Jeannie Prinsen
@jeannieprinsen.bsky.social
Writer, copy editor, wife, mom of two autistic young adults, "Beloved Child of the House" (S. Clarke, Piranesi).
Born in PEI, live in Ontario.
https://jeannieprinsen.substack.com/
Born in PEI, live in Ontario.
https://jeannieprinsen.substack.com/
Pinned
"The role of
poetry in our time of crisis is the
same as always: to preserve our
minds and language, so we may be
strong for whatever is to come."
– Matthew Zapruder, Why Poetry?
poetry in our time of crisis is the
same as always: to preserve our
minds and language, so we may be
strong for whatever is to come."
– Matthew Zapruder, Why Poetry?
Thread 🧵 | My Experience with Bullying
#AntiBullyingWeek 1/8 Everyone says school
days are “the best days of your life.” I wish
that were true. Here’s what I went through.
#AntiBullyingWeek 1/8 Everyone says school
days are “the best days of your life.” I wish
that were true. Here’s what I went through.
November 10, 2025 at 4:59 PM
I have a new post up this week: "The world offers itself to your imagination." * It's about a walk in the forest, an encounter at a coffee shop, and the realization that grace can reach us wherever we are.
*words from Mary Oliver's "Wild Geese"
jeannieprinsen.substack.com/p/the-world-...
*words from Mary Oliver's "Wild Geese"
jeannieprinsen.substack.com/p/the-world-...
"The world offers itself to your imagination"
Maybe nothing is untouched by evil, but nothing is untouched by grace either.
jeannieprinsen.substack.com
November 8, 2025 at 4:32 PM
I have a new post up this week: "The world offers itself to your imagination." * It's about a walk in the forest, an encounter at a coffee shop, and the realization that grace can reach us wherever we are.
*words from Mary Oliver's "Wild Geese"
jeannieprinsen.substack.com/p/the-world-...
*words from Mary Oliver's "Wild Geese"
jeannieprinsen.substack.com/p/the-world-...
I started the day by having the end of my housecoat sash fall into the (unflushed) toilet, so I think I'm winning!
November 6, 2025 at 4:24 PM
I started the day by having the end of my housecoat sash fall into the (unflushed) toilet, so I think I'm winning!
Reposted by Jeannie Prinsen
"Speaker Johnson, it looks as though the president is currently stabbing you with a knife. Do you have any comment?"
"Well, look, this is the first I'm hearing about it. As you know, I've been really busy not doing my job, so I just don't know enough about this alleged stabbing to make a comment."
"Well, look, this is the first I'm hearing about it. As you know, I've been really busy not doing my job, so I just don't know enough about this alleged stabbing to make a comment."
November 4, 2025 at 12:01 AM
"Speaker Johnson, it looks as though the president is currently stabbing you with a knife. Do you have any comment?"
"Well, look, this is the first I'm hearing about it. As you know, I've been really busy not doing my job, so I just don't know enough about this alleged stabbing to make a comment."
"Well, look, this is the first I'm hearing about it. As you know, I've been really busy not doing my job, so I just don't know enough about this alleged stabbing to make a comment."
This morning I heard a young staff member at my son's program say "Now THAT wasn't on my bingo list" 😊
November 3, 2025 at 4:41 PM
This morning I heard a young staff member at my son's program say "Now THAT wasn't on my bingo list" 😊
Reposted by Jeannie Prinsen
For me the centralizing question of the faith in this moment is ...
"When did we see you?"
hungry (SNAP)
thirsty (our environment is suffering)
a stranger (we have abandoned our neighbors)
naked (we have exploited the resources to the wealthy)
sick (no healthcare)
in prison
AND ... not help you?
"When did we see you?"
hungry (SNAP)
thirsty (our environment is suffering)
a stranger (we have abandoned our neighbors)
naked (we have exploited the resources to the wealthy)
sick (no healthcare)
in prison
AND ... not help you?
November 3, 2025 at 3:03 PM
For me the centralizing question of the faith in this moment is ...
"When did we see you?"
hungry (SNAP)
thirsty (our environment is suffering)
a stranger (we have abandoned our neighbors)
naked (we have exploited the resources to the wealthy)
sick (no healthcare)
in prison
AND ... not help you?
