The Conversationalist
@conversationalist.org
We are a nonprofit feminist media outlet focused on solutions oriented journalism and global perspectives, from the personal to the political. https://conversationalist.org/
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The Conversationalist
Transformative thinking toward a more civil society.
conversationalist.org
Ready to change the way you feel after reading the news? Join us at The Conversationalist.
💥 Unapologetic feminist storytelling
💥 Independent and non-profit media
💥 Global perspectives
💥 No bullshit
💥 Unapologetic feminist storytelling
💥 Independent and non-profit media
💥 Global perspectives
💥 No bullshit
Writer and Conversationalist Contributing Editor Kovie Biakolo reads her piece, "Is Anyone, Anywhere Having a Good Time?"—and shares more about how the story came to be.
Listen to the full podcast episode here ➡️ podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/i...
Listen to the full podcast episode here ➡️ podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/i...
January 18, 2026 at 1:30 PM
Writer and Conversationalist Contributing Editor Kovie Biakolo reads her piece, "Is Anyone, Anywhere Having a Good Time?"—and shares more about how the story came to be.
Listen to the full podcast episode here ➡️ podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/i...
Listen to the full podcast episode here ➡️ podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/i...
Reposted by The Conversationalist
A brilliant report on a crazy crime - the kidnapping of 26 kids and their school bus driver in 1976 in the fantastically named California town of Chowchilla.
Superb writing by Kaleb Horton
www.vox.com/the-highligh...
Superb writing by Kaleb Horton
www.vox.com/the-highligh...
January 16, 2026 at 9:50 PM
A brilliant report on a crazy crime - the kidnapping of 26 kids and their school bus driver in 1976 in the fantastically named California town of Chowchilla.
Superb writing by Kaleb Horton
www.vox.com/the-highligh...
Superb writing by Kaleb Horton
www.vox.com/the-highligh...
Staff Reads from Executive Editor @ginamei.bsky.social: "A few months ago, the writer Kaleb Horton died. I was lucky to have known him and to have worked with him, and revisiting his writing has been an endless reminder of just how talented and singular he was."
The ballad of the Chowchilla bus kidnapping
In 1976, a school bus carrying 26 children and their driver disappeared from a small California town. Forty-five years later, we revisit the story.
www.vox.com
January 16, 2026 at 1:01 PM
Staff Reads from Executive Editor @ginamei.bsky.social: "A few months ago, the writer Kaleb Horton died. I was lucky to have known him and to have worked with him, and revisiting his writing has been an endless reminder of just how talented and singular he was."
🌸 Female organic flower farmer
🌸 Based in Fujino, Japan
🌸 Growing a community of other female farmers
This is Day in a Life, a new series where we follow interesting people doing interesting things. Meet Satoko of Four Peas Flowers. Who do you want to see next?
🌸 Based in Fujino, Japan
🌸 Growing a community of other female farmers
This is Day in a Life, a new series where we follow interesting people doing interesting things. Meet Satoko of Four Peas Flowers. Who do you want to see next?
January 15, 2026 at 12:52 PM
🌸 Female organic flower farmer
🌸 Based in Fujino, Japan
🌸 Growing a community of other female farmers
This is Day in a Life, a new series where we follow interesting people doing interesting things. Meet Satoko of Four Peas Flowers. Who do you want to see next?
🌸 Based in Fujino, Japan
🌸 Growing a community of other female farmers
This is Day in a Life, a new series where we follow interesting people doing interesting things. Meet Satoko of Four Peas Flowers. Who do you want to see next?
Reposted by The Conversationalist
my veganism isn’t perfect, but it is fundamental to who i am. i wrote an essay for @conversationalist.org about how we can all reject cruelty and nihilism:
conversationalist.org/2026/01/13/m...
conversationalist.org/2026/01/13/m...
Practice Not Perfection
With my veganism and other important belief systems in my life, I’ve decided that being imperfect is better than abandoning my morals altogether.
conversationalist.org
January 15, 2026 at 9:55 AM
my veganism isn’t perfect, but it is fundamental to who i am. i wrote an essay for @conversationalist.org about how we can all reject cruelty and nihilism:
conversationalist.org/2026/01/13/m...
conversationalist.org/2026/01/13/m...
After going vegan, @marianneeloise.bsky.social slipped up and ate cheese. Instead of seeing it as a failure, it reshaped how she thinks about veganism and her belief system. "I’ve decided that being imperfect is better than abandoning my morals altogether."
