brother/sister ice dancing teams should be illegal imo. no thank you!!
February 9, 2026 at 8:00 PM
brother/sister ice dancing teams should be illegal imo. no thank you!!
Reposted by Brandy Jensen
CALL FOR PITCHES
@dan-sinnamon.bsky.social and I are at work on a new version of Close Reading for the Twenty-First Century aimed at a more general audience.
We’re looking for new contributions: your model close readings of texts, canonical and not, from literary studies and not.
Details below!
@dan-sinnamon.bsky.social and I are at work on a new version of Close Reading for the Twenty-First Century aimed at a more general audience.
We’re looking for new contributions: your model close readings of texts, canonical and not, from literary studies and not.
Details below!
February 9, 2026 at 1:56 PM
CALL FOR PITCHES
@dan-sinnamon.bsky.social and I are at work on a new version of Close Reading for the Twenty-First Century aimed at a more general audience.
We’re looking for new contributions: your model close readings of texts, canonical and not, from literary studies and not.
Details below!
@dan-sinnamon.bsky.social and I are at work on a new version of Close Reading for the Twenty-First Century aimed at a more general audience.
We’re looking for new contributions: your model close readings of texts, canonical and not, from literary studies and not.
Details below!
Reposted by Brandy Jensen
1/ ProPublica collected handwritten letters in mid-January from children held at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center, the same facility where 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos was taken.
Hundreds of kids are still detained.
We’ll let the children’s words speak for themselves. 🧵
Hundreds of kids are still detained.
We’ll let the children’s words speak for themselves. 🧵
February 9, 2026 at 12:25 PM
1/ ProPublica collected handwritten letters in mid-January from children held at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center, the same facility where 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos was taken.
Hundreds of kids are still detained.
We’ll let the children’s words speak for themselves. 🧵
Hundreds of kids are still detained.
We’ll let the children’s words speak for themselves. 🧵
Reposted by Brandy Jensen
The current regime took a week to abolish USAID, which is three times as old and was not in the news every day for brutalizing children
“We cannot just abolish ICE!”
Bestie, you are older than ICE.
Bestie, you are older than ICE.
February 8, 2026 at 3:59 PM
The current regime took a week to abolish USAID, which is three times as old and was not in the news every day for brutalizing children
loving each country being walked in by a Winter Bene Gesserit
February 6, 2026 at 8:42 PM
loving each country being walked in by a Winter Bene Gesserit
Reposted by Brandy Jensen
‘One officer told me that I "had no chance of returning to Minnesota" and that "the best thing for (me] is self-deportation." …
She offered me $2600 to self-deport.
I refused.
I wanted to talk to my attorney.
They didn't tell me the judge had already ordered my release and return to Minnesota.’
She offered me $2600 to self-deport.
I refused.
I wanted to talk to my attorney.
They didn't tell me the judge had already ordered my release and return to Minnesota.’
![…
25. This Cibola jail was horrible. It was cramped. I was chained up again.
The officers mocked
me and called me their enemy. They laughed at me. I was kept at the jail for what felt like around three hours. I wasn't given an explanation for why I was there.
26. Security
guards then put me on a bus. I think it was around January 27.
No one said
anything about where I was going. I was handcuffed. It felt like the middle of the night. It was freezing cold in the bus because the driver had the AC on. We had no jackets. The bus eventually took me back to El Paso in the carly morning of Tuesday, January 27th.
27. I was put in a cold cell where I had to sleep on the bare cement floor. Around 10 in the morning my cellmate asked to speak to an ICE officer. Three officers came into the cell so I had a chance to speak to them too. One officer told me that I "had no chance of returning to Minnesota" and that "the best thing for (me] is self-deportation." She told me that if I fought my case, I would spend two to three more months here in El Paso. She offered me $2600 to self-deport. I refused. I wanted to talk to my attorney. They didn't tell me the judge had already ordered my release and return to Minnesota. If I hadn't managed to talk to my attorney who told me a while back that I was ordered released. I might have given up at this point and signed the self-deportation forms because the conditions were so unbearable.
…
30. When I was taken back to the detention center from the airport, after missing the flight, I overheard an ICE officer saying in English, "the judge in Minnesota wants this one back." I was put in a cold jail cell again until early next morning (January 28). But again no one had told me directly that a judge had ordered my release
…
32. When I arrived in Minneapolis, I was handed off to ICE
… I had to sign lots of papers saying that I wasn't going to be a part of any "groups." I didn't know what they meant by "groups." They never told me why I was detained](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:5cn3kbi4g5blrtahon34xbu4/bafkreiccqxmfncofjqinoveiqscwale2ox5xpiqt46veqjdh3jmimkrxhq@jpeg)
February 5, 2026 at 6:04 AM
‘One officer told me that I "had no chance of returning to Minnesota" and that "the best thing for (me] is self-deportation." …
She offered me $2600 to self-deport.
