Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Matthew Lawrence

Sarah Weinman @sarahweinman.com · 3h

Rereading this 2004 NYMag feature on the exceedingly complicated author Olivia Goldsmith (who died way too young, as she likely wanted) and this is such a scorched-earth story about leaving your publisher nymag.com/nymetro/news...

Ashmead was equally smitten with Goldsmith until, Ashmead says, he incurred her wrath when he edited her 1996 novel Marrying Mom. “Marrying Mom had what I thought were some rather grotesque sex scenes between people over 70 years of age—they had to rearrange their bellies to have sexual intercourse,” Ashmead says. “I asked her to take it out. That was the end of the relationship. She went out the door and never came back.”

Well, not completely. It turned out Goldsmith was as adept at revenge as any of her characters. On Valentine’s Day, Ashmead opened his front door to discover a bag full of candy valentines. However, Olivia wasn’t trying to restart the friendship.

“She’d crossed out all the nice things and written ‘Fuck you, screw you,’ ” Ashmead says. “It must have taken a lot of time.”

She didn’t stop there. “She went on Sally Jesse Raphael once and said, ‘This book would be a lot better if my editor hadn’t gotten so old he’d forgotten what good sex is like,’ ” Ashmead remembers. “ ‘So if any of you have a manuscript with no sex in it, give it to … ’ and she gave my name.”

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Matthew Lawrence @beefcakefactory.bsky.social · 3h

I posted my first Moment on Scruff and I guess I will be spending the remainder of my day corresponding with dozens of men who all live in either Germany or Brazil.

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Matthew Lawrence @beefcakefactory.bsky.social · 11h

Me in the supermarket talking to the bag of Swedish Fish

Bright Wall/Dark Room @bwdr.bsky.social · 13h

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Matthew Lawrence @beefcakefactory.bsky.social · 15h

Trying to figure out what to wear to the straight people club??

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Matthew Lawrence @beefcakefactory.bsky.social · 15h

Her acting output post-1990* colors what I think of when I think about her but she was actually very interesting and a little weird!

*Baby Boom (1987) was maybe the beginning of the end?

Reposted by Matthew Lawrence

Tom & Lorenzo @tomandlorenzo.bsky.social · 23h

I read this post with so much mounting dread that I couldn't prevent a gleefully surprised "Oh!" when I got to the end

Kyle Griffin @kylegriffin1.bsky.social · 1d

A library director in Wyoming who was fired two years ago because she refused to remove books with sexual content and LGBTQ themes from a library's children and young adult sections has just been awarded $700,000 in a settlement. t.co/EA5L1kOZfV

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/09/us/wyoming-library-settlement-book-bans-terri-lesley.html?smtyp=cur&smid=fb-nytimes&fbclid=IwdGRjcANWLXdleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHhlnY6nKj_j4zuP3VjNSstXWBaV1t8-sPQ5C3b_jS6WN...

t.co

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Matthew Lawrence @beefcakefactory.bsky.social · 20h

RIP Diane Keaton I loved your book of clown paintings and your direction of Belinda Carlisle's Heaven Is a Place in Earth video! Also that one Twin Peaks episode.

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Matthew Lawrence @beefcakefactory.bsky.social · 1d

This David Byrne/Hayley Williams song sure sounds like when you're on hold with a utility company.

Reposted by Matthew Lawrence

Claire Willett @clairewillett.bsky.social · 2d

I can’t believe an inflatable frog is my hometown’s symbol of resistance, and yet of course since I am from here I absolutely can

this is old school homegrown “rioting over the airport changing its carpet” Portland freak shit. it transcends the Portlandia mythos. writers would not think of this

The Oregonian @oregonian.com · 2d

Things are happening at Portland's ICE facility tonight.

Read more of our protest coverage here: www.oregonlive.com/crime/2025/1...

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Matthew Lawrence @beefcakefactory.bsky.social · 1d

I can really relate to this song because I'm on the edge the edge the edge the edge the edge the edge the edge.

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Matthew Lawrence @beefcakefactory.bsky.social · 2d

Did one of my neighbors just take up the cello???

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Matthew Lawrence @beefcakefactory.bsky.social · 2d

Tilda Swinton's best role yet.

