Karen Russell
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karenrussell.bsky.social
Karen Russell
@karenrussell.bsky.social
980 followers 360 following 1.6K posts
Books, travel, higher ed, and PR/media.
Madison, Wisconsin
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karenrussell.bsky.social
“You’ll be visited by three spirits.”

The three spirits:
The three stooges acting up 😂
November 25, 2025 at 1:41 AM
karenrussell.bsky.social
The golden hour on Lake Mendota. At this time of year, that’s 4 pm.
A sidewalk runs beside the concrete barrier along the lake. The water is cold and dark, but the houses and trees in the distance are shining in the sunlight below a cloudless blue sky.
November 23, 2025 at 10:31 PM
karenrussell.bsky.social
The #Stunday part of this is that we still need it.
Springfield, Illinois, on the street near Lincoln’s home.
Small, shingled log cabin on wheels with Abraham Lincoln posters on the sides, including one that says “Union, Liberty, Honor.” It’s parked in the shade on a tree-lined street.
November 23, 2025 at 6:01 PM
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And here is a painting of a similar dollhouse also at the Rijksmuseum
November 23, 2025 at 2:52 AM
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#BlueskyArtShow #small the miniatures at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam!
Closeup of the interior of a dollhouse with eight rooms on three floors, and with meticulously rendered furnishings, wall and floor coverings, etc. The house is in a wood cabinet on a table so it’s easy to peer inside.
November 23, 2025 at 2:47 AM
karenrussell.bsky.social
Winding up my Art Institute of Chicago pix with Andy Warhol. Can’t wait to go back when I have more time and my good camera 📷
Warhol’s four versions of Mona Lisa done in blues and blacks Warhol’s Elizabeth Taylor, version with a green background. Her blue eye shadow and red lipstick stand out, yet she’s instantly recognizable.
November 21, 2025 at 4:40 AM
karenrussell.bsky.social
Autumn in Wisconsin
A sidewalk winds past a tree with orange leaves toward a red brick building that almost glows orange in the evening sun. To the right a black lamppost and to the right a short retaining wall with fallen leaves collecting in front of it.
November 19, 2025 at 1:26 AM
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And now for some US propaganda #ick
A series of pictures from social media (AI generated) posts featuring almost exclusively young white men with slogans such as America First and Build Your Homeland’s Future
November 18, 2025 at 1:16 AM
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Who’s with me
Me trying to remember the day of the week: … … … Me singing the lyrics to a song I heard one time in fourth grade: Picture of a Dr. Suess-style cartoon character singing with gusto and holding a roll of sheet music
November 17, 2025 at 7:44 PM
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Georgia O’Keefe’s Red Hills with Flowers and Above the Clouds (bad picture but it’s a 24’ long canvas that she painted in her garage)
November 17, 2025 at 2:19 PM
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Furniture as art. Art Institute of Chicago
A Tiffany lamp in shades of blue and green. The base is iridescent green and the shade includes the signature blue dragonflies. A Frank Lloyd Wright wood desk with inlaid squares and rectangles and two yellow sconces to light the work area
November 17, 2025 at 3:54 AM
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Three different windows at the Art Institute of Chicago: Tiffany, Frank Lloyd Wright and Chagall
November 16, 2025 at 5:44 PM
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The view down Bascom Hill today.
Looking down a slope with some trees with red and brown trees to a cluster of buildings and the state capitol building in the distance. A thin layer of white and gray clouds caps the dome, while the rest of the sky is blue.
November 16, 2025 at 12:46 AM
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My top 3, based mostly on if I like how it looks 😂 but also the stories behind them (see alt text)
Triangles and squares in shades of blue and white. This one has been well loved. A quilt that apparently came over with immigrants to Wisconsin from England. Some of the fabric is falling apart because of chemicals used in Manchester area textile mills. I like the colors of reds, browns, and blues. A red and white quilt made for the exhibit by a UW faculty member to illustrate fractals.
November 15, 2025 at 9:47 PM
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Today’s adventure: a guided tour of this exhibit at the School of Human Ecology at UW-Madison. Thankful for the guide as this is a subject I can cheerfully admit I know nothing about!
An indoor window looking into a room full of quilts in different colors and patterns, with the words FIND YOUR QUILT painted on the window. The window shows a glare from light streaming in nearby doors.
November 15, 2025 at 8:00 PM
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And here are two that I liked more after seeing them in person — the sense of actually being on the street in Paris, and the obscured colors of the rainbow that don’t show up well in a photo
Paris Street, Rainy Day by Gustave Caillebotte Greyed Rainbow by Jackson Pollack
November 15, 2025 at 4:25 PM
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Two of the more popular pieces at the art Institute
Nighthawks by Edward Hopper American Gothic by Grant Wood
November 15, 2025 at 4:18 PM
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The Thorn Miniatures are so wonderful. Little time capsules.
A wood frame with glass allows a peek into a 12/1 scale miniature room complete with rug and curtains, furniture, chandelier, fireplace, and a door leading into another furnished room in the back.
November 15, 2025 at 3:00 AM
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Started my day at the Art Institute in Chicago. Here’s the entrance (the words on the stairs were from a monk preaching religious tolerance in 1893).
Stair steps lighted by colorful words from a speech.
November 14, 2025 at 10:28 PM
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Results!
Pallets of donated dog and cat food and cat litter line the aisle in DCHS barn.
November 12, 2025 at 10:47 PM
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For #scape day I give you clouds over the Danube in Budapest
On this side of the river, trees and red roofed buildings. In the center, the river divides the city. On the other side, more buildings, mostly white, including the Hungarian parliament.
November 7, 2025 at 5:53 PM
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Haven’t read that one, and the one I did read is somewhere in here
Boxes of books stacked three high and four across 😅
November 7, 2025 at 3:55 AM
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A path in Pres. Andrew Jackson’s garden (Nashville, Tennessee).
A gravel path lined by small flowering trees that provide a little shade through a sun drenched lawn
November 7, 2025 at 2:34 AM
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Today I went to the Go Big Read event on the UW-Madison campus with author Percival Everett and hundreds of people who read his book, James. He was interviewed by UW chancellor Mnookin (and a handful of audience members). All of this is a big part of why I came back to Madison after 30+years.
The author and chancellor on the big screen. Two sign language interpreters sitting in front of the author and chancellor
November 5, 2025 at 3:17 AM
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Another #RockinTuesday from Iceland (2023). That’s water cascading through lava rock.
Foamy white water pours through gaps in black rock with some fall vegetation scattered about the edges.
November 4, 2025 at 3:34 PM