckford ignores the hostile screams and stares of fellow students on her first day of school on Sept. 4, 1957, at Little Rock Central High School in Little Rock, Ark.
Photo: Bettmann Archive/Getty Images
Source: The New York Daily News

A U.S. Army paratrooper uses the butt of his rifle on Sept. 25, 1957, to nudge along a man identified as C.E. Blake, who was hit in the head when he tried to take a weapon from a trooper near Little Rock Central High School in Little Rock, Ark., where racial integration of the school was being enforced by the Army.
Source: The New York Daily News

The U.S. Army’s 101st Airborne Division troops escort nine African-American students into Little Rock Central High School on Sept. 25, 1957, in Little Rock, Ark. After Gov. Faubus posted National Guard troops to block the teens’ way three weeks earlier on what was supposed to be their first day of class, President Eisenhower ordered federal troops to escort them into the school. It was one of the first major physical confrontations over school desegregation after the landmark Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kan. (1954), stating segregation of public schools is a violation of the 14th amendment and therefore unconstitutional.
Source: The New York Daily News

273

The Story of Writing @sownow.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

On this day in 1912, the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism was established in New York City. It followed the creation of similar journalism schools in Paris, France and the state of Missouri. All were an attempt to make newspaper and magazine writing more professional. 🧵 #Writing

Construction of Low Library at Columbia in 1896
Source: Columbia University

162

The Story of Writing @sownow.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

On this day in 1789, the U.S. Congress passed the Bill of Rights. The 10 guarantees of personal rights and freedoms are considered a uniquely American creation, though they were partly inspired by the 1689 English Bill of Rights and the Magna Carta, which was signed in the year 1215. #Human #RIghts

An early draft of the U.S. Bill of Rights, with re-writes and other edits
Source: U.S. National Archives

1104

Reposted by The Story of Writing

Ceryl @politicdormouse.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

1934 Jeanie Dicks undertook 1st permanent electrification of Winchester Cathedral. Electrifying nave meant removing & reburying coffins except Jane Austen’s (moved gently to side). International press called her the "girl engineer" - she was 40! b. #OTD 25 Sept 1893 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeanie_...

Jeanie Dicks in 1928 stood outside portico in Cheltenham Spa at outing of the Electrical Contractors Association. Photo taken by Mrs Ll. B. Atkinson, whose husband was big on 1920s electrical scene - they named a daughter Electra! #FavouriteFact #WomenInSTEM #JaneAusten #JaneAusten250 #WomenInSTEM #HistSTM #HistSTEM

422473

Reposted by The Story of Writing

Susetoo @sqgs.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

bsky.app/profile/matr...

042

The Story of Writing @sownow.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

On this day in 1906, U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt designated Devil’s Tower in Wyoming the country’s first national monument. Under the U.S. Antiquities Act, a President–without Congress–can create a national monument, which offers land protections similar to those in national parks. #Nature

073

The Story of Writing @sownow.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

On this day in 1906, the city of Atlanta was convulsed by a racist massacre. Like so many of these events throughout the U.S., this one started after local media published a story – without evidence – that claimed Black men assaulted White women. 🧵 #Racism #Hate #Murder #Arson #Burning #OTD

Cover of "Le Petit Journal" dated October 7, 1906, just two weeks after the Atlanta Race Massacre
The illustration shows violent fighting between White and Black men
Below the image, the caption refers to the lynching in the United States.
Source: New Georgia Encyclopedia

152

The Story of Writing @sownow.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

“There's not a word yet, for old friends who’ve just met.” -American entertainer Jim Henson, born on this day in 1936 He is best known as the creator of the Muppets. 🧵 #Creativity #TV #Kermit #MissPiggy #BigBird #History #BOTD

Jim Henson, center, surrounded by just a few of his hundreds of Muppet characters, circa 1971
Photo: Tom Simpson/Flicker
Source: JSTOR

161

The Story of Writing @sownow.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Her strength of will was amazing. In 1866, at the 11th Nat'l Women's Rights Conference in NYC, she delivered her speech "We Are All Bound Up Together." To the mostly white crowd she said, "You white women speak here of rights. I speak of wrongs." And blamed them for their complicity in slavery.

063

The Story of Writing @sownow.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

“Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall.” -American author F. Scott Fitzgerald, born on this day in 1896 His novel "The Great Gatsby" is a jazz-age snapshot of American wealth and power - and how they can combine to crush people. #WriterSky #BookSky #History #BOTD

F. Scott Fitzgerald, circa 1920
Source: IMDB

0104

The Story of Writing @sownow.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

On this day in 1991, the band Nirvana released its second studio album, "Nevermind." It included the radio hit "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and it blew up. Nirvana’s record label was hoping to sell 250,000 copies of "Nevermind." It sold more than 30 million. 🧵 #MusicSky #Kurt #Cobain #Depression

The album/CD cover of Nirvana's 2nd album "Nevermind"
Source: DGC Records (David Geffen Company)

142

The Story of Writing @sownow.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

On this day in 1890 the leader of the Church of Latter Day Saints, claimed he had a vision compelling him to issue a manifesto banning polygamy. The vision was well-timed. 🧵 #Religion #Women'sRights #Oppression #Mormon #LDS #History #OTD

Joseph F. Smith, nephew of the founding prophet, and his family (undated)
Photo: Church History Library, The Church of Latter-day Saints
Source: PBS

152

Reposted by The Story of Writing

Admirable Women @admirablewomen.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Occupational medicine pioneer Dr. Harriet Louise Hardy was born #OTD in 1906. Her discovery of the link between industrial beryllium exposure and fatal lung disease forced the fluorescent lamp industry to completely eliminate the toxic metal in 1949. #WomenInSTEM 🧵

261896580

Reposted by The Story of Writing

Shantha Mohan, Ph.D., DTM @shlead.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

"Everything that slows us down and forces patience, everything that sets us back into the slow circles of nature, is a help. Gardening is an instrument of grace." - Mary Sarton Wishing you a lovely evening and a terrific Thursday! #dailyflowers 🌱 #flowerreport #bloomscrolling From April 2023.

