Josh Cook
@joshthelibromancer.bsky.social
Co-owner of @portersqbooks.bsky.social Author of The Art of Libromancy & An Exaggerated Murder. Opinions my own. BlueSky for @authorsabb.bsky.social & @massaabb.bsky.social He/him https://linktr.ee/joshthelibromancer
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Josh Cook
@joshthelibromancer.bsky.social
· Oct 21
www.portersquarebooks.com
An intro post for the latest BlueSky wave! I'm a writer & bookseller w/ @portersqbooks.bsky.social where I mostly hype books from small presses written by marginalized voices or works in translation. If you're into the books on this list www.portersquarebooks.com/category/sta... you dig my taste
Reposted by Josh Cook
We've been raised in a culture that tells us self interest is all. Every person is out only for themselves &their cronies. What we're seeing now is that a lot of us resisted that programming. Some can't quite believe that's what it is--that we just fucking CARE. yes we care for free u creepy freaks!
January 26, 2026 at 2:56 AM
We've been raised in a culture that tells us self interest is all. Every person is out only for themselves &their cronies. What we're seeing now is that a lot of us resisted that programming. Some can't quite believe that's what it is--that we just fucking CARE. yes we care for free u creepy freaks!
Reposted by Josh Cook
Aging indie/punk people, romance people &zine people, activists ofc too, all kinds of creative & resourceful people, we're talking & having ideas & doing the thing. "Who's paying for this" wingnuts scream. LOL babe that's cute. we're used to doing something cool for no money, powered partly by spite
January 26, 2026 at 2:43 AM
Aging indie/punk people, romance people &zine people, activists ofc too, all kinds of creative & resourceful people, we're talking & having ideas & doing the thing. "Who's paying for this" wingnuts scream. LOL babe that's cute. we're used to doing something cool for no money, powered partly by spite
I emailed because it's something I can fit in during nap time. If you can call, awesome! That's the best. But all Senators also have an email form on their sites!
ICE funding has passed the house, but it still has to go through the senate, now is your chance to call!
5calls.org makes it very easy to find the contact info for your reps, and provides scripts.
#abolishice #callyourreps #usapolitics #iceout #politicalart
5calls.org makes it very easy to find the contact info for your reps, and provides scripts.
#abolishice #callyourreps #usapolitics #iceout #politicalart
January 25, 2026 at 7:27 PM
I emailed because it's something I can fit in during nap time. If you can call, awesome! That's the best. But all Senators also have an email form on their sites!
He finally got me.
Senate Dems needn’t come to agreement on everything right now. That’s a path to the lowest common denominator. They simply have to agree to filibuster DHS approps. As to which of a host of anti-brutality and anti-authoritarian proposals to advance, let a thousand flowers bloom.
January 25, 2026 at 6:55 PM
He finally got me.
Reposted by Josh Cook
Our Cambridge location will be closing at 1pm today and reopening at 1pm tomorrow due to the weather!
Boston will be closed all day tomorrow!
Boston will be closed all day tomorrow!
January 25, 2026 at 5:41 PM
Our Cambridge location will be closing at 1pm today and reopening at 1pm tomorrow due to the weather!
Boston will be closed all day tomorrow!
Boston will be closed all day tomorrow!
Reposted by Josh Cook
I assume I'm not the only person stress-buying books, zines and records lately?
January 25, 2026 at 2:29 PM
I assume I'm not the only person stress-buying books, zines and records lately?
If today is your first day in the fight against the violence & oppression of the America system, welcome. But don't expect a parade. The people already here are too busy to throw one and none of us got one either. Learn from the experienced, find your lane, start thinking in "we" and "us."
January 25, 2026 at 2:17 PM
If today is your first day in the fight against the violence & oppression of the America system, welcome. But don't expect a parade. The people already here are too busy to throw one and none of us got one either. Learn from the experienced, find your lane, start thinking in "we" and "us."
Reposted by Josh Cook
My 5 Litmus Tests for any Democratic "Leader" Moving Foward:
1. Fights for Affordability AND Accountability
2. Abolish/Tear Down ICE
3. Will Tax billionaires and take on the oligarchy.
4. Won't support Israel's genocide.
5. Refuses to throw any group under the bus.
1. Fights for Affordability AND Accountability
2. Abolish/Tear Down ICE
3. Will Tax billionaires and take on the oligarchy.
4. Won't support Israel's genocide.
5. Refuses to throw any group under the bus.
January 25, 2026 at 5:09 AM
My 5 Litmus Tests for any Democratic "Leader" Moving Foward:
1. Fights for Affordability AND Accountability
2. Abolish/Tear Down ICE
3. Will Tax billionaires and take on the oligarchy.
4. Won't support Israel's genocide.
5. Refuses to throw any group under the bus.
1. Fights for Affordability AND Accountability
2. Abolish/Tear Down ICE
3. Will Tax billionaires and take on the oligarchy.
4. Won't support Israel's genocide.
5. Refuses to throw any group under the bus.
Reposted by Josh Cook
Thinking - again, and always - about the Wilhoit quote.
