Kevin
@kmichaelwilson.bsky.social
Historical Chinese literature, poetry, and philosophy. Co-host Rereading the Stone podcast https://bsky.app/profile/rereadingstone.bsky.social
book reviews & discussion of Ming-Qing literature, science fiction, etc. https://www.patreon.com/kmichaelwilson
book reviews & discussion of Ming-Qing literature, science fiction, etc. https://www.patreon.com/kmichaelwilson
Reposted by Kevin
"Proustian" as a concept only makes sense if you haven't actually finished Proust
At this point, I have no idea what it means to be "Proustian," or rather, what I now regard as "Proustian" is not something one necessarily would... want to be, or casually reference
At this point, I have no idea what it means to be "Proustian," or rather, what I now regard as "Proustian" is not something one necessarily would... want to be, or casually reference
February 11, 2026 at 6:06 PM
"Proustian" as a concept only makes sense if you haven't actually finished Proust
At this point, I have no idea what it means to be "Proustian," or rather, what I now regard as "Proustian" is not something one necessarily would... want to be, or casually reference
At this point, I have no idea what it means to be "Proustian," or rather, what I now regard as "Proustian" is not something one necessarily would... want to be, or casually reference
Current book take on here is that you can revitalize reading by bringing back mass-market paperbacks
I... suspect the math doesn't add up, and this is all just unserious refusal of the real elephant in the room, the need for non-market provisioning of the arts and humanities
I... suspect the math doesn't add up, and this is all just unserious refusal of the real elephant in the room, the need for non-market provisioning of the arts and humanities
February 11, 2026 at 5:59 PM
Current book take on here is that you can revitalize reading by bringing back mass-market paperbacks
I... suspect the math doesn't add up, and this is all just unserious refusal of the real elephant in the room, the need for non-market provisioning of the arts and humanities
I... suspect the math doesn't add up, and this is all just unserious refusal of the real elephant in the room, the need for non-market provisioning of the arts and humanities
Reposted by Kevin
Likely-historic photo by NBC News of all the Epstein victims asked to raise their hands if they've not yet been asked to meet with the DOJ as Bondi testifies in foreground
February 11, 2026 at 5:15 PM
Likely-historic photo by NBC News of all the Epstein victims asked to raise their hands if they've not yet been asked to meet with the DOJ as Bondi testifies in foreground
Honestly, I'm struggling to write some reflections on Flowers in the Mirror 鏡花緣 (19th C.), as maybe I don't fully have my head wrapped around Wu Zetian's 武則天 (624-705) significance as the "only female sovereign" in Chinese history, and her subsequent role in this quasi-proto-feminist novel?
while gathering my thoughts on Flowers in the Mirror 鏡花緣 (19th C.), I started _Joining Brocaded Palindrome Story_ 合錦回文傳 (1798), which in its own way has a compelling premise
the writing is decent, and some bawdy quatrains have already dropped, all uniformly delightful
the writing is decent, and some bawdy quatrains have already dropped, all uniformly delightful
February 11, 2026 at 4:41 PM
Honestly, I'm struggling to write some reflections on Flowers in the Mirror 鏡花緣 (19th C.), as maybe I don't fully have my head wrapped around Wu Zetian's 武則天 (624-705) significance as the "only female sovereign" in Chinese history, and her subsequent role in this quasi-proto-feminist novel?
while gathering my thoughts on Flowers in the Mirror 鏡花緣 (19th C.), I started _Joining Brocaded Palindrome Story_ 合錦回文傳 (1798), which in its own way has a compelling premise
the writing is decent, and some bawdy quatrains have already dropped, all uniformly delightful
the writing is decent, and some bawdy quatrains have already dropped, all uniformly delightful
February 11, 2026 at 1:24 AM
while gathering my thoughts on Flowers in the Mirror 鏡花緣 (19th C.), I started _Joining Brocaded Palindrome Story_ 合錦回文傳 (1798), which in its own way has a compelling premise
the writing is decent, and some bawdy quatrains have already dropped, all uniformly delightful
the writing is decent, and some bawdy quatrains have already dropped, all uniformly delightful
Reposted by Kevin
I will not support any funding deal that puts money in the hands of Stephen Miller, Kristi Noem, and this violent agency. Defund and abolish ICE now.