Matthew Lawrence @beefcakefactory.bsky.social · 3d

I love lesbian Bruce Springsteen.

Bruce Springsteen in a shirt, tie, cardigan and leather jacket looking very butch for a 76 year old.

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Reposted by Matthew Lawrence

Kieran Healy @kjhealy.co · 2d

Yeah let’s return to that simpler, better time when the Church wasn’t political [puts two fingers to earpiece] Sorry I’m just getting an update

The Washington Post @washingtonpost.com · 3d

As Pope Leo begins to reveal some of his views on divisive issues, some conservative critics of his predecessor are rejecting the possible rise of another “liberal pope.”

As Pope Leo riles conservatives, some say ‘just focus on the church’

Conservatives who hoped that Leo, the first U.S.-born pope, would be more of a traditionalist instead hear echoes of his predecessor, Francis, in his public statements.

www.washingtonpost.com

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Reposted by Matthew Lawrence

Rhode PVD @rhodepvd.bsky.social · 2d

PDF it even if you do own or control the site.

I’ve lost millions of words to hacks, outages, and corporate sales

Emily C. Hughes @emilyhughes.bsky.social · 2d

periodic reminder that if you write stuff that's published on the web for a publication you yourself do not own, PDF that shit as soon as it goes live

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Matthew Lawrence @beefcakefactory.bsky.social · 2d

Remember when Nicki Minaj rhymed wiener with Selener.

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Matthew Lawrence @beefcakefactory.bsky.social · 3d

This place needs a napping station.

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Matthew Lawrence @beefcakefactory.bsky.social · 3d

I love lesbian Bruce Springsteen.

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Matthew Lawrence @beefcakefactory.bsky.social · 3d

Banned Books Week is a little different different now that Rhode Island has the country's most comprehensive Freedom To Read act.

warwickonline.com/stories/word...

Words with friends - Warwick Beacon

‘Censorship Is So 1984. Read for Your Rights.’ That’s the theme of the 44th annual Banned Books Week, organized each year by the American Library Association. Since 1982, the …

warwickonline.com

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Reposted by Matthew Lawrence

Kevin M. Kruse @kevinmkruse.bsky.social · 3d

Bray is a historian at Rutgers who received death threats after landing on Turning Points USA's Professor Watchlist. As a result, he announced he was moving to Europe. And then this happened.

This kind of harassment and abuse of scholars is Charlie Kirk's legacy and it's only getting worse.

Mark Bray @mark-bray.bsky.social · 3d

“Someone” cancelled my family’s flight out of the country at the last second.

We got our boarding passes. We checked our bags. Went through security. Then at our gate our reservation ‘disappeared.’

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Matthew Lawrence @beefcakefactory.bsky.social · 3d

Going to be so embarrassing when my Spotify Wrapped comes out and everybody learns that I have been listening to Tate McRae daily for the last nine months or so.

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Reposted by Matthew Lawrence

Kate Schapira @kateschapira.bsky.social · 5d

Here's your guide to fighting utility shutoffs this winter. W/o the gov't open, few to no states will have funds for emergency bill payment program LIHEAP. This doc has scripts, state context, contact info for governors & commissions, everything you need. Please call! docs.google.com/document/d/1...

NO UTILITY SHUTOFFS scripts by state

🚨 WE NEED AN EMERGENCY BAN ON UTILITY SHUTOFFS DUE TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN 🚨 TAKE ACTION: ONE E-MAIL OR PHONE CALL! ⚡ Hello! Welcome to our crowdsourced effort to campaign for ending util...

docs.google.com

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Matthew Lawrence @beefcakefactory.bsky.social · 4d

Obviously I hope Dolly pulls through whatever is happening but also honestly if she decided it's time to check out good for her. She has done so much.

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Matthew Lawrence @beefcakefactory.bsky.social · 4d

Poor Tevin really peaked at 14 but Round & Round and Tell Me What You Want Me To Do are classics.

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Reposted by Matthew Lawrence

naylandblake @naylandblake.bsky.social · 4d

A cover band called The Residonts

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Matthew Lawrence @beefcakefactory.bsky.social · 4d

A cover band called the Pretendees.

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