Rae Spencer
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raespencer.bsky.social
Rae Spencer
@raespencer.bsky.social
67 followers 160 following 47 posts
Writer. Reader. Quote hoarder. Easily distracted by cats and shiny objects. Often anxious, sometimes depressed, always awkward. she/her

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raespencer.bsky.social
Rae Spencer @raespencer.bsky.social · Dec 4
Pinning my second poetry collection, Alchemy (Kelsay Books, 2024). Yes, it has pins on the cover. Yes, that's why I'm pinning it.

raespencer.com/alchemy/

(The image associated with this link shows a portion of Alchemy's cover, which features pendants, pins, and other jewelry and trinkets.)
Alchemy
August 2024, Kelsay Books Drawn from my experiences and educations as a science student, veterinarian, and writer, Alchemy expresses my longing to bridge the divides between scientific knowledge an…
raespencer.com
raespencer.bsky.social
Writing about another writer's writing is, for me, an anxious process. My OCD circuitry is infinite loops with finite exit functions, and I get stuck in edit cycles with every project. But reviews are a whole different level of responsibility. (1/7)
#books #bookreviews #writing #poetry
November 29, 2025 at 10:50 PM
raespencer.bsky.social
I have a confused relationship with these holidays. Stress, anxiety, nostalgia, overload, silly gifts, glitter, guilt, and that earworm jazz riff from the Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack.

I want to hide but also be present. Not wholly present, just present enough to breathe.

#addHerper
Surface-level photograph of a mostly submerged bullfrog in our small dragonfly pond. The frog is resting with only its eyes and nose above water. It is surrounded by young water lily leaves, which are shades of purple and brown, along with mature green and yellow leaves, as well as floating mats of green algae. The frog's prominent eyes are opened wide. Its oval irises are brown and shiny, speckled with gold and edged with pale yellow. The frog's skin is smooth and dry, over its nose, and has a dark coloration with green highlights.
November 26, 2025 at 10:21 PM
raespencer.bsky.social
My childhood sky, in Tennessee, was filled with barn swallows. They nested in our sheds and barn, as well as under the bridge that spanned our little creek. Any birds hunting insects, mid-air and near sunset, were barn swallows by default.

(Note: The birds in this photo are not barn swallows!) 🪶
Photograph of two small birds in flight. The birds have pale feathers on their chests and abdomen, with darker feathers across their backs and wings. In this photo, one bird is captured mid-dive while the second bird is veering into a steep climb. The background sky is a deep cloudless blue, making sharp contrast against the gold-tinged sunlight reflecting off the birds.
November 26, 2025 at 2:42 AM
raespencer.bsky.social
I was a ruthless plagiarist, in elementary, and spent years ransacking our children's encyclopedias. My favorite entry was the Roseate Spoonbill. I traced that bird so often it fell out and had to be taped back into place. All of this is to say that I love this image, despite its grainy flaws. 🪶
Grainy and poorly focused image of a juvenile Roseate Spoonbill. The long-legged bird has very pale pink feathers, a long neck, and a long bill that broadens into a rounded, flat "spatulate" shape at the tip, perfect for scooping through mud and silt underneath the shallow waters it favors for wading. Here, the bird is wading through a fall landscape of yellows, browns, and greens.
November 19, 2025 at 1:08 AM
raespencer.bsky.social
A long time ago, in a refuge not so far away, I happened upon an otter enjoying a dust bath on a gravel path...

#BackBayWildlifeRefuge #otter #addMam
Photograph of an otter resting on a gravel path. The otter is looking at the camera, alert and ready to flee if I prove threatening. The otter has a long muzzle; short ears; a long, limber back; dense, sleek hair; short legs; and a long tail. The gravel path is bordered by mown grass and a tall verge of reeds. The reeds are casting long shadows across the path.
November 15, 2025 at 9:28 PM
raespencer.bsky.social
Archive housekeeping means rediscovering images that were saved for a specific purpose, then realizing I forgot the specific purpose.

I remember every mistake I ever made, but I can't remember what I meant to say about this end-of-day silhouette of birds roosting in a pine tree...