Practice Not Perfection
With my veganism and other important belief systems in my life, I’ve decided that being imperfect is better than abandoning my morals altogether.
conversationalist.org
January 14, 2026 at 12:40 PM
After going vegan, @marianneeloise.bsky.social slipped up and ate cheese. Instead of seeing it as a failure, it reshaped how she thinks about veganism and her belief system. "I’ve decided that being imperfect is better than abandoning my morals altogether."
"Bringing people together on a regular basis is also a reminder that small rituals can add up to something much bigger." The power of a weekly neighborhood potluck. 🍔
A Helping of Something Hopeful
How committing to a weekly neighborhood potluck has both fed and strengthened my community.
conversationalist.org
January 13, 2026 at 1:52 PM
"Bringing people together on a regular basis is also a reminder that small rituals can add up to something much bigger." The power of a weekly neighborhood potluck. 🍔
"A male coworker had pointed out the small puddle of blood forming beneath my desk, wondering aloud where it had come from: Was the ceiling weeping blood, like something out of a horror movie?” Raina Lipsitz's essay on fibroids.
Female Trouble
An essay about fibroids, and the time I bled on the floor at work.
conversationalist.org
January 12, 2026 at 12:52 PM
"A male coworker had pointed out the small puddle of blood forming beneath my desk, wondering aloud where it had come from: Was the ceiling weeping blood, like something out of a horror movie?” Raina Lipsitz's essay on fibroids.
Reposted by The Conversationalist
“For months, I’ve tried to make sense of my sudden inability to write about societal collapse. Then, I found out I was pregnant.”
conversationalist.org/2026/01/09/h...
conversationalist.org/2026/01/09/h...
The Strange Hopefulness of Growing a Human While the World Burns
For months, I’ve tried to make sense of my sudden inability to write about societal collapse. Then, I found out I was pregnant.
conversationalist.org
January 10, 2026 at 6:02 PM
“For months, I’ve tried to make sense of my sudden inability to write about societal collapse. Then, I found out I was pregnant.”
conversationalist.org/2026/01/09/h...
conversationalist.org/2026/01/09/h...
Reposted by The Conversationalist
I wrote about what it’s been like growing a little person inside me while the world is on fire. Let’s just say both the hopefulness and cognitive dissonance are real. Also, my way of sharing that I’m having a baby in a couple weeks!
conversationalist.org/2026/01/09/h...
conversationalist.org/2026/01/09/h...
The Strange Hopefulness of Growing a Human While the World Burns
For months, I’ve tried to make sense of my sudden inability to write about societal collapse. Then, I found out I was pregnant.
conversationalist.org
January 9, 2026 at 2:43 PM
I wrote about what it’s been like growing a little person inside me while the world is on fire. Let’s just say both the hopefulness and cognitive dissonance are real. Also, my way of sharing that I’m having a baby in a couple weeks!
conversationalist.org/2026/01/09/h...
conversationalist.org/2026/01/09/h...
“It’s an extremely dark time, but that’s not exactly a historical outlier. People have been making babies throughout the worst of them. And nothing motivates me more to build a better future for all of us than this little girl…”
Founder @alindguzik.bsky.social closes Hope Week with an announcement.
Founder @alindguzik.bsky.social closes Hope Week with an announcement.
The Strange Hopefulness of Growing a Human While the World Burns
For months, I’ve tried to make sense of my sudden inability to write about societal collapse. Then, I found out I was pregnant.
conversationalist.org
January 9, 2026 at 2:14 PM
“It’s an extremely dark time, but that’s not exactly a historical outlier. People have been making babies throughout the worst of them. And nothing motivates me more to build a better future for all of us than this little girl…”
Founder @alindguzik.bsky.social closes Hope Week with an announcement.
Founder @alindguzik.bsky.social closes Hope Week with an announcement.
Reposted by The Conversationalist
Check out The Flytrap's own @nicolefroio.bsky.social in @conversationalist.org, writing about a UBI program for artists in Ireland! Funding the arts is good, actually.
Painting a More Hopeful Future
Why Ireland’s Basic Income for the Arts program is just the first step in better supporting the country’s artists.
conversationalist.org
January 8, 2026 at 9:29 PM
Check out The Flytrap's own @nicolefroio.bsky.social in @conversationalist.org, writing about a UBI program for artists in Ireland! Funding the arts is good, actually.
Reposted by The Conversationalist
"Why Ireland’s Basic Income for the Arts program is just the first step in better supporting the country’s artists . . . "
conversationalist.org/2026/01/07/h...
conversationalist.org/2026/01/07/h...
