Tim Walker
LightNews LightNews
banner
twalk.bsky.social
Tim Walker
@twalk.bsky.social
1.8K followers 1.6K following 4.2K posts
Science- & nature-loving writer, dad, & fitness buff in ATX. ❤️‍🔥 of a hype man. Happily partnered. Intersectional feminist & LGBTQ 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ ally. ⚽️. (he/him)

Get into using alt text. Get WAY into it.

Av: bearded middle-aged guy
Banner: wall map of world weather
Posts Replies Media Videos
twalk.bsky.social
Just back from a lovely walk in the woods at my friend’s place.
Autumnal forest, lots of colors, with a stream in the foreground. Same forest with a view up the stream — lots of dark rocks with water flowing among them.
November 9, 2025 at 5:45 PM
twalk.bsky.social
Octavia Butler, “The Monophobic Response”
No wonder we need aliens. No wonder we're so good at creating aliens. No wonder we so often project alienness onto one another. This last of course has been the worst of our problems the human alien from another culture, country, gender, race, eth-nicity. This is the tangible alien who can be hurt or killed. There is a vast and terrible sibling rivalry going within the human family as we satisfy our desires for territory, dominance, and exclusivity. How strange: In our ongoing eagerness to create aliens, we express our need for them, and we express our deep fear of being alone in a universe that cares no more for us than it does for stones or suns or any other fragments of itself. And yet we are unable to get along with those aliens who are closest to us, those aliens who are of course ourselves.
November 3, 2025 at 2:57 PM
twalk.bsky.social
Raided my @bookshop.org wishlist:

—EDINBURGH and THE QUEEN OF THE NIGHT by @alexanderchee.bsky.social b/c it's absurd I don't already own them.

—THE RIDDLE OF THE ROSETTA, coauthored by @dianejosefowicz.bsky.social — great background for a story I'm cooking up.

—The Pinckney memoir as a treat.
The cover of the novel EDINBURGH, by Alexander Chee. The cover of the novel THE QUEEN OF THE NIGHT, by Alexander Chee. The cover of THE RIDDLE OF THE ROSETTA: How an English Polymath and a French Polyglot Discovered the Meaning of Egyptian Hieroglyphs, by Jed Z. Buchwald and Diane Greco Josefowicz. The cover of COME BACK IN SEPTEMBER: A Literary Education on West Sixty-seventh Street, Manhattan, by Darryl Pinckney.
October 7, 2025 at 7:59 PM
twalk.bsky.social
If you’re not going to follow those brisket nachos with some ice cream, what’s the point?
A close-up of two paper bowls, one containing vanilla ice cream sandwiched between chocolate-chip cookies from Tiff’s Treats, the other with vanilla ice cream from Gati and Oreo crumbles on top of a brownie.
October 5, 2025 at 7:38 PM
twalk.bsky.social
Feed me brisket nachos so I know it’s real. #ACLFest
A picnic table with two paper baskets of nachos topped with shredded brisket. There are also water bottles and hats on the table.
October 5, 2025 at 6:09 PM
twalk.bsky.social
These dogs have a hard life, I tell you.
A big brown-&-white dog snoozes on the floor, half on a rug and half under the edge of the bed. (She does this trick with the sofa in the living room, too.) An American bulldog mix, mostly white with brindled patches, sleeps hard in a big leather armchair.
October 4, 2025 at 8:40 PM
twalk.bsky.social
Loved getting my preorder of @ladiwoods.bsky.social’s book!
A paperback copy of The Great Grown-Up Game of Make-Believe, by Lauren D. Woods.
October 1, 2025 at 11:12 PM
twalk.bsky.social
A tiny-ass tabby kitten sits on a wooden floor, looking pensive. It is wearing a tiny black witch’s hat and has a little jack-o-lantern. The caption says “It’s October 1st. It’s spooky time.”
October 1, 2025 at 12:31 PM
twalk.bsky.social
ENVY ME NOW, PEOPLE; today’s #bookmail features my longtime online pal @runwithskizzers.bsky.social — teenage rom-com, here I come!
A paperback copy of Preeti Chhibber’s new novel, PAYAL MEHTA’S ROMANCE REVENGE PLOT.
September 26, 2025 at 9:53 PM
twalk.bsky.social
BREAKING NEWS: First morning this season that’s been cool enough for us to sit outside with our coffee.
A backyard scene with a black metal patio table, mugs of coffee, notebooks, partial view of cute girlfriend reading the news on her phone, etc.
September 26, 2025 at 12:33 PM
twalk.bsky.social
Currently: #RugbyWorldCup and another pot of tea.