About how pointless it has been, in my life, to take at face value what the right wing says it values, and to try to reason with them based on that.
About how pointless it has been, in my life, to take at face value what the right wing says it values, and to try to reason with them based on that.
The people who'll tell you today's murder victim in Minnesota shouldn't have turned up to a protest carrying a gun are the same people who said Kyle Rittenhouse was perfectly entitled to do the same thing.
January 25, 2026 at 3:16 AM
Thinking - again, and always - about the Wilhoit quote.
About how pointless it has been, in my life, to take at face value what the right wing says it values, and to try to reason with them based on that.
About how pointless it has been, in my life, to take at face value what the right wing says it values, and to try to reason with them based on that.
Get on the horn to your Senator this weekend. You'll probably be stuck inside anyway. Maybe this still won't be the time they stand up, but maybe it will
And just to close the loop on this, Durbin now says he will vote no on the bill to fund the government.
Duckworth has announced she's a no; since Warner, Rosen and Cortez Masto have said they will vote no, there are now more than 40 votes against cloture, even if Durbin votes for it.
January 25, 2026 at 4:05 AM
Get on the horn to your Senator this weekend. You'll probably be stuck inside anyway. Maybe this still won't be the time they stand up, but maybe it will
Reposted by Josh Cook
This moment in history provides us with incontrovertible evidence that all the conservatives who claim to be extremely devoted to freedom of speech and the right to bear arms, and opposed to the encroachment of tyranny, are completely and totally full of shit.
It's all white supremacy and greed.
It's all white supremacy and greed.
January 25, 2026 at 2:03 AM
This moment in history provides us with incontrovertible evidence that all the conservatives who claim to be extremely devoted to freedom of speech and the right to bear arms, and opposed to the encroachment of tyranny, are completely and totally full of shit.
It's all white supremacy and greed.
It's all white supremacy and greed.
I really really really fucking need Senate Democrats to remember that Republicans filibustered just about every single one of Obama'a cabinet & judicial appointees not because he tried a coup, not because occupied an American city, not because repeatedly broke the law
Senate approves change to filibuster rule after repeated Republican blocks
Historic rule change means presidential nominees require only a simple majority to proceed to Senate confirmation
share.google
January 25, 2026 at 1:37 AM
I really really really fucking need Senate Democrats to remember that Republicans filibustered just about every single one of Obama'a cabinet & judicial appointees not because he tried a coup, not because occupied an American city, not because repeatedly broke the law
Reposted by Josh Cook
they chucked the tea into the bay
Attorney General Pam Bondi: "Our country was founded on law enforcement"
Bondi: "It's extremely organized. The signs they have are all matching, they're well written. And look at what's happening today. How did these people go out & get gas masks? These protesters. Would you know how to walk out on the street and buy a gas mask? Think about that. We're not gonna have it"
January 25, 2026 at 12:37 AM
they chucked the tea into the bay
Reposted by Josh Cook
Not sure, but at a minimum there should be no unanimous consent on anything and every level to obstruct or slow down anything should be deployed. Make those fuckers stay in the capitol as long as possible if they're going to be useless.
January 24, 2026 at 5:37 PM
Not sure, but at a minimum there should be no unanimous consent on anything and every level to obstruct or slow down anything should be deployed. Make those fuckers stay in the capitol as long as possible if they're going to be useless.
Does the funding bill that just passed in the House need to clear a filibuster in the Senate?
January 24, 2026 at 5:35 PM
Does the funding bill that just passed in the House need to clear a filibuster in the Senate?
Nothing Mainers love more than being told what to do by someone from out of state
The worst thing you can do is dare a Mainer. The WORST thing. People this Massholes are stubborn? They haven't seen anything
January 24, 2026 at 2:39 PM
Nothing Mainers love more than being told what to do by someone from out of state
Reposted by Josh Cook
I'm not one for false optimism. But what I witnessed today in Minneapolis was tremendous, both in scale and exuberance. It was a stunning answer to the federal assault on Minnesota, a show of solidarity that gives us something to hold on to during times that are unforgiving.
“Everybody Showed Up”: Stunning Crowds at Minnesota Day of Strike and Shutdown Against ICE
Extreme cold didn't stop the shutdown on Friday as some 100 faith leaders were arrested, residents stayed home from work, and an estimated 50,000 or more marched through downtown Minneapolis.
inthesetimes.com
January 24, 2026 at 12:42 AM
I'm not one for false optimism. But what I witnessed today in Minneapolis was tremendous, both in scale and exuberance. It was a stunning answer to the federal assault on Minnesota, a show of solidarity that gives us something to hold on to during times that are unforgiving.
