John Warner
@biblioracle.bsky.social
Writer, speaker, consultant. Chicago Tribune columnist, blogging at Inside Higher Ed. Coming soon, More Than Words: How to Think About Writing in the Age of AI. Previously: Why They Can't Write and The Writer's Practice. biblioracle.substack.com
Reposted by John Warner
"My brethren, soldiers may leap out of that statue tonight and kill me, but what’s leaping out at me right now is our total disregard for norms. What you see as an enemy threat, I see as a one-of-a-kind statue of a mare."
www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/sen...
www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/sen...
Senator Schumer Votes to Let the Big Wooden Horse into Troy
“In the wake of votes by a handful of key Democrats, led by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, to pass a GOP-led continuing resolution funding f...
www.mcsweeneys.net
November 10, 2025 at 6:25 PM
"My brethren, soldiers may leap out of that statue tonight and kill me, but what’s leaping out at me right now is our total disregard for norms. What you see as an enemy threat, I see as a one-of-a-kind statue of a mare."
www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/sen...
www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/sen...
Very open to advice on this issue. I'm not going to intervene with teachers on some student's behalf, but I would like to encourage these students to respectfully and productively self-advocate.
Because of my book and all I've published online about teaching writing I'm now hearing from some students who say that teachers are "making" them use AI on their writing assignments but they don't want to. What are the ethics? Don't want to undermine teachers, but how do I support student choice?
November 10, 2025 at 7:13 PM
Very open to advice on this issue. I'm not going to intervene with teachers on some student's behalf, but I would like to encourage these students to respectfully and productively self-advocate.
Because of my book and all I've published online about teaching writing I'm now hearing from some students who say that teachers are "making" them use AI on their writing assignments but they don't want to. What are the ethics? Don't want to undermine teachers, but how do I support student choice?
November 10, 2025 at 7:07 PM
Because of my book and all I've published online about teaching writing I'm now hearing from some students who say that teachers are "making" them use AI on their writing assignments but they don't want to. What are the ethics? Don't want to undermine teachers, but how do I support student choice?
Reposted by John Warner
The Literary Arts Fund’s 2026 general operating grant application window is now open. U.S.-based literary arts nonprofits whose primary mission is presenting, publishing, and/or otherwise directly supporting creative writers are invited to apply: literaryartsfund.org/grants/
November 10, 2025 at 4:59 PM
The Literary Arts Fund’s 2026 general operating grant application window is now open. U.S.-based literary arts nonprofits whose primary mission is presenting, publishing, and/or otherwise directly supporting creative writers are invited to apply: literaryartsfund.org/grants/
There is a run-off in my town's mayoral race where I have a preference, but not an overwhelmingly strong one. But one of the participants has been spamming my texts even after I requested he stop, so now he is my mortal enemy and I hope he loses. Vote against Elton Culpepper!
November 10, 2025 at 3:21 PM
There is a run-off in my town's mayoral race where I have a preference, but not an overwhelmingly strong one. But one of the participants has been spamming my texts even after I requested he stop, so now he is my mortal enemy and I hope he loses. Vote against Elton Culpepper!
Reposted by John Warner
I've been reading more about Ohio State's initiatives and saw this on their teaching and learning website. There are a lot of ways to help students at these early stages of the writing process but I'm not sure what problem is solved by producing "reams of raw content."
November 9, 2025 at 10:34 PM
I've been reading more about Ohio State's initiatives and saw this on their teaching and learning website. There are a lot of ways to help students at these early stages of the writing process but I'm not sure what problem is solved by producing "reams of raw content."
Reposted by John Warner
I’ve said it before but news outlets worry a lot about looking biased and not enough about looking phony.
Why should people trust you if you won’t say what they can see plain as day?
Why should people trust you if you won’t say what they can see plain as day?
"Appearing to close his eyes"
November 9, 2025 at 8:33 PM
I’ve said it before but news outlets worry a lot about looking biased and not enough about looking phony.
Why should people trust you if you won’t say what they can see plain as day?
Why should people trust you if you won’t say what they can see plain as day?
Reposted by John Warner
"New York is going to turn into a communist hellhole where poor people are barely exploitable anymore. So count me out. I’m packing up the offices of my toxic masculinity troll site and taking my miscreant talents somewhere they’ll be appreciated, like Florida or Texas."
If New York City Is No Longer Going to Be an Unaffordable Police State Run by Crooks, I’m Taking My Hard-Earned Sex-Pest Dollars Elsewhere
“New York millionaires are plotting their exit from the city after the election of Zohran Mamdani, the socialist who plans to increase the taxes of...
buff.ly
November 9, 2025 at 3:01 PM
"New York is going to turn into a communist hellhole where poor people are barely exploitable anymore. So count me out. I’m packing up the offices of my toxic masculinity troll site and taking my miscreant talents somewhere they’ll be appreciated, like Florida or Texas."
