Helen Boyd (she/they)
@helenboydbooks.com
Pinned
Helen Boyd (she/they)
@helenboydbooks.com
· Jan 21
just so you all know, bluesky's kind of an entertaining news feed for me, so i don't follow folx back who aren't posting content i need. sorry to be that asshole, but this is NOT facebook and i don't want it to be.
that said, for you newbies: i do re post some awesome people
that said, for you newbies: i do re post some awesome people
Cats are post traumatic women.
February 11, 2026 at 4:08 AM
Cats are post traumatic women.
Reposted by Helen Boyd (she/they)
OK "god bless america" and then naming every country in the americas from south to north is absolute king shit
February 9, 2026 at 1:33 AM
OK "god bless america" and then naming every country in the americas from south to north is absolute king shit
Reposted by Helen Boyd (she/they)
1. It was not an accident.
2. It was not a staffer.
3. While the president may have dementia his racism is not due to dementia.
4. He isn’t sorry. He means every racist thought he shares.
5. His base agrees with him.
6. He will do it again.
7. No one in power will hold him accountable.
2. It was not a staffer.
3. While the president may have dementia his racism is not due to dementia.
4. He isn’t sorry. He means every racist thought he shares.
5. His base agrees with him.
6. He will do it again.
7. No one in power will hold him accountable.
February 6, 2026 at 5:42 PM
1. It was not an accident.
2. It was not a staffer.
3. While the president may have dementia his racism is not due to dementia.
4. He isn’t sorry. He means every racist thought he shares.
5. His base agrees with him.
6. He will do it again.
7. No one in power will hold him accountable.
2. It was not a staffer.
3. While the president may have dementia his racism is not due to dementia.
4. He isn’t sorry. He means every racist thought he shares.
5. His base agrees with him.
6. He will do it again.
7. No one in power will hold him accountable.
Reposted by Helen Boyd (she/they)
One of the joys of teaching writing is seeing students get better at it through consistent practice and a constant excavation of their selves to see what they care about and want to say. Humans can write perfectly formed sentences that say nothing, but that’s literally the best LLMs can produce.
February 6, 2026 at 7:50 PM
One of the joys of teaching writing is seeing students get better at it through consistent practice and a constant excavation of their selves to see what they care about and want to say. Humans can write perfectly formed sentences that say nothing, but that’s literally the best LLMs can produce.
when i was a kid we were still referred to as the 'unmeltable ethnics' and that included Jewish folks too -- because we were not becoming properly american.
honestly embarrassed by some of my fellow italian- and irish- americans.
honestly embarrassed by some of my fellow italian- and irish- americans.
They and the Irish were also considered highly suspect due to their Catholicism. Their loyalty, it was thought, would always be to the Pope, not to the United States. It almost cost JFK his presidential bid. Which brings us to another great irony--
February 4, 2026 at 6:18 PM
when i was a kid we were still referred to as the 'unmeltable ethnics' and that included Jewish folks too -- because we were not becoming properly american.
honestly embarrassed by some of my fellow italian- and irish- americans.
honestly embarrassed by some of my fellow italian- and irish- americans.
Reposted by Helen Boyd (she/they)
A thing that is funny about the moral grandstanding by Repubs re: Christopher Columbus is that nobody knew or cared about him 100 years ago. His "holiday" is barely 50 years old and was pushed through by Italian-American lobby groups in response to...anti-immigrant prejudice.
February 4, 2026 at 5:23 PM
A thing that is funny about the moral grandstanding by Repubs re: Christopher Columbus is that nobody knew or cared about him 100 years ago. His "holiday" is barely 50 years old and was pushed through by Italian-American lobby groups in response to...anti-immigrant prejudice.
@rachelcrowl.net just won her 2nd #Obie, y'all.
everything is terrible but #trans talent is still killing it.
everything is terrible but #trans talent is still killing it.
February 1, 2026 at 2:10 AM
@rachelcrowl.net just won her 2nd #Obie, y'all.
everything is terrible but #trans talent is still killing it.
everything is terrible but #trans talent is still killing it.
Reposted by Helen Boyd (she/they)
Kao Kalia Yang at @literaryhub.bsky.social - "If they take me and leave the children." One of our great local writers at this moment of crisis.
Letter From Minnesota: “If They Take Me and Leave the Children…”
Today is Tuesday, January 27th, 2026. I got gas for the first time this year by myself. The gas station was mostly empty. I drove into the station, heart thudding in my chest. I did everything as f…
lithub.com
January 28, 2026 at 7:15 PM
Kao Kalia Yang at @literaryhub.bsky.social - "If they take me and leave the children." One of our great local writers at this moment of crisis.
Reposted by Helen Boyd (she/they)
This is infuriating. If you know anything about this area, lots of African community centers are in that corridor.
ICE are alllll over Harlem right now, 116 & Frederick Douglass, checking IDs and targeting the area’s African community. Multiple people have been detained.
Community members are advising folks to carry citizenship documents - or stay away if they are at risk
Community members are advising folks to carry citizenship documents - or stay away if they are at risk
January 28, 2026 at 6:18 PM
This is infuriating. If you know anything about this area, lots of African community centers are in that corridor.
