Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Cassandra Whitaker

DiscussingFilm @discussingfilm.net · 6h

Diane Keaton has sadly passed away at the age of 79.

Cassandra Whitaker @casswhit.bsky.social · 9h

3/3 to be fair I haven't gone through every thing on the site but a quick cursory search reveals that there's not much left from the original collections. Not surprising just disappointing.

Cassandra Whitaker @casswhit.bsky.social · 9h

2/3 Our students were drawn towards social justice/ 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️/ black and Asian pride. Not sure if anyone will participate this year, which perhaps, is part of the point.

The original poetry out loud collection also included Erie poems springtime winter weather historical poems poems of protest resistance and empowerment

Family ties cityscapes feathered Friends summer poems and country roads

1

Cassandra Whitaker @casswhit.bsky.social · 9h

1/3 Poetry Out Loud gutted their collections for poems that connect or reflect America's 250. Below are screens of the original collections 1 of 2

The original categories for poetry out loud were social justice and equality celebrating Hispanic heritage and culture celebrating native American heritage and culture celebrating Asian American and Pacific islander heritage and culture celebrating black history and culture

Celebrating lgbtq pride domestic life mythology and folklore travel water

Music and dance sorrow and grief the sporting Life humor and satire war poetry

1 1

Cassandra Whitaker @casswhit.bsky.social · 10h

I played the Telephone game, where artists of all types pass work onto each other and create new work based on the work received. My poem(s) responded to paintings by Jessica Snow. It was a cool process. You can view the whole project in an interactive journal/anthology, here telephonegame.art

Homepage of the telephone art project featuring an eye surrounded by a circle with seven moon like objects

Looking Up Into The Winter Stars At The Edge of the Atlantic There You Are

What stars weave their light with darkness? A circle of trust
Between absence Between emptiness
A weather of static— How small must one’s heart become
To survive what passes? To slip between infinity’s trap
I love you I love you not Winking in darkness

What noise reaches us from afar? You are loved — you are loved
You are loved for what you are Between absence and emptiness
To survive? A weather of trust
A circle of dust A heart between light and dark
As if all that came before was wind A voice from another room cries out

In the dark In the emptiness
A warm longing A light Long passed from age
–As if emptiness were so easy to dismiss How we touched without touching? Voices
From afar arriving home through our voice –Together—we opened a door
You are loved you are loved You are loved for what you are

1 Can be read as two poems or as one poem, a contrapuntal

6 6

Reposted by Cassandra Whitaker

Chelsea Dingman @chelsdingman.bsky.social · 2d

New poem up! Thanks to the editors @amsterdamreview.bsky.social for including my work. Follow their link to read the issue in full:

AMSTERDAM REVIEW
We Have Known Each Other at Every Hour by Chelsea Dingman
At dusk, the dusk holds
the days apart. I am also other than
I imagine myself to be. To know this is forgiveness, Simone Weil wrote at the onset of WWII. Still,
this almost-hour. Its snows. All that I still have to lose. What grain, what glacier,
what child, what plain did I hand my emptiness
that I would feel full? Still, I don't understand why
we describe it as falling— in orbit, the satellites going fast enough sideways
that they fall past the earth
as the earth turns from them. As in love,

when I looked you in your face the first time and understood you too will be impossible
to see to the end. Some days, I think it would be easier not to know
hat I now know. You are a homesickne uffered by fantasies of orchids, scotc
pines, daybreak. Blue
graves scattered over cities. People
I tried to love
but couldn't. The cow's bright eyes in the fields might've been fireflies tonight had it not been March. The river
cries out from under its hood of ice. Its mouth a silo. In it,
a perfect silence arrives
after the clamor of breaking. As a child,
only after breaking was my body believable. Belief gave way
to grief, its purgatories. Who will look out for you after you are grief enough
to believe in? You who emerged from me
in the future, where I delivered us, two fragile creatures lured out into the ryegrass,
the permafrost. And what on earth is lost that is not lost
fercely, and on purpose? When I'm dead, still I'll dream of you. A rebellion of late snow

