Meredith Sell
@meredithsell.bsky.social
Freelance writer/editor. Accidental gardener. Women's history nerd. Knitter, embroiderer, athlete. I write Women's Barbell Club on Substack. meredithsellwrites.com womensbarbellclub.substack.com
Pinned
Meredith Sell
@meredithsell.bsky.social
· Feb 27
ICYMI: Olympic Weightlifting Tips from Gold Medalist Olivia Reeves
The 21-year-old from Chattanooga won the 71 kg weight class at this summer's Olympics. Here are her tips for mastering the Olympic lifts.
womensbarbellclub.substack.com
Lifting nerds have highlighted Olivia Reeves’ performance for technical proficiency and efficiency, pointing to adjustments she makes in fractions of a second that keep the bar in its proper path. I asked her for lifting tips:
womensbarbellclub.substack.com/p/icymi-olym...
womensbarbellclub.substack.com/p/icymi-olym...
“Nobody Wants This” should be a show about every company under the sun adding AI features that no one asked for and repeatedly shoving them in our faces.
November 26, 2025 at 5:41 PM
“Nobody Wants This” should be a show about every company under the sun adding AI features that no one asked for and repeatedly shoving them in our faces.
“I wish to persuade women to endeavour to acquire strength, both of mind and body.”
~Mary Wollstonecraft, writing in 1792
womensbarbellclub.substack.com/p/the-mother...
~Mary Wollstonecraft, writing in 1792
womensbarbellclub.substack.com/p/the-mother...
The Mother of Feminism Wants You to Get Stronger
Mary Wollstonecraft, 18th-century author of A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, saw physical weakness as part of women’s oppression.
womensbarbellclub.substack.com
July 18, 2025 at 5:00 PM
“I wish to persuade women to endeavour to acquire strength, both of mind and body.”
~Mary Wollstonecraft, writing in 1792
womensbarbellclub.substack.com/p/the-mother...
~Mary Wollstonecraft, writing in 1792
womensbarbellclub.substack.com/p/the-mother...
Reposted by Meredith Sell
SCOOP: DOGE moved to kill Direct File, the IRS's popular free tax filing tool, days after meeting with private tax filing software lobbyists.
www.wired.com/story/doge-d...
www.wired.com/story/doge-d...
DOGE Put Free Tax Filing Tool on Chopping Block After One Meeting With Lobbyists
A key operative from DOGE initiated plans to potentially kill Direct File, the free tax filing tool developed by the IRS, after offering assurances it would be spared from cuts.
www.wired.com
July 17, 2025 at 12:48 PM
SCOOP: DOGE moved to kill Direct File, the IRS's popular free tax filing tool, days after meeting with private tax filing software lobbyists.
www.wired.com/story/doge-d...
www.wired.com/story/doge-d...
Reposted by Meredith Sell
Harriet Tubman #quilt by my Mom, Vera P. Hall, who makes quilts celebrating Black people who fought for their own freedom. This seems to be the crowd favorite of the “We Didn’t Wait for Freedom” series. Happy #Juneteenth #quilting
June 19, 2025 at 12:19 PM
Harriet Tubman #quilt by my Mom, Vera P. Hall, who makes quilts celebrating Black people who fought for their own freedom. This seems to be the crowd favorite of the “We Didn’t Wait for Freedom” series. Happy #Juneteenth #quilting
Reposted by Meredith Sell
Chatbots — LLMs — do not know facts and are not designed to be able to accurately answer factual questions. They are designed to find and mimic patterns of words, probabilistically. When they’re “right” it’s because correct things are often written down, so those patterns are frequent. That’s all.
June 19, 2025 at 11:21 AM
Chatbots — LLMs — do not know facts and are not designed to be able to accurately answer factual questions. They are designed to find and mimic patterns of words, probabilistically. When they’re “right” it’s because correct things are often written down, so those patterns are frequent. That’s all.
Inexplicably became a rugby fan in the process of writing this story: www.5280.com/denver-onyx-...
Rockies Got You Down? Root For the Denver Onyx, Our Unstoppable New Women's Rugby Team
Stacked with top talent, the city’s new women’s rugby squad has dominated its competition.
www.5280.com
June 5, 2025 at 8:57 PM
Inexplicably became a rugby fan in the process of writing this story: www.5280.com/denver-onyx-...
I absolutely LOVED @scatterall.bsky.social's biography of Amelia Bloomer. Devoured it and marked so many pages to return to for historical tidbits and other things of interest. Like, who knew Amelia Bloomer introduced Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton to each other?