January 8, 2026 at 7:14 PM
"Why Ireland’s Basic Income for the Arts program is just the first step in better supporting the country’s artists . . . "
conversationalist.org/2026/01/07/h...
conversationalist.org/2026/01/07/h...
As she reports on climate change in India, Aliya Bashir has made a conscious effort to find stories of resilience, rather than just stories of despair. She uncovered stories of people who make meaningful changes.
And often, these changemakers are women. The latest in Hope Week.
And often, these changemakers are women. The latest in Hope Week.
Planting the Seeds of Climate Hope
While reporting on climate change isn’t always hopeful, the women I’ve met along the way are forging a path forward for intergenerational resilience.
conversationalist.org
January 8, 2026 at 1:39 PM
As she reports on climate change in India, Aliya Bashir has made a conscious effort to find stories of resilience, rather than just stories of despair. She uncovered stories of people who make meaningful changes.
And often, these changemakers are women. The latest in Hope Week.
And often, these changemakers are women. The latest in Hope Week.
Reposted by The Conversationalist
“In a capitalist society, creative work is not valued as a productive or profitable field, which often means that artists are being underpaid for their work, if they’re paid at all.”
But in Ireland, there's an alternative model. The latest in Hope Week by @nicolefroio.bsky.social.
But in Ireland, there's an alternative model. The latest in Hope Week by @nicolefroio.bsky.social.
Painting a More Hopeful Future
Why Ireland’s Basic Income for the Arts program is just the first step in better supporting the country’s artists.
conversationalist.org
January 7, 2026 at 1:43 PM
“In a capitalist society, creative work is not valued as a productive or profitable field, which often means that artists are being underpaid for their work, if they’re paid at all.”
But in Ireland, there's an alternative model. The latest in Hope Week by @nicolefroio.bsky.social.
But in Ireland, there's an alternative model. The latest in Hope Week by @nicolefroio.bsky.social.
Reposted by The Conversationalist
thank you to everyone who helped me source this piece, I love the idea of a basic income for artists as it's been done in Ireland, but the picture is more complex than I thought:
“In a capitalist society, creative work is not valued as a productive or profitable field, which often means that artists are being underpaid for their work, if they’re paid at all.”
But in Ireland, there's an alternative model. The latest in Hope Week by @nicolefroio.bsky.social.
But in Ireland, there's an alternative model. The latest in Hope Week by @nicolefroio.bsky.social.
Painting a More Hopeful Future
Why Ireland’s Basic Income for the Arts program is just the first step in better supporting the country’s artists.
conversationalist.org
January 7, 2026 at 2:44 PM
thank you to everyone who helped me source this piece, I love the idea of a basic income for artists as it's been done in Ireland, but the picture is more complex than I thought:
Reposted by The Conversationalist
“We have been persecuted, harassed, silenced, [but] the truth cannot be killed." How women play a crucial role in the Venezuela’s struggle against dictatorship.
The Fight to Free Venezuela’s Political Prisoners
How women play a crucial role in the country’s struggle against dictatorship.
conversationalist.org
December 5, 2025 at 2:53 PM
“We have been persecuted, harassed, silenced, [but] the truth cannot be killed." How women play a crucial role in the Venezuela’s struggle against dictatorship.
“In a capitalist society, creative work is not valued as a productive or profitable field, which often means that artists are being underpaid for their work, if they’re paid at all.”
But in Ireland, there's an alternative model. The latest in Hope Week by @nicolefroio.bsky.social.
But in Ireland, there's an alternative model. The latest in Hope Week by @nicolefroio.bsky.social.
Painting a More Hopeful Future
Why Ireland’s Basic Income for the Arts program is just the first step in better supporting the country’s artists.
conversationalist.org
January 7, 2026 at 1:43 PM
“In a capitalist society, creative work is not valued as a productive or profitable field, which often means that artists are being underpaid for their work, if they’re paid at all.”
But in Ireland, there's an alternative model. The latest in Hope Week by @nicolefroio.bsky.social.
But in Ireland, there's an alternative model. The latest in Hope Week by @nicolefroio.bsky.social.
Reposted by The Conversationalist
"There’s a certain serendipity that happens at a potluck." For one writer, weekly neighborhood potlucks mean hot dogs, mini quiche, community, and care.
This is Hope Week, where we're bringing you a new story every day that serves up hope. 🌭
This is Hope Week, where we're bringing you a new story every day that serves up hope. 🌭
A Helping of Something Hopeful
How committing to a weekly neighborhood potluck has both fed and strengthened my community.
conversationalist.org
January 6, 2026 at 1:20 PM
"There’s a certain serendipity that happens at a potluck." For one writer, weekly neighborhood potlucks mean hot dogs, mini quiche, community, and care.
