Maya Chhabra
@mayachhabra.bsky.social
Author of FIREBIRD CAGED, CHIARA IN THE DARK, and more. Translator. Not willing to let democracy die quietly. 🇺🇸 🇮🇹 🇮🇳
she/her
https://mayachhabra.com/
she/her
https://mayachhabra.com/
Reposted by Maya Chhabra
I was talking to a friend-colleague last night about how little vocabulary we have for the depth of friendship, relationships unregulated, uncontrolled — built on intention & choice, of shared vision & values.
And thus how durable, how fragile: Prince Rupert’s drops.
And thus how durable, how fragile: Prince Rupert’s drops.
Today's Love Letter is a stunning meditation on birdwatching and the loss of a friendship, from the one and only @amalelmohtar.com
stone-soup.ghost.io/love-letter-...
stone-soup.ghost.io/love-letter-...
Why I Need the Birds
A Love Letters Feature by Amal El-Mohtar - November 2025
stone-soup.ghost.io
November 26, 2025 at 5:35 PM
I was talking to a friend-colleague last night about how little vocabulary we have for the depth of friendship, relationships unregulated, uncontrolled — built on intention & choice, of shared vision & values.
And thus how durable, how fragile: Prince Rupert’s drops.
And thus how durable, how fragile: Prince Rupert’s drops.
Blessed are those who catalogue minutia, for they shall know the names of the stars.
Anyone who does this deserves their own beatitude
"oh, you research literature? you must get to read all the time, how fun!"
*me, going through every single (digital) issue of an 18th century daily newspaper to make a spreadsheet listing number of advertisements and the portion of them that were for books*
*me, going through every single (digital) issue of an 18th century daily newspaper to make a spreadsheet listing number of advertisements and the portion of them that were for books*
November 27, 2025 at 5:29 PM
Blessed are those who catalogue minutia, for they shall know the names of the stars.
Reposted by Maya Chhabra
I once asked a bookseller at a large indie store how many people would have to buy a book for it to get the attention of the store buyer and cause an additional order and they said: Three.
I see some book piracy discourse, and, to make a positive argument in favor of buying books, your marginal ability to influence what books get published and support the careers of writers you like is massive compared to most other forms of media.
November 25, 2025 at 11:07 PM
I once asked a bookseller at a large indie store how many people would have to buy a book for it to get the attention of the store buyer and cause an additional order and they said: Three.
Reposted by Maya Chhabra
In Monrovia, California, protesters are purchasing 17¢ ICE scrapers from Home Depot and immediately returning them to create long lines and slow down the entire store. Their aim is to disrupt sales and convey a message opposing ICE raids occurring in their neighborhood.
November 23, 2025 at 11:37 AM
In Monrovia, California, protesters are purchasing 17¢ ICE scrapers from Home Depot and immediately returning them to create long lines and slow down the entire store. Their aim is to disrupt sales and convey a message opposing ICE raids occurring in their neighborhood.
Moreover I've never understood the point of trying to keep votes away from the far-right by adopting their pet hatreds. The far-right is bad because they're bigoted and xenophobic, it's not like putting that poison in a bottle labeled "social democracy" makes it less poisonous.
After more than 10 years of “the Danish Model”, nativism is hegemonic in the country, the far right polls near level highs again, and the Social Democrats lost Copenhagen and poll at historic low.
European Social Democrats should look at the facts, not the myths!
Me in @theguardian.com
European Social Democrats should look at the facts, not the myths!
Me in @theguardian.com
The ‘Danish model’ is the darling of centre-left parties like Labour. The problem is, it doesn’t even work in Denmark | Cas Mudde
This week’s local elections are the latest reminder that when social democrats move rightwards, they’re making a mistake, says academic and author Cas Mudde
www.theguardian.com
November 23, 2025 at 12:04 PM
Moreover I've never understood the point of trying to keep votes away from the far-right by adopting their pet hatreds. The far-right is bad because they're bigoted and xenophobic, it's not like putting that poison in a bottle labeled "social democracy" makes it less poisonous.
"Ukrainians can enter legally only by first flying to Sheremetyevo International Airport in Moscow....