#addBirder
A flock of birds settles into a tall pine at Bay Back Wildlife Refuge in Virginia Beach, VA. Most of the birds, too numerous to count, have settled in rows along the tree's sparse branches, though some are still circling. The tree is part of a coastal tree line, and it has a tiered canopy made of long bare branches that splay into dense clusters of needles at the tips. The image was taken near sunset, so the trees and birds are contrasting silhouettes against a pale sky tinged with orange.
November 9, 2025 at 6:38 PM
raespencer.bsky.social
In late July, the neighborhood crows spent most of a morning shouting "danger!" about a branch in a nearby tree. I was intrigued enough to snap a few frames, but I didn't see the owl until I downloaded the photos. If I wasn't so tired from adulting, this year, I'd turn this owl into a poem.
Photo of an owl perched on a high branch in a tree. A thick screen of leaves obscures much of the owl, but its eyes are visible, looking into the lens. I didn't see the owl, as I was taking this photo, but I'm guessing that it saw me. The owl's feathers are shades of gray and brown, mostly mottled-looking but with striping around its face.
November 3, 2025 at 9:29 PM
raespencer.bsky.social
A new blog post! (In fairness, it's longer than a five minute read. I haven't learned, yet, how to correct the automatic "5 minute read" note...)
Focusing on Mallards Part VI: States claim the game
'When you have killed all your own birds, Mr. Bingley,' said her mother, 'I beg you will come here, and shoot as many as you please on Mr. Bennet's manor. I am sure he will be vastly happy to oblige you, and will save all the best of the covies for you.' –from Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen Content Warning…
raespencer.com
October 23, 2025 at 6:02 PM
raespencer.bsky.social
Still blogging about the Mallards...

raespencer.com/2025/08/08/f...
Focusing on Mallards Part V: Hunting by the Numbers
Content Warning: This multi-part blog post contains references to hunting, agriculture, and research practices of killing birds. This installment contains a photograph of a duck hunter with his kil…
raespencer.com
August 9, 2025 at 4:45 PM
raespencer.bsky.social
I am amazed by this deeply thoughtful review of Alchemy (my latest poetry collection) posted at North of Oxford. I am honored that the reviewer spent so much time with my writing.

northofoxford.wordpress.com/2025/03/02/a...
Alchemy by Rae Spencer
By John Zheng Released by Kelsay Books in August 2024, Rae Spencer’s Alchemy is a rare collection of poetry that helps develop a reader’s imagination through reading. Just skimming the titles of po…
northofoxford.wordpress.com
March 11, 2025 at 8:14 PM
Reposted by Rae Spencer
splcenter.org
Black history is U.S. history – and we must safeguard it for our children. #BlackHistoryMonth

Starting with the U.S.'s history of slavery, this #LearningForJustice resource can help you teach this complex history in honest, age-appropriate ways: www.learningforjustice.org/talking-to-c...
February 24, 2025 at 9:28 PM
raespencer.bsky.social
Entry/reentry? Video taken in Virginia Beach, 4 February 2025, about 6:20PM.
February 5, 2025 at 12:09 AM
Reposted by Rae Spencer
polgreen.bsky.social
It is truly wild that it is estimated that more than 20 million people died of Covid and the prevailing vibe is that the world overreacted. That is an astonishing toll! More people died of Covid in the US than in the Civil War. www.pbs.org/newshour/hea...
5 years after it appeared, things we know and still don't know about COVID
Five years after the virus that causes COVID emerged in China it still holds some mysteries.
www.pbs.org
January 4, 2025 at 10:47 PM
raespencer.bsky.social
"Expansion" from Alchemy. Saturday book feature at Autumn Sky Poetry Daily.

I probably shouldn't have favorites, among my published works, but this poem is one of my favorites.

#poetry #naturepoetry #sciencepoetry #writing #books

autumnskypoetrydaily.com/2025/01/04/s...
Saturday book feature — Alchemy by by Rae Spencer
Expansion by Rae Spencer from Alchemy (Kelsey Books 2024)
autumnskypoetrydaily.com
January 4, 2025 at 7:14 PM
raespencer.bsky.social
In my experience, resolutions are failure traps. Especially mid-winter resolutions. I might be more tempted to join in if this holiday synchronized with spring, but winter is my sleepy season. Anyone else?

Here's a ladybug. It is likely more resolute than I am, today.
Eye-level photo of a ladybug resting in bright sunshine on a weathered wooden plank. The ladybug is orange with black spots over its rounded back. Its head is black with white spots on either side that give the illusion of eyes. The sun's angle is low enough that the ladybug has a prominent shadow. The wooden plank has flecks of peeling white paint, mostly worn away. The blurred background is a winter-bare yard and a weathered wooden privacy fence.
January 1, 2025 at 5:48 PM
raespencer.bsky.social
This little sapsucker seemed happy to have unobstructed access to its sap wells today, after I took down the tree's strands of lights. We're having a spell of warm weather, which meant the sap wells were overflowing. By the time I finished taking down the lights, I was sticking to everything.
December 28, 2024 at 10:58 PM
Reposted by Rae Spencer
thinkingautism.com
.@propublica.org, whom we respect, recently published an @anniewaldman.bsky.social article about ABA therapy being denied to autistic children and their families by insurance companies. It was then re-shared via @cnn.com Let's talk about how this article missed the mark, on several points. 1/
December 15, 2024 at 7:21 PM
raespencer.bsky.social
Today's frustration is a new autoinjector med and the US med/pharm industry's refusal to accept accountability for safe sharps handling and disposal.

I typed and deleted a lot of other words for this post. Words that solved nothing and helped no one.

