Tom McAllister
@tmcallister.bsky.social
Author of novels HOW TO BE SAFE and THE YOUNG WIDOWER'S HANDBOOK, and essay collection IT ALL FELT IMPOSSIBLE.
Co-host of Book Fight! podcast (RIP). @Barrelhouse.bsky.social NF Editor. Rutgers-Camden MFA faculty. South Jersey.
Tom.mcallister.ws
Co-host of Book Fight! podcast (RIP). @Barrelhouse.bsky.social NF Editor. Rutgers-Camden MFA faculty. South Jersey.
Tom.mcallister.ws
Pinned
Tom McAllister
@tmcallister.bsky.social
· May 14
My book, IT ALL FELT IMPOSSIBLE, in which I wrote a short essay for each year of my life, is officially out today (paperback & ebook). I think it's the best writing I've ever done, the most I've ever sounded like myself on the page.
Full details, reviews, etc: rosemetalpress.com/books/it-all...
Full details, reviews, etc: rosemetalpress.com/books/it-all...
When I was in 8th grade my school put out a "literary magazine" and my favorite contribution was a poem by a 4th grader named P. DiMauro that went:
"I'm bigger
So you have to do
What I say"
Anyway I think that kind of sums up the day's news
"I'm bigger
So you have to do
What I say"
Anyway I think that kind of sums up the day's news
January 3, 2026 at 1:39 PM
When I was in 8th grade my school put out a "literary magazine" and my favorite contribution was a poem by a 4th grader named P. DiMauro that went:
"I'm bigger
So you have to do
What I say"
Anyway I think that kind of sums up the day's news
"I'm bigger
So you have to do
What I say"
Anyway I think that kind of sums up the day's news
Been to the Atocha station twice this week, no sign of Ben Lerner anywhere. Man was telling the truth
January 2, 2026 at 9:25 PM
Been to the Atocha station twice this week, no sign of Ben Lerner anywhere. Man was telling the truth
Been in Spain a week and have not seen a *single* person in Philly sports gear, have never gone this long on a vacation without a Phils hat or a go Birds or, less often, an AI jersey or something
January 1, 2026 at 9:36 PM
Been in Spain a week and have not seen a *single* person in Philly sports gear, have never gone this long on a vacation without a Phils hat or a go Birds or, less often, an AI jersey or something
We're really doing fascinating work with the word "sincerely" these days
January 1, 2026 at 9:35 PM
We're really doing fascinating work with the word "sincerely" these days
Oh fuck I got too drunk last night & made a resolution to be incredibly annoying all year, to be a constant pain in the ass to my loved ones, to be the kind of guy who shows up 45 minutes late to everything and doesn't look stressed about it, a guy who won't stop talking about Maynard James Keenan
January 1, 2026 at 10:22 AM
Oh fuck I got too drunk last night & made a resolution to be incredibly annoying all year, to be a constant pain in the ass to my loved ones, to be the kind of guy who shows up 45 minutes late to everything and doesn't look stressed about it, a guy who won't stop talking about Maynard James Keenan
Reposted by Tom McAllister
Seven years ago I said this was the way to do it and no one listened. Now I’m thinking ahead about taking matters into my own hands
January 1, 2026 at 3:37 AM
Seven years ago I said this was the way to do it and no one listened. Now I’m thinking ahead about taking matters into my own hands
Here in Madrid it's already 2026 and we've all agreed only good news all year, just fyi
December 31, 2025 at 11:44 PM
Here in Madrid it's already 2026 and we've all agreed only good news all year, just fyi
The next president absolutely has to make it mandatory to commit people to intensive inpatient psych hospitals the moment they start speaking like this
Decades of the white nationalist movement evolving to adapt to current political trends has brought them to this moment.
December 30, 2025 at 12:48 PM
The next president absolutely has to make it mandatory to commit people to intensive inpatient psych hospitals the moment they start speaking like this
Reposted by Tom McAllister
Hate freeloaders who join in the New Year's Eve countdown for the last 10 seconds. I've been doing this all year. Where were you back in May
December 30, 2025 at 11:32 AM
Hate freeloaders who join in the New Year's Eve countdown for the last 10 seconds. I've been doing this all year. Where were you back in May
Maybe it's just me but around this time I always like to look back and do what I call "a year in review," kind of remembering the things that have occurred. Has anyone else heard of this?
