robert p. baird
@robertpbaird.com
Thinking is, or ought to be, a coolness and a calmness; and our poor hearts throb, and our poor brains beat too much for that. || I'm on a Bsky hiatus, but THE NIMBUS, my debut novel, is now available in hardcover, ebook, and audiobook. || robertpbaird.com
Pinned
Aura et labora
In Robert Baird’s debut novel, a religion scholar’s young son starts emitting a holy glow that might or might not be...
www.christiancentury.org
It’s nice to be read, but an honor to be read well. I’m so grateful for this review of THE NIMBUS, one of the more perceptive considerations the book has gotten, by Benjamin J. Dueholm in the November issue of @christiancentury.bsky.social. www.christiancentury.org/books/aura-e...
At the rate things are going, I’m expecting the bamboo to have a book deal by Thursday.
November 18, 2025 at 2:25 AM
At the rate things are going, I’m expecting the bamboo to have a book deal by Thursday.
Three more left! DM if you want one…
Hi Bluesky friends, I’m giving out a handful of free Audible audiobook versions of my novel, THE NIMBUS. If you’d like a copy, DM me your name and email address. The offer’s good till they’re gone. Learn more about the book here: robertpbaird.com/nimbus/
The Nimbus - A Novel
robertpbaird.com
November 18, 2025 at 1:47 AM
Three more left! DM if you want one…
If you live in or around Brooklyn and aren't too cool for Impressionist painting, I highly recommend checking out Monet in Venice at the Brooklyn Museum. It's a lovely show, well organized with lots of great art (not just his).
November 17, 2025 at 9:51 PM
If you live in or around Brooklyn and aren't too cool for Impressionist painting, I highly recommend checking out Monet in Venice at the Brooklyn Museum. It's a lovely show, well organized with lots of great art (not just his).
Reposted by robert p. baird
Don't let yourself get attached to any post you are not willing to walk out on in 30 seconds flat if you feel the heat around the corner.
November 17, 2025 at 9:02 PM
Don't let yourself get attached to any post you are not willing to walk out on in 30 seconds flat if you feel the heat around the corner.
Reposted by robert p. baird
The outpouring of mourning for the great and hilarious "alt-country" genius Todd Snider seemed an excellent reason to devote this month's Big Lookback to a Barnes & Noble Review appreciation I wrote about Snider more than a decade ago. robertchristgau.substack.com/p/the-big-lo...
The Big Lookback: Todd Snider
"Preaching Agnosticism (With Laugh Lines)," from "The Barnes & Noble Review," April 30, 2012
robertchristgau.substack.com
November 17, 2025 at 4:44 PM
The outpouring of mourning for the great and hilarious "alt-country" genius Todd Snider seemed an excellent reason to devote this month's Big Lookback to a Barnes & Noble Review appreciation I wrote about Snider more than a decade ago. robertchristgau.substack.com/p/the-big-lo...
The second rule of plutocrat AI competitions is to be sure you don't read to the end of the story to find out what happened to the entity you named your company after.
The first rule of plutocrat AI competitions is 1. name your new company with a classical allusion or Tolkien reference. I see Bezos went with the former. How… great.
November 17, 2025 at 2:00 PM
The second rule of plutocrat AI competitions is to be sure you don't read to the end of the story to find out what happened to the entity you named your company after.
Also: we often talk about the “elite culture of impunity” as a vague business of winks and nods. But worth remembering (as attested by both E. Warren and Y. Varoufakis in their memoirs) that LS likes to tell people explicitly that if they want to keep power they cannot use it on other “insiders.”
November 17, 2025 at 12:56 PM
Also: we often talk about the “elite culture of impunity” as a vague business of winks and nods. But worth remembering (as attested by both E. Warren and Y. Varoufakis in their memoirs) that LS likes to tell people explicitly that if they want to keep power they cannot use it on other “insiders.”
