Shala Howell
@shalahowell.bsky.social
Reader, writer, curious person, librarian in training. Author of What's That, Mom? Also on🧵@shalahowell & @shalahowell@mastodon.social. Blog: http://caterpickles.com
Pinned
Shala Howell
@shalahowell.bsky.social
· Nov 9
Guess who was not prepared for how hard it would be to juggle a job and home life?
My job is amazing, and I love working with both middle schoolers and books, but I do have a tendency to use up all my words at work. But we have a day off today, so I thought I’d spent at lea…
caterpickles.com
Hello, new followers! I’ve gotten a fair number of you lately so thought I’d reintroduce.
I’m a writer & parent whose pandemic project involved doing a stint working in the library at my local public middle school.
Absolutely loved it. caterpickles.com/2021/11/11/g...
So… 1/
I’m a writer & parent whose pandemic project involved doing a stint working in the library at my local public middle school.
Absolutely loved it. caterpickles.com/2021/11/11/g...
So… 1/
Reposted by Shala Howell
I call them distrusters. Maybe gullible distrusters would be better. I describe them here:
upine.medium.com/the-distrust...
upine.medium.com/the-distrust...
The Distrusters Paradox
One of the things I do as a psychologist who studies disinformation is to try to understand how people get hooked on disinformation. The…
upine.medium.com
November 12, 2025 at 7:08 PM
I call them distrusters. Maybe gullible distrusters would be better. I describe them here:
upine.medium.com/the-distrust...
upine.medium.com/the-distrust...
Reposted by Shala Howell
Good statement from the US conference of Catholic Bishops
November 14, 2025 at 2:17 AM
Good statement from the US conference of Catholic Bishops
Reposted by Shala Howell
We keep yelling about the male loneliness crisis and focusing on everything except the harms the system itself is causing. If teen boys don't get mirrors for masculinity, and other kids don't get windows and sliding glass doors, then we're doing kids of all gender identities a major disservice.
November 13, 2025 at 10:41 PM
We keep yelling about the male loneliness crisis and focusing on everything except the harms the system itself is causing. If teen boys don't get mirrors for masculinity, and other kids don't get windows and sliding glass doors, then we're doing kids of all gender identities a major disservice.
Reposted by Shala Howell
Looks useful, but they may not cover an important topic: if you need a #map for your book, where do you go? Many authors, faced with that question, have no idea where to start.
If that’s you, I can help! I draw maps for a living, and specialize in maps for academic books.
surprisedeelmaps.com
If that’s you, I can help! I draw maps for a living, and specialize in maps for academic books.
surprisedeelmaps.com
November 12, 2025 at 11:06 PM
Looks useful, but they may not cover an important topic: if you need a #map for your book, where do you go? Many authors, faced with that question, have no idea where to start.
If that’s you, I can help! I draw maps for a living, and specialize in maps for academic books.
surprisedeelmaps.com
If that’s you, I can help! I draw maps for a living, and specialize in maps for academic books.
surprisedeelmaps.com
Reposted by Shala Howell
Come work here at Illinois! We have two Diversity Residency Visiting positions open. I'm chairing one of the two searches:
www.library.illinois.edu/geninfo/resi... #libraryjobs
www.library.illinois.edu/geninfo/resi... #libraryjobs
Library Diversity Residency Program – General Information – U of I Library
www.library.illinois.edu
November 12, 2025 at 6:35 PM
Reposted by Shala Howell
Guess what! I had a great conversation with @profgabriele.com on his new podcast, @americanmedieval.bsky.social. We talked about maps, eels, history, identity, time machines and more!
It was a great time, and I’m thrilled for it to be one of the pod’s first set of episodes. Give it a listen!
It was a great time, and I’m thrilled for it to be one of the pod’s first set of episodes. Give it a listen!
BUT THAT'S NOT ALL! for our release date (TODAY!) we have a second episode!
Here @profgabriele.com talks to @greenleejw.bsky.social about, you guessed it, eels! Plus medieval maps and why they're cool.
have a listen!
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/m...
Here @profgabriele.com talks to @greenleejw.bsky.social about, you guessed it, eels! Plus medieval maps and why they're cool.
have a listen!
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/m...
