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Vanessa R. Bradley

@vanessarbradley.bsky.social
239 followers 136 following 77 posts

She/her. Poet & author, lover of fantasy novels, lowkey kitchen witch, lives in Epekwitk (PEI). 🏳️‍🌈 You can find my published writing here: linktr.ee/vanessarbradley. Day job: Director of the PEI ACSW. (Opinions my own!)

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Vanessa R. Bradley @vanessarbradley.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
This is so horrific and infuriating and exhausting. Stop using AI.
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Vanessa R. Bradley @vanessarbradley.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
A Widow’s Charm, Caitlyn Paxson! Published recently and an absolute fav of mine. So much of it is lovely and queer with a F/M romance, and I’d describe it as a historical England-esque fantasy world with less colonizer vibes. Highly recommend!
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Alex Elizabeth Byrne McMillan @undeniablyalex.bsky.social · 23/05/2026
YOU’RE LISTENING TO SISYPHUS FM, THE HOME OF NON-STOP ROCK
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Vanessa R. Bradley @vanessarbradley.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
The amount of times a day I think this is a lot.
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Meg Elison @megelison.bsky.social · 05/06/2026
RIP to my all time favorite TV dad, and blessed be Anthony Stewart Head.
megelison.com
The Non-Toxic Masculinity of Rupert Giles
My favorite stories are genre stories, which are full of orphans and kids who grow up to find out that dad is Darth Vader, or tragic waifs who know that Dad was a villain all along. The first time …
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Mary Gillis @marygillis.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I can't find a single word in here about protecting Canadian artists from having their work stolen by AI companies, or compensating them for that stolen work. Why is it that people who create Canadian culture don't deserve accountability or control?
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Todd Dillard @toddedillard.bsky.social · 02/09/2025
my issue of Threepenny is here! here’s my poem “Present Tense,” I would love for you to give it a read! “I know this so loudly I don’t hear, at first, my father’s silence.”
Present Tense
by Todd Dillard