Reposted by robert p. baird
Hi Bluesky friends, I’m giving out a handful of free Audible audiobook versions of my novel, THE NIMBUS. If you’d like a copy, DM me your name and email address. The offer’s good till they’re gone. Learn more about the book here: robertpbaird.com/nimbus/
The Nimbus - A Novel
robertpbaird.com
November 15, 2025 at 6:00 PM
Hi Bluesky friends, I’m giving out a handful of free Audible audiobook versions of my novel, THE NIMBUS. If you’d like a copy, DM me your name and email address. The offer’s good till they’re gone. Learn more about the book here: robertpbaird.com/nimbus/
Terrible news. Snider was—is, I’ll go ahead and insist—so good, so funny, so righteous in his low-key stoner way. RIP.
I'm very sorry to report that the great alt-country singer-songwriter Todd Snider has died at 59 of undiagnosed walking pneumonia. I stick by what I wrote about him in 2012. www.robertchristgau.com/xg/bn/2012-0... Here's Rolling Stone's coverage. www.rollingstone.com/music/music-...
Robert Christgau: Preaching Agnosticism (with Laugh Lines)
www.robertchristgau.com
November 15, 2025 at 6:11 PM
Terrible news. Snider was—is, I’ll go ahead and insist—so good, so funny, so righteous in his low-key stoner way. RIP.
Hi Bluesky friends, I’m giving out a handful of free Audible audiobook versions of my novel, THE NIMBUS. If you’d like a copy, DM me your name and email address. The offer’s good till they’re gone. Learn more about the book here: robertpbaird.com/nimbus/
The Nimbus - A Novel
robertpbaird.com
November 15, 2025 at 6:00 PM
Hi Bluesky friends, I’m giving out a handful of free Audible audiobook versions of my novel, THE NIMBUS. If you’d like a copy, DM me your name and email address. The offer’s good till they’re gone. Learn more about the book here: robertpbaird.com/nimbus/
Reposted by robert p. baird
Some inspiring words on cinema in the streaming era from the Pope.
Yes, THAT Pope.
Yes, THAT Pope.
November 15, 2025 at 4:26 PM
Some inspiring words on cinema in the streaming era from the Pope.
Yes, THAT Pope.
Yes, THAT Pope.
Reposted by robert p. baird
"Malort advent calendar" is already such an unhinged concept but every little window just having Malort in it really pushes it over the edge into something transcendently funny
November 15, 2025 at 12:54 AM
"Malort advent calendar" is already such an unhinged concept but every little window just having Malort in it really pushes it over the edge into something transcendently funny
Reposted by robert p. baird
From this minister's op-ed: "People wanting to experience God are more likely to meet the Divine trying to shut down the Broadview, Illinois, ICE facility than we ever were in church...God does not live in our houses of worship, but...with those who are bearing the brunt of cruelty in this moment."
Oh wow @reuters.com got the photo here:
November 14, 2025 at 9:38 PM
From this minister's op-ed: "People wanting to experience God are more likely to meet the Divine trying to shut down the Broadview, Illinois, ICE facility than we ever were in church...God does not live in our houses of worship, but...with those who are bearing the brunt of cruelty in this moment."
Reposted by robert p. baird
Basically saying "if you do crime for me, I won't only pardon you--I'll give you millions of dollars of public money." Truly unprecedented level of corruption
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Michael Flynn, DOJ in Settlement Talks Over $50 Million Claim
The Justice Department has been discussing settlements with two former officials from Donald Trump’s first term who — like the president — claim they’re owed major payouts from the US government as vi...
www.bloomberg.com
November 14, 2025 at 7:04 PM
Basically saying "if you do crime for me, I won't only pardon you--I'll give you millions of dollars of public money." Truly unprecedented level of corruption
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
One thing I learned working in magazines is that the kind of journalists who say “I’m interested in power and privilege” are absolute suckers for power and privilege.
November 14, 2025 at 6:29 PM
One thing I learned working in magazines is that the kind of journalists who say “I’m interested in power and privilege” are absolute suckers for power and privilege.