Here's a bee.
Macro photograph of a small bee perched on a clump of furled pink blossoms. The bee is facing the lens. Its head is in focus. It has pale fuzz across most of its face, large dark eyes that are reflecting the sky, and small serrated mandibles. Its thorax has a bald spot between the shiny joints where its wings attach. Fine grains of pollen are visible on the bald area. The pink blossoms, just beginning to open, are produced by Joe Pye Weed, which is a pollinator favorite in our yard. I don't know the bee's species, only that it appears to be one of the solitary-type visitors that I lump into an "unknown mason bee" file in my brain's software.
December 12, 2024 at 6:47 PM
Reposted by Rae Spencer
chanda.blacksky.app
I don’t even know where to begin with what it means to be without Nikki Giovanni.

Dear Nikki, Grappling with your work brought out the best writing I have ever done.

You were a Martian, born in Knoxville, TN. May you rest in peace, #NikkiGiovanni.

thebaffler.com/salvos/becom...
Becoming Martian | Chanda Prescod-Weinstein
How can we imagine leaving Earth’s surface and making a livable home elsewhere when we can’t even get it right here?
thebaffler.com
December 10, 2024 at 2:56 AM
raespencer.bsky.social
I've been saving this photo sequence of an emerging #damselfly for a blog post, but I have too many other blog posts that I want to do, first. So...here's a seven-part damselfly thread! 1/7
A tan damselfly nymph has climbed out of the water and is resting at the edge of a round, waxy green waterlily leaf before molting into its final winged form. The nymph is long and thin with large eyes. Four tube-like structures on its back, attached at the thorax, are harbingers of wings. It has six legs on its relatively short thorax and a long segmented abdomen with a tuft of gills that look like a bristly tail.
December 7, 2024 at 1:23 AM
raespencer.bsky.social
Pinning my second poetry collection, Alchemy (Kelsay Books, 2024). Yes, it has pins on the cover. Yes, that's why I'm pinning it.

raespencer.com/alchemy/

(The image associated with this link shows a portion of Alchemy's cover, which features pendants, pins, and other jewelry and trinkets.)
Alchemy
August 2024, Kelsay Books Drawn from my experiences and educations as a science student, veterinarian, and writer, Alchemy expresses my longing to bridge the divides between scientific knowledge an…
raespencer.com
December 4, 2024 at 9:51 PM
raespencer.bsky.social
Today I have no words of my own. I have, instead, an old sunset photo and one of my favorite #poems, "Learning How to Pray" by Cathy Smith Bowers at r.kv.r.y quarterly literary journal.

rkvryquarterly.com/learning-how...
A pale sunset landscape with silhouettes of pine trees, live oaks, and a passing flock of birds. A few high, thin clouds and contrails reflect light from the sun, which is already below the horizon. Image taken in late November 2021 at Back Bay Wildlife Refuge.
December 2, 2024 at 2:49 AM
raespencer.bsky.social
Finally IDed these pretty little #beetle hatchlings, and now I kind of wish I hadn't. Invasive #BrownMarmoratedStinkBugs? (Please comment if you can confirm or correct my ID)

Still found a bright side, though. Here's a nifty citizen #science article about them:
open.clemson.edu/joe/vol52/is...
In this macro photograph, seven orange and brown beetle hatchlings are huddled together on top of a cluster of recently vacated egg casings. These first instar nymphs have reddish eyes, dark brown heads and thoraxes, and predominately orange abdomens. Their abdomens have three ladder-like rows of dark brown stripes, one down the middle and one along each side. Their barrel-shaped egg casings are translucent white with delicate black triangles marking the little flapped-back lids left over from hatching. I remember which pollinator bed hosted these beetles, but not which plant. Probably fennel, but this bed also sprouts an uncurated mix of known and unknown volunteer plants.
November 30, 2024 at 10:04 PM
raespencer.bsky.social
I'm perseverating on #ducks this summer. It's an #OCD thing, but it's also a charm thing. I've never met a duck that didn't personify charisma.

(P.S. I think the duck in this photo is an immature wood duck? Please comment to correct or confirm my ID!)

#birds #nature #photography
A wild duck (maybe an immature wood duck?) looks over its shoulder at the camera. The duck has mostly tan feathers with white streaks over its eye, under its chin, and under its throat, as well as a patch of bright blue wing primaries with faintly visible white edges. It has a reddish eye and a hint of a crest on the back of its head. The small duck is standing in shallow water with rings of ripples spreading out around it. Photographed at Back Bay Wildlife Refuge in Virginia Beach, VA, July 2021.
November 29, 2024 at 10:35 PM
Reposted by Rae Spencer
merlinlange.bsky.social
#FluorescenceFriday time - #Zebrafish embryonic development in action!

🧪🔬 #Microscopy with a light-sheet - view of the embryo's rostral (brain) and caudal (tailbud) ends.
November 29, 2024 at 4:27 PM