This is not a boycott. It's a choice, that when a company essentially says "fuck you," it's okay to return the favor in kind.
As a purely personal act of exercising agency against offense to my conscience and for wasting my time, I will not be reviewing Ann Patchett's next book (or any other Harper Collins book) because they took the time to pitch me a book of obvious lies. biblioracle.substack.com/p/why-i-wont...
Why I Won't be Reviewing Ann Patchett's Next Book
A futile and stupid gesture that nonetheless is important to me.
biblioracle.substack.com
November 9, 2025 at 3:01 PM
This is not a boycott. It's a choice, that when a company essentially says "fuck you," it's okay to return the favor in kind.
As a purely personal act of exercising agency against offense to my conscience and for wasting my time, I will not be reviewing Ann Patchett's next book (or any other Harper Collins book) because they took the time to pitch me a book of obvious lies. biblioracle.substack.com/p/why-i-wont...
Why I Won't be Reviewing Ann Patchett's Next Book
A futile and stupid gesture that nonetheless is important to me.
biblioracle.substack.com
November 9, 2025 at 3:00 PM
As a purely personal act of exercising agency against offense to my conscience and for wasting my time, I will not be reviewing Ann Patchett's next book (or any other Harper Collins book) because they took the time to pitch me a book of obvious lies. biblioracle.substack.com/p/why-i-wont...
I ask this because the vision for genAI ed tech is to create these super powerful tutors and "voila, everyone learns!" but teaching and learning are much more capacious experiences than 1 to 1 dialogues with your tutor.
We shouldn’t treat tutoring and teaching as interchangeable concepts, right. Aren’t they different?
November 9, 2025 at 2:49 PM
I ask this because the vision for genAI ed tech is to create these super powerful tutors and "voila, everyone learns!" but teaching and learning are much more capacious experiences than 1 to 1 dialogues with your tutor.
We shouldn’t treat tutoring and teaching as interchangeable concepts, right. Aren’t they different?
November 8, 2025 at 5:48 PM
We shouldn’t treat tutoring and teaching as interchangeable concepts, right. Aren’t they different?
I try to tell students especially that they're not doing anything "wrong" if they don't use AI. I urge them to see themselves as in the process of developing agency and part of agency, always, is choosing to refuse, particularly when you do not perceive a value to yourself.
Anyway, AI doesn’t have any value for me in anything I do. I understand this says something about *what* I do. But also? It’s only practically existed for maybe 18 months. I loved and worked almost 45 years without it so yeah, I’m cool.
November 8, 2025 at 5:03 PM
I try to tell students especially that they're not doing anything "wrong" if they don't use AI. I urge them to see themselves as in the process of developing agency and part of agency, always, is choosing to refuse, particularly when you do not perceive a value to yourself.
Reposted by John Warner
Anyway, AI doesn’t have any value for me in anything I do. I understand this says something about *what* I do. But also? It’s only practically existed for maybe 18 months. I loved and worked almost 45 years without it so yeah, I’m cool.
November 8, 2025 at 12:32 PM
Anyway, AI doesn’t have any value for me in anything I do. I understand this says something about *what* I do. But also? It’s only practically existed for maybe 18 months. I loved and worked almost 45 years without it so yeah, I’m cool.
Had a chance to talk to one of my go-to guides about how generative AI is advancing and impacting education, @marcwatkins.bsky.social. www.insidehighered.com/opinion/colu...
Agentic AI Invading the LMS and Other Things We Should Know
A Q&A with Marc Watkins, director of the AI Institute for Teachers.
www.insidehighered.com
November 7, 2025 at 1:55 PM
Had a chance to talk to one of my go-to guides about how generative AI is advancing and impacting education, @marcwatkins.bsky.social. www.insidehighered.com/opinion/colu...
The talking points on Jennings' book in the publicity materials are a fucking trip. A sensible person would have wretched when crafting them. Jennings runs a PR shop so maybe he did them himself. The HC publicity head should've done themselves a favor and opted out of sending under their name.
I have no wish to dictate what publishers do, but I also expect a modicum of care when they approach me to solicit coverage for their books. Unfortunately Harper Collins (@wmmorrowbooks.bsky.social) did not take this care in soliciting me about liar/propagandist Scott Jennings' forthcoming book
November 6, 2025 at 10:21 PM
The talking points on Jennings' book in the publicity materials are a fucking trip. A sensible person would have wretched when crafting them. Jennings runs a PR shop so maybe he did them himself. The HC publicity head should've done themselves a favor and opted out of sending under their name.