Medieval Eels with John Wyatt Greenlee
Podcast Episode · American Medieval · 11/12/2025 · 55m
podcasts.apple.com
November 12, 2025 at 2:50 PM
Guess what! I had a great conversation with @profgabriele.com on his new podcast, @americanmedieval.bsky.social. We talked about maps, eels, history, identity, time machines and more!
It was a great time, and I’m thrilled for it to be one of the pod’s first set of episodes. Give it a listen!
It was a great time, and I’m thrilled for it to be one of the pod’s first set of episodes. Give it a listen!
Reposted by Shala Howell
spoke with the executive director of my local food bank today and got this really incredible line: "if you donate 1 can of green beans, we can give away 1 can of green beans. but if you donate a dollar, we can give away 6 cans of green beans"
November 10, 2025 at 7:32 PM
spoke with the executive director of my local food bank today and got this really incredible line: "if you donate 1 can of green beans, we can give away 1 can of green beans. but if you donate a dollar, we can give away 6 cans of green beans"
Reposted by Shala Howell
This seems like the most straightforward and also basically accurate message.
instead of saying this was good strategy, maybe senate dems should say: "the republicans were going to kill people by starving them to death, and because we aren't monsters, we decided to let this fight go. We'll keep fighting. Stop electing monsters."
November 11, 2025 at 2:50 PM
This seems like the most straightforward and also basically accurate message.
Reposted by Shala Howell
instead of saying this was good strategy, maybe senate dems should say: "the republicans were going to kill people by starving them to death, and because we aren't monsters, we decided to let this fight go. We'll keep fighting. Stop electing monsters."
November 11, 2025 at 1:42 PM
instead of saying this was good strategy, maybe senate dems should say: "the republicans were going to kill people by starving them to death, and because we aren't monsters, we decided to let this fight go. We'll keep fighting. Stop electing monsters."
Reposted by Shala Howell
There — I fixed the analysis so it is actually accurate to what happened when 8 Senate Dems caved instead of keeping up the righteous fight to deliver lower health care costs for Americans.
November 11, 2025 at 2:09 AM
There — I fixed the analysis so it is actually accurate to what happened when 8 Senate Dems caved instead of keeping up the righteous fight to deliver lower health care costs for Americans.
Reposted by Shala Howell
This is a quick reminder that there is a Goodreads giveaway for Letters from an Imaginary Country. 🙂
You can enter here: www.goodreads.com/giveaway/sho...
You can enter here: www.goodreads.com/giveaway/sho...
Book giveaway for Letters from an Imaginary Country by Theodora Goss Nov 04-Nov 11, 2025
Enter to win one of 1 free copy available. Giveaway dates from Nov 04-Nov 11, 2025. In celebration of its release, we're giving away 1 copy of World Fant...
www.goodreads.com
November 9, 2025 at 6:54 PM
This is a quick reminder that there is a Goodreads giveaway for Letters from an Imaginary Country. 🙂
You can enter here: www.goodreads.com/giveaway/sho...
You can enter here: www.goodreads.com/giveaway/sho...
Reposted by Shala Howell
AUTHORS!!
Remember that case where a bunch of authors sued AI for stealing their work? And WON?
Well, the settlement money has been announced. Each WORK that got thefted will be compensated $3k (split 50/50 bw publisher + author). So authors will be compensated $1500 per WORK stolen.
More here:
Remember that case where a bunch of authors sued AI for stealing their work? And WON?
Well, the settlement money has been announced. Each WORK that got thefted will be compensated $3k (split 50/50 bw publisher + author). So authors will be compensated $1500 per WORK stolen.
More here:
Homepage | Bartz v Anthropic Settlement Site
www.anthropiccopyrightsettlement.com
November 10, 2025 at 11:30 PM
AUTHORS!!
Remember that case where a bunch of authors sued AI for stealing their work? And WON?
Well, the settlement money has been announced. Each WORK that got thefted will be compensated $3k (split 50/50 bw publisher + author). So authors will be compensated $1500 per WORK stolen.
More here:
Remember that case where a bunch of authors sued AI for stealing their work? And WON?
Well, the settlement money has been announced. Each WORK that got thefted will be compensated $3k (split 50/50 bw publisher + author). So authors will be compensated $1500 per WORK stolen.
More here:
Reposted by Shala Howell
Senior Librarian role in Oxford👇 www.asc.ox.ac.uk/fellow-libra...