(Not shown: piles of notes I’m working through as I plan my work for the coming week.)
France in blue, England in white in a Rugby World Cup semifinal match. Tea stuff on a kitchen counter, including a Brown Betty teapot in a knit tea cozy.
September 20, 2025 at 3:01 PM
twalk.bsky.social
Very nice!
A black t-shirt spread out on a bedspread. It has a skull and crossbones — like on a pirate flag — and the words “ST. PAULI” in large block letters.
September 18, 2025 at 11:50 PM
twalk.bsky.social
I'll miss watching Bundesliga and La Liga games, and I guess my gf and I could squeeze in the rest of Only Murders in the Building in the couple of weeks remaining on my subscription. But there are *plenty* of entertainment options out there.
A screenshot that says "Subscription Details" and shows the logos for Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN. The premium bundle for the three services costs $26.99 per month. A screenshot from the Disney+ site that says "Ok, your subscription has been cancelled" and says that I'll be receiving a confirmation via e-mail. I have until October 5th to use my subscription. A screenshot from the Disney+ site that says "Please tell us why you canceled. By the way, this is optional." It lists a bunch of possible reasons including "Billing confusion," "Technical issues," "Too expensive," and so on. Under "Other" at the bottom of the list, this message is typed into the freeform response box: "Caving on the Jimmy Kimmel issue rather than standing up for the First Amendment. Shame on The Walt Disney Company!"
September 18, 2025 at 11:26 PM
twalk.bsky.social
Robert Redford, of fond memory, wore the HELL out of a tweed jacket.
A photograph of a flat-screen TV showing a scene from SPY GAME in which Redford is wearing the absolute HELL out of a gray tweed jacket with a medium-blue shirt, a dark tie, and tortoiseshell glasses.
September 17, 2025 at 3:05 AM
twalk.bsky.social
Bookmail du jour, part 3: a lovely-looking memoir by @jallenpaisant.bsky.social — which I preordered after seeing it in a @milkweededitions.bsky.social newsletter.
A lovely paperback of THE POSSIBILITY OF TENDERNESS: A Jamaican Memoir of Plants and Dreams, by Jason Allen-Paisant. It has a vivid color drawing of a mango against a dark background.
September 15, 2025 at 11:46 PM
twalk.bsky.social
Bookmail du jour, part 2: in which @theferocity.bsky.social & @maggiesmithpoet.bsky.social descend upon my house.
The cover of THE PEOPLE’S PROJECT, curated by Saeed Jones and Maggie Smith. It’s a small book with a blue-and-white cover and black lettering. The front flyleaf of THE PEOPLE’S PROJECT, which shows a full-bleed black-and-white photo of protestors of different races marching with a United States flag, inverted. Table of Contents for THE PEOPLE’S PROJECT, first page: Contents Introduction: Saeed and Maggie Let's All Stay Alive by Alexander Chee Catching the Light by Joy Harjo Chile, I'm not playing with you! Look at it! by Patricia Smith Ode to Joy by Victoria Chang My Own Project 2025 by Maggie Smith Transness as Freedom: An Offering by Chase Strangio An Education by Eula Biss PERFORMANCE SCORES FOR THE ENDINGS AND BEGINNINGS OF WORLDS by Sam Sax Raising the Resistance by Aubrey Hirsch Watching the Valley Oaks While Waiting to Become Braver by Ada Limón Resisting Despair Amidst Know-Your-Place Aggression by Koritha Mitchell Look Ahead, Look Back by Jason Bryan Silverstein Non-Citizen by Jill Damatac Noni, Are You Home? by Aruni Kashyap Table of Contents for THE PEOPLE’S PROJECT, second page: And. But. Ugh. Yet. Y'all. Mmm. Yes. by Kiese Laymon My Project 2025 by Saeed Jones Snail's Pace: The Art of Cripping Time by Alice Wong For Hope by Abi Maxwell Good Pain! by Tiana Clark Fix Up, Look Sharp by Marlon James The Right Question by Ashley C. Ford Portrait of Myself as a Boat by Kay Jones Return Ghazal by Hala Alyan Time of War by Danez Smith You Are Here by Mira Jacob Weathered Hands by Imani Perry Puzzle by Randall Mann Notes
September 15, 2025 at 11:40 PM
twalk.bsky.social
Bookmail du jour, part 1: @poopraven.bsky.social knows how to package a book.
The edge of a slim white shipping box that says RAVENSWORD PRESS *SPECIAL* in light purple ink. There is also a cool bird logo. Inside the opened box, with purple, red, and fuchsia paper accents, plus a bookmark and a business card. The unwrapped book: The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare: A Charlie Hart Novel, by Roxy Chambers. The cover and edge of the book, showing the cool bands of color that extend the design of the cover along the edges of the pages.
September 15, 2025 at 11:27 PM
twalk.bsky.social
We’ve now moved on to the #RWC knockout match between Canada and Australia. Both sides have scored tries in the time it took me to post this!
Members of the Australian rugby team lined up shoulder to shoulder before the match begins. Some of them are smiling. An aerial view of the stadium in Bristol, England, where the match is being played. There are giant flags of Canada and Australia spread on the field on either side of a huge banner with the logo of the Rugby World Cup.
September 13, 2025 at 3:09 PM
twalk.bsky.social
Lovely Saturday morning in progress.
A breakfast table crowded with stacks of books, magazines, notebooks, etc. There are two white mugs of tea, and a woman’s hand is reaching for one of them. A television screen showing the vivid green pitch of Selhurst Park in London. Crystal Palace and Sunderland are in the 10th minute of their Premier League match.
September 13, 2025 at 2:13 PM
twalk.bsky.social
Also on the cover of the Vintage edition of GIOVANNI’S ROOM on my TBR stack.
A Vintage International paperback of James Baldwin’s novel Giovanni’s Room, with the aforementioned portrait of Baldwin by Beauford Delaney as the cover art.
September 12, 2025 at 8:09 PM
twalk.bsky.social
[nodding] I couldn’t find that title at my library, but I have bookmarked this one from the same creators to come back to later!
A screenshot from the Hoopla app of the e-book version of The Life and Times of Martha Washington in the Twenty-First Century by Frank Miller and Dave Gibbons.
September 7, 2025 at 3:29 PM
twalk.bsky.social
==A package is delivered==