"When did we see you?"
hungry (SNAP)
thirsty (our environment is suffering)
a stranger (we have abandoned our neighbors)
naked (we have exploited the resources to the wealthy)
sick (no healthcare)
in prison
AND ... not help you?
Reposted by Jeannie Prinsen
Never take seriously those who ridicule low income people for having a smartphone or laptop.
“If they’re so poor how did they buy an iPhone???”
Because they’re trying to escape poverty, not the 1700s, genius. If you think basic tech access is luxury, survive a month without it.
“If they’re so poor how did they buy an iPhone???”
Because they’re trying to escape poverty, not the 1700s, genius. If you think basic tech access is luxury, survive a month without it.
November 2, 2025 at 12:10 AM
Never take seriously those who ridicule low income people for having a smartphone or laptop.
“If they’re so poor how did they buy an iPhone???”
Because they’re trying to escape poverty, not the 1700s, genius. If you think basic tech access is luxury, survive a month without it.
“If they’re so poor how did they buy an iPhone???”
Because they’re trying to escape poverty, not the 1700s, genius. If you think basic tech access is luxury, survive a month without it.
Reposted by Jeannie Prinsen
Blue Jays
Cody Houle ~ Anishinaabe
2025
Cody Houle ~ Anishinaabe
2025
October 31, 2025 at 11:01 PM
Blue Jays
Cody Houle ~ Anishinaabe
2025
Cody Houle ~ Anishinaabe
2025
2nd set of trick-or-treaters I made a successful Rumi ID. The quick cramming session paid off.
#KPopDemonHunters
#KPopDemonHunters
BRB gotta go familiarize myself with the precise appearance of the KPop Demon Hunters so I don't make any embarrassing mistakes tonight
October 31, 2025 at 10:22 PM
2nd set of trick-or-treaters I made a successful Rumi ID. The quick cramming session paid off.
#KPopDemonHunters
#KPopDemonHunters
BRB gotta go familiarize myself with the precise appearance of the KPop Demon Hunters so I don't make any embarrassing mistakes tonight
October 31, 2025 at 7:29 PM
BRB gotta go familiarize myself with the precise appearance of the KPop Demon Hunters so I don't make any embarrassing mistakes tonight
Reposted by Jeannie Prinsen
#Breaking: King Charles III will evict Prince Andrew from his royal residence and strip his titles, palace says
King Charles III will evict Prince Andrew from his royal residence and strip his titles, palace says
Andrew will be known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor and not as a prince, says Buckingham Palace.
www.thestar.com
October 30, 2025 at 7:28 PM
#Breaking: King Charles III will evict Prince Andrew from his royal residence and strip his titles, palace says
Reposted by Jeannie Prinsen
Now Ozymandias was from the Himalayas, where a cold wind howls and blows.
Why he left his home in the peaks to roam 'round the sands, God only knows.
His statue fell down, the desert's boundless and completely bare;
Though it's still scrawled on his pedestal that "ye Mighty should despair!"
Why he left his home in the peaks to roam 'round the sands, God only knows.
His statue fell down, the desert's boundless and completely bare;
Though it's still scrawled on his pedestal that "ye Mighty should despair!"
The sun did not shine.
It was too wet to play.
And the lone, level sands
Stretched far, far away.
It was too wet to play.
And the lone, level sands
Stretched far, far away.
Ozy, Ozy, King of Kings,
On the lone and level sand;
Who amidst these lifeless things,
Recalls your works made in this land?
On the lone and level sand;
Who amidst these lifeless things,
Recalls your works made in this land?
October 30, 2025 at 4:50 PM
Now Ozymandias was from the Himalayas, where a cold wind howls and blows.
Why he left his home in the peaks to roam 'round the sands, God only knows.
His statue fell down, the desert's boundless and completely bare;
Though it's still scrawled on his pedestal that "ye Mighty should despair!"
Why he left his home in the peaks to roam 'round the sands, God only knows.
His statue fell down, the desert's boundless and completely bare;
Though it's still scrawled on his pedestal that "ye Mighty should despair!"
You do not have to be a colossal Wreck.
You do not have to stand vast and trunkless
in the desert, your visage shattered.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.
Tell me about despair, ye Mighty...
You do not have to stand vast and trunkless
in the desert, your visage shattered.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.
