Veronica Bartles
@vbartles.com
Author: THE PRINCESS & THE FROGS and TWELVE STEPS, recycle-knitter, graphic designer (web/book design, etc.) #KidLitConfections cookie queen, book-grandma, #ActuallyAutistic. (she/her) https://vbartles.com
Pinned
If you missed my Wonderful Websites that Work webinar last month, I just updated the on-demand, self-paced version of the course on my website (& I am in the process of updating all 5 of the other courses in the Selling Yourself Without Selling Yourself Short series)! vbartles.com/workshops/sy...
Reposted by Veronica Bartles
Yoo hoo, Governor Hochul! Let's learn from our neighbor.
NEW: The first two years of Massachusetts' millionaire tax has raised $3 billion more than expected.
And rather than driving the rich away, IPS researchers found that the number of millionaires has *increased.*
Tax the rich. Greg Ryan in @bloomberg.com:
And rather than driving the rich away, IPS researchers found that the number of millionaires has *increased.*
Tax the rich. Greg Ryan in @bloomberg.com:
Millionaire Tax That Inspired Mamdani Fuels $5.7 Billion Haul in Massachusetts
A millionaire levy in Massachusetts that New York City mayoral frontrunner Zohran Mamdani holds up as a model for taxing the rich has generated $3 billion more in revenue than expected without forcing...
www.bloomberg.com
November 13, 2025 at 8:59 PM
Yoo hoo, Governor Hochul! Let's learn from our neighbor.
If you missed my Wonderful Websites that Work webinar last month, I just updated the on-demand, self-paced version of the course on my website (& I am in the process of updating all 5 of the other courses in the Selling Yourself Without Selling Yourself Short series)! vbartles.com/workshops/sy...
November 12, 2025 at 5:02 AM
If you missed my Wonderful Websites that Work webinar last month, I just updated the on-demand, self-paced version of the course on my website (& I am in the process of updating all 5 of the other courses in the Selling Yourself Without Selling Yourself Short series)! vbartles.com/workshops/sy...
Thank you all for a lovely chat, and thanks again to @gregpincus.bsky.social and @bonnieadamson.com for hosting #KidLitChat every week! ❤️ I think I might go bake some of the oatmeal cookies I have in my freezer for dinner... ;)
November 12, 2025 at 3:13 AM
Thank you all for a lovely chat, and thanks again to @gregpincus.bsky.social and @bonnieadamson.com for hosting #KidLitChat every week! ❤️ I think I might go bake some of the oatmeal cookies I have in my freezer for dinner... ;)
Tooting my own horn again... but I feel ultra prepared for tonight's #KidLitChat!
The writing retreat I'm most looking forward to in 2026? I am DEFINITELY going to host the #KidLitConfections "How to Write a Cake" retreat I've been threatening for years! Who's joining me? forms.gle/AVGutsnmAarM...
The writing retreat I'm most looking forward to in 2026? I am DEFINITELY going to host the #KidLitConfections "How to Write a Cake" retreat I've been threatening for years! Who's joining me? forms.gle/AVGutsnmAarM...
November 12, 2025 at 2:34 AM
Tooting my own horn again... but I feel ultra prepared for tonight's #KidLitChat!
The writing retreat I'm most looking forward to in 2026? I am DEFINITELY going to host the #KidLitConfections "How to Write a Cake" retreat I've been threatening for years! Who's joining me? forms.gle/AVGutsnmAarM...
The writing retreat I'm most looking forward to in 2026? I am DEFINITELY going to host the #KidLitConfections "How to Write a Cake" retreat I've been threatening for years! Who's joining me? forms.gle/AVGutsnmAarM...
Prepping my virtual treats for #KidLitChat tonight! I just posted a new #KidLitConfections recipe (Apple Walnut Pie) to my blog in anticipation of what is likely to be a very pie-centric discussion (Because pie is always trending in the chat!) i-am-so-grateful.blogspot.com/2025/11/appl...
November 11, 2025 at 6:00 PM
Prepping my virtual treats for #KidLitChat tonight! I just posted a new #KidLitConfections recipe (Apple Walnut Pie) to my blog in anticipation of what is likely to be a very pie-centric discussion (Because pie is always trending in the chat!) i-am-so-grateful.blogspot.com/2025/11/appl...
Reposted by Veronica Bartles
An exciting update! Mass Freedom To Read has been working overtime to get amendments filed that substantially strengthen this bill, and all the amendments have been filed! It's time to contact your MA senators to urge them to support the amendment: www.massfreedomtoread.org/news/cta-sup...
