Dan O'Brien
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bydanobrien.bsky.social
Dan O'Brien
@bydanobrien.bsky.social
Plays, poems, prose http://danobrien.org
Pinned
CW: suicide. Here’s a personal essay about my brother’s death in 2023. It’s meant to reject the shame and denial bound up with suicide, and to advocate for early therapeutic intervention. My thanks to Esquire & to editor Ryan D’Agostino for his support and insight 🙏🏻 www.esquire.com/lifestyle/a6...
"Dear Family...": The Story Behind My Brother's Suicide Note
I did not love him in spite of his suffering; I loved him more deeply because of it.
www.esquire.com
Reposted by Dan O'Brien
Thanks, Black Warrior Review for publishing my new graphic memoir piece "Pink"--about silent movies, living in color and the sadness of my sister fading from my life. bwr.ua.edu/special-art-...?
November 11, 2025 at 9:45 PM
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“I wish Andrew Cuomo only the best in private life”
November 5, 2025 at 4:22 AM
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Imagine being so weak minded & illiberal & brittle & averse to criticism, that you think banning Wole Soyinka is the right thing to do? Good grief.
www.theguardian.com/books/2025/o...
Wole Soyinka, Nigerian Nobel laureate and Trump critic, says US visa revoked
Soyinka, 91, who recently compared US president to Idi Amin, says ‘I have no visa – I am banned’
www.theguardian.com
October 29, 2025 at 1:58 PM
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Whenever people complain about the number of folks relying on food stamps, it is worth reminding them that SNAP is, by too large of a degree, a subsidy for corporations that refuse to pay a living wage and their political allies who reject public policy prescriptions to reduce income inequality.
October 27, 2025 at 1:11 AM
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its remarkable to see random suburbanites in their fucking PJs have more courage than the vast majority of america's political, social, and civil elites
More from the scene
October 25, 2025 at 5:41 PM
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Come join our @litquake.org Lit Crawl event tomorrow at 5 p.m.! I'll be hosting, and Jesse Nathan & Cate Lycurgus will be reading. Kick off your Lit Crawl San Francisco with @zyzzyvamag.bsky.social!

litcrawlsf2025.sched.com/event/2AjSc?...
October 24, 2025 at 8:48 PM
Published two years ago, but a new shipment of copies still brings a thrill — thanks to those who’ve been reading 🙏🏻 @acrebooks.bsky.social
October 23, 2025 at 6:03 PM
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American democracy today....
October 20, 2025 at 7:44 PM
No Kings 🐔 Santa Monica
October 18, 2025 at 8:27 PM
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[Exit King.]
October 18, 2025 at 1:57 PM
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Nice write-up of the Leonard and Hungry Paul TV show which is on iPlayer now-ish (I don't have access to the iPlayer so not sure) and which is on BBC Northern Ireland tonight at 9pm; BBC 2 on Monday.

Hope you enjoy it.
October 17, 2025 at 10:52 AM
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No screeners for this issue, folks. I’ll be reading and responding to every poetry submission.

If you identify as disabled, please submit!
Disability: The Revolution!

Special Issue Call for Submissions, Deadline November 30, 2025

If you identify as disabled and would like to answer this call, please submit! We would love to hear from you.

See the full call and instructions on how to submit here: thefiddlehead.ca/revolution
September 26, 2025 at 1:48 PM
10 years today since my poetry collection New Life—a companion to War Reporter—was published by @cbeditions.bsky.social in London (and not long after by @hangingloosepress.bsky.social in Brooklyn) 🙏🏻 Here’s a lovely review in The Rumpus therumpus.net/2016/01/29/n...
October 13, 2025 at 5:35 PM
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The deadline for the Jake Adam York Prize is October 15. But we always hold the door open till OCTOBER 18 for anyone who has an emergency or problem that gets in the way. PLEASE HELP SPREAD THE WORD to any poets with a good first or second book manuscript!
October 13, 2025 at 3:37 PM
My childhood memoir turned two yesterday. Thank you to all who’ve been reading (& listening to the audiobook) 🙏🏻 @dalkeyarchive.bsky.social A nice review here by @jamesbpcook.bsky.social in the @thetls.bsky.social www.the-tls.co.uk/regular-feat...
October 11, 2025 at 5:21 PM
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Thank you @cincinnatireview.bsky.social for this chat with christopher oscar peña about my ‘True Story: A Trilogy’ @dalkeyarchive.bsky.social and chris‘s ‘Three Plays’ @bloomsburybooksuk.bsky.social — & thank you @markarmstrong4.bsky.social @scavengerjunta.bsky.social @lisaampleman.bsky.social 🙏🏻
October 10, 2025 at 4:24 PM
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Playwrights (and CR contribs!) @bydanobrien.bsky.social and christopher oscar peña in conversation with director and producer @markarmstrong4.bsky.social about the two's recently published play trilogies and more. Link in first comment:
October 10, 2025 at 3:10 PM
Thank you @cincinnatireview.bsky.social for this chat with christopher oscar peña about my ‘True Story: A Trilogy’ @dalkeyarchive.bsky.social and chris‘s ‘Three Plays’ @bloomsburybooksuk.bsky.social — & thank you @markarmstrong4.bsky.social @scavengerjunta.bsky.social @lisaampleman.bsky.social 🙏🏻
October 10, 2025 at 4:24 PM
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Nothing happens. Nobody comes, nobody goes. It's awful.
TFW you paid $1400 to see Beckett’s most famous work without knowing anything about it
October 9, 2025 at 10:07 PM
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From the great novelist Sherwood Anderson, a letter to his son.
October 9, 2025 at 4:56 PM
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Pat Bagley, Salt Lake Tribune
October 8, 2025 at 2:01 PM
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The start of my poem for my brother in the latest @southernreview.bsky.social — very grateful to editor Jessica Faust 🙏🏻
October 6, 2025 at 1:36 PM
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New work from Acre #poet @bydanobrien.bsky.social in @southernreview.bsky.social! 🎉🎉🎉
The start of my poem for my brother in the latest @southernreview.bsky.social — very grateful to editor Jessica Faust 🙏🏻
October 6, 2025 at 1:43 PM
The start of my poem for my brother in the latest @southernreview.bsky.social — very grateful to editor Jessica Faust 🙏🏻
October 6, 2025 at 1:36 PM
Reposted by Dan O'Brien
Here’s the start of a longer poem of mine in the new issue of @zyzzyvamag.bsky.social, a journal I love — very grateful to poetry editor @andrewdavidking.bsky.social and editor @ovillalon.bsky.social 🙏🏻 www.zyzzyva.org/2025/09/10/i...
October 4, 2025 at 6:02 PM