Tell me about despair, ye Mighty...
Now Ozymandias was from the Himalayas, where a cold wind howls and blows.
Why he left his home in the peaks to roam 'round the sands, God only knows.
His statue fell down, the desert's boundless and completely bare;
Though it's still scrawled on his pedestal that "ye Mighty should despair!"
Why he left his home in the peaks to roam 'round the sands, God only knows.
His statue fell down, the desert's boundless and completely bare;
Though it's still scrawled on his pedestal that "ye Mighty should despair!"
The sun did not shine.
It was too wet to play.
And the lone, level sands
Stretched far, far away.
It was too wet to play.
And the lone, level sands
Stretched far, far away.
October 30, 2025 at 4:57 PM
You do not have to be a colossal Wreck.
You do not have to stand vast and trunkless
in the desert, your visage shattered.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.
Tell me about despair, ye Mighty...
You do not have to stand vast and trunkless
in the desert, your visage shattered.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.
Tell me about despair, ye Mighty...
Start with mine 🤣 then be sure to go down the rabbit hole and read all of them. I think? it started with plums in the icebox, but I'm not certain.
#Ozymandias
#Ozymandias
The sun did not shine.
It was too wet to play.
And the lone, level sands
Stretched far, far away.
It was too wet to play.
And the lone, level sands
Stretched far, far away.
Ozy, Ozy, King of Kings,
On the lone and level sand;
Who amidst these lifeless things,
Recalls your works made in this land?
On the lone and level sand;
Who amidst these lifeless things,
Recalls your works made in this land?
October 30, 2025 at 4:41 PM
Start with mine 🤣 then be sure to go down the rabbit hole and read all of them. I think? it started with plums in the icebox, but I'm not certain.
#Ozymandias
#Ozymandias
The sun did not shine.
It was too wet to play.
And the lone, level sands
Stretched far, far away.
It was too wet to play.
And the lone, level sands
Stretched far, far away.
Ozy, Ozy, King of Kings,
On the lone and level sand;
Who amidst these lifeless things,
Recalls your works made in this land?
On the lone and level sand;
Who amidst these lifeless things,
Recalls your works made in this land?
Whose legs these are I think I know.
He had a sneer of cold command.
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his legs fill up with sand.
He had a sneer of cold command.
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his legs fill up with sand.
October 30, 2025 at 4:37 PM
The sun did not shine.
It was too wet to play.
And the lone, level sands
Stretched far, far away.
It was too wet to play.
And the lone, level sands
Stretched far, far away.
Reposted by Jeannie Prinsen
Every day, I become more convinced that populists are more lazy than crazy.
Pluralism requires a lot of work. Building consensus, working with divergent interests, working with checks and balances.
Populists skip all that, ginning up fear, fake majorities, and a shallow sense of the public good.
Pluralism requires a lot of work. Building consensus, working with divergent interests, working with checks and balances.
Populists skip all that, ginning up fear, fake majorities, and a shallow sense of the public good.
February 20, 2025 at 1:29 PM
Every day, I become more convinced that populists are more lazy than crazy.
Pluralism requires a lot of work. Building consensus, working with divergent interests, working with checks and balances.
Populists skip all that, ginning up fear, fake majorities, and a shallow sense of the public good.
Pluralism requires a lot of work. Building consensus, working with divergent interests, working with checks and balances.
Populists skip all that, ginning up fear, fake majorities, and a shallow sense of the public good.
This is very well said.
"There are real differences between the sort of #autism I have and so-called Asperger Syndrome. But it does not help us at all to impose a hierarchy of lower and higher functioning."
"There are real differences between the sort of #autism I have and so-called Asperger Syndrome. But it does not help us at all to impose a hierarchy of lower and higher functioning."
Proud papa moment: my son J published a letter in the @nytimes.com today (in print tomorrow) on the need to think our definitions of autism.
October 21, 2025 at 10:52 PM
This is very well said.
"There are real differences between the sort of #autism I have and so-called Asperger Syndrome. But it does not help us at all to impose a hierarchy of lower and higher functioning."
"There are real differences between the sort of #autism I have and so-called Asperger Syndrome. But it does not help us at all to impose a hierarchy of lower and higher functioning."