February 10, 2026 at 4:35 PM
I will not support any funding deal that puts money in the hands of Stephen Miller, Kristi Noem, and this violent agency. Defund and abolish ICE now.
endlessly annoyed by these "sci-fi is dead" articles 😅
always, there is so much prevaricating over whether market success is good, bad, a necessary evil, or otherwise, it's ultimately hard to pin down what the thesis was even intended to be
www.typebarmagazine.com/science-fict...
always, there is so much prevaricating over whether market success is good, bad, a necessary evil, or otherwise, it's ultimately hard to pin down what the thesis was even intended to be
www.typebarmagazine.com/science-fict...
Science Fiction is Dying. Long Live Post Sci-Fi?
The old mode of science fiction is disappearing. What's replacing it?
www.typebarmagazine.com
February 10, 2026 at 5:32 PM
endlessly annoyed by these "sci-fi is dead" articles 😅
always, there is so much prevaricating over whether market success is good, bad, a necessary evil, or otherwise, it's ultimately hard to pin down what the thesis was even intended to be
www.typebarmagazine.com/science-fict...
always, there is so much prevaricating over whether market success is good, bad, a necessary evil, or otherwise, it's ultimately hard to pin down what the thesis was even intended to be
www.typebarmagazine.com/science-fict...
Reposted by Kevin
If we're serious about creating a world without depraved billionaires running wild while the rest of us suffer, we need to contend with higher ed's complicity in propping this system up.
February 10, 2026 at 3:48 PM
If we're serious about creating a world without depraved billionaires running wild while the rest of us suffer, we need to contend with higher ed's complicity in propping this system up.
All the skilled disciplines have social customs promoting genuine solidarity between workers, except academia.
February 10, 2026 at 4:13 PM
All the skilled disciplines have social customs promoting genuine solidarity between workers, except academia.
translation isn't impossible, translation is... inescapable
February 9, 2026 at 6:51 PM
translation isn't impossible, translation is... inescapable
Reposted by Kevin
This is just to say
I have taken
the maid
that served in
your bedchamber
and which
you were probably
hoping
would attend you in your final hours
Forgive me
she was used as a prop in your fake wedding
such a scene
and so convincing
I have taken
the maid
that served in
your bedchamber
and which
you were probably
hoping
would attend you in your final hours
Forgive me
she was used as a prop in your fake wedding
such a scene
and so convincing
February 9, 2026 at 4:42 AM
This is just to say
I have taken
the maid
that served in
your bedchamber
and which
you were probably
hoping
would attend you in your final hours
Forgive me
she was used as a prop in your fake wedding
such a scene
and so convincing
I have taken
the maid
that served in
your bedchamber
and which
you were probably
hoping
would attend you in your final hours
Forgive me
she was used as a prop in your fake wedding
such a scene
and so convincing
This is just to say
I have taken
the maid
that served in
your bedchamber
and which
you were probably
hoping
would attend you in your final hours
Forgive me
she was used as a prop in your fake wedding
such a scene
and so convincing
I have taken
the maid
that served in
your bedchamber
and which
you were probably
hoping
would attend you in your final hours
Forgive me
she was used as a prop in your fake wedding
such a scene
and so convincing
February 9, 2026 at 4:42 AM
This is just to say
I have taken
the maid
that served in
your bedchamber
and which
you were probably
hoping
would attend you in your final hours
Forgive me
she was used as a prop in your fake wedding
such a scene
and so convincing
I have taken
the maid
that served in
your bedchamber
and which
you were probably
hoping
would attend you in your final hours
Forgive me
she was used as a prop in your fake wedding
such a scene
and so convincing
Reposted by Kevin
Remember. Your Ring camera is fascist.
The nice commercial about helping kids find their lost pets was the scariest thing I've seen in my life
February 9, 2026 at 2:31 AM
Remember. Your Ring camera is fascist.
is he aware of how silly his hat is
February 9, 2026 at 1:04 AM
is he aware of how silly his hat is
Reposted by Kevin
made the pronunciation ditty into a post
do you know how to pronounce "Xi Jinping"? What about "Mr. Liu"?
www.patreon.com/posts/pronun...
do you know how to pronounce "Xi Jinping"? What about "Mr. Liu"?
www.patreon.com/posts/pronun...
