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Jenny Shank

@jennyshank.bsky.social

990 followers 660 following 290 posts

Representing Jenkind. Writer, reader, eater. Books: MIXED COMPANY & THE RINGER. Teach: Lighthouse Writers Workshop. Words: The Atlantic, Washington Post, McSweeney’s. Newsletter: The Tumbleweed, jenny.shank.substack.com

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Jenny Shank @jennyshank.bsky.social · Aug 14

In June I took the jammed train from Paris to Giverny to visit Monet's house. One guy bickered with another using a seat for a cello, while I stood in the aisle and began this piece. "I Am the Overtourist and I'm Here to Marry Your Town" is up on ‪McSweeney's‬ today! bit.ly/4fzlmzz

I Am the Overtourist and I’m Here to Marry Your Town

I am the Overtourist. I’m here to overtour your picturesque town or world-class city. Shooting water pistols at me only hydrates and emboldens me. ...

bit.ly

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Jenny Shank @jennyshank.bsky.social · 3d

Yes, the frog appears thoughtful, as if he's either on the verge of saying something, or he's holding his mouth open aghast at what he's witnessing.

Jenny Shank @jennyshank.bsky.social · 3d

This is a great theory. I only have one question--you write that the frog is "smiley," when I think in fact he is frowning slightly. Does his expression of slight disapproval make any difference to the dynamic you outlined? Did that help the meaning in "context" become more clear, as you mention?

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Jenny Shank @jennyshank.bsky.social · 6d

i humbly accept the nomination.

Jenny Shank @jennyshank.bsky.social · 6d

I always thought the rupture opened when the Cubs won the World Series for the first time in 98 years on November 2, 2016.

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Jenny Shank @jennyshank.bsky.social · 7d

I'll be teaching a new class starting October 20 for Lighthouse Writers Workshop on one of my favorite topics, short stories! We'll draw inspiration from the Best American Short Stories 2024, edited by @legroff.bsky.social. Register for online or in-person attendance in #Denver.
bit.ly/3WrL9B2

Jenny Shank @jennyshank.bsky.social · 8d

I can’t control much in this crazy world, but I never wanted to fight with a flimsy 4 dollar 3 hole punch again so I got myself this Cadillac of perforation: the Bostitch EZ Squeeze 40. Now I’m just going to sit back and watch my whole life slide into place.

Jenny Shank @jennyshank.bsky.social · 10d

Something on the menu for everyone here.

Colorado food recalls: Listeria-tainted pasta, corn dogs with wood, radioactive shrimp.

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Jenny Shank @jennyshank.bsky.social · 13d

Jane Goodall was one of a kind, a messenger for peace and respect for all creatures. I'm so glad my kids and I got to see her when she visited Boulder in 2015. And we brought some monkey stuffies.

Jane Goodall speaks to a crowd at the University of Colorado Boulder.

Jenny Shank @jennyshank.bsky.social · 16d

Fall colors in Keystone, Colorado and a brilliant story collection, “Hellions” by @juliaelliott.bsky.social, makes for an epic Sunday morning.

Hellions by Julia Elliott, with golden aspens of Keystone Colorado in the background.

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Jenny Shank @jennyshank.bsky.social · 21d

That is a cute creature--and your handwriting is impeccable!

Jenny Shank @jennyshank.bsky.social · 25d

done.

Jenny Shank @jennyshank.bsky.social · 29d

Aw, thanks for sharing Cara. And congratulations on the book award!

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Jenny Shank @jennyshank.bsky.social · 29d

In the Tumbleweed, I discuss a mascot's retirement, what it teaches us about how to love, and book news starring @rlmaizes.bsky.social, @ninamcconigley.bsky.social, @khadijahqueen.com, @scottsemegran.com, @unmpress.bsky.social, @caralopezlee.bsky.social & @karenpalmer.bsky.social! bit.ly/42gAIDZ

Ralphie's Last Prance: Loving Creatures as Belonging to Themselves

A very chunky chipmunk, a new story collection, and September literary events.

bit.ly

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Jenny Shank @jennyshank.bsky.social · Sep 11

My kid's school went on lockdown two hours ago. It appears it was a case of misidentification--a student saw a man in a weighted vest and thought it was tactical, thought they saw a gun. I'm trying to work now, but I'm shaky. I can still hear helicopters overhead.
Another day as a parent in America.