Reposted by Helen Boyd (she/they)
Two Black electeds attacked in the same week.
Seek out and join up with groups in your community that are fighting fascism and racism and xenophobia and hatred. This will be one of our primary jobs for the rest of our lives.
Seek out and join up with groups in your community that are fighting fascism and racism and xenophobia and hatred. This will be one of our primary jobs for the rest of our lives.
Two Democratic members of Congress attacked in three days. Maxwell Frost was assaulted on Saturday, Ilan Omar tonight.
January 28, 2026 at 2:46 AM
Two Black electeds attacked in the same week.
Seek out and join up with groups in your community that are fighting fascism and racism and xenophobia and hatred. This will be one of our primary jobs for the rest of our lives.
Seek out and join up with groups in your community that are fighting fascism and racism and xenophobia and hatred. This will be one of our primary jobs for the rest of our lives.
My God am I tired of being angry and sad
January 28, 2026 at 1:50 AM
My God am I tired of being angry and sad
Reposted by Helen Boyd (she/they)
A reminder that ICE hasn’t slowed down in Minneapolis at all.
Outside of Minnesota, it might feel like everything has changed since Alex Pretti’s murder. But ICE hasn’t actually lost any power and they’re continuing to terrorize our communities.
Outside of Minnesota, it might feel like everything has changed since Alex Pretti’s murder. But ICE hasn’t actually lost any power and they’re continuing to terrorize our communities.
January 27, 2026 at 7:57 PM
A reminder that ICE hasn’t slowed down in Minneapolis at all.
Outside of Minnesota, it might feel like everything has changed since Alex Pretti’s murder. But ICE hasn’t actually lost any power and they’re continuing to terrorize our communities.
Outside of Minnesota, it might feel like everything has changed since Alex Pretti’s murder. But ICE hasn’t actually lost any power and they’re continuing to terrorize our communities.
nice piece about the early #trans internet and community making back in the day.
i'll always be proud of the communities we created with the Betty Boards, providing space for trans people to talk about family and relationships.
www.assignedmedia.org/breaking-new...
thanks @assignedmedia.org !
i'll always be proud of the communities we created with the Betty Boards, providing space for trans people to talk about family and relationships.
www.assignedmedia.org/breaking-new...
thanks @assignedmedia.org !
For ‘Love and Knowledge’: On the Frontlines of Trans Cyberspace — Assigned
The moderators of trans forums, many of them volunteers, have demonstrated remarkable resilience and resourcefulness over four decades and multiple digital eras.
www.assignedmedia.org
January 27, 2026 at 9:42 PM
nice piece about the early #trans internet and community making back in the day.
i'll always be proud of the communities we created with the Betty Boards, providing space for trans people to talk about family and relationships.
www.assignedmedia.org/breaking-new...
thanks @assignedmedia.org !
i'll always be proud of the communities we created with the Betty Boards, providing space for trans people to talk about family and relationships.
www.assignedmedia.org/breaking-new...
thanks @assignedmedia.org !
Reposted by Helen Boyd (she/they)
NEW: One of Pope Leo XIV’s top U.S. allies, Cardinal Joseph Tobin, is calling for the defunding of ICE.
Tobin says the “lawless organization” is a “machinery of death.”
This marks the first time a senior Church leader has called for ICE to be defunded. More are expected in the coming days.
Tobin says the “lawless organization” is a “machinery of death.”
This marks the first time a senior Church leader has called for ICE to be defunded. More are expected in the coming days.
Pope Leo’s Top U.S. Ally Says ‘No’ to Funding ICE
Cardinal Joseph Tobin calls ICE a “lawless organization” perpetuating a “machinery of death” and urges Congress to defund Trump’s deportation force.
www.thelettersfromleo.com
January 26, 2026 at 8:14 PM
NEW: One of Pope Leo XIV’s top U.S. allies, Cardinal Joseph Tobin, is calling for the defunding of ICE.
Tobin says the “lawless organization” is a “machinery of death.”
This marks the first time a senior Church leader has called for ICE to be defunded. More are expected in the coming days.
Tobin says the “lawless organization” is a “machinery of death.”
This marks the first time a senior Church leader has called for ICE to be defunded. More are expected in the coming days.
Salvatore's book on Eugene Debs, among others, was assigned to me by Jewel and Bernard Bellush, who told me to keep my copies safe as eventually someone would want to make them illegal.
i still have mine. highly recommend.
RIP to yet another of the citizen-scholar-journalists who raised me.
i still have mine. highly recommend.
RIP to yet another of the citizen-scholar-journalists who raised me.
Nick Salvatore, biographer of Eugene Debs, died at age 82 in November. Robert Bussel and @josephamccartin.bsky.social remember his work and legacy.
dissentmagazine.org/online_artic...
dissentmagazine.org/online_artic...