November 11, 2025 at 2:11 PM
An exciting update! Mass Freedom To Read has been working overtime to get amendments filed that substantially strengthen this bill, and all the amendments have been filed! It's time to contact your MA senators to urge them to support the amendment: www.massfreedomtoread.org/news/cta-sup...
Reposted by Veronica Bartles
“I want you to understand what it is like to live in Chicago during this time.”
aphyr.com/posts/397-i-...
aphyr.com/posts/397-i-...
November 9, 2025 at 5:26 PM
“I want you to understand what it is like to live in Chicago during this time.”
aphyr.com/posts/397-i-...
aphyr.com/posts/397-i-...
I guess I will be researching alternate phone carriers this afternoon… (I am running out of businesses to support that aren’t in his pocket. Where do I get my groceries, clothes, toiletries… and now phone service, without supporting this regime???)
I’ve been a T-Mobile customer for years. But the T stands for Trump now.
They carry Trump Mobile, killed DEI to please Trump’s FCC, union-bust, backed policies that strip healthcare, and are funneling millions to Musk.
I’m canceling my plan on Nov 15. Join me
youtube.com/shorts/q3nFt...
They carry Trump Mobile, killed DEI to please Trump’s FCC, union-bust, backed policies that strip healthcare, and are funneling millions to Musk.
I’m canceling my plan on Nov 15. Join me
youtube.com/shorts/q3nFt...
Boycotting T-Mobile: Trump ties, Musk money, and why I’m switching Nov 15
YouTube video by Eliza Orlins
youtube.com
November 9, 2025 at 5:42 PM
I guess I will be researching alternate phone carriers this afternoon… (I am running out of businesses to support that aren’t in his pocket. Where do I get my groceries, clothes, toiletries… and now phone service, without supporting this regime???)
Reposted by Veronica Bartles
'Feed the hungry' is one of the basic, fundamental, direct-order-from-Jesus, tenets of being a Christian, and it's not 'feed the hungry when it's politically expedient to do so or advances your wider agenda'.
You'd think the party full of people claiming to be guided by their faith would be on this
You'd think the party full of people claiming to be guided by their faith would be on this
Donald Trump has asked his employees on the Supreme Court to overrule lower court orders demanding that he fulfill his duties to feed Americans who are due SNAP benefits
AND
He's demanding that states which just rushed to fill the vacuum created by his cruelty "undo" that work.
AND
He's demanding that states which just rushed to fill the vacuum created by his cruelty "undo" that work.
NEW: The Trump admin told states it must immediately "undo" the work to provide full food stamp benefits, or face penalties. The feds sent this in a late-night memo, only adding to the chaos and confusion around SNAP. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/09/b...
November 9, 2025 at 3:27 PM
'Feed the hungry' is one of the basic, fundamental, direct-order-from-Jesus, tenets of being a Christian, and it's not 'feed the hungry when it's politically expedient to do so or advances your wider agenda'.
You'd think the party full of people claiming to be guided by their faith would be on this
You'd think the party full of people claiming to be guided by their faith would be on this
Reposted by Veronica Bartles
And even *if* standing with trans people is a liability, do it anyway. Invest in changing hearts and minds if you must.
We’re worth fighting for. Our rights and lives and wellness and joy are worth it
We’re worth fighting for. Our rights and lives and wellness and joy are worth it
the harris campaign said the “they/them” ad didn’t sway the election.
one of the trump campaign’s top strategists this week said trans rights isn’t in the top five issues for swing voters.
when will the press stop talking about us like we’re a liability and start looking itself in the mirror
one of the trump campaign’s top strategists this week said trans rights isn’t in the top five issues for swing voters.
when will the press stop talking about us like we’re a liability and start looking itself in the mirror
November 9, 2025 at 3:32 PM
And even *if* standing with trans people is a liability, do it anyway. Invest in changing hearts and minds if you must.
We’re worth fighting for. Our rights and lives and wellness and joy are worth it
We’re worth fighting for. Our rights and lives and wellness and joy are worth it
Reposted by Veronica Bartles
Reductions in Force not required by shutdowns, have never happened in any previous shutdown, and a judge has ruled they are illegal.
The shutdown is an excuse, not a reason, for them to do what they wanted to do: destroy government.
The shutdown is an excuse, not a reason, for them to do what they wanted to do: destroy government.