This is Hope Week, where we're bringing you a new story every day that serves up hope. 🌭
This is Hope Week, where we're bringing you a new story every day that serves up hope. 🌭
"There’s a certain serendipity that happens at a potluck." For one writer, weekly neighborhood potlucks mean hot dogs, mini quiche, community, and care.
This is Hope Week, where we're bringing you a new story every day that serves up hope. 🌭
This is Hope Week, where we're bringing you a new story every day that serves up hope. 🌭
A Helping of Something Hopeful
How committing to a weekly neighborhood potluck has both fed and strengthened my community.
conversationalist.org
January 6, 2026 at 1:20 PM
"There’s a certain serendipity that happens at a potluck." For one writer, weekly neighborhood potlucks mean hot dogs, mini quiche, community, and care.
This is Hope Week, where we're bringing you a new story every day that serves up hope. 🌭
This is Hope Week, where we're bringing you a new story every day that serves up hope. 🌭
Staff Reads from our Executive Director: “As we start 2026, I found this @msmagazine.com roundup about feminist wins from 2025 an inspiring way to move into the new year, highlighting VA’s first female governor, the first all-women professional baseball league, and more.”
Fourteen Feminist Wins in 2025
As 2025 comes to a close, we’re taking a moment to honor the wins—large and small—that reminded us progress is still possible. Here are a few feminist victories worth celebrating.
msmagazine.com
January 6, 2026 at 12:32 AM
Staff Reads from our Executive Director: “As we start 2026, I found this @msmagazine.com roundup about feminist wins from 2025 an inspiring way to move into the new year, highlighting VA’s first female governor, the first all-women professional baseball league, and more.”
Reposted by The Conversationalist
Every day this week, we’ll be sharing new stories that center hope for our first-ever Hope Week. Starting off with how door-knocking for Mayor Mamdani restored Raina Lipsitz's faith in the power of organized people to defeat organized money.
Knocking on Hope’s Door
How door-knocking for Mayor Mamdani restored my faith in the power of organized people to defeat organized money.
conversationalist.org
January 5, 2026 at 1:18 PM
Every day this week, we’ll be sharing new stories that center hope for our first-ever Hope Week. Starting off with how door-knocking for Mayor Mamdani restored Raina Lipsitz's faith in the power of organized people to defeat organized money.
Every day this week, we’ll be sharing new stories that center hope for our first-ever Hope Week. Starting off with how door-knocking for Mayor Mamdani restored Raina Lipsitz's faith in the power of organized people to defeat organized money.
Knocking on Hope’s Door
How door-knocking for Mayor Mamdani restored my faith in the power of organized people to defeat organized money.
conversationalist.org
January 5, 2026 at 1:18 PM
Every day this week, we’ll be sharing new stories that center hope for our first-ever Hope Week. Starting off with how door-knocking for Mayor Mamdani restored Raina Lipsitz's faith in the power of organized people to defeat organized money.
Staff Reads from our Executive Assistant: "Instead of viewing sleep as simply a necessity, embracing its sensory pleasures, rituals, and the vulnerability it reveals can help us reconnect with what makes life feel more grounded, intimate, and genuinely restorative."
Sleep is not just a physical need but a delicious pleasure | Aeon Essays
The idea that we should reduce sleep to an efficient minimum in our lives gets something fundamentally wrong
aeon.co
January 3, 2026 at 2:02 PM
Staff Reads from our Executive Assistant: "Instead of viewing sleep as simply a necessity, embracing its sensory pleasures, rituals, and the vulnerability it reveals can help us reconnect with what makes life feel more grounded, intimate, and genuinely restorative."
"The prodigal tech bro doesn’t want structural change. He is reassurance, not revolution." The tech executive turned data justice warrior is celebrated as a hero, but there’s something a bit too smooth about this narrative arc. More by @mariafarrell.bsky.social (originally published in 2020).
The Prodigal Techbro
Prodigal tech bro stories skip straight from the past, when they were part of something that—surprise!—turned out to be bad, to the present, where they are now a moral authority on how to do good…
conversationalist.org
January 2, 2026 at 1:01 PM
"The prodigal tech bro doesn’t want structural change. He is reassurance, not revolution." The tech executive turned data justice warrior is celebrated as a hero, but there’s something a bit too smooth about this narrative arc. More by @mariafarrell.bsky.social (originally published in 2020).