I have a poem published this week in Painted Pebble Lit Mag: "Seasons in the Sun." Definitely a bittersweet one.
paintedpebblelit.com/j-prinsen-se...
paintedpebblelit.com/j-prinsen-se...
J. Prinsen, Seasons in the Sun - Painted Pebble Lit Mag
Jeannie Prinsen Seasons in the Sun Autumn road trip, New England woodsa crazy quilt spread before us. Heading home,we stopped for fast food – seventies popon the sound system, the two of us cry-laughi...
paintedpebblelit.com
October 20, 2025 at 1:23 PM
I have a poem published this week in Painted Pebble Lit Mag: "Seasons in the Sun." Definitely a bittersweet one.
paintedpebblelit.com/j-prinsen-se...
paintedpebblelit.com/j-prinsen-se...
Reposted by Jeannie Prinsen
if you're black and 14, you're a man. if you're white and 40, you're just a kid
October 15, 2025 at 10:00 PM
if you're black and 14, you're a man. if you're white and 40, you're just a kid
Reposted by Jeannie Prinsen
A Brief History of Let’s Bring Back The Good Old Days
🧵
🧵
October 15, 2025 at 9:54 PM
A Brief History of Let’s Bring Back The Good Old Days
🧵
🧵
Reposted by Jeannie Prinsen
It broke my heart to write this poem, and I would give it back if I could reverse my brother's death or my mom's diagnosis. But it doesn't work like that. So I'm trying to open my hands to the joy of having a poem in @thenation.com. Thank you, Kaveh Akbar, et al.
www.thenation.com/article/cult...
www.thenation.com/article/cult...
What We Talk About When We Talk About Cancer
www.thenation.com
October 15, 2025 at 1:18 AM
It broke my heart to write this poem, and I would give it back if I could reverse my brother's death or my mom's diagnosis. But it doesn't work like that. So I'm trying to open my hands to the joy of having a poem in @thenation.com. Thank you, Kaveh Akbar, et al.
www.thenation.com/article/cult...
www.thenation.com/article/cult...
Reposted by Jeannie Prinsen
#Breaking: Four workers critically injured after explosion at North York condo construction site.
In total seven people have been taken to hospital. Four were sent to a trauma centre with critical injuries, according to paramedics, while three others were hospitalized with minor injuries.
In total seven people have been taken to hospital. Four were sent to a trauma centre with critical injuries, according to paramedics, while three others were hospitalized with minor injuries.
Four workers critically injured after explosion at North York condo construction site
Toronto fire responded to the North York area following reports of a natural gas explosion in the area.
www.thestar.com
October 14, 2025 at 4:29 PM
#Breaking: Four workers critically injured after explosion at North York condo construction site.
In total seven people have been taken to hospital. Four were sent to a trauma centre with critical injuries, according to paramedics, while three others were hospitalized with minor injuries.
In total seven people have been taken to hospital. Four were sent to a trauma centre with critical injuries, according to paramedics, while three others were hospitalized with minor injuries.
In honor of spooky month, share a 4 word horror story that only someone in your profession would understand:
Accidentally spelled public "pubic."
Accidentally spelled public "pubic."
In honor of spooky month, share a 4 word horror story that only someone in your profession would understand:
Archives banned making copies.
Archives banned making copies.
In honor of spooky month, share a 4 word horror story that only someone in your profession would understand:
New library catalogue website.
New library catalogue website.
October 12, 2025 at 4:37 PM
In honor of spooky month, share a 4 word horror story that only someone in your profession would understand:
Accidentally spelled public "pubic."
Accidentally spelled public "pubic."
Wordle.... 😠
a man wearing a white shirt with the letter v on it is standing next to a red truck .
Alt: Schitts Creek GIF: David Rose, a young man with short black hair, wearing a white long sleeved shirt with a black graphic, is holding what appears to be a cow patty and looking really angry
media.tenor.com
October 12, 2025 at 10:35 AM
Wordle.... 😠
Reposted by Jeannie Prinsen
🚒🚔🚑 Serious collision with rollover, 3300 block of Battersea road. Roadway closed, expect prolonged closure.
October 11, 2025 at 4:58 PM
🚒🚔🚑 Serious collision with rollover, 3300 block of Battersea road. Roadway closed, expect prolonged closure.