I moved toward
without meaning to. A howl of dusk
trembling against me from within.
Chelsea Dingman's first book, Thaw, won the National Poetry Series (UGA Press,
2017). Her second book, through a small ghost, won The Georgia Poetry Prize (UGA Press, 2020). Her third collection is I, Divided (LSU Press, 2023). She is also the author of the chapbook, What Bodies Have I Moved (Madhouse Press, 2018). As a PhD Candidate at the University of Alberta, her current work draws on research supported by funding from the Social Sciences and Research Council of Canada. Visit her website: chelseadingman.com.
« Two by Eric Pankey
Two by Stefanie Kirby >>

1 5 13

Reposted by Cassandra Whitaker

The Conversation U.S. @us.theconversation.com · 16h

The phrase “coming out” didn’t start as a public declaration — it began in the shadows, among coded phrases and hidden communities.

Over time, it became a political act, a rallying cry, and a model for other social movements.

buff.ly/qnHe5a4

🏳️🌈 #LGBTQHistoryMonth

The history of ‘coming out,’ from secret gay code to popular political protest

In the 1950s, ‘coming out’ meant quietly acknowledging one’s sexual orientation. Today, the term is used by a broad array of social movements.

buff.ly

6 22

Reposted by Cassandra Whitaker

Chloe N. Clark @pintsncupcakes.bsky.social · 7d

Made a vibes trailer for the book:

1 7 14

Reposted by Cassandra Whitaker

Shannon Mattern @shannonmattern.bsky.social · 1d

I’d like to amplify others’ pleas to *please* acknowledge and build upon the work of librarians and other organizers — @heykellyjensen.bsky.social, @tasslyn.bsky.social, @everylibrary.bsky.social, et al — who’ve been tracking *all of this* and developing expertise for YEARS.

404 Media @404media.co · 2d

Help us investigate book bans across the USA.

404 Media has gotten a grant to unearth public records about systematic censorship of books, schools, and libraries in the U.S.

🔗 www.404media.co/help-us-inve...

Help Us Investigate Book Bans and Educational Censorship Around America

404 Media has gotten a grant to unearth public records about systematic censorship of books, schools, and libraries in the U.S.

www.404media.co

1 23 57

Reposted by Cassandra Whitaker

David Rosenthal @davidrosenthalpoet.bsky.social · 6d

A little over a month away from the first of these!!!!

Mark your calendar and register for the Zoom link:

beardedbardsofbluesky.weebly.com

Bearded Bards
Of BlueSky

Online readings to raise funds for Tans Lifeline.

November 8, 2025
Featuring:
Todd Dillard
Brian Spears
Matthew E. Henry
James McConachie
David J. Bauman
Jonathan Everitt

December 13, 2025
Featuring:
Jared Beloff
Barlow Adams
Dan Murphy
upformsumdirt
Gregory Crosby
J-T Kelly

5:00-6:45 est / 2:00-3:45 pst

https://beardedbardsofbluesky.weebly.com

8 14

Reposted by Cassandra Whitaker

Barred and Boujee aka Madiba Dennie @audrelawdamercy.bsky.social · 4d

I've written my analysis of today's grim Supreme Court oral argument in the conversion therapy case:

As far as the Court's concerned, imaginary medical uncertainty gives states the authority to hurt queer kids, and takes away states' authority to protect them

ballsandstrikes.org/scotus/chile...

The Conservative Justices Don't Trust Any Science That Supports LGBTQ Kids

States that want to facilitate discrimination against LGBTQ people have the Court's blessing. States that want to protect LGBTQ people from discrimination do not.

ballsandstrikes.org

9 160 350

Reposted by Cassandra Whitaker

Feena van @feenavan2099.bsky.social · 6d

"The species is named after Inazuma, a character from the Japanese manga ‘One Piece,’ known for the ability to change sex between male and female"

Half Male-Half Female Spider Discovered In Thailand Is New To Science

Not only is this species new to science, but this remarkable individual is the first record of a rare biological phenomenon in this previously unknown species.

www.forbes.com

12 98 320

Reposted by Cassandra Whitaker

Sam Levin @samtlevin.bsky.social · 5d

NEW: Christian legal group Alliance Defending Freedom "deceived" the Supreme Court + "profoundly misrepresented" LGBTQ+ research, according to scholars cited by ADF.