Knock-knock.

Who’s there?

IT’S YOUR CHILDHOOD.

(My mom heard I needed a book to ID the lizards here & sent me the one we had in my house when I was growing up.)
A 1975 paperback of A FIELD GUIDE TO REPTILES AND AMPHIBIANS OF EASTERN AND CENTRAL NORTH AMERICA, by Roger Conant, illustrated by Isabelle Hunt Conant. There is a scarlet kingsnake on the cover.
September 4, 2025 at 7:30 PM
twalk.bsky.social
Consoling myself for that Longhorns loss with this spectacular tomato sandwich.

#enjoyeverysandwich
Heirloom tomatoes — one purple, one red — sliced on a cutting board. Salting the tomatoes. The sandwich in progress, with romaine lettuce on one side and sliced tomato on the other. Barely visible: the amazing remoulade sauce we bought at the farmers market this morning. All of this is happening on lightly toasted slices of the sourdough bread we also bought at the market. The finished sandwich, ready for its close-up.
August 30, 2025 at 7:47 PM
twalk.bsky.social
So far, each #RedRoses match in this 🏉 World Cup has made me wonder about the possibility of a mercy rule.
A screenshot from the ESPN app showing England 47, Samoa 0 at halftime in their Rugby World Cup match. England has seven tries, from six different players.
August 30, 2025 at 4:51 PM
twalk.bsky.social
A lovely haul from the #farmersmarket this morning.

Tomato sandwiches, here I come! (Note the remoulade sauce for those 🥪 in the second photo.)
A bunch of heirloom tomatoes of different colors spread out on a red tablecloth. The haul from the farmers market, arranged on a kitchen counter: a bowl of peaches, a bowl of heirloom tomatoes, a bag with a loaf of sourdough bread, a jar of pickled green beans, and a small jar of remoulade sauce. In a bit of foreshadowing for the next photo, a single white bao sits on a small plate in the foreground. The same bao from the previous picture, bitten into to reveal the red bean paste inside.
August 30, 2025 at 4:16 PM