By changing many street names and building numbers, the authorities have rendered Ukrainian property deeds invalid."
By changing many street names and building numbers, the authorities have rendered Ukrainian property deeds invalid."
In Russian-Occupied Mariupol, Everything Ukrainian Must Go
www.nytimes.com
November 23, 2025 at 10:44 AM
"Ukrainians can enter legally only by first flying to Sheremetyevo International Airport in Moscow....
By changing many street names and building numbers, the authorities have rendered Ukrainian property deeds invalid."
By changing many street names and building numbers, the authorities have rendered Ukrainian property deeds invalid."
This is just true, though.
Hillary Mantel's A Place of Greater Safety is better than the Wolf Hall trilogy
Tell me your most unhinged literary opinion, as a little treat
November 23, 2025 at 2:14 AM
This is just true, though.
Reposted by Maya Chhabra
#BREAKING: A student intern at Rhode Island Superior Court was briefly taken into custody by ICE this afternoon before a judge intervened, 12 News has learned. Story by @jusolyn.bsky.social and @timwhiteri.bsky.social: ⤵️
RI judge intervenes after ICE mistakenly detains Superior Court intern
A teenager was nearly taken into federal immigration custody in Providence Thursday afternoon before a Superior Court judge intervened, according to the Rhode Island Judiciary.
www.wpri.com
November 20, 2025 at 10:51 PM
#BREAKING: A student intern at Rhode Island Superior Court was briefly taken into custody by ICE this afternoon before a judge intervened, 12 News has learned. Story by @jusolyn.bsky.social and @timwhiteri.bsky.social: ⤵️
Reposted by Maya Chhabra
I don't know where Chevy Chase is these days, but in his honor, all together now:
Generalissimo Francisco Franco is still dead.
(For 50 years, today.)
Generalissimo Francisco Franco is still dead.
(For 50 years, today.)
November 20, 2025 at 5:44 PM
I don't know where Chevy Chase is these days, but in his honor, all together now:
Generalissimo Francisco Franco is still dead.
(For 50 years, today.)
Generalissimo Francisco Franco is still dead.
(For 50 years, today.)
Reposted by Maya Chhabra
"Greeks living in Afghanistan were Buddhist 500 years before China and a thousand years before Southeast Asia" is one of those things that sounds made up but is in fact true
November 20, 2025 at 3:25 PM
"Greeks living in Afghanistan were Buddhist 500 years before China and a thousand years before Southeast Asia" is one of those things that sounds made up but is in fact true
Reposted by Maya Chhabra
Illinois State Police have been assisting ICE at Broadview.
"I’ve never faced as much violence in my life as I have from Illinois State Police. I would really like for the governor to watch the video of my arrest and answer whether he thought that was an appropriate use of force."
"I’ve never faced as much violence in my life as I have from Illinois State Police. I would really like for the governor to watch the video of my arrest and answer whether he thought that was an appropriate use of force."
November 20, 2025 at 4:35 PM
Illinois State Police have been assisting ICE at Broadview.
"I’ve never faced as much violence in my life as I have from Illinois State Police. I would really like for the governor to watch the video of my arrest and answer whether he thought that was an appropriate use of force."
"I’ve never faced as much violence in my life as I have from Illinois State Police. I would really like for the governor to watch the video of my arrest and answer whether he thought that was an appropriate use of force."
Reposted by Maya Chhabra
November 20, 2025 at 4:33 PM
Reposted by Maya Chhabra
We are DELIGHTED to reveal the cover for Laura Weymouth's The Castle and the Cloister! A refugee, a heretic queen, and a priest attempt to shape the fortunes of a continent shattered by war in this new political fantasy tale, coming August 4, 2026 from @sagapressbooks.bsky.social!
Revealing The Castle and the Cloister by Laura Weymouth - Reactor
A new political fantasy launching summer 2026
reactormag.com
October 29, 2025 at 2:10 PM
We are DELIGHTED to reveal the cover for Laura Weymouth's The Castle and the Cloister! A refugee, a heretic queen, and a priest attempt to shape the fortunes of a continent shattered by war in this new political fantasy tale, coming August 4, 2026 from @sagapressbooks.bsky.social!
