Michelle
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thegreenstudy.com
Michelle
@thegreenstudy.com
Writer, Minnesotan, Army Veteran, Bird Nerd, Parent, Spouse, Atheist, GenX. I've named the squirrels in my yard & I swear a lot.
Writing at thegreenstudy.com. She/her.
2025-26 Loft Literary Mentor Fellow in Fiction.
Ruining workplaces since 1985.
Pinned
"My heart is moved by all I cannot save: so much has been destroyed I have to cast my lot with those who age after age, perversely, with no extraordinary power, reconstitute the world."
Adrienne Rich
Oh, all the angsty New Year ruminations.

Of course I have some as well.

thegreenstudy.com/2025/12/31/2...
2026: What Will Be Helpful?
Where I Was I spent much of 2025 either numb or depressed or struggling. I am not special and I have not been alone in that state of mind. On a personal level, I’ve always had an inclination …
thegreenstudy.com
December 31, 2025 at 3:56 PM
MN is investigating and prosecuting those who were involved. We know that the vitriol directed at the Somali community and at the Governor is just the racist political icing for the fuckwit in the White House on his revenge tour.
apnews.com/article/minn...
Trump administration says it's freezing child care funds to Minnesota after series of fraud schemes
The Trump administration has announced that it is freezing child care funds to Minnesota after a series of fraud schemes in recent years.
apnews.com
December 30, 2025 at 11:43 PM
My intentions for 2026 are centered on consistency, so I sought inspirational quotes. Whoa - SO many writers decry consistency, one thinks there might be a theme. I'm all for adaptability, but mine is such that it interferes with focus. I need the opposite of that to generate work. #writingcommunity
December 29, 2025 at 12:19 PM
I hate generative AI with a white hot passion and the money pigs behind it all and the corporate twats lapping it up and snarfing it down. But Chuck Wendig says it better.
terribleminds.com/ramble/2025/...
My Open Letter To That Open Letter About AI In Writing And Publishing
The tl;dr before you get into this post is this: the SFWA came out, said that some AI usage was okay enough in books for the authors of those books to not to be disqualified from winning a Nebula a…
terribleminds.com
December 28, 2025 at 7:58 PM
It's true, I did receive a full-sized Tardis vinyl door decal as a gift. It is also true that my study is now bigger on the inside.
December 27, 2025 at 10:12 PM
The cool thing about following local presses: you start to feel affinity for places you've never been to. Me, a Minnesotan, reading Philly and Baltimore news sources and getting psyched about new art installations or local ordinance wins. I don't follow sports, but cities are apparently my jam.
December 27, 2025 at 2:37 PM
Now comes that precious time of year. Fledgling optimism for the new year flaps its wings. Lists are made, "never agains", "better than befores", "this time I'm going to do it", clear outs are done, mantras are written. Or you say fuck it, lounge in PJs and eat leftovers. We all have are own paths.
December 26, 2025 at 2:47 PM
In a shocking turn of events, this birder lost a round in Cranium because I didn't remember that a flock of flamingos is called a flamboyance. Shame, shame, I know thy name.
December 25, 2025 at 11:36 PM
Up since 4am baking a gluten-free vegan mince pie, peeling 5 lbs of potatoes, making Christmas morning cinnamon rolls. Once a year I turn into a domestic pioneer woman. Only doing it for the leftovers. No cooking for a week!
December 25, 2025 at 12:18 PM
Reposted by Michelle
I like to believe that there are thousands, nay millions, of people not telling anyone, taking no pictures, making no videos when they are kind to other humans and animals. Because that should be the default, not "amazing" or something "you won't believe!". Yup, I need to get off social media today.
December 22, 2025 at 12:42 PM
Reposted by Michelle
Trump Announces New ‘Dodger Dividend’ For Anyone Who Avoided Military Service
Trump Announces New ‘Dodger Dividend’ For Anyone Who Avoided Military Service
WASHINGTON—Praising the recipients for their acts of true American cowardice, President Donald Trump proudly announced a new “Dodger Dividend” on Wednesday night for anyone who successfully avoided mi...
theonion.com
December 21, 2025 at 5:00 PM
This whole thread made me laugh this morning.
STOP PRETENDING TO GIVE A SHIT ABOUT THE FUCKING SOLSTICE
December 21, 2025 at 10:26 AM
Workshops/Seminars/Meetings/Obligations done for a week. It's a good thing, because I need a shower, a drink, a nap, 45 blankets, and noise cancelling everything.
thegreenstudy.com/2025/12/20/h...
Home for the Holidays: You Can’t Make Me Go Anywhere Else
I hope that you and yours are safe, healthy, and happy, but my guess is that a lot of you aren’t. As I lean into my harrumphedness with each passing year, I find it difficult to blithely spew…
thegreenstudy.com
December 21, 2025 at 12:25 AM
I've reached the final stage of the year. Burnout & decompression. I was just reminded by a member of my writing workshop that I had not, indeed, sent the link for the workshop tomorrow. It would have just been me and my PowerPoint presentation. That seems about right.
December 19, 2025 at 10:32 PM
Reposted by Michelle
PEN/Barbey #FreedomToWrite Awardee Narges Mohammadi is still unjustly detained a week after her violent arrest in Iran. We demand the Iranian government release her and others jailed for their expression, and allow access to lawyers and medical care. pen.org/press-releas...
December 19, 2025 at 7:05 PM
Reposted by Michelle
It’s my birthday today so you have to share my stupid lil newsletter. That’s the law. www.patreon.com/posts/dingus...
Dingus of the week: Dagen McDowell | Men Yell at Me by Lyz Lenz
Get more from Men Yell at Me by Lyz Lenz on Patreon
www.patreon.com
December 19, 2025 at 1:50 PM
Argh - white people whinging about job discrimination. You didn't get a job because you're mediocre, they didn't like you, they had to IV outside before hiring the internal, they googled your stupid ass and found out what a complete doink you are. Whatever. You're not special. Life is not fair.
December 19, 2025 at 1:47 PM
A friend sent me a poem about gun violence in America and then I read this piece. Some days are for weeping.

www.rollingstone.com/politics/pol...
Melissa Hortman Died in a Shocking Act of Political Violence. This Is the Story of Her Life
Melissa Hortman died in a shocking act of political violence. This is her story
www.rollingstone.com
December 18, 2025 at 6:29 PM
Reposted by Michelle
Since we began tallying school book bans in 2021, thousands of books have been targeted repeatedly – as many as 147X for @johngreensbluesky.bsky.social’s Looking for Alaska and 142 for @jodipicoult.bsky.social’s Nineteen Minutes.

These Are The Top 52 Banned Books Since 2021: pen.org/top-52-banne...
Top 52 Banned Books: The Most Banned Books in U.S. Schools
The 52 most banned books of the last four school years include National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize winners.
pen.org
December 16, 2025 at 9:37 PM