Fellow Librarian | All Souls College
www.asc.ox.ac.uk
November 10, 2025 at 5:51 PM
Senior Librarian role in Oxford👇 www.asc.ox.ac.uk/fellow-libra...
Reposted by Shala Howell
Everyone let's keep calling:
Kaine 202-224-4024
Cortez Masto 202-224-3542
Fetterman 202-224-4254
Hassan 202-224-3324
Durbin 202-224-2152
King 202-224-5344
Shaheen 202-224-2841
Rosen 202-224-6244
Kaine 202-224-4024
Cortez Masto 202-224-3542
Fetterman 202-224-4254
Hassan 202-224-3324
Durbin 202-224-2152
King 202-224-5344
Shaheen 202-224-2841
Rosen 202-224-6244
There will be another 60 vote Friday* on the garbage shutdown deal. If we can convince just one Senator from the 52 republicans and 8 Dems that voted yes to flip, we could still stop this. Please jump on the phone today, call them, and share this widely.
*If all goes by the regular schedule
*If all goes by the regular schedule
November 10, 2025 at 5:28 PM
Everyone let's keep calling:
Kaine 202-224-4024
Cortez Masto 202-224-3542
Fetterman 202-224-4254
Hassan 202-224-3324
Durbin 202-224-2152
King 202-224-5344
Shaheen 202-224-2841
Rosen 202-224-6244
Kaine 202-224-4024
Cortez Masto 202-224-3542
Fetterman 202-224-4254
Hassan 202-224-3324
Durbin 202-224-2152
King 202-224-5344
Shaheen 202-224-2841
Rosen 202-224-6244
Reposted by Shala Howell
Also in case its not being mentioned in your feed, there is still a remaining vote for this and Somehow they didn't anticipate the outrage, so there's apparently some hesitation now.
If those were your senators, call them and don't stop. I will also be calling even though they arent mine
If those were your senators, call them and don't stop. I will also be calling even though they arent mine
Call the United States Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and they will connect you with your senator's office.
No matter how they voted last night, every one of them has a say in maintaining Chuck Schumer and Dick Durbin as their caucus leaders. Every one of them is accountable here.
No matter how they voted last night, every one of them has a say in maintaining Chuck Schumer and Dick Durbin as their caucus leaders. Every one of them is accountable here.
November 10, 2025 at 2:29 PM
Also in case its not being mentioned in your feed, there is still a remaining vote for this and Somehow they didn't anticipate the outrage, so there's apparently some hesitation now.
If those were your senators, call them and don't stop. I will also be calling even though they arent mine
If those were your senators, call them and don't stop. I will also be calling even though they arent mine
Reposted by Shala Howell
I have watched this five times and I laugh harder each time. Cats are such jerks. Lovable, jerks.
November 9, 2025 at 4:42 AM
I have watched this five times and I laugh harder each time. Cats are such jerks. Lovable, jerks.
Reposted by Shala Howell
Our School of Information Sciences is running four searches, and we can hire more than four candidates. Here’s the first link, for a job that might appeal to people working in history of information, history of science, or digital humanities. +
Assistant/Associate/Full Professor in Information, Culture & Society - School of Information Science
Duties & Responsibilities
illinois.csod.com
November 6, 2025 at 4:58 PM
Our School of Information Sciences is running four searches, and we can hire more than four candidates. Here’s the first link, for a job that might appeal to people working in history of information, history of science, or digital humanities. +
Reposted by Shala Howell
This is such a lovely review, it makes me want to read my own book again
It's a Month of Rain & Reads, and we do take a little time for reading ourselves, too.
Today, we have a review of The Drowned Heir, by @authorizedmusings.bsky.social, which is also a contender in the SFINCS novella competition.
www.readindiefantasy.com/amorar-book-...
#BookSky #AMoRaR #SFINCS
Today, we have a review of The Drowned Heir, by @authorizedmusings.bsky.social, which is also a contender in the SFINCS novella competition.
www.readindiefantasy.com/amorar-book-...
#BookSky #AMoRaR #SFINCS
November 9, 2025 at 12:34 PM
This is such a lovely review, it makes me want to read my own book again
Reposted by Shala Howell
Hannah Frank
Moon Ballet
lithograph, 1934
Moon Ballet
lithograph, 1934
October 30, 2025 at 2:05 AM
Hannah Frank
Moon Ballet
lithograph, 1934
Moon Ballet
lithograph, 1934
Reposted by Shala Howell
I'm incredibly moved by this piece by @lmansley.bsky.social in AHA's Perspectives on History. I've watched Laura's professional track over the years and I've been proud to be a small part of her journey. Please read and share widely! I also think it's an important piece to share with grad students.