Lee Zeldin announces on Fox that there will be "severe" layoffs at the EPA if the shutdown continues
November 9, 2025 at 3:28 PM
Reductions in Force not required by shutdowns, have never happened in any previous shutdown, and a judge has ruled they are illegal.
The shutdown is an excuse, not a reason, for them to do what they wanted to do: destroy government.
The shutdown is an excuse, not a reason, for them to do what they wanted to do: destroy government.
Reposted by Veronica Bartles
jfc UNPLUG THE DAMN THING ALREADY
AI Threatens and Blackmails People and No One Really Knows Why.
OpenAI’s CEO recently said a growing number of ChatGPT users have ended up hospitalised, divorced or dead...
medium.com/ai-ai-oh/ai-...
OpenAI’s CEO recently said a growing number of ChatGPT users have ended up hospitalised, divorced or dead...
medium.com/ai-ai-oh/ai-...
AI Threatens and Blackmails People and No One Really Knows Why
OpenAI’s CEO recently said a growing number of ChatGPT users have ended up hospitalized, divorced or dead
medium.com
November 9, 2025 at 11:31 AM
jfc UNPLUG THE DAMN THING ALREADY
Reposted by Veronica Bartles
Writers, check out this fun new holiday contest from #MightyKidlit! mighty-kidlit.mn.co #kidlit @ziemkemichele.bsky.social
November 6, 2025 at 4:08 AM
Writers, check out this fun new holiday contest from #MightyKidlit! mighty-kidlit.mn.co #kidlit @ziemkemichele.bsky.social
Reposted by Veronica Bartles
Please join the Picture Book circle with us! But hurry! Registration closes on November 10 to give participants time to read one another's work in advance.
Let me know if I can answer any questions!
Let me know if I can answer any questions!
Looking for some feedback on your picture book? Join @writersloftma.bsky.social and me for a Picture Book Circle on November 20 at 7! Registration information in the link below!
www.thewritersloft.org/loft-workshops
www.thewritersloft.org/loft-workshops
November 7, 2025 at 12:58 AM
Please join the Picture Book circle with us! But hurry! Registration closes on November 10 to give participants time to read one another's work in advance.
Let me know if I can answer any questions!
Let me know if I can answer any questions!
Reposted by Veronica Bartles
It's important to note that ICE initially lied that they'd taken Marta Leiva at the SLC airport. How can they expect anyone to trust an organization that will just blatantly lie? And what purpose does the lie serve? It reeks of a bumbling group enacting violence with no accountability.
November 8, 2025 at 2:45 PM
It's important to note that ICE initially lied that they'd taken Marta Leiva at the SLC airport. How can they expect anyone to trust an organization that will just blatantly lie? And what purpose does the lie serve? It reeks of a bumbling group enacting violence with no accountability.
Reposted by Veronica Bartles
Democrats in the house should
consistently be having town halls, televised working groups, and round tables. Roll up the sleeves.
consistently be having town halls, televised working groups, and round tables. Roll up the sleeves.
November 8, 2025 at 4:43 PM
Democrats in the house should
consistently be having town halls, televised working groups, and round tables. Roll up the sleeves.
consistently be having town halls, televised working groups, and round tables. Roll up the sleeves.
Reposted by Veronica Bartles
Thread.
The MA Senate will be voting on An Act Regarding Free Expression on Thursday 11/13. This Boston Globe article touts this as a positive development, but while the protections for libraries are welcome, this version of the bill strips all protections from authors. www.bostonglobe.com/2025/11/08/m...
Republicans have made it easier for book bans across the country. Massachusetts Democrats are looking to curb them here. - The Boston Globe
The Massachusetts Senate will vote Thursday on legislation that would create a set of rules and restrictions for school districts to follow when adding or removing school library materials.
www.bostonglobe.com
November 8, 2025 at 4:51 PM
Thread.
Reposted by Veronica Bartles
But anyone in MA who believes in the freedom of speech and understands that authors deserve a seat at the table can write to their senators. Mass Freedom to Read, the coalition I have been volunteering with, has sample email language here: www.massfreedomtoread.org/news/urgent-...
URGENT Call to Action - Email Your Senators! — Mass Freedom To Read
Mass Freedom To Read learned late on Thursday that An Act Regarding Free Expression (renamed S. 2696) has moved out of the Senate Ways and Means Committee and will be going to a floor vote next Thursd...
www.massfreedomtoread.org
November 8, 2025 at 4:25 PM
But anyone in MA who believes in the freedom of speech and understands that authors deserve a seat at the table can write to their senators. Mass Freedom to Read, the coalition I have been volunteering with, has sample email language here: www.massfreedomtoread.org/news/urgent-...