I refused.
I wanted to talk to my attorney.
They didn't tell me the judge had already ordered my release and return to Minnesota.’
She offered me $2600 to self-deport.
I refused.
I wanted to talk to my attorney.
They didn't tell me the judge had already ordered my release and return to Minnesota.’
Reposted by Brandy Jensen
What we loved about Dan McQuade:
What We Loved About Dan McQuade | Defector
Today is Dan McQuade’s funeral. To celebrate our friend, we wanted to give the people he worked with a place to explain what they loved so much about him. If you would like to support Dan’s widow Jan,...
defector.com
February 5, 2026 at 2:04 PM
What we loved about Dan McQuade:
Reposted by Brandy Jensen
oh that’s why she lost
February 4, 2026 at 7:18 PM
oh that’s why she lost
Reposted by Brandy Jensen
many thanks to @brandyjensen.bsky.social and @defector.com for letting write about two passions: my love of 'The Traitors' and my hatred of Michael Rapaport
I thoroughly enjoyed watching Michael Rapaport eat shit on ‘The Traitors’:
I Thoroughly Enjoyed Watching Michael Rapaport Eat Shit On ‘The Traitors’ | Defector
As the parent of a toddler, my TV watching habits have lately tended more toward Peppa Pig and Ms. Rachel than Heated Rivalry or The Pitt. I would like to keep abreast of whatever the internet is…
defector.com
February 4, 2026 at 2:23 PM
many thanks to @brandyjensen.bsky.social and @defector.com for letting write about two passions: my love of 'The Traitors' and my hatred of Michael Rapaport
Reposted by Brandy Jensen
I thoroughly enjoyed watching Michael Rapaport eat shit on ‘The Traitors’:
I Thoroughly Enjoyed Watching Michael Rapaport Eat Shit On ‘The Traitors’ | Defector
As the parent of a toddler, my TV watching habits have lately tended more toward Peppa Pig and Ms. Rachel than Heated Rivalry or The Pitt. I would like to keep abreast of whatever the internet is…
defector.com
February 4, 2026 at 2:06 PM
I thoroughly enjoyed watching Michael Rapaport eat shit on ‘The Traitors’:
The Post killing its Books section (one of the best around) is so fucking bleak
February 4, 2026 at 2:12 PM
The Post killing its Books section (one of the best around) is so fucking bleak
Reposted by Brandy Jensen
Highlighting the speaker who stood in front of the Surprise mayor and told him to consider what the Mayor of Ohrdruf must’ve thought before he died by suicide: “He might have thought ‘how is this my fault I had no jurisdiction over this’ maybe he said ‘this site was not subject to local zoning.’”
February 4, 2026 at 6:43 AM
Highlighting the speaker who stood in front of the Surprise mayor and told him to consider what the Mayor of Ohrdruf must’ve thought before he died by suicide: “He might have thought ‘how is this my fault I had no jurisdiction over this’ maybe he said ‘this site was not subject to local zoning.’”
Reposted by Brandy Jensen
going through old photos
February 3, 2026 at 9:15 PM
going through old photos
Reposted by Brandy Jensen
If you'd told me, a decade ago, that the rising concept of the 'influencer' would one day serve as a transmission belt for the elevation of subliterate clowns seeking to provoke pogroms in exchange for promotional deals with online betting companies, I'd probably have said, "That tracks."
As an influencer, Nick Shirley had struggled to expand his reach. But after a missionary trip pushed him to try a new approach, he caused a sensation with a video claiming to expose fraud at Somali-run day care centers in Minnesota. nyti.ms/45GzJi4
February 3, 2026 at 10:00 PM
If you'd told me, a decade ago, that the rising concept of the 'influencer' would one day serve as a transmission belt for the elevation of subliterate clowns seeking to provoke pogroms in exchange for promotional deals with online betting companies, I'd probably have said, "That tracks."
Reposted by Brandy Jensen
This is really smart and thoughtful and satisfying: defector.com/fanfictions-...
Fanfiction’s Total Cultural Victory | Defector
In 2012, a self-published author of erotic Twilight fanfiction, whose books had gained a large fan base online, was offered a seven-figure contract by a major American publisher. E. L. James’s Fifty S...
defector.com
February 2, 2026 at 11:48 PM
This is really smart and thoughtful and satisfying: defector.com/fanfictions-...