Quoted experts speak out about ADF's "distortions" + "false evidence" in major case, on deck tomorrow, to revive "conversion therapy"

Christian group ‘deceived’ supreme court about LGBTQ+ research, cited scholars say

Exclusive: Experts say Alliance Defending Freedom, arguing to revive conversion therapy, ‘profoundly misrepresented’ their work in case threatening trans and queer youth

www.theguardian.com

14 140 330

Cassandra Whitaker @casswhit.bsky.social · 5d

bookshop.org/p/books/wolf.... Poetry

Wolf Devouring a Wolf Devouring a Wolf

Check out Wolf Devouring a Wolf Devouring a Wolf - <p>Having written a book called <em>Wolf Centos</em> that opens with the quote "All the poetry has wolves in it, Pam," how could I not be entranced b...

bookshop.org

1 3

Reposted by Cassandra Whitaker

ANMLY @anmlymag.bsky.social · 8d

ANMLY is now open for new work!

We're especially seeking more from writers outside of the US, more nonfiction, & more translation!

> anmly.submittable.com

*Fee waivers available*

Check out our latest issue to see what we're into!

> anmly.org/ap40

ANMLY Submission Manager

**ANNOUNCEMENT: Fees will be waived for all Black and Indigenous writers, and writers of Palestinian descent, to support those most targeted by state violence. Email editor [at] anomalouspress [dot] o...

anmly.submittable.com

16 14

Cassandra Whitaker @casswhit.bsky.social · 6d

Sending vibes! It's the worst!

1

Cassandra Whitaker @casswhit.bsky.social · 6d

🍌🍄🌈🍉🥕🫚🫑

2 2

Cassandra Whitaker @casswhit.bsky.social · 7d

Great tee!

1 1

Cassandra Whitaker @casswhit.bsky.social · 7d

Congratulations to all the nominees! Good luck everyone! Many thanks to the editors!❤️❤️❤️

Bluestem @bluestemmag.bsky.social · 10d

Congratulations to our Best of the Net nominees! Thank you to our nominees, and to all our contributors, for their minds and words.

Green poster with pink text naming our nominees. It reads:
Aaron Burch “The Zoo”
Dustin Hoffman “Ecdysis”
Cassandra Whitaker “Even Ann Lister Is In My Blood Marrying Ann Walker”
Prosper Ifeyani “Conscription”
Sara Quinn Rivara “Two Foxes”
Michael Copperman “Nightlight”
Sharon Davis “Pammie”

6 9

Reposted by Cassandra Whitaker

Bluestem @bluestemmag.bsky.social · 10d

Congratulations to our Best of the Net nominees! Thank you to our nominees, and to all our contributors, for their minds and words.

1 8

Reposted by Cassandra Whitaker

I Post Animal Vids... 😊 @realjfairclough.bsky.social · 7d

4 day old baby rhino challenging mom at Care for Wild Rhino Sanctuary, South Africa!

♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️

#bluesky #animals #nature #wildlife

20 160 1.2K

Cassandra Whitaker @casswhit.bsky.social · 7d

How are you finding Showgirl?

Reposted by Cassandra Whitaker

Sandy Ernest Allen @sandyernestallen.bsky.social · 7d

My spirit in asking the question yesterday was this. Lots of people ... don't understand the position trans people on HRT are in, is my observation. Lots of trans people *do* understand how dire this situation is and we're having these conversations. If cis folks find this upsetting, yeah we do too.

Sandy Ernest Allen @sandyernestallen.bsky.social · 8d

Without HRT myself I will die, just to spell that out.

8 25

Reposted by Cassandra Whitaker

Erin Reed @erininthemorning.com · 8d

Major victory in Kansas for transgender people.

The Kansas Supreme Court declined to block a lower court ruling on gender markers on drivers license.

ACLU Kansas says trans people can get their licenses updated starting Tuesday.

The latest from S. Baum.

Subscribe to support our journalism.

Kansas Supreme Court Delivers Big Win For Driver’s License Gender Markers

“I want every transgender Kansan to be able to live their lives authentically.”

www.erininthemorning.com

7 470 1.9K

Cassandra Whitaker @casswhit.bsky.social · 8d

Hits so hard rn... sending vibes and love

1