Reposted by Maya Chhabra
Cancel your Spotify subscription until the ICE ads stop. There are other streaming options that don’t profit from exploiting artists while recruiting for ICE: indivisible.org/cancel-spotify?source=bluesky
November 20, 2025 at 1:50 AM
Cancel your Spotify subscription until the ICE ads stop. There are other streaming options that don’t profit from exploiting artists while recruiting for ICE: indivisible.org/cancel-spotify?source=bluesky
Reposted by Maya Chhabra
E.P. Thompson discussed the ‘pilgrim’s progress orthodoxy’ where history is ‘ransacked for forerunners’: ‘Only the successful (in the sense of those whose aspirations anticipated subsequent evolutions) are remembered. The blind alleys, the lost causes, and the losers themselves are forgotten.’
September 12, 2025 at 12:13 AM
E.P. Thompson discussed the ‘pilgrim’s progress orthodoxy’ where history is ‘ransacked for forerunners’: ‘Only the successful (in the sense of those whose aspirations anticipated subsequent evolutions) are remembered. The blind alleys, the lost causes, and the losers themselves are forgotten.’
Reposted by Maya Chhabra
“I believe the crime is not what we were doing. The crime on that day was on the other side of the 10th floor door, where ICE agents are keeping our neighbors in cruel detention conditions,” Lander said outside court
He could face a 30-day jail term, if convicted
He could face a 30-day jail term, if convicted
November 18, 2025 at 6:26 PM
“I believe the crime is not what we were doing. The crime on that day was on the other side of the 10th floor door, where ICE agents are keeping our neighbors in cruel detention conditions,” Lander said outside court
He could face a 30-day jail term, if convicted
He could face a 30-day jail term, if convicted
Reposted by Maya Chhabra
NEW: Brad Lander says he wants a trial, not a deal to drop his charge stemming from an arrest by ICE.
After Arrest by ICE, City Comptroller Rejects Deal and Seeks Trial
Other officials arrested while protesting at 26 Federal Plaza in September will have their federal charges dropped if they avoid arrest inside a federal building for six months.
www.thecity.nyc
November 18, 2025 at 8:37 PM
NEW: Brad Lander says he wants a trial, not a deal to drop his charge stemming from an arrest by ICE.
LRS article is from 2017 and much progress made in ending child marriage in the US since--check your state though because not all have!
November 17, 2025 at 4:55 PM
LRS article is from 2017 and much progress made in ending child marriage in the US since--check your state though because not all have!
Reposted by Maya Chhabra
Child marriage is heinous, but one thing I never see brought up in those discussions is that if you are under 18, you cannot file for divorce. If you are under 18 and married to an adult, they are your legal guardian and make decisions for you. That is not a partnership.
Most Minors Who Are Married Can't File for Divorce — Even if They Want To
The final installment of Wedlocked, our series about child marriage in the U.S., explores divorce.
www.teenvogue.com
November 16, 2025 at 8:01 PM
Child marriage is heinous, but one thing I never see brought up in those discussions is that if you are under 18, you cannot file for divorce. If you are under 18 and married to an adult, they are your legal guardian and make decisions for you. That is not a partnership.
Reposted by Maya Chhabra
reminded of eric williams's observation about britain's relationship to its history with slavery. "British historians wrote almost as if Britain had introduced Negro slavery solely for the satisfaction of abolishing it."
holy shit: “Among the 2,000 UK adults surveyed, 85% were unaware that Britain forcibly transported more than 3 million Africans to the Caribbean, 89% did not know that Britain enslaved people in the Caribbean for more than 300 years” www.theguardian.com/world/2025/n...
Caribbean reparations leaders in ‘historic’ first UK visit to press for justice
CRC mission will seek to deepen public understanding of Britain’s colonial legacy and its lasting impact
www.theguardian.com
November 16, 2025 at 11:11 PM
reminded of eric williams's observation about britain's relationship to its history with slavery. "British historians wrote almost as if Britain had introduced Negro slavery solely for the satisfaction of abolishing it."
