N. Claire Askew
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nclaireaskew.bsky.social
N. Claire Askew
@nclaireaskew.bsky.social
poet, bookseller, cat mom ♏️☀️♋️🌔♉️↗️, she/her
Reposted by N. Claire Askew
“I want you to understand what it is like to live in Chicago during this time.”

aphyr.com/posts/397-i-...
November 9, 2025 at 5:26 PM
Reposted by N. Claire Askew
November 9, 2025 at 4:10 PM
Reposted by N. Claire Askew
Australia's humpback whales are doing so well that their population is expected to reach carrying capacity and plateau in the near future--they have not just reached but exceeded pre-whaling numbers. For this to happen with such a long-lived, slow-reproducing species is near miraculous. #goodnews
These whales were hunted to 150 individuals. Now there are 50,000 of them
Once hunted almost to extinction, the population of humpback whales currently migrating down Australia's east coast has bounced back and is now greater than before whaling.
www.abc.net.au
October 22, 2025 at 5:59 PM
Reposted by N. Claire Askew
just about everyone said this one was bigger than June’s, wherever they were

that factor alone is important. 3.5% feels achievable! it’s not like the administration is going to get better and make anyone less mad!
Some food for thought about yesterday. 7 million is not 3.5% — that’s more like 12 million — but if we can continue to grow and sustain yesterday’s progress the regime cannot stand.
The '3.5% rule': How a small minority can change the world
Nonviolent protests are twice as likely to succeed as armed conflicts – and those engaging a threshold of 3.5% of the population have never failed to bring about change.
www.bbc.com
October 19, 2025 at 2:55 PM
Reposted by N. Claire Askew
"Yesenia Villegas is not the politically active type.

But after federal immigration agents fatally shot her uncle, Silverio Villegas, in a traffic stop last month, she was desperate to do something."
www.wbez.org/immigration/...
To stand up to ICE agents, some Chicagoans are arming themselves with whistles
The plastic whistles have become a way to loudly resist U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and warn those who may be in danger.
www.wbez.org
October 19, 2025 at 3:38 PM
Every morning I pass an Italian restaurant on my walk to the bus stop and they’re always making what I assume are vats of marinara sauce and it smells so good. These times are so hard but there’s still the smell of garlic and onions cooking in olive oil wafting through the rainy air
October 17, 2025 at 3:47 PM
They should invent a dry shampoo that isn’t a sick joke
July 31, 2025 at 3:14 PM
Reposted by N. Claire Askew
being alive right now is completely incompatible with sanity on every level and every day i feel more and more crazy
July 27, 2025 at 7:34 PM
Reposted by N. Claire Askew
Others have said it, but I feel the need to echo it: please donate to your local PBS and NPR stations today. Puget Sound's KUOW now has a $1.4 million-dollar funding gap, and it's probably one of the better-resourced stations. This is a death blow to what remains of the free press.
July 18, 2025 at 3:11 PM
I just had a CapriSun for the first time in 20+ years and I feel like I could slam a kickball clear across the playground. I could read any Newbery Award-winning book in one hour. I could ask my crush to do the couples skate with me. I am turning into a fruit punch silver surfer and it feels amazing
July 16, 2025 at 7:56 PM
Reposted by N. Claire Askew
A government ban on Hungary’s Pride parade backfired Saturday as over 100,000 people marched through Budapest, far more than usual

PM Viktor Orban warned people to stay away, threatening “clear legal consequences.” But the warnings only turned a modest event into a mass rally against his government
June 28, 2025 at 10:46 PM
They should invent an it that ever fucking stops
June 27, 2025 at 3:14 PM
Reposted by N. Claire Askew
it would be so cool if something happened. we’re so god damn close to something happening
June 5, 2025 at 7:50 PM
Why doesn’t Portland have a leftist firearms store called Ursula K Le Gun
April 15, 2025 at 4:19 PM
Reposted by N. Claire Askew
Every thing you do, no matter how small, to remind people that the wannabe dictators are actually sad, scared, fallible little boys is helpful. The more we laugh at them, the less fearsome they are and the easier it is to wrest power back from them.

Also? These messages are effing hilarious.
April 13, 2025 at 1:40 PM
Reposted by N. Claire Askew
1 Do not obey in advance.
2 Defend institutions.

15 Contribute to good causes.
16 Learn from peers in other countries.
17 Listen for dangerous words.
18 Be calm when the unthinkable arrives.
19 Be a patriot.
20 Be as courageous as you can.
@timothysnyder.bsky.social

#OnTyranny #DoNotObeyInAdvance
February 1, 2025 at 7:11 PM
I’ve only seen film adaptations of Les Misérables & someday I’ll read the book, but I’m curious if it or any inspired work gives us the story of Valjean’s sister, for whose son he stole bread & was imprisoned. Did she live? Did her son? What was her life like? Did they find each other after 20 yrs?
April 11, 2025 at 3:53 PM
While you were at AWP, I studied the blade
March 27, 2025 at 5:53 PM
Reposted by N. Claire Askew
“I insist on being shocked. I am never going to become immune. I think that’s a kind of failure to see so much of it that you die inside. I want to be surprised and shocked every time.”
― Toni Morrison
March 26, 2025 at 11:33 PM
Reposted by N. Claire Askew
Who wants some good news?

The overwintering monarch population, which had plummeted last winter, has doubled this winter! www.worldwildlife.org/stories/east...
Eastern Monarch Butterfly Population Nearly Doubles
The population wintering in central Mexico's forests occupied 4.42 acres, up from 2.22 acres during the previous winter.
www.worldwildlife.org
March 18, 2025 at 5:32 AM
In these past few months, one of my best friends and I have made a habit of going to our local Quaker meeting and then getting a treat after and it’s been such a nourishing practice. We call it Quake and bake
March 17, 2025 at 12:55 AM
Reposted by N. Claire Askew
No printer? Most libraries will let you print 10-20 pp each day for FREE or for a minimal fee.

If you're feeling angry and helpless, take ONE action in the real world. I promise it will help. And then I hope you'll take another.
Got a printer? You can start fighting fascism. Here's a thread of things you can print and distribute. 👇

I promise doing something--even this--feels better than raging silently. And maybe it'll show you that standing up is possible and open you up to more things you can do.
March 14, 2025 at 4:16 PM
Reposted by N. Claire Askew
🚨 CALL YOUR SENATORS TODAY! 🚨

Tell them to:

1. Vote NO on Cloture

AND

2. Vote NO on the Republican spending bill.

Especially if they're Democrats.

But call and message everyone.

(Hint: if their DC office isn't taking messages, their local state office likely is.)

*please share*
a neon sign that says attention on a black background
Alt: a neon sign that says attention on a black background
media.tenor.com
March 12, 2025 at 5:13 PM