December 30, 2025 at 11:46 AM
Maybe it's just me but around this time I always like to look back and do what I call "a year in review," kind of remembering the things that have occurred. Has anyone else heard of this?
Reposted by Tom McAllister
Hey look I wrote about birds
Day 3 of our gathering brings @tmcallister.bsky.social, @feed-me-poetry.bsky.social, @sidsibo.bsky.social, Kathleen Hellen, @philippabowe.bsky.social, Kathryn Edie, @iamchrisscott.bsky.social, Michael Colonnese, David Capps, & @sarahstarrmurphy.bsky.social. necessaryfiction.com/stories/poin...
December 28, 2025 at 4:45 PM
Hey look I wrote about birds
This post begins as a brag but ends as a suicide note:
On a private tour of a Catalonian vineyard (beautiful, extraordinary), the guide said "Tom, you remind me of an influencer I like." Then showed me a pic of Bryan Johnson, the tech freak who's pursuing immortality by measuring his night erections
On a private tour of a Catalonian vineyard (beautiful, extraordinary), the guide said "Tom, you remind me of an influencer I like." Then showed me a pic of Bryan Johnson, the tech freak who's pursuing immortality by measuring his night erections
December 28, 2025 at 4:50 PM
This post begins as a brag but ends as a suicide note:
On a private tour of a Catalonian vineyard (beautiful, extraordinary), the guide said "Tom, you remind me of an influencer I like." Then showed me a pic of Bryan Johnson, the tech freak who's pursuing immortality by measuring his night erections
On a private tour of a Catalonian vineyard (beautiful, extraordinary), the guide said "Tom, you remind me of an influencer I like." Then showed me a pic of Bryan Johnson, the tech freak who's pursuing immortality by measuring his night erections
Hey look I wrote about birds
Day 3 of our gathering brings @tmcallister.bsky.social, @feed-me-poetry.bsky.social, @sidsibo.bsky.social, Kathleen Hellen, @philippabowe.bsky.social, Kathryn Edie, @iamchrisscott.bsky.social, Michael Colonnese, David Capps, & @sarahstarrmurphy.bsky.social. necessaryfiction.com/stories/poin...
December 28, 2025 at 4:45 PM
Hey look I wrote about birds
Reposted by Tom McAllister
Starting a cult around the idea adults don't need every twitch of youth culture explained to them. Why are kids moving their hands up and down, saying things that make no sense? Because they're fucking babies. They've just discovered their hands and don't have language yet. Go read a goddamn book.
December 24, 2025 at 10:04 PM
Starting a cult around the idea adults don't need every twitch of youth culture explained to them. Why are kids moving their hands up and down, saying things that make no sense? Because they're fucking babies. They've just discovered their hands and don't have language yet. Go read a goddamn book.
going on 10 years of being mad as hell every time I see something like this on a submission guideline page
December 24, 2025 at 1:25 AM
going on 10 years of being mad as hell every time I see something like this on a submission guideline page
Reposted by Tom McAllister
With MFA app deadline coming up, I've been getting lots of emails from prospective students about the state the Rutgers-Camden program; please note that we are once again FULLY funded, with strong assurances of continued full funding moving forward. We're not going anywhere.
we are back in business, folks
mfa.camden.rutgers.edu
mfa.camden.rutgers.edu
December 23, 2025 at 1:15 PM
With MFA app deadline coming up, I've been getting lots of emails from prospective students about the state the Rutgers-Camden program; please note that we are once again FULLY funded, with strong assurances of continued full funding moving forward. We're not going anywhere.
In addition to all the bigger issues here I am astounded by how much this guy built his entire life around being into sex crimes. He's like a model train guy, but for human trafficking
DOJ briefly uploaded this letter from Jeff Epstein to serial child molester Larry Nassar:
"Our president shares our love of young, nubile girls. When a young beauty walked by he loved to 'grab snatch,' whereas we ended up snatching grub in the mess halls of the system."
"Our president shares our love of young, nubile girls. When a young beauty walked by he loved to 'grab snatch,' whereas we ended up snatching grub in the mess halls of the system."