A Dream Realized – AHA
Leaving academia doesn’t mean leaving behind disciplinary dreams.
www.historians.org
November 8, 2025 at 4:08 PM
I'm incredibly moved by this piece by @lmansley.bsky.social in AHA's Perspectives on History. I've watched Laura's professional track over the years and I've been proud to be a small part of her journey. Please read and share widely! I also think it's an important piece to share with grad students.
Reposted by Shala Howell
This is the BEST book promotional opportunity I’ve ever had: A PAID gig where the organisers guarantee getting the book into the hands of HUNDREDS of children. I keep telling them how grateful I am that they’re doing this for me, and in particular for this, my favourite book. Which you should read!
Doing an hour long show based on “How to Find a Rainbow” in a theatre, followed by series of writing workshops in primary schools in Exeter next week. First time away from my children for more than one night but I’m being paid AND hundreds of pupils get a copy of the book thanks to the organisers.
How To Find a Rainbow
“This charming story can be read on two levels – that of two sisters in search of a physical rainbow and that of emerging from a gloomy emotional episode and beginning to find joy again. It …
alomshaha.com
November 8, 2025 at 8:49 AM
This is the BEST book promotional opportunity I’ve ever had: A PAID gig where the organisers guarantee getting the book into the hands of HUNDREDS of children. I keep telling them how grateful I am that they’re doing this for me, and in particular for this, my favourite book. Which you should read!
Reposted by Shala Howell
Come to the Boston Antiquarian Book Fair this weekend, there’s doohickies and contraptions
November 8, 2025 at 1:13 AM
Come to the Boston Antiquarian Book Fair this weekend, there’s doohickies and contraptions
Reposted by Shala Howell
The airport in Boston is hosting a food bank for TSA workers because the GOP would rather send the cost of healthcare through the roof than make sure Americans can eat three meals a day
wbznewsradio.iheart.com/content/loga...
wbznewsradio.iheart.com/content/loga...
Logan Hosts Food Bank For TSA Workers Amid Longest U.S. Government Shutdown | WBZ NewsRadio 1030
WBZ NewsRadio is the home of Traffic and Weather Together on the 3s. Breaking news when it happens. Boston's source for local news. Listen on your radio at 1030AM in Boston or take us anywhere with th...
wbznewsradio.iheart.com
November 7, 2025 at 6:53 PM
The airport in Boston is hosting a food bank for TSA workers because the GOP would rather send the cost of healthcare through the roof than make sure Americans can eat three meals a day
wbznewsradio.iheart.com/content/loga...
wbznewsradio.iheart.com/content/loga...
Reposted by Shala Howell
Next time you see a TSA agent or an air marshal at the airport, say thank you.
November 7, 2025 at 10:15 PM
Next time you see a TSA agent or an air marshal at the airport, say thank you.
Reposted by Shala Howell
Do Academic Libraries Have a Strategy for AI? 📚
"...while two-thirds of libraries are exploring AI features in vendor products, only about half are offering guidance to their communities on how to use AI responsibly in academic work."
scholarlykitchen.sspnet.org/2025/10/30/g...
"...while two-thirds of libraries are exploring AI features in vendor products, only about half are offering guidance to their communities on how to use AI responsibly in academic work."
scholarlykitchen.sspnet.org/2025/10/30/g...
Guest Post — Do Academic Libraries Have a Strategy for AI? - The Scholarly Kitchen
If libraries are civic institutions that structure society’s relationship to knowledge, and generative AI is poised to reshape discovery whether libraries act or not, will library leaders will develop...
scholarlykitchen.sspnet.org
November 7, 2025 at 8:43 PM
Do Academic Libraries Have a Strategy for AI? 📚
"...while two-thirds of libraries are exploring AI features in vendor products, only about half are offering guidance to their communities on how to use AI responsibly in academic work."
scholarlykitchen.sspnet.org/2025/10/30/g...
"...while two-thirds of libraries are exploring AI features in vendor products, only about half are offering guidance to their communities on how to use AI responsibly in academic work."
scholarlykitchen.sspnet.org/2025/10/30/g...