Jenny Shank @jennyshank.bsky.social · Aug 29

My best regards to whoever Tom Sawyered Kristi Noem.

nmpoliticalreport.com/2025/08/20/h...

Homeland Sec. Noem comes to New Mexico to paint border wall black because Trump thinks it will make it too hot to climb - New Mexico Political Report

The Trump administration’s has a new tool in its arsenal to deter undocumented immigration and you can get one on sale at Home Depot for $5.67. U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Krisit Noem arrived in ...

nmpoliticalreport.com

Jenny Shank @jennyshank.bsky.social · Aug 18

In this month's Tumbleweed, I tell of an oil change that took months to resolve and of witnessing an insane clown tractor, and I hype exciting new literary works by Evanthia Bromiley, @suziqsmith.bsky.social, R Alan Brooks, @gessyalvarez.com and @vesselywriter.bsky.social‬. bit.ly/4lvaDri

This Car Dealership Wants to Become the Main Character of Your Life

An oil change gone horribly wrong, an insane clown tractor, a riveting debut novel, and lots of literary news!

jennyshank.substack.com

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Reposted by Jenny Shank

McSweeney's @mcsweeneys.net · Aug 14

"I am here to touch your boiling hot springs. I am here to sit on your antique chairs. I am here to obstruct the areas on the bus designated for your seniors."

I Am the Overtourist and I’m Here to Marry Your Town

I am the Overtourist. I’m here to overtour your picturesque town or world-class city. Shooting water pistols at me only hydrates and emboldens me. ...

buff.ly

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Jenny Shank @jennyshank.bsky.social · Aug 14

I Am the Overtourist and I’m Here to Marry Your Town

I am the Overtourist. I’m here to overtour your picturesque town or world-class city. Shooting water pistols at me only hydrates and emboldens me. ...

bit.ly

1 2

Jenny Shank @jennyshank.bsky.social · Aug 10

My favorite gardening problem, and how I’m solving it.

Jenny Shank @jennyshank.bsky.social · Aug 9

I love Brooks' conclusion in this essay about how being polite is good for your wellbeing: "I see politeness as today’s punk rock because it so transgresses the spirit of our times...It is the ultimate exercise in freedom: the freedom to be the person I want to be in the face of a cultural tyranny."

The Atlantic @theatlantic.com · Aug 9

“Virtually everyone agrees that people are becoming ruder,” Arthur C. Brooks writes. But though you may not be able to fix the broader trends in society, you can—and should—be polite for your own sake. https://theatln.tc/yvnzckQJ

Jenny Shank @jennyshank.bsky.social · Aug 2

Happy birthday James Baldwin! Here are two portraits of the great writer by his friend Beauford Delaney at the “Paris Noir” exhibit at the Centre Pompidou.

Jenny Shank @jennyshank.bsky.social · Jul 27

Yay!

Jenny Shank @jennyshank.bsky.social · Jul 27

Yay!

Jenny Shank @jennyshank.bsky.social · Jul 25

Come to the Short Form Fest at Lighthouse Writers Workshop tomorrow! I'll interview the accomplished Samantha Hunt during "Hauntings--An Onstage Reading and Conversation." Sunday, I'll share my best insights for crafting strong endings for short fiction and essays. bit.ly/46tRJ0a #writing

Jenny Shank @jennyshank.bsky.social · Jul 22

Oh Ozzy Osbourne, you were truly great! I started my son on piano lessons at age 6, and he learned how to play "Iron Man" when he was about 10. It was pretty obvious he needed to transition to guitar, which he plays now. I hope my house is full of the sound of Black Sabbath for as long as I'm in it.

NBC News @nbcnews.com · Jul 22

Ozzy Osbourne, the wailing Black Sabbath singer-turned-solo act who took the “Crazy Train” from a bleak childhood in working-class Birmingham, England, to heavy metal stardom, has died, his family says.
nbcnews.to/3IZmccA