December 23, 2025 at 3:08 PM
In addition to all the bigger issues here I am astounded by how much this guy built his entire life around being into sex crimes. He's like a model train guy, but for human trafficking
With MFA app deadline coming up, I've been getting lots of emails from prospective students about the state the Rutgers-Camden program; please note that we are once again FULLY funded, with strong assurances of continued full funding moving forward. We're not going anywhere.
we are back in business, folks
mfa.camden.rutgers.edu
mfa.camden.rutgers.edu
December 23, 2025 at 1:15 PM
With MFA app deadline coming up, I've been getting lots of emails from prospective students about the state the Rutgers-Camden program; please note that we are once again FULLY funded, with strong assurances of continued full funding moving forward. We're not going anywhere.
Now that there's precedent for a pro team making a slow 44 year old their starting QB, I know that I've got one more year of NFL eligibility left in me and am preparing accordingly
December 23, 2025 at 2:46 AM
Now that there's precedent for a pro team making a slow 44 year old their starting QB, I know that I've got one more year of NFL eligibility left in me and am preparing accordingly
Reposted by Tom McAllister
some of you have a lot of negative things to say about avatar, but if a limey bloke was telling you to 'av a tár (2022) I bet you'd go with it
December 22, 2025 at 7:15 PM
some of you have a lot of negative things to say about avatar, but if a limey bloke was telling you to 'av a tár (2022) I bet you'd go with it
Reposted by Tom McAllister
Any time Eagles fans are impugned as a group, the individual casting aspersions should recognize that they are actually insulting international icon and hero, Malala Yousafzai.
In a brief post shared with her 3.7 million Instagram followers, Malala Yousafzai looked back fondly on her travels to Egypt, Greece, Tanzania, and Ireland. She also wore an Eagles T-shirt in one of her photos. Go Birds.
🔗 www.inquirer.com/news/eagles-...
🔗 www.inquirer.com/news/eagles-...
December 22, 2025 at 6:25 PM
Any time Eagles fans are impugned as a group, the individual casting aspersions should recognize that they are actually insulting international icon and hero, Malala Yousafzai.
Reposted by Tom McAllister
CBS didn't run the 60 Minutes segment on CECOT, but over here at @propublica.org we've been working on the story since March, including finding out who each and every man sent to that maximum security prison was.
You can see our reporting here: www.propublica.org/series/depor...
You can see our reporting here: www.propublica.org/series/depor...
Deported and Imprisoned Archives
A case-by-case investigation that examines the Trump administration’s claims that these immigrants are all “sick criminals” and “terrorists” and that shows what they suffered during months in one of t...
www.propublica.org
December 22, 2025 at 4:08 PM
CBS didn't run the 60 Minutes segment on CECOT, but over here at @propublica.org we've been working on the story since March, including finding out who each and every man sent to that maximum security prison was.
You can see our reporting here: www.propublica.org/series/depor...
You can see our reporting here: www.propublica.org/series/depor...
Extremely bluesky situation in the replies to this normal post, we've got everything from melting down about paywalls to people scolding Alex for defending fascism
if you are one of the many people insisting that she is nothing more than a vile propagandist who is at CBS solely to do the bidding of the administration, I would recommend reading this piece which provides the fullest picture of what she's actually up to nymag.com/intelligence...
Bari Weiss in Wonderland
Her exile in Hollywood paved the way for a triumphant return to New York.
nymag.com
December 22, 2025 at 3:40 PM
Extremely bluesky situation in the replies to this normal post, we've got everything from melting down about paywalls to people scolding Alex for defending fascism
Used to be that the coolest thing a guy could do was answer the phone by saying "talk to me." Hardly ever happens these days. A big loss.
December 21, 2025 at 6:44 PM
Used to be that the coolest thing a guy could do was answer the phone by saying "talk to me." Hardly ever happens these days. A big loss.
looking forward to this series, and not just because I have a very small piece in it
I've had a great time selecting some pieces to mark the solstice and year's end at @necessaryfiction.com, and am grateful to the writers who shared their work. Here is the first gathering of lights, with three more to follow in the days ahead.
Points of light, day 1 – Necessary Fiction
necessaryfiction.com
December 21, 2025 at 2:35 PM
looking forward to this series, and not just because I have a very small piece in it