Nick Salvatore: Citizen and Historian - Dissent Magazine
The author of Eugene V. Debs: Citizen and Socialist and other biographies, Nick Salvatore leaves behind a rich legacy that both challenges and inspires us at this historical moment.
dissentmagazine.org
January 26, 2026 at 6:25 PM
Salvatore's book on Eugene Debs, among others, was assigned to me by Jewel and Bernard Bellush, who told me to keep my copies safe as eventually someone would want to make them illegal.
i still have mine. highly recommend.
RIP to yet another of the citizen-scholar-journalists who raised me.
i still have mine. highly recommend.
RIP to yet another of the citizen-scholar-journalists who raised me.
really good thoughtful thread about the impossibility of Pretti.
I know respectability politics are bullshit, I know perfect victim narratives are toxic and harmful, but it really is so striking to me that they’re not only murdering white people, THESE are the white people they’re murdering
On film, in the midst of trying to help people
On film, in the midst of trying to help people
The execution of Alex Pretti is playing so badly because you can look at his actions and life story - his last act was helping, boy scout, athlete, health care worker to veterans - and compare those to the men who killed him and know which you would want to be your son, brother, father, uncle.
January 26, 2026 at 6:09 PM
really good thoughtful thread about the impossibility of Pretti.
Appleton, WI today. It's 8 degrees and this was only called yesterday.
January 25, 2026 at 6:47 PM
Appleton, WI today. It's 8 degrees and this was only called yesterday.
Reposted by Helen Boyd (she/they)
Reminder: DHS legislation that funds ICE at current levels without policy restrictions is in the Senate and needs 60 votes to pass. Deadline is next Friday.
January 24, 2026 at 4:47 PM
Reminder: DHS legislation that funds ICE at current levels without policy restrictions is in the Senate and needs 60 votes to pass. Deadline is next Friday.
Reposted by Helen Boyd (she/they)
It’s -9 degrees in Minneapolis right now.
This is now Ground Zero of the resistance. Inspirational.
(📸 Max Nesterak)
This is now Ground Zero of the resistance. Inspirational.
(📸 Max Nesterak)
January 23, 2026 at 9:01 PM
It’s -9 degrees in Minneapolis right now.
This is now Ground Zero of the resistance. Inspirational.
(📸 Max Nesterak)
This is now Ground Zero of the resistance. Inspirational.
(📸 Max Nesterak)
Reposted by Helen Boyd (she/they)
In honor of the strike in Minnesota and hopefully nationwide, let's learn about the impact of general strikes and why we need more of them now, shall we?
Here's a little history of notable general strikes: 1/x 🧵
Why is May 1 Workers' Day?
On 1 May 1886, nationwide general strike for 8-hour day, w/hundreds of thousands of workers throughout the US. In Chicago, protests against police escalated into the Haymarket riot, w/hanging of 8 organizers.
Why is May 1 Workers' Day?
On 1 May 1886, nationwide general strike for 8-hour day, w/hundreds of thousands of workers throughout the US. In Chicago, protests against police escalated into the Haymarket riot, w/hanging of 8 organizers.
January 23, 2026 at 7:55 PM
In honor of the strike in Minnesota and hopefully nationwide, let's learn about the impact of general strikes and why we need more of them now, shall we?
when the RealFeel is -40, like - why bother telling me that? telling me it's actually -11 is just fine.
January 23, 2026 at 7:25 PM
when the RealFeel is -40, like - why bother telling me that? telling me it's actually -11 is just fine.
Minnesota nice means prosecute ICE. very good stuff.
Police have arrived. Arrests seem imminent. The crowd chants “let them pray” and “Minnesota nice means prosecute ICE”
January 23, 2026 at 5:15 PM
Minnesota nice means prosecute ICE. very good stuff.
we leave our garage open all the time and have a lovely family of these goobers living there. they have a fantastic waddle.
January 23, 2026 at 4:59 PM
we leave our garage open all the time and have a lovely family of these goobers living there. they have a fantastic waddle.
Reposted by Helen Boyd (she/they)
From a follower in Minneapolis:
"Today is our big day here. Currently -20 and -45 windchill. Frost bite can occur in 10 minutes and it is a decent walk from Portland Ave to the Target Center. So those who cannot risk attending and to the rest of the country we are asking for your help."
"Today is our big day here. Currently -20 and -45 windchill. Frost bite can occur in 10 minutes and it is a decent walk from Portland Ave to the Target Center. So those who cannot risk attending and to the rest of the country we are asking for your help."
ICE Out for Good
On January 23, people across the country are taking action in solidarity with Minnesota to demand ICE out of our communities. Join the day of action.
iceoutforgood.org
January 23, 2026 at 3:09 PM
From a follower in Minneapolis:
"Today is our big day here. Currently -20 and -45 windchill. Frost bite can occur in 10 minutes and it is a decent walk from Portland Ave to the Target Center. So those who cannot risk attending and to the rest of the country we are asking for your help."
"Today is our big day here. Currently -20 and -45 windchill. Frost bite can occur in 10 minutes and it is a decent walk from Portland Ave to the Target Center. So those who cannot risk attending and to the rest of the country we are asking for your help."