Reposted by Veronica Bartles
Good morning! AI is being force-fed to you by a handful of billionaires who will lose a bunch of money if they fail to convince you that you need it. You do not need it 🫶
November 6, 2025 at 11:55 AM
Good morning! AI is being force-fed to you by a handful of billionaires who will lose a bunch of money if they fail to convince you that you need it. You do not need it 🫶
Reposted by Veronica Bartles
The premier, the poet and the fight to save an extraordinary Australian frog
The premier, the poet and the fight to save an extraordinary Australian frog
As amphibian enthusiasts get ready to hop into FrogID Week, hope persists that one of Australia’s most bizarre creatures may survive
*
Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast
It’s a story almost too preposterous to believe, starring a group of young uni students, an infamous state premier, a legendary Australian poet and an extinct frog which gave birth by vomiting its young – all at the dawn of the Australian conservation movement.
Yet the tale of the southern gastric-brooding frog, which once inhabited the rainforest streams of the Conondale and Blackall ranges in south-east Queensland, continues to perplex and inspire a new generation of citizen scientists as they hop into FrogID Week. Continue reading...
www.theguardian.com
November 8, 2025 at 8:36 AM
The premier, the poet and the fight to save an extraordinary Australian frog
Reposted by Veronica Bartles
Good literary translation requires understanding (language, culture, genre--on both sides of the translation) and an ability to write well. "AI" can't do that. There are no shortcuts. Treat your work and foreign language readers with the respect they deserve. You won't fool anyone with this.
Amazon has launched a new AI-driven translation service, Kindle Translate, for Kindle Direct Publishing authors 👇 #BookSky
Amazon launches AI translation service for indie authors
ebx.sh
November 7, 2025 at 2:52 PM
Good literary translation requires understanding (language, culture, genre--on both sides of the translation) and an ability to write well. "AI" can't do that. There are no shortcuts. Treat your work and foreign language readers with the respect they deserve. You won't fool anyone with this.
Reposted by Veronica Bartles
I have been actively watching contracts and surge funding over the last few days and what I would say to my friends in Baltimore is “be absolutely ready, right now.”
ICE poised to ramp up raids in Baltimore by Thanksgiving
The Trump administration has rush-ordered infrastructure to conduct raids, abduct residents, and detain people for months.
open.substack.com
November 8, 2025 at 11:40 AM
Reposted by Veronica Bartles
One daughter and I went out to lunch today, and she happened to snap a pic of my #TranslatorsAloud merch in the wild. Grab yours! 👇
November 8, 2025 at 12:08 PM
One daughter and I went out to lunch today, and she happened to snap a pic of my #TranslatorsAloud merch in the wild. Grab yours! 👇
Reposted by Veronica Bartles
one of my least favorite new publishing "truths" is that books only deserve consistent marketing & publicity if they are already doing well, it's the new "needs experience to get experience" 🤡
November 6, 2025 at 6:55 PM
one of my least favorite new publishing "truths" is that books only deserve consistent marketing & publicity if they are already doing well, it's the new "needs experience to get experience" 🤡
Reposted by Veronica Bartles
Hey illustrators/agents!
I’m a #kidlit art director starting work on a new picture book—we’re looking for: expressive, commercial, human characters; texture (printmakingish); AND BATS! Lively, active, swarming BATS!
Please respond w/ samples + folio link.
Please no emails/DMs.
💙❤️ #artcommissions
I’m a #kidlit art director starting work on a new picture book—we’re looking for: expressive, commercial, human characters; texture (printmakingish); AND BATS! Lively, active, swarming BATS!
Please respond w/ samples + folio link.
Please no emails/DMs.
💙❤️ #artcommissions
November 6, 2025 at 1:49 PM
Hey illustrators/agents!
I’m a #kidlit art director starting work on a new picture book—we’re looking for: expressive, commercial, human characters; texture (printmakingish); AND BATS! Lively, active, swarming BATS!
Please respond w/ samples + folio link.
Please no emails/DMs.
💙❤️ #artcommissions
I’m a #kidlit art director starting work on a new picture book—we’re looking for: expressive, commercial, human characters; texture (printmakingish); AND BATS! Lively, active, swarming BATS!
Please respond w/ samples + folio link.
Please no emails/DMs.
💙❤️ #artcommissions