Reposted by Josh Cook
a smart evil person would have thrown that ICE agent under the bus so fast it made us dizzy, just absolutely One Bad Appled him across the country to soothe the anxious white folks. instead they got on TV and pointed to a video of him not getting run over and said "omg look at him getting run over"
Minnesota shifting narrative from "rabble rousing protesters" vs "law enforcement" to "people of conscience" vs "evil regime." This is essential to defeating authoritarianism - exposing who, what & why they are by demonstrating who, what & why we are.
And MAGA knows it.
www.cnn.com/2026/01/23/p...
And MAGA knows it.
www.cnn.com/2026/01/23/p...
Trump privately frustrated that he risks losing control of immigration message amid Minnesota chaos | CNN Politics
The ongoing protests and images coming out of Minnesota have prompted concerns from some Trump administration officials over the optics of the immigration crackdown as Americans grow alarmed by the ch...
www.cnn.com
January 24, 2026 at 3:55 AM
a smart evil person would have thrown that ICE agent under the bus so fast it made us dizzy, just absolutely One Bad Appled him across the country to soothe the anxious white folks. instead they got on TV and pointed to a video of him not getting run over and said "omg look at him getting run over"
Reposted by Josh Cook
Note how there's no violence or chaos when the cops aren't rioting.
Demonstrators as far as the eye can see. Current status of the march in Downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota for Ice Out of Minnesota. They are turning onto 3rd Street from 5th Avenue.
January 23, 2026 at 8:42 PM
Note how there's no violence or chaos when the cops aren't rioting.
Reposted by Josh Cook
Seeing a bunch of normal ass midwestern moms and dads marching in -20 degrees knowing they might be tear gassed or worse really drives home what a cowardly lot of people the pundit class is
January 23, 2026 at 10:08 PM
Seeing a bunch of normal ass midwestern moms and dads marching in -20 degrees knowing they might be tear gassed or worse really drives home what a cowardly lot of people the pundit class is
Reposted by Josh Cook
I am not being snarky. I need my colleagues who wrote on covid school lockdowns to engage with this. To be as loud as they have been about prior "learning loss." Hell, you can cite Tom & Mark's AERJ paper so you feel better that there's some econ somewhere in your argument.
"In St. Paul, at least one-fourth of students from Spanish-speaking homes have missed every day of school since Dec. 12."
8 weeks under siege in Minnesota • Minnesota Reformer
Frank has a hard time explaining to his 8-year-old daughter why they rarely leave their home in the Twin Cities. Why she can’t go to school, and why he can’t work. “The only thing we tell her is that ...
minnesotareformer.com
January 23, 2026 at 10:05 PM
I am not being snarky. I need my colleagues who wrote on covid school lockdowns to engage with this. To be as loud as they have been about prior "learning loss." Hell, you can cite Tom & Mark's AERJ paper so you feel better that there's some econ somewhere in your argument.
Knowing how important having a unique, hyper-local element is to resisting ICE, what would Camberville bring? (I don't think activating the polycules will be terribly difficult)
January 23, 2026 at 11:08 PM
Knowing how important having a unique, hyper-local element is to resisting ICE, what would Camberville bring? (I don't think activating the polycules will be terribly difficult)
There is more courage in the world than fear, it's just that courage sometimes takes a little longer to get organized & is often invisible. Even if the expression doesn't look like this, you have this courage too.
MINNESOTA SHUTDOWN: Clergy have blocked the road in front of Terminal 1 at MSP while a crowd of thousands sings "before this campaign fails, we'll all go down to jail, everybody has a right to live." Photos are members of UNITE HERE 17 who've been abducted. I'll be updating here throughout the day.
A Huge Group of Faith Leaders Are Blocking a Key Road Outside the Minneapolis–St. Paul Airport
The major act of civil disobedience comes as throngs of residents are braving freezing temperatures to make their voices heard.
inthesetimes.com
January 23, 2026 at 5:16 PM
There is more courage in the world than fear, it's just that courage sometimes takes a little longer to get organized & is often invisible. Even if the expression doesn't look like this, you have this courage too.
Reposted by Josh Cook
Hi Fam, One last thought on day of. As a bookstore that actually did pretty well online only during the pandemic, I can say with pretty high confidence that no matter how big this blows up, it's highly unlikely many, if any stores, will replace all the sales they lose being closed...
Dear #BookSky Minneapolis has an absolutely incredible literary culture. In fact, three of the most important small presses call the city home; Coffeehouse Press, Graywolf, and Milkweed. There are also a ton of great bookstores in the Twin Cities. So here's the assignment...
January 23, 2026 at 4:54 PM
Hi Fam, One last thought on day of. As a bookstore that actually did pretty well online only during the pandemic, I can say with pretty high confidence that no matter how big this blows up, it's highly unlikely many, if any stores, will replace all the sales they lose being closed...