Jake Varn
@jakevarn.bsky.social
Working on internet policy at Pew.
Elsewhere writing fiction - stories in Vita & the Woolf and The Rathalla Review.
Elsewhere writing fiction - stories in Vita & the Woolf and The Rathalla Review.
Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein but the monster is the cobbled together corpse of the Iowa Democratic party
November 11, 2025 at 8:41 PM
Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein but the monster is the cobbled together corpse of the Iowa Democratic party
I'm a complete sucker for Callan Winks nature descriptions. From his new book Beartooth:
“They crossed the river on the Cinnabar bridge, the water low and clear, a gray line on the rocks like a bathtub ring where the water had receded since the early summer snowmelt.”
And this whole page really:
“They crossed the river on the Cinnabar bridge, the water low and clear, a gray line on the rocks like a bathtub ring where the water had receded since the early summer snowmelt.”
And this whole page really:
November 7, 2025 at 7:32 PM
I'm a complete sucker for Callan Winks nature descriptions. From his new book Beartooth:
“They crossed the river on the Cinnabar bridge, the water low and clear, a gray line on the rocks like a bathtub ring where the water had receded since the early summer snowmelt.”
And this whole page really:
“They crossed the river on the Cinnabar bridge, the water low and clear, a gray line on the rocks like a bathtub ring where the water had receded since the early summer snowmelt.”
And this whole page really:
You'd think he'd have to start swimming to get there.
June 3, 2025 at 1:22 AM
You'd think he'd have to start swimming to get there.
Waiting around at a Verizon store and just tearing through Rita Bullwinkle's HEADSHOT.
I'm a sucker for these brutal switches between the characters literally getting pummelled in the face to remembering the worst shit they've ever seen in their lives.
I'm a sucker for these brutal switches between the characters literally getting pummelled in the face to remembering the worst shit they've ever seen in their lives.
May 31, 2025 at 7:26 PM
Waiting around at a Verizon store and just tearing through Rita Bullwinkle's HEADSHOT.
I'm a sucker for these brutal switches between the characters literally getting pummelled in the face to remembering the worst shit they've ever seen in their lives.
I'm a sucker for these brutal switches between the characters literally getting pummelled in the face to remembering the worst shit they've ever seen in their lives.
Back yard fence sustained minor wounds
May 17, 2025 at 2:19 AM
Back yard fence sustained minor wounds
Wind ripped through DC for like 5 minutes today and took down a tree at the end of the block
May 17, 2025 at 2:18 AM
Wind ripped through DC for like 5 minutes today and took down a tree at the end of the block
For context, the Digital Equity Act was appropriated by IIJA and funding is split between an allocation to states/territories and a competitive program for business/nonprofits/other government entities. It supports things like trainings on how to navigate online tools, like banking or telehealth.
May 8, 2025 at 10:20 PM
For context, the Digital Equity Act was appropriated by IIJA and funding is split between an allocation to states/territories and a competitive program for business/nonprofits/other government entities. It supports things like trainings on how to navigate online tools, like banking or telehealth.
A common DC talking point is there are too many disparate broadband programs. The GAO tallied 133 across 15 agencies.
But when you look under the hood, you see internet/devices are just one of many eligible uses of $ in broader programs. For the Dept. of Education this is what it means in reality:
But when you look under the hood, you see internet/devices are just one of many eligible uses of $ in broader programs. For the Dept. of Education this is what it means in reality:
April 15, 2025 at 1:58 PM
A common DC talking point is there are too many disparate broadband programs. The GAO tallied 133 across 15 agencies.
But when you look under the hood, you see internet/devices are just one of many eligible uses of $ in broader programs. For the Dept. of Education this is what it means in reality:
But when you look under the hood, you see internet/devices are just one of many eligible uses of $ in broader programs. For the Dept. of Education this is what it means in reality:
My haul from the @barrelhouse.bsky.social conference in DC this weekend.
Lot of great readings / workshops from @tmcallister.bsky.social @andrewbertaina.bsky.social @housleydave.bsky.social @katehasthoughts.bsky.social @writesloud.bsky.social
Lot of great readings / workshops from @tmcallister.bsky.social @andrewbertaina.bsky.social @housleydave.bsky.social @katehasthoughts.bsky.social @writesloud.bsky.social
April 13, 2025 at 7:51 PM
My haul from the @barrelhouse.bsky.social conference in DC this weekend.