My father’s telling me about his dog,
how it fell into a well
when they were walking down a wooded path.
His dog ran across some rotted planks,
the planks splintered, “And whoosh!”
my father says. “No more dog.”
I look at the clock and remind my father it’s three A.M.
“I’m not finished,” he says.
He tells me about the rope he bought, the bucket,
how he knotted the rope to the bucket, lowered it down,
and yelled for the dog to get in.
“But all I pulled up was more barking.”
“Dad,” I say. “This never happened.”
He says he can’t remember 
how long he tried to get the dog 
to shimmy into the bucket.
Just that at some point
when the sky turned tawny—“Dad—“
as a pitcher of sweet tea—“Dad—“
he decided to give up.
“Dad,” I say. “It’s late.
I’m tired. And you’re dead.”
“Dammit, son,” my father says. “Let me finish!”
My father tells me about filling the bucket with dirt 
and pouring the dirt into the well.
And I know what he’s getting at, I know
he’s going to tell me bucket by bucket
he filled the well and 
the dog jumped out. He’s going to say
something about how the dog
led him home through the dark.
I know this so loudly I don’t
hear, at first, my father’s silence.
“Dad?” I say. “Dad, are you there?”
I keep lowering the bucket
but all I ever pull up are leaves.
Red leaves. Lately, some gold.
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Vanessa R. Bradley @vanessarbradley.bsky.social · 27/04/2026
One of my fav poems
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Simon and Gargamel @kellylink.bsky.social · 20/04/2026
This Is Just To Say I have turned off the AI features that were in the update and which you were probably hoping to monetize Fuck you they were stupid so unnecessary and so annoying
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Jordan @jordanpfot.bsky.social · 26/03/2026
Might be the greatest opening paragraph of anything ever.
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C. L. Polk @clpolk.com · 12/03/2026
Anyone who argues that AI can do your research for you was not the one who did all the work in the group project
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Vanessa R. Bradley @vanessarbradley.bsky.social · 16/02/2026
Has anyone read Alix E Harrow’s The Everlasting? I just finished it and am in an absolute haze. What a masterpiece of a book. I loved it.
Pic of Alix E Harrow’s The Everlasting
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Elaine Anselmi @elaineanselmi.bsky.social · 06/01/2026
In case you hadn't heard, The Narwhal is suing the RCMP for arresting photojournalist Amber Bracken on assignment in northern B.C. It’s an effort to protect press freedom — and the rights of all Canadians — and the trial begins next week. thenarwhal.ca/rcmp-trial-u...
thenarwhal.ca
The Narwhal's trial is a week away | The Narwhal
We’re suing the RCMP for arresting a journalist on assignment for The Narwhal. It’s an effort to protect press freedom — and the rights of all Canadians
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Daniel Ysengrim @ysengrim.bsky.social · 26/11/2025
I’vd always loved El-Mohtar’s writing but this is really something else. Go read it.
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Vanessa R. Bradley @vanessarbradley.bsky.social · 31/10/2025
Evelyn working on a school project: “Fuck this, I’m about to cite myself!”
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Vanessa R. Bradley @vanessarbradley.bsky.social · 04/10/2025
One of my favourite projects I’ve begun in the last few years is a Snail Mail Poetry Club. Every month, all of us mail poems to each other — monthly, I get 3-6 poems in the mail with a little note, and it is a JOY. If anyone is ever interested in joining the Snail Mail Poetry Club, DM me!
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Dr Lindsey Fitzharris @drlindseyfitz.bsky.social · 01/02/2025
With science falling under increasing attack, this medical historian is here to remind people of the power of #vaccines. THREAD🧵 Hard-hitting polio advert from 1958. In the first half of the 20th century, polio was the leading cause of death in children and young adults. 1/7
An advertisement for the polio vaccine which reads: "they all got vaccine except dad...don't take a chance...take your polio shots!" It depicts a photo of a family gathered around a father who is in an iron lung.
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Vanessa R. Bradley @vanessarbradley.bsky.social · 11/09/2025
Made me cry on this Thursday morning, I recommend you read and maybe cry a little too:
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Vanessa R. Bradley @vanessarbradley.bsky.social · 04/09/2025
Teen Vogue is doing incredible journalism, and this piece feels so hopeful amid such hopelessness.
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Tony Davis @tony-davis.bsky.social · 04/09/2025
More than 80 people crowded into a room at the Charlottetown Library Learning Centre to offer feedback on the amendments MLA Brad Trivers is proposing to the rental act. There were tense exchanges,shouting, jeering and one person providing feedback via a middle finger. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
cbc.ca
Tenants blast MLA Brad Trivers's suggested rental act changes at heated meeting | CBC News
Tenants aren't happy with a private members bill from MLA Brad Trivers suggesting changes to the P.E.I. Residential Tenancy Act.
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Terri Windling @terriwindling.bsky.social · 10/08/2025
From Kate DiCamillo's lovely essay On Writing: "You have no business wanting to be a writer unless you are a reader. You should read fantasies and essays, biographies and poetry, fables and fairy tales. Read, read, read, read, read." I couldn't agree more. www.katedicamillo.com/on_writing-2/
The image above is "Lisbeth Reading" by the Swedish Arts & Crafts painter Carl Larsson (1853-1919), depicting one of the artist's daughters reading a book.
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Dr. Hello Bonjour @hellobonjour.bsky.social · 09/08/2025
Teen climate activist (my son) needs Canadians to respond to a 2-minute survey to help him build data to bring to local Cdn politicians to urge them to make it easier for Canadians to donate used electronics for reuse (after wiped clean) and recycling. Pls share: marketing4health.formaloo.me/b8j3vp
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Vanessa R. Bradley @vanessarbradley.bsky.social · 03/08/2025
Plugging @justinesnacks.bsky.social! Made this INCREDIBLE halibut with sungold tomatoes tonight and it’s 10/10. Recipe here: justinesnacks.com/breaded-hali...
Plate with a piece of halibut over stewed tomatoes topped with basil & crispy breadcrumbs, next to a fluffy fresh leaf lettuce salad!
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Vanessa R. Bradley @vanessarbradley.bsky.social · 02/08/2025
This essay on community, group work, and the human condition hit a chord in me: open.substack.com/pub/folkists...
open.substack.com
The Idea is Not the Hard Part
On Meitheals, Group Projects, and Becoming a Maker
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Vanessa R. Bradley @vanessarbradley.bsky.social · 31/07/2025
Have dog bed, but will lie on the floor in the office
Husky with a blue harness lies on an office floor, directly beside her dog bed
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Dr. Han VanderHart @hanvanderhart.bsky.social · 31/07/2025
Killing Eve poetry meme

Villanelle / (Every other genre): “You’re a lot today.”