Reposted by Brandy Jensen
It's been really lovely reading all the tributes to Dan. Many people have asked if they can contribute to support his wife and son. You can do so here: everloved.com/life-of/dan-...
February 2, 2026 at 9:32 PM
It's been really lovely reading all the tributes to Dan. Many people have asked if they can contribute to support his wife and son. You can do so here: everloved.com/life-of/dan-...
Reposted by Brandy Jensen
I wish I had written this! Really good overview of a cultural strain I've been bringing up in meetings for a long time defector.com/fanfictions-...
Fanfiction’s Total Cultural Victory | Defector
In 2012, a self-published author of erotic Twilight fanfiction, whose books had gained a large fan base online, was offered a seven-figure contract by a major American publisher. E.L. James’s Fifty Sh...
defector.com
February 2, 2026 at 7:10 PM
I wish I had written this! Really good overview of a cultural strain I've been bringing up in meetings for a long time defector.com/fanfictions-...
A fair-minded and comprehensive look at how fanfiction has been shaping contemporary publishing
Fanfiction’s Total Cultural Victory | Defector
In 2012, a self-published author of erotic Twilight fanfiction, whose books had gained a large fan base online, was offered a seven-figure contract by a major American publisher. E.L. James’s Fifty Sh...
defector.com
February 2, 2026 at 7:00 PM
A fair-minded and comprehensive look at how fanfiction has been shaping contemporary publishing
Reposted by Brandy Jensen
Sixers enact intentional, then unintentional tribute to the late great Dan McQuade:
Sixers Enact Intentional, Then Unintentional Tribute To The Late Great Dan McQuade | Defector
We interrupt our ongoing tribute to Comrade McQuade to provide a score from last night: The Philadelphia 76ers defeated the Sacramento Kings, in Philadelphia, by the deeply mockable score of 113-111.…
defector.com
January 30, 2026 at 4:55 PM
Sixers enact intentional, then unintentional tribute to the late great Dan McQuade:
Catherine O’Hara didn’t steal scenes she just showed up and ownership automatically defaulted to her
January 30, 2026 at 6:45 PM
Catherine O’Hara didn’t steal scenes she just showed up and ownership automatically defaulted to her
Absolutely not
January 30, 2026 at 6:17 PM
Absolutely not
this is incredible work
Did a Celebrated Researcher Obscure a Baby’s Poisoning?
After a newborn died of opioid poisoning, a new branch of pediatrics came into being. But the evidence doesn’t add up.
www.newyorker.com
January 29, 2026 at 8:42 PM
this is incredible work
Reposted by Brandy Jensen
Dan McQuade was a real blogger and journalist in the best meanings of both terms, with an eye for the uncanny and a strident curiosity that all his peers and readers admired. He was also a true blue son of Philly, the peculiar city he loved very much and helped explain better than anyone else.
A real blogger and real journalist
RIP to Dan McQuade
www.welcometohellworld.com
January 29, 2026 at 1:56 PM
Dan McQuade was a real blogger and journalist in the best meanings of both terms, with an eye for the uncanny and a strident curiosity that all his peers and readers admired. He was also a true blue son of Philly, the peculiar city he loved very much and helped explain better than anyone else.
Reposted by Brandy Jensen
Dan McQuade, 1983–2026: defector.com/dan-mcquade-...
Dan McQuade, 1983–2026 | Defector
Dan McQuade, our friend and colleague, died this week at the age of 43. He is survived by his wife and young son. At the end of 2024, Dan was diagnosed with neuroendocrine cancer. The news of his…
defector.com
January 29, 2026 at 12:57 AM
Dan McQuade, 1983–2026: defector.com/dan-mcquade-...
Reposted by Brandy Jensen
Absolutely incredible sequence from CNN.
"Maduro was a paranoid lunatic always lying about the CIA trying to overthrow him. Anyways, now that the CIA has overthrown him..."
"Maduro was a paranoid lunatic always lying about the CIA trying to overthrow him. Anyways, now that the CIA has overthrown him..."
January 28, 2026 at 12:41 PM
Absolutely incredible sequence from CNN.
"Maduro was a paranoid lunatic always lying about the CIA trying to overthrow him. Anyways, now that the CIA has overthrown him..."
"Maduro was a paranoid lunatic always lying about the CIA trying to overthrow him. Anyways, now that the CIA has overthrown him..."