Reposted by Maya Chhabra
ICE Ads On Spotify? NYC Comptroller Says The Platform Has Explaining To Do.
www.huffpost.com/entry/spotif...
www.huffpost.com/entry/spotif...
Spotify Faces Heat After ICE Recruitment Ads Surface — NYC Comptroller Wants Answers
Brad Lander, a trustee of New York City’s pension funds, expressed concern about “reputational risks” to Spotify.
www.huffpost.com
November 15, 2025 at 10:07 PM
ICE Ads On Spotify? NYC Comptroller Says The Platform Has Explaining To Do.
www.huffpost.com/entry/spotif...
www.huffpost.com/entry/spotif...
Reposted by Maya Chhabra
It's not that I want to tell you "haha you stupid plebs there is no chance that Lois McMaster Bujold will ever like your work, no multiply award winning author will because they're so far above you." It's that if they ever do, they will be a bit shy and NEVER ASK FOR YOUR MONEY.
November 16, 2025 at 10:40 PM
It's not that I want to tell you "haha you stupid plebs there is no chance that Lois McMaster Bujold will ever like your work, no multiply award winning author will because they're so far above you." It's that if they ever do, they will be a bit shy and NEVER ASK FOR YOUR MONEY.
Reposted by Maya Chhabra
I hung out with Lois yesterday and we talked about these things. She is NEVER involved in ANYTHING like this. If you get a message or a social media DM claiming to be her, IT NEVER IS.
I've now heard from 3 authors targeted on X by a scammer impersonating Lois McMaster Bujold. Bujold impersonator refers author to "Eleanor Wood at Spectrum Literary", also an impersonation. Goal: to sell editing svcs. Scam is impersonating multiple authors & agents writerbeware.blog/2025/11/14/i...
If a Famous Author Calls, Hang Up: Anatomy of an Impersonation Scam - Writer Beware
You open your email program one morning. The usual work stuff. Some spam (annoying that it got past your filters!). A couple of newsletters (maybe later). You sip your coffee, scroll down. Wait. What’...
writerbeware.blog
November 16, 2025 at 7:16 PM
I hung out with Lois yesterday and we talked about these things. She is NEVER involved in ANYTHING like this. If you get a message or a social media DM claiming to be her, IT NEVER IS.
Reposted by Maya Chhabra
List of Congresspeople signed onto Tlaib's resolution to recognize Gaza genocide
AOC
Omar
Carson
Casar
Balint
Dexter
Frost
Garcia (IL)
Green (TX)
Jaypal
Johnson (GA)
Khanna
McGovern
Lee (PA)
Pocan
Pressley
Ramirez
Simon
Velazquez
Watson Coleman
AOC
Omar
Carson
Casar
Balint
Dexter
Frost
Garcia (IL)
Green (TX)
Jaypal
Johnson (GA)
Khanna
McGovern
Lee (PA)
Pocan
Pressley
Ramirez
Simon
Velazquez
Watson Coleman
NEW — Rashida Tlaib and 20 other members of Congress have introduced a resolution to officially recognize Israel's genocide of the Palestinian people.
It notes that between 10/23 and 11/25, the US sent $21,700,000,000 in military aid to Israel and authorized $30,000,000,000+ in new weapons deals.
It notes that between 10/23 and 11/25, the US sent $21,700,000,000 in military aid to Israel and authorized $30,000,000,000+ in new weapons deals.
November 14, 2025 at 5:04 PM
List of Congresspeople signed onto Tlaib's resolution to recognize Gaza genocide
AOC
Omar
Carson
Casar
Balint
Dexter
Frost
Garcia (IL)
Green (TX)
Jaypal
Johnson (GA)
Khanna
McGovern
Lee (PA)
Pocan
Pressley
Ramirez
Simon
Velazquez
Watson Coleman
AOC
Omar
Carson
Casar
Balint
Dexter
Frost
Garcia (IL)
Green (TX)
Jaypal
Johnson (GA)
Khanna
McGovern
Lee (PA)
Pocan
Pressley
Ramirez
Simon
Velazquez
Watson Coleman