Eve / (Poetry): “I’m a lot every day.”
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Chris Baraniuk @chrisbaraniuk.com · 04/07/2025
And so. When AI turns around in the year 2025 and spews words at us, often stupidly, you know what I think of? I think of the grub, fat with words, comprehending nothing. þēof in þȳstro Thief in the dark.
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Julie S. Lalonde @julieslalonde.bsky.social · 29/07/2025
If you're also feeling salty that 5% of our GDP is going to defence and as a result, the Ministry of Women and Gender Equality's budget is being slashed, you should contact your MP and give them hell. But you should also participate in the pre-budget consultation! Link here :
canada.ca
Pre-Budget Consultations 2025 - Canada.ca
Pre-Budget Consultations 2025
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Julie S. Lalonde @julieslalonde.bsky.social · 29/07/2025
Totally! And periodic reminder that Canadians can send mail (ie: letters, postcards, etc) to MPs for FREE. Ask anyone who has been a staffer and they'll tell you that personalized correspondence is always more effective than a form letter. Call! Email! Write! Make some noise, folks.
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Julie S. Lalonde @julieslalonde.bsky.social · 29/07/2025
"Pre-election, the Liberals promised to “never” compromise women’s rights in Canada. Now the government is talking about cuts so deep that they will exceed those that laid waste to the women’s sector during the Harper years."
policyalternatives.ca
Cuts to Women and Gender Equality Canada will take us back to the Harper days - CCPA
On April 28, women voters delivered a major victory for the Liberal party, turning around the electoral fortunes of a party that had been trailing its major opponent by 25 points in the year leading u...
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Tony Davis @tony-davis.bsky.social · 21/07/2025
A video that shows a man tearing down a string of Pride flags outside a store in Prince Edward Island is going viral across social media, and police are looking for the culprit. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
cbc.ca
Security footage showing man ripping Pride flags from P.E.I. storefront goes viral | CBC News
A video that shows a man tearing down a string of Pride flags outside a Charlottetown store is going viral across social media, and police are looking for the culprit.
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Rainesford Stauffer @rainesford.bsky.social · 17/07/2025
Stop what you're doing and read this extraordinary essay by Rümeysa Öztürk: "I am free, but my true freedom is interlinked with the freedom of many women I lived alongside in ICE prison."
vanityfair.com
“Even God Cannot Hear Us Here”: What I Witnessed Inside an ICE Women’s Prison
Tufts University doctoral student Rümeysa Öztürk opens up about her 45 days in a South Louisiana processing facility—and the generous and compassionate women she met.
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Gory Thing @korybing.bsky.social · 14/07/2025
This is why I don't like AI use for ANY reason, even if it's just to dunk on AI. Any use takes up resources and energy that could be better used doing literally anything else. Any "good potential use" for AI is annihilated by how much energy it takes to make it. Throw it in the trash, it's no good!
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Dr. Carly Maris @vintagehistorian.bsky.social · 10/07/2025
“I asked Chat GPT” “I asked Grok” Ok well I asked Sappho and she said ……. ……. ..[b]osom
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Vanessa R. Bradley @vanessarbradley.bsky.social · 17/06/2025
It’s salad season!!! Only in spring/summer do I make elaborate salads with homemade dressing. I get a lot of inspo from the cookbook Six Seasons, if anyone wants a recommendation! This salad is: arugula, salad turnips, radishes, orange, and avocado over labneh, with a citrus dressing & poppyseeds.
Pretty plate of salad (arugula, salad turnips, radishes, orange, and avocado over labneh, with a citrus dressing & poppyseeds) next to some delicious looking chicken with crispy skin
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Amal El-Mohtar @amalelmohtar.com · 09/06/2025
"Perhaps I will write—not to immortalize the pain, but to say that we were here… loving, dreaming, planting, drawing, singing, reading, writing… before our lives were reduced to a passing news bulletin or a cold political statement."
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Vanessa R. Bradley @vanessarbradley.bsky.social · 28/05/2025
A non-fiction essay of mine was published with Riddle Fence! It details a year in my life when my ex-husband had a psychotic break. I’m immensely proud of this essay and so grateful to RF for seeing its merit. CW: psychosis, domestic violence, trauma. riddlefence.com/feature/smal...
riddlefence.com
Small Things - Riddle Fence
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Emily✨ @emilyoram.bsky.social · 03/05/2025
A sticker from ohmygollyembroidery on Etsy that says Trans Lives Are More Important Than Harry Potter.
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Alexandra Klepper @alexandrascript.com · 23/05/2025
I’ve been thinking about this nonstop for 24 hours. It’s one of the most beautiful pieces I’ve ever read.
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camerontalley.bsky.social @camerontalley.bsky.social · 18/05/2025
I think about this comic all the time.
A panel from a Calvin and Hobbes comic.  Calvin's mom, eating dinner, says "Life could be worse, Calvin."  Calvin, clearly upset, his mouth huge says "Life could be a lot BETTER too!"
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Vanessa R. Bradley @vanessarbradley.bsky.social · 19/05/2025
Writing the first short story I’ve written in AGES and I forgot how fun a brief little blip can be!
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Vanessa R. Bradley @vanessarbradley.bsky.social · 04/05/2025
This thread sums up my rage also. Thankful to @mariadahvana.bsky.social for sharing this so eloquently.
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Vanessa R. Bradley @vanessarbradley.bsky.social · 01/05/2025
Just when I think I cannot love this animal any more, she does this move
Husky lies on her back snuggling in the bed, & is the cutest dog of all time
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Vanessa R. Bradley @vanessarbradley.bsky.social · 30/04/2025
Looking forward to attending this!
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Vanessa R. Bradley @vanessarbradley.bsky.social · 28/04/2025
An excellent piece on grief & death & what we leave behind in the digital age.
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Fae Johnstone @faejohnstone.bsky.social · 28/04/2025
Okay my loves. It's the big day. Be Gay, go vote. Text your friends. Text your exes. Tell them to go VOTE.
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Vanessa R. Bradley @vanessarbradley.bsky.social · 12/04/2025
Current reread: The Jasmine Throne! Just as gorgeous the second time around. I’m rereading this and the second one before I finish the series and read the third!
Pic of The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri cover
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Vanessa R. Bradley @vanessarbradley.bsky.social · 10/04/2025
A great teacher of how to write good instructions was Amelia Bedelia. I’m writing instructions for our dog sitter and put “feed dog on the rug by the back door.” Thought of Amelia Bedelia and changed it: “put food bowl on the rug by back door.”
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