Barrett Bowlin

Well, hot damn! @bookshop-org.bsky.social now sells ebooks! And, gosh, I'd be remiss if I didn't promote a certain ne'er-do-well's short story collection, GHOSTS CAUGHT ON FILM, on their site. bookshop.org/p/books/ghos...

If our system of justice can determine that shooting a one year-old is justified, then we do not have a system of justice, and our goal should be the eradication of the system we have and its replacement with something better.

I see we're having a debate about whether it's okay to go back to "X," the site owned by a trillionaire fascist who is currently bankrolling the GOP's midterm, throttled Ukraine's war effort, and still winkingly allows vast amounts of CSAM on his service Answer: No, what the fuck is wrong with you

Sometime in the next few years, CBS is going to premiere a show called something like "DHS: ICE" to add to its lineup of pro-law enforcement, psy-op cop shows, and it's going to be the #1 show on television for about two months. My brain hurts.

No one could ever have seen this coming. www.nytimes.com/2026/10/05/b...

It’s #FridayReads time! Let’s share books and boost all signals. Repost this and let us know what to repost for you. I’m in France on tour, so I’m sharing the novel that launched my career here. Oh, and it’s only $1.99 for Hispanic Heritage Month! www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0D8...

"Hi, I'm California Governor Gavin Newsom, and I really, really, really don't want a shot at becoming the next U.S. President. See below." techcrunch.com/2026/10/01/c...

YOU CANNOT GRIND THE BONES OF YOUR ENEMIES INTO DUST TOMORROW IF YOU DO NOT DO YOUR STRETCHES.

Reason #74932 why I don't maintain contact with any Trump &/or GOP voters: Because the current administration is trying to turn our own postal service into one of its surveillance arms. Fuuuuuuuuuuck this, and fuck those voters. www.404media.co/usps-to-put-...

Trump's approval rating just hit an all-time low. Polling for Republicans ahead of the midterms is tanking too. Good news. But do not let the unpopularity of Trump and the GOP result in you becoming complacent. We need to show up this November in numbers so huge that victory cannot be denied.

Anyway, panic is a psy-op. Stay furious. Stay serious. Organize.

The provost of Dartmouth, at which I teach, has been using AI to write both academic papers & national op-eds, according to brave reporting by @thedartmouth.bsky.social. Many students are already bitter about AI. This leaves us as faculty no ground to stand on. www.thedartmouth.com/article/2026...

All it takes is two espresso martinis to feel like I can win a Pulitzer.

great day to smoke weed and eat corn dogs without a big hole in my neck gushing dark red venous blood out of it like a broken cherry icee machine

In the post-apocalypse wasteland, the billionaires get hunted down and eaten first—sure, absolutely, 100%—but if we’re going to keep our colosseum fighting pits fully stocked, we’re going to need to save some adrenaline for capturing the A.I. tech bros who got us into this mess in the first place.

Preordered faster than you can say “Hell, yeah!" And you can get Casey’s new book here, too: zandoprojects.com/books/kill-c...

40% more kids are eating breakfast and 15% more are eating lunch since we launched free school meals in Minnesota. Now we’re making sure 100% of kids eat their broccoli.

Fuck, yeah, @caseystegman.com (a.k.a. “Oliver Lowe”)!!!

OLIMPICOOOOOOOOOOOO! 🌀 Izzy Rodriguez's stunner wins Goal of the Week presented by Canon USA!

Did you know if we add four seats to SCOTUS in 2029, we could bring back the charges against Trump for January 6? They could overturn the immunity ruling and consider tolling the statute of limitations for the duration of Trump’s presidency. We could also resurrect the classified documents case.

Dolly's EMBRACE and LOVE of the full-blown girlishness was what inspired me to kick it into high gear. Wear the crinolines, the leopard print, the eyeshadow, the rhinestones. FOR DOLLY.

I know I’m not alone in this, but Dolly Parton was truly the best of us. She was a champion of literacy, science, children, healthcare, and just plain ol’ kindness & compassion. Her songs were how I introduced my Lit students to poetry, and she will be immeasurably missed. What an absolute legend.

Reminder: Dolly Parton helped fund the Moderna vaccine for COVID.

I really, really, really like this take from @mcastimovies.bsky.social on how this summer's liminal horror flicks reflect Gen X's, Millennials', and Gen Z's mounting anxieties. Read it if you want to say "holy shit, that's accurate" several times over this morning. www.avclub.com/liminal-horr...

Does it ever feel like you're in a cage being watched? Well, you are. By Flock cameras, thanks to Mike Rogers.

Suffolk University students are pushing back against the school's new Applied AI co-major. A new petition with over 500 signatures calls on Suffolk to scrap the program & redirect funding toward students, staff and arts and humanities after 65 staff positions were cut recently.

Currently listening to German techno. The chorus to the current track sounds like it's repeating the phrase "monkey piss." As someone who doesn't speak much German, I'm here for it. Das ist wirklich wunderschön.

Further adventures in novel research

We've officially reached a sci-fi marker, i.e., the date mentioned in the title of one of Ray Bradbury's most famous stories: "August 4th, 2026: There Will Come Soft Rains." Not gonna lie: the world's looking ominous enough that I could go for a wee bit of a apocalypse right at the moment.

the siren song of a new short story idea when I’m supposed to be working on revising my novel

Benjamin Netanyahu is a war criminal.

Scenes today from Massachusetts or Fallout 4? You be the judge!

Contributor @barrettbowlin.bsky.social has made me think of a new writing prompt: A random selector provides three academic articles in unrelated fields, from which you must draw while writing a story.

Selections from today's Adventures in Novel Research:

A huge, HUGE congratulations to @jenniferpashley.bsky.social, whose new thriller, THE HOUSE GUEST, came out yesterday. On Tuesday, 7/28, I get the absolute privilege of talking w/ Pashley about her work over at Provincetown Bookshop. Come on over and say hi! provincetownbookshop.com/events/56860...

Going forward, Nazi tattoos are a dealbreaker. Right? Right?!

Fun quote for today, for no reason or occasion whatsoever: “I find out of long experience that I admire all nations and hate all governments.” —John Steinbeck, Travels with Charley (1962)

This birthright ruling is why I just refuse to tolerate all the Democrat garment rending over NY voters choosing progressive candidates. They are incapable of governing in this moment. The politics of appeasement and centrism gets us to a 5-4 decision on the constitutional question.

She’s not active on BlueSky, but, holy shit, @laurenhough.bsky.social’s new memoir, MONSTER OF A LAND, is fucking outstanding. This Sunday, 6/28, I’m getting the chance to talk with her about the book at Riffraff bookstore & bar, in Providence. Come see us and say hi! (And buy Lauren’s book!)

My brother, if we win the Democratic Party primaries then we ARE the Democratic Party

This is what happens when you put people who don’t read in charge.