I have no wish to dictate what publishers do, but I also expect a modicum of care when they approach me to solicit coverage for their books. Unfortunately Harper Collins (@wmmorrowbooks.bsky.social) did not take this care in soliciting me about liar/propagandist Scott Jennings' forthcoming book
November 6, 2025 at 10:04 PM
I have no wish to dictate what publishers do, but I also expect a modicum of care when they approach me to solicit coverage for their books. Unfortunately Harper Collins (@wmmorrowbooks.bsky.social) did not take this care in soliciting me about liar/propagandist Scott Jennings' forthcoming book
Just one man's experience, but my workplaces where women were my supervisors and/or women outnumbered men were far more pleasant and productive places than the opposite. I had a male boss we named "neck vein" because of an anatomical feature when he would lose his shit. No corollary among the women.
November 6, 2025 at 8:26 PM
Just one man's experience, but my workplaces where women were my supervisors and/or women outnumbered men were far more pleasant and productive places than the opposite. I had a male boss we named "neck vein" because of an anatomical feature when he would lose his shit. No corollary among the women.
Reposted by John Warner
I've spent the week having a bunch of very fun getting-to-know you meetings with prospective authors, so I thought I'd share a bit of info about what I do & what I'm looking for. To start: I'm an acquisitions editor at @illinoispress.bsky.social, in charge of what's called our "regional trade list."
November 6, 2025 at 2:54 PM
I've spent the week having a bunch of very fun getting-to-know you meetings with prospective authors, so I thought I'd share a bit of info about what I do & what I'm looking for. To start: I'm an acquisitions editor at @illinoispress.bsky.social, in charge of what's called our "regional trade list."
AI is an academic freedom issue and it's good to see the MLA (and others) pushing on the fact that administrations are making unilateral decisions that should belong with others (including students). open.substack.com/pub/academic...
AI is an Academic Freedom Issue
Faculty must be given voice and choice on these matters
open.substack.com
November 6, 2025 at 1:50 PM
AI is an academic freedom issue and it's good to see the MLA (and others) pushing on the fact that administrations are making unilateral decisions that should belong with others (including students). open.substack.com/pub/academic...
Reposted by John Warner
I have a short piece about what I've learned from teaching my AI course in this @chronicle.com forum on how AI is changing higher ed, along with some very interesting reflections from others, including a lovely piece on why writing matters by @zey.bsky.social . www.chronicle.com/article/how-...
Opinion Forum | How AI Is Changing Higher Education
The technology is reshaping every aspect of university life. Fifteen scholars weigh in on what happens next.
www.chronicle.com
November 6, 2025 at 12:56 PM
I have a short piece about what I've learned from teaching my AI course in this @chronicle.com forum on how AI is changing higher ed, along with some very interesting reflections from others, including a lovely piece on why writing matters by @zey.bsky.social . www.chronicle.com/article/how-...
Reposted by John Warner
"Imagine being a single father who supports a series of younger and younger ex-wives on just a CEO’s salary, and having to tell your semi-estranged children that the caviar on their plate tomorrow night might be Osetra instead of Beluga."
It Is Cruel to Deny Food Assistance to Those Who Truly Deserve It: Corporations
“Walmart and McDonald’s are among the top employers of beneficiaries of federal aid programs like Medicaid and food stamps, according to a study by...
buff.ly
November 6, 2025 at 1:30 PM
"Imagine being a single father who supports a series of younger and younger ex-wives on just a CEO’s salary, and having to tell your semi-estranged children that the caviar on their plate tomorrow night might be Osetra instead of Beluga."
This is a great example of a technique I used to employ when I had to write something that was largely boilerplate or rote, give myself a little game to solve while producing the language. My go to was to build an acrostic down the left margin. This is next level stuff from this guy.
November 6, 2025 at 12:34 AM
This is a great example of a technique I used to employ when I had to write something that was largely boilerplate or rote, give myself a little game to solve while producing the language. My go to was to build an acrostic down the left margin. This is next level stuff from this guy.
Reposted by John Warner
"In normal times, against a normal candidate, we have no evidence that picking a friendly, relatable, likable candidate without a history of sexual abuse will work. Let’s not read too much into it."
www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/yea...
www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/yea...
Yeah, He Won, but He Was Up Against a Deeply Flawed Candidate
“I’m skeptical. The odds are that Mamdani’s victory is actually less significant than you think.” — Ross Douthat, New York Times - - -I was as surp...
www.mcsweeneys.net
November 5, 2025 at 7:27 PM
"In normal times, against a normal candidate, we have no evidence that picking a friendly, relatable, likable candidate without a history of sexual abuse will work. Let’s not read too much into it."
www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/yea...
www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/yea...
Reposted by John Warner
November 5, 2025 at 1:48 PM