A neighborhood front yard with orange/yellow poppies, purple irises, and green foliage.
April 2023. My neighborhood.
Camera: Apple iPhone SE (1st Generation).

301321161

Reposted by The Story of Writing

Susan DuBose @houseofbast777.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

“I saw that the camera could be a weapon against poverty, against racism, against all sorts of social wrongs. I knew at that point I had to have a camera.” ~ Gordon Parks Parks, Self-Portrait, 1941

07118

The Story of Writing @sownow.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

September 23 is the birthdate of: John Lomax, Sr Ray Charles Bruce Springsteen, and Ani DiFranco Get some music on. Play your own. Play some of theirs. But, today, let there be music.

132

The Story of Writing @sownow.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

“I don't need anyone to hold me, I can hold my own.” -American singer-songwriter and guitarist Ani DiFranco, born on this day in 1970 She started her own record label, Righteous Babe, when she was 19. 🧵 #MusicSky #Feminist #32Flavors #AndThenSome #BOTD

Ani DiFranco (undated picture)
Source: Ani DiFranco (website)

171

The Story of Writing @sownow.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

“Sprung from cages on Highway 9, chrome-wheeled, fuel-injected, and steppin' out over the line.” -Singer-songwriter, guitarist, and voice of the American everyman, Bruce Springsteen, born to run on this day in 1949 🧵 #MusicSky #Activist #Oscar #Grammy #BOTD

Clarence Clemons (left) and Bruce Springsteen on the album cover of "Born to Run," 1975
Photo: Eric Meola
Source: Columbia Records

2147

The Story of Writing @sownow.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

“I was born with music inside me. Music was one of my parts. Like my heart. Like my blood.” -Singer-songwriter, pianist, and American icon, Ray Charles, born on this day in 1930 🧵 #MusicSky #Boogie #Woogie #History #BOTD

Ray Charles, circa 1964
Album cover of "No One does it like Ray Charles!"
Source: Tangerine Records

194

The Story of Writing @sownow.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

It is the birthday–in 1867–of American folklorist and musicologist John Lomax. His early interest in so-called “cowboy songs” was nurtured after his repeated efforts to improve his education landed him at Harvard. 🧵 #MusicSky #Folklore #History #BOTD

John A. Lomax, Sr
Source: Texas Trail of Fame

1123

The Story of Writing @sownow.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

“Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t do something. Make your own victories. Make your own mistakes.” -American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and trailblazer Joan Jett, born on this day in 1958 🧵 #MusicSky #Runaways #Blackhearts #ILoveRockAndRoll #BOTD

Joan Jett, performing on stage in 2014
Photo: Stephen Flood | AP/The Express-Times
Source: Billboard Magazine

2157

The Story of Writing @sownow.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

It is the birthday of British activist and Amnesty International co-founder Eric Baker. A life-long pacifist, Baker met legal advocate Peter Benenson and began talking about politics and ethics. 🧵 #Amnesty #International #Prisoners #Conscience #History #BOTD

Eric Baker at home, circa 1973
Source: Now Then magazine

162

The Story of Writing @sownow.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

On this day in 1862, U.S. President Abraham Lincoln released his early version of the Emancipation Proclamation. It offered Confederate states a choice: stop the war of secession and rejoin the Union by January 1, 1863, or the Union will free the slaves and permanently end slavery in rebel states. 🧵

Page 1 of Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation
Source: Britannica

242

Reposted by The Story of Writing

Séamas Aloysius @seamusaloysius.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Bruce Beshara (American Artist, born 1959) Digital Art / Acrylic on Canvas. Private Collection.

sailboats on water with multi color reflection

492706421

The Story of Writing @sownow.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

On this day in 1692, seven women and one man were executed for witchcraft in the town of Salem in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. These were the last people murdered by the town in the wave of mass hysteria that led to the accusations of witchcraft in Salem. 🧵 #Religion #Spectral #Evidence #History

A lithograph depicting the Salem Witch Trials, make in 1892
Artist: Joseph E. Baker
Source: U.S. Library of Congress

263

The Story of Writing @sownow.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

“I think that we're all mentally ill. Those of us outside the asylums only hide it a little better - and maybe not all that much better after all.” -American writer Stephen King, born on this day in 1947 🧵 #WriterSky #BookSky #Horror #Scared #BOTD

Stephen King, undated picture
Photo: Shane Leonard
Source: Stephen King (website)

23710

The Story of Writing @sownow.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

“If you don't become the ocean, you'll be seasick every day.” -Canadian singer-songwriter and poet Leonard Cohen, born on this day in 1934 He was the last person to believe that he was a world-famous musician and writer, but to many of us it seemed inevitable. #MusicSky #Poetry #History #BOTD

Leonard Cohen, 1988
Photo: Gorupdebesanez
Source: Wikimedia Commons

0186