Shannon Kelly Donahue

Hello BlueSky! I'm an environmental writer & advocate living on Jilkáat Aani, also known as Haines, Alaska. I also spend time in Corca Dhuibhne, the westest of West Kerry, Ireland, where I write, improve my Irish, and play with dogs. I write creative nonfiction, poetry, and advocacy pieces.

There's a lot more kindness and love that can be poured out to the world and to everyone around us, if only we can muster it. It's not easy, but it's doable.

God bless Lula and the people who elected him.

AFN haul (so far!)

Anyone at AFN? Would love to hear how folks are responding to this. #AlaskaSky www.adn.com/nation-world...

Jesus fucking Christ. #AlaskaSky, what are we gonna do about this?!!!

This was amazing, by the way.

You should go see a talented local band this weekend, offer to buy them drinks, tip them well.

Anyone in Anchorage going to this? #AlaskaSky www.anchoragemuseum.org/programs/spe...

Yet again!

En route to Anchorage for my dear friends’ wedding and pretty damn stoked about it! Pulling into Juneau on the LeConte presently, Leg 1 of the journey nearly complete! #OnTheLeConte

Sometimes, in fall and winter, the rain pounding on the metal roof intensifies to what it sounded like The Night of the Landslides, and on those nights, there is no sleep. These are the sounds of climate crisis.

Decorating my office for Halloween (there’s a community event happening here), and I’m very conscious that I’m currently stretching plastic filament cobwebs across actual, genuine cobwebs. Somehow the plastic kind are the socially acceptable ones. 🕸️🕷️🕸️

I’m always fascinated by the ways different people communicate the presence of bears in a public space. And I’m picturing a bear in athletic wear doing calisthenics and such.

💗💗💗

Oh this looks wonderful!

Climate trauma is its own special kind of horror.

We wanted to assure you that Sally Rooney's books are still available to buy and to order online!

Important, nuanced context in response to The Onion's Indigenous People's Day post. Many will re-post the Onion piece in a well-meaning spirit without thinking it through. Here's some important perspective from an Indigenous voice close to the person in the photo to help think these things through.

#NoPalmerMine #CherishTheChilkat #WrongPlaceWrongMine

#VaccinesSaveLives Alaska

On the LeConte….. aknatural.bandcamp.com/album/illeag...

When you prattle on like an eejit to the nice man beside you who says he writes plays and then eventually realise exactly which playwright he is, and he’s not some dilettante, but one of the greatest play/screenwriters of our time and one who helped to shape your worldview as a young person……..🤪🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️

When I first saw the news I thought, is that the old Cornell case or a new one? Or another one altogether? And this is not just Cornell. This is happening across most of our institutions. It happened when I was in high school, college, and grad school. It keeps happening. We know. Everyone knows.

You can deny this is true, but ask yourself... Who was it who first got you into Pentangle and early Funkadelic? Who introduced you to Faust and Charles Mingus and Linda Perhacs and Cher's cover of 'Walk On Gilded Splinters'? Was it a dog? No, it was a cat you met under a dank bridge.

300 years later, Turlough O'Carolan is still a composer so far ahead of his time. Eleanor Plunkett in particular is perhaps the most beautiful musical composition of all time in my estimation. There's the advantage of being spirited away & taught harp by the Fairies, of course!

Check out my dear friend Richard’s beautiful blog about our recent creative expedition circumnavigating Spitsbergen!

**Lights Out Alert Sunday & Monday Nights** Birdcast is estimating 300-400 million birds will be in flight.

C’mon, JKT. Do better. Go left. Represent the people who advanced you to the general election.

A bitter-sweet moment to receive copies of Manchán's final book

As someone who buys plenty of Irish whiskey in the US, it is the only commodity in my life whose price hasn’t skyrocketed in the last year or so. The tariff removal is pure distraction from real issues. Micheál & Shane are a disgrace. 🥾👅 And I really liked Lowry till now! Gwan the tiny snails!

You might not know how much you love eels until you start learning about their mysterious lives, and then you will not stop thinking about them, ever.

In praise of Ireland’s tiny snails

Ahem. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hsu2...

Please take a few moments to appreciate the absolutely raucous music of the great piper, Paddy Keenan, who has left us for the other side. www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3oO...

Protect trans kids.

Thank you, Paddy Keenan, and may you rest in peace. www.youtube.com/watch?v=yu3E...

Our dear Manchán's final work is available for pre-order at www.manchansbooks.com/books/p/seei...

Best friend's birthday bonfire. King salmon. Two cakes. Three different whiskeys. So many stars.