Reposted by robert p. baird
Straightforward confirmation from Angus King that the gang of eight made the deal out of earnest concern for the filibuster. www.pressherald.com/2025/11/13/w...
November 13, 2025 at 8:33 PM
Straightforward confirmation from Angus King that the gang of eight made the deal out of earnest concern for the filibuster. www.pressherald.com/2025/11/13/w...
I've occasionally wondered if my fear of tick-borne alpha-gal sensitivity is a little unreasonable. The answer is no: newsroom.uvahealth.com/2025/11/13/1....
1st Death Linked to ‘Meat Allergy’ Spread by Ticks
A healthy 47-year-old man from New Jersey died abruptly four hours after consuming beef -- the first confirmed death from the "meat allergy."
newsroom.uvahealth.com
November 13, 2025 at 10:03 PM
I've occasionally wondered if my fear of tick-borne alpha-gal sensitivity is a little unreasonable. The answer is no: newsroom.uvahealth.com/2025/11/13/1....
Reposted by robert p. baird
Excited to say that the beautiful Guardian Long Read Magazine is out now, ft. work by @mrkocnnll.bsky.social, @imogenwk.bsky.social, @jackgoulder.bsky.social, @tessairini.bsky.social, @hettieobrien.bsky.social + many other brilliant writers. Order your copy here guardianbookshop.com/long-read-50...
The Guardian Long Read
A better place to buy your books. Support independent journalism with everything you buy. Free UK P&P on online orders over £25
guardianbookshop.com
November 13, 2025 at 12:38 PM
Excited to say that the beautiful Guardian Long Read Magazine is out now, ft. work by @mrkocnnll.bsky.social, @imogenwk.bsky.social, @jackgoulder.bsky.social, @tessairini.bsky.social, @hettieobrien.bsky.social + many other brilliant writers. Order your copy here guardianbookshop.com/long-read-50...
Reposted by robert p. baird
I think this helpfully confirms the notion that the end of the filibuster was a big motivator for the eight Dems.
November 12, 2025 at 11:45 PM
I think this helpfully confirms the notion that the end of the filibuster was a big motivator for the eight Dems.
Reposted by robert p. baird
This isn’t even the stuff they’re trying to actually stop from getting out.
November 12, 2025 at 10:59 PM
This isn’t even the stuff they’re trying to actually stop from getting out.
Reposted by robert p. baird
me when I see your aurora borealis pics
Nature absolutely paints like the harlot, whose allurements cover nothing but the charnel-house within
November 12, 2025 at 4:37 PM
me when I see your aurora borealis pics
What do I know, but it’s going to be pretty crazy if AI crashes the economy because it turns out to be a business that can generate billions of dollars in revenue but not trillions.
November 12, 2025 at 4:33 AM
What do I know, but it’s going to be pretty crazy if AI crashes the economy because it turns out to be a business that can generate billions of dollars in revenue but not trillions.
This is going to end with Elon trying to develop a Grokified AI version of JCO only to discover that not even all the world's machine-language experts burning all the world's energy to power every last data center can generate text as fast as that woman.
incredibly funny that Joyce Carol Oates owned Musk so hard he's started trying to post like a regular person with normal interests
November 10, 2025 at 9:22 PM
This is going to end with Elon trying to develop a Grokified AI version of JCO only to discover that not even all the world's machine-language experts burning all the world's energy to power every last data center can generate text as fast as that woman.
Reposted by robert p. baird
Trump is 30 points underwater. Dems swept the special elections. People know the GOP is responsible for the shutdown. So the Dem Senators pulled out their big guns... and shot themselves in the foot.
November 10, 2025 at 1:53 AM
Trump is 30 points underwater. Dems swept the special elections. People know the GOP is responsible for the shutdown. So the Dem Senators pulled out their big guns... and shot themselves in the foot.
Reposted by robert p. baird