Lot of great readings / workshops from @tmcallister.bsky.social @andrewbertaina.bsky.social @housleydave.bsky.social @katehasthoughts.bsky.social @writesloud.bsky.social
Lot of great readings / workshops from @tmcallister.bsky.social @andrewbertaina.bsky.social @housleydave.bsky.social @katehasthoughts.bsky.social @writesloud.bsky.social
My neighbor's house burned down last night and my sister in law put her dog down this morning and when I got to this section of the article I had to take a walk around the block
March 28, 2025 at 7:40 PM
My neighbor's house burned down last night and my sister in law put her dog down this morning and when I got to this section of the article I had to take a walk around the block
Just a brutal end to a chapter from @garthgreenwell.bsky.social, almost the upside down version of Jack Gilbert's "Manger of Incidentals"
March 2, 2025 at 4:07 PM
Just a brutal end to a chapter from @garthgreenwell.bsky.social, almost the upside down version of Jack Gilbert's "Manger of Incidentals"
Also snow day with the pup
February 27, 2025 at 1:58 AM
Also snow day with the pup
New to shooting with film but got a point-and-shoot Olympus Pen EE3 over the holidays and finally got a few rolls developed.
Had to get some shots of my favorite DC monument (RFK stadium) before it's too late.
Had to get some shots of my favorite DC monument (RFK stadium) before it's too late.
February 27, 2025 at 1:54 AM
New to shooting with film but got a point-and-shoot Olympus Pen EE3 over the holidays and finally got a few rolls developed.
Had to get some shots of my favorite DC monument (RFK stadium) before it's too late.
Had to get some shots of my favorite DC monument (RFK stadium) before it's too late.
Catching up on the new episode of Severance
February 8, 2025 at 3:57 PM
Catching up on the new episode of Severance
A real life version of the "so say it" clip
January 28, 2025 at 5:38 AM
A real life version of the "so say it" clip
One day in and we're already back to the "staring at empty podiums for an hour and listening to camera operators chatting over the live mics while waiting to see if the policy area you work on will dramatically change" portion of the administration.
January 21, 2025 at 9:58 PM
One day in and we're already back to the "staring at empty podiums for an hour and listening to camera operators chatting over the live mics while waiting to see if the policy area you work on will dramatically change" portion of the administration.
Lord please, I've seen what you've done for others
January 19, 2025 at 5:06 AM
Lord please, I've seen what you've done for others
I think I've missed the window for end of the year reflections, but after trying to write short stories for the past ~12 years, I was pretty proud to have one published back in July (and then a second just a few months later!).
Thanks to Vita & the Woolf for printing my first story, "Butterscotch"
Thanks to Vita & the Woolf for printing my first story, "Butterscotch"
January 7, 2025 at 5:29 PM
I think I've missed the window for end of the year reflections, but after trying to write short stories for the past ~12 years, I was pretty proud to have one published back in July (and then a second just a few months later!).
Thanks to Vita & the Woolf for printing my first story, "Butterscotch"
Thanks to Vita & the Woolf for printing my first story, "Butterscotch"
Snow dog, in his element.
January 7, 2025 at 4:16 PM
Snow dog, in his element.
From my new story published in the Rathalla Review - Saturday Night in Trader Joe's
www.rathallareview.org/post/2024-fa...
www.rathallareview.org/post/2024-fa...
December 28, 2024 at 7:08 PM
From my new story published in the Rathalla Review - Saturday Night in Trader Joe's
www.rathallareview.org/post/2024-fa...
www.rathallareview.org/post/2024-fa...
A bit close to home:
"to go around saying Negroni this and Negroni that, it gives them this little frisson. This was the consumerist small-talk phase of the party, and I was meant to say something nice about, for example, his Restoration hardware cocktail shaker."
Chris Knapp, STATES OF EMERGENCY
"to go around saying Negroni this and Negroni that, it gives them this little frisson. This was the consumerist small-talk phase of the party, and I was meant to say something nice about, for example, his Restoration hardware cocktail shaker."
Chris Knapp, STATES OF EMERGENCY
December 26, 2024 at 6:46 PM
A bit close to home:
"to go around saying Negroni this and Negroni that, it gives them this little frisson. This was the consumerist small-talk phase of the party, and I was meant to say something nice about, for example, his Restoration hardware cocktail shaker."
Chris Knapp, STATES OF EMERGENCY
"to go around saying Negroni this and Negroni that, it gives them this little frisson. This was the consumerist small-talk phase of the party, and I was meant to say something nice about, for example, his Restoration hardware cocktail shaker."
Chris Knapp, STATES OF EMERGENCY
LinkedIn sends notifications that would have sent High School me into an anxiety coma
December 23, 2024 at 11:24 PM
LinkedIn sends notifications that would have sent High School me into an anxiety coma