May 21, 2025 at 8:42 PM
I absolutely LOVED @scatterall.bsky.social's biography of Amelia Bloomer. Devoured it and marked so many pages to return to for historical tidbits and other things of interest. Like, who knew Amelia Bloomer introduced Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton to each other?
Everybody loves Ilona Maher, but her message re: lipstick and femininity leaves much to be desired.
womensbarbellclub.substack.com/p/ilona-mahe...
womensbarbellclub.substack.com/p/ilona-mahe...
Ilona Maher Is More than Her Lipstick
Can we shine a spotlight on her brain?
womensbarbellclub.substack.com
May 19, 2025 at 9:53 PM
Everybody loves Ilona Maher, but her message re: lipstick and femininity leaves much to be desired.
womensbarbellclub.substack.com/p/ilona-mahe...
womensbarbellclub.substack.com/p/ilona-mahe...
Taking a few weeks off from Women’s Barbell Club to tackle some deadlines for paid work (including a story on women’s pro rugby) and travel to my little brother’s wedding. But I have soooo many ideas knocking around in my head right now.
May 10, 2025 at 2:14 AM
Taking a few weeks off from Women’s Barbell Club to tackle some deadlines for paid work (including a story on women’s pro rugby) and travel to my little brother’s wedding. But I have soooo many ideas knocking around in my head right now.
Reposted by Meredith Sell
report on this yesterday by @dmehro.bsky.social:
May 9, 2025 at 11:24 PM
report on this yesterday by @dmehro.bsky.social:
Reposted by Meredith Sell
This seems to have only been a “protest” in the sense that he appeared personally to conduct an inspection, was denied entry & refused to accept that, which is why members of Congress came, because they can’t be lawfully turned away.
This wasn’t Laura Loomer handcuffing herself to Twitter HQ.
This wasn’t Laura Loomer handcuffing herself to Twitter HQ.
Breaking News: Newark's mayor, Ras Baraka, was arrested while he and three members of Congress from New Jersey were protesting at an immigration detention center in the city. He was taken to an ICE facility in Newark, his aides said. nyti.ms/3Z680Un
May 9, 2025 at 10:38 PM
This seems to have only been a “protest” in the sense that he appeared personally to conduct an inspection, was denied entry & refused to accept that, which is why members of Congress came, because they can’t be lawfully turned away.
This wasn’t Laura Loomer handcuffing herself to Twitter HQ.
This wasn’t Laura Loomer handcuffing herself to Twitter HQ.
Reposted by Meredith Sell
Not a protest -- from earlier in the week leading up to this from NJ reporter @zachblackburn.bsky.social: Newark is currently suing operator of the facility for alleged permitting and inspections violations, facility would not admit Mayor and inspectors 3 days ago. bsky.app/profile/zach...
In Newark, where Mayor Ras Baraka asked to enter a newly reopened ICE detention facility. Delaney Hall operators did not let the mayor into the facility. Newark is currently suing the operator of the facility for alleged permitting and inspections violations
May 9, 2025 at 10:29 PM
Not a protest -- from earlier in the week leading up to this from NJ reporter @zachblackburn.bsky.social: Newark is currently suing operator of the facility for alleged permitting and inspections violations, facility would not admit Mayor and inspectors 3 days ago. bsky.app/profile/zach...
Reposted by Meredith Sell
as we cruise into Mother's Day weekend, I want to be clear that A PHYSICAL EDUCATION is nothing if not an invitation for all of our Almond Moms to come to the table to perhaps, literally for the first time ever, break some damn bread
womensbarbellclub.substack.com/p/why-casey-...
womensbarbellclub.substack.com/p/why-casey-...
May 9, 2025 at 6:11 PM
as we cruise into Mother's Day weekend, I want to be clear that A PHYSICAL EDUCATION is nothing if not an invitation for all of our Almond Moms to come to the table to perhaps, literally for the first time ever, break some damn bread
womensbarbellclub.substack.com/p/why-casey-...
womensbarbellclub.substack.com/p/why-casey-...
Fitness writer Casey Johnston's new book, A Physical Education, is out today. Check out our review and join the conversation on strength training:
womensbarbellclub.substack.com/p/why-casey-...
womensbarbellclub.substack.com/p/why-casey-...
Why Casey Johnston Loves Lifting
A review of her new book, A Physical Education
womensbarbellclub.substack.com
May 6, 2025 at 5:02 PM
Fitness writer Casey Johnston's new book, A Physical Education, is out today. Check out our review and join the conversation on strength training:
womensbarbellclub.substack.com/p/why-casey-...
womensbarbellclub.substack.com/p/why-casey-...