Pronunciation Ditty #1: "Liu" versus "Lu," and "Xi" | kmichaelwilson
Get more from kmichaelwilson on Patreon
www.patreon.com
February 1, 2026 at 12:33 AM
made the pronunciation ditty into a post
do you know how to pronounce "Xi Jinping"? What about "Mr. Liu"?
www.patreon.com/posts/pronun...
do you know how to pronounce "Xi Jinping"? What about "Mr. Liu"?
www.patreon.com/posts/pronun...
romance novels are surprisingly unenlightened with regards to matters of male endowment
February 7, 2026 at 5:45 AM
romance novels are surprisingly unenlightened with regards to matters of male endowment
Reposted by Kevin
caizi jiaren 才子佳人 is hard to translate, as it's not meant to signify just that the men are talented & the women are beautiful, but that the men and women are both talented and both beautiful, hence there's a mutually reflecting aspect that aligns with, e.g., how Jayne Ann Krentz understands romance
February 5, 2026 at 6:01 PM
caizi jiaren 才子佳人 is hard to translate, as it's not meant to signify just that the men are talented & the women are beautiful, but that the men and women are both talented and both beautiful, hence there's a mutually reflecting aspect that aligns with, e.g., how Jayne Ann Krentz understands romance
Reposted by Kevin
[at the suspension of disbelief store] This is just your standard issue, no frills. What are you planning on reading?
February 6, 2026 at 5:45 PM
[at the suspension of disbelief store] This is just your standard issue, no frills. What are you planning on reading?
Reposted by Kevin
it's taken as given that historical romance creates distance from contemporary life for the representation of ideal desire; what's less obvious is that American authors employ sub-genres like regency romance to distance themselves from not only American contemporary life but also American history
February 6, 2026 at 6:31 PM
it's taken as given that historical romance creates distance from contemporary life for the representation of ideal desire; what's less obvious is that American authors employ sub-genres like regency romance to distance themselves from not only American contemporary life but also American history
it's taken as given that historical romance creates distance from contemporary life for the representation of ideal desire; what's less obvious is that American authors employ sub-genres like regency romance to distance themselves from not only American contemporary life but also American history
February 6, 2026 at 6:31 PM
it's taken as given that historical romance creates distance from contemporary life for the representation of ideal desire; what's less obvious is that American authors employ sub-genres like regency romance to distance themselves from not only American contemporary life but also American history
[at the suspension of disbelief store] This is just your standard issue, no frills. What are you planning on reading?
February 6, 2026 at 5:45 PM
[at the suspension of disbelief store] This is just your standard issue, no frills. What are you planning on reading?
Reposted by Kevin
okay, wow, reports are, indeed, coming in of dangerous pesticide levels being found in tea and tea products
this 19th century take on why tea is bad, actually, is basically right
this 19th century take on why tea is bad, actually, is basically right
February 5, 2026 at 8:04 PM
okay, wow, reports are, indeed, coming in of dangerous pesticide levels being found in tea and tea products
this 19th century take on why tea is bad, actually, is basically right
this 19th century take on why tea is bad, actually, is basically right
caizi jiaren 才子佳人 is hard to translate, as it's not meant to signify just that the men are talented & the women are beautiful, but that the men and women are both talented and both beautiful, hence there's a mutually reflecting aspect that aligns with, e.g., how Jayne Ann Krentz understands romance
February 5, 2026 at 6:01 PM
caizi jiaren 才子佳人 is hard to translate, as it's not meant to signify just that the men are talented & the women are beautiful, but that the men and women are both talented and both beautiful, hence there's a mutually reflecting aspect that aligns with, e.g., how Jayne Ann Krentz understands romance
it is pretty funny that the central message of The Great Gatsby is basically, "Well, even if you do become rich, the other rich won't accept you, therefore the American Dream is a mere illusion," which is not an especially deep or profound take
February 5, 2026 at 5:11 PM
it is pretty funny that the central message of The Great Gatsby is basically, "Well, even if you do become rich, the other rich won't accept you, therefore the American Dream is a mere illusion," which is not an especially deep or profound take
Reposted by Kevin
I, however, am finished, viz., with my first full reading of Flowers in the Mirror 鏡花緣 (19th C.)!
reflections piece by the end of the week 🌸🌺🪞
reflections piece by the end of the week 🌸🌺🪞
February 5, 2026 at 12:46 AM
I, however, am finished, viz., with my first full reading of Flowers in the Mirror 鏡花緣 (19th C.)!
reflections piece by the end of the week 🌸🌺🪞
reflections piece by the end of the week 🌸🌺🪞