Reposted by Meredith Sell
here's a real-deal review of A Physical Education from Women's Barbell Club (the people who would Know) womensbarbellclub.substack.com/p/why-casey-...
May 2, 2025 at 6:01 PM
here's a real-deal review of A Physical Education from Women's Barbell Club (the people who would Know) womensbarbellclub.substack.com/p/why-casey-...
Reposted by Meredith Sell
100 DAYS...of lying, grifting, lawbreaking, division, incompetence, ignorance, illegal deportations, self-aggrandizement, vulgarity, self-pity, cruelty, ignoring the Supreme Court & due process while attacking: the Media, Universities, Law Firms, the Courts & Journalists.
1362 Days to go...
1362 Days to go...
April 29, 2025 at 9:31 PM
100 DAYS...of lying, grifting, lawbreaking, division, incompetence, ignorance, illegal deportations, self-aggrandizement, vulgarity, self-pity, cruelty, ignoring the Supreme Court & due process while attacking: the Media, Universities, Law Firms, the Courts & Journalists.
1362 Days to go...
1362 Days to go...
Reposted by Meredith Sell
A horrible story but god bless this woman so accurately reading the ICE goons for filth here
April 29, 2025 at 3:17 PM
A horrible story but god bless this woman so accurately reading the ICE goons for filth here
Is it just me or are publications getting way more aggressive with paywalls? I visited a publication's site ONCE and the next time it immediately redirected me to a subscription page — no choice to opt out and return to the story I was looking at.
April 17, 2025 at 11:29 PM
Is it just me or are publications getting way more aggressive with paywalls? I visited a publication's site ONCE and the next time it immediately redirected me to a subscription page — no choice to opt out and return to the story I was looking at.
For a long time, my Roman Empire has been the turn of the century (1880s-1920s), and I gotta say it feels way more relevant these days than anything having to do with Caesar Augustus.
April 17, 2025 at 11:18 PM
For a long time, my Roman Empire has been the turn of the century (1880s-1920s), and I gotta say it feels way more relevant these days than anything having to do with Caesar Augustus.
Reposted by Meredith Sell
Every day, it looks more like a regime.
Now the Trump administration is pushing to put Columbia University under a consent decree—a court-enforced agreement that would legally bind the school to federal demands, with a judge overseeing whether they “comply.”
Now the Trump administration is pushing to put Columbia University under a consent decree—a court-enforced agreement that would legally bind the school to federal demands, with a judge overseeing whether they “comply.”
April 10, 2025 at 10:12 PM
Every day, it looks more like a regime.
Now the Trump administration is pushing to put Columbia University under a consent decree—a court-enforced agreement that would legally bind the school to federal demands, with a judge overseeing whether they “comply.”
Now the Trump administration is pushing to put Columbia University under a consent decree—a court-enforced agreement that would legally bind the school to federal demands, with a judge overseeing whether they “comply.”
This is absolutely appalling.
NEW: SCOTUS, in a 5-4 vote, lifts a judge's nationwide orders blocking fast-tracked deportations of immigrants that the Trump administration claims are members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua. SCOTUS says each immigrant must file a petition individually to stop deportation.
April 7, 2025 at 11:47 PM
This is absolutely appalling.
Reposted by Meredith Sell
No tariffs on Russia. Huh?
April 3, 2025 at 1:30 PM
No tariffs on Russia. Huh?
Reposted by Meredith Sell
Trump's tariffs will translate into a 2.3 percentage point increase to overall inflation this year, according to new estimates from the Yale Budget Lab — or about a $3,800 impact for the average household.
April 3, 2025 at 5:10 PM
Trump's tariffs will translate into a 2.3 percentage point increase to overall inflation this year, according to new estimates from the Yale Budget Lab — or about a $3,800 impact for the average household.
Reposted by Meredith Sell
WASHINGTON (AP) — Cory Booker breaks the record for longest Senate speech, previously held by segregationist Strom Thurmond.
April 1, 2025 at 11:20 PM
WASHINGTON (AP) — Cory Booker breaks the record for longest Senate speech, previously held by segregationist Strom Thurmond.
I will never, for the life of me, understand why magazines want pitches for FOB pieces of less than 500 words FOUR MONTHS before print time.
April 1, 2025 at 10:54 PM
I will never, for the life of me, understand why magazines want pitches for FOB pieces of less than 500 words FOUR MONTHS before print time.