Mo Ryan
@moryan.bsky.social
writer. gardener. cailleach na luatha 🦋
moryan.com 💚
linktr.ee/maureenryan 🚀
I’m writing a book about Battlestar Galactica. I wrote a book about Hollywood titled Burn It Down. I’ve been a critic & journalist for 100 years. More at links above 🌸 Abolish ICE
moryan.com 💚
linktr.ee/maureenryan 🚀
I’m writing a book about Battlestar Galactica. I wrote a book about Hollywood titled Burn It Down. I’ve been a critic & journalist for 100 years. More at links above 🌸 Abolish ICE
Pinned
Mo Ryan
@moryan.bsky.social
· Oct 10
Timeline cleanse: one of our two new rescue cats, Chappell Ryan. This faaaace! 😻
Reposted by Mo Ryan
BEWARE
FOR I AM ALSO A GUEST ON THIS CRUISE
THEY INVITED ME
I AM NOT JUST STOWING AWAY AS A GIANT BUG
FOR I AM ALSO A GUEST ON THIS CRUISE
THEY INVITED ME
I AM NOT JUST STOWING AWAY AS A GIANT BUG
The wait is over! Booking for JoCo Cruise 2027 is now live. Our mailing list got first crack at it - and cabins are already selling almost as fast as JoCo Cruise 2026... which sold out! Find out why 3k people love our "Summer Camp at Sea." Visit jococruise.com to get started!
November 24, 2025 at 8:56 PM
BEWARE
FOR I AM ALSO A GUEST ON THIS CRUISE
THEY INVITED ME
I AM NOT JUST STOWING AWAY AS A GIANT BUG
FOR I AM ALSO A GUEST ON THIS CRUISE
THEY INVITED ME
I AM NOT JUST STOWING AWAY AS A GIANT BUG
Reposted by Mo Ryan
Don’t pirate books! And if you do, stfu about it and stop pretending it’s some kind of moral or Marxist or revolutionary stance. Just be brave and own the fact that you don’t care that you are a thief who doesn’t care about artists.
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 26, 2025 at 12:29 AM
Don’t pirate books! And if you do, stfu about it and stop pretending it’s some kind of moral or Marxist or revolutionary stance. Just be brave and own the fact that you don’t care that you are a thief who doesn’t care about artists.
Reposted by Mo Ryan
Over the weekend, hundreds of curious Chicagoans ventured to Lake Michigan beachfronts to witness a birding marvel: the early arrival of snowy owls.
Snowy owls’ unusually early visit to Chicago lakefront could signal migratory boom
Two snowy owls have been spotted at Montrose Point Bird Sanctuary and a third briefly at Rainbow Beach.
trib.al
November 26, 2025 at 12:09 AM
Over the weekend, hundreds of curious Chicagoans ventured to Lake Michigan beachfronts to witness a birding marvel: the early arrival of snowy owls.
Reposted by Mo Ryan
I actually once went through Harold Bloom's American Literary Canon. 40 authors included. Only 10 could be said to have 'made it' through hard work and hustle. The rest came from wealth or had influential friends.
November 26, 2025 at 12:16 AM
I actually once went through Harold Bloom's American Literary Canon. 40 authors included. Only 10 could be said to have 'made it' through hard work and hustle. The rest came from wealth or had influential friends.
Bonus: excellent use of the word “poltroon”
This second AOL interaction is Ron Moore responding to a fan upset with Kirk’s death in GENERATIONS.
In responding Ron gets to have his say about how killing off a character doesn’t mean a writer doesn’t respect a character. (This is a frequent charge against writers in these situations)
In responding Ron gets to have his say about how killing off a character doesn’t mean a writer doesn’t respect a character. (This is a frequent charge against writers in these situations)
November 26, 2025 at 12:38 AM
Bonus: excellent use of the word “poltroon”
Reposted by Mo Ryan
More Ron Moore AOL fan interactions from the 90s.
The first one deals with fan entitlement - the delusion that every true fan believes as they do and that they have ownership over the show because they care so much.
The first one deals with fan entitlement - the delusion that every true fan believes as they do and that they have ownership over the show because they care so much.
November 26, 2025 at 12:14 AM
More Ron Moore AOL fan interactions from the 90s.
The first one deals with fan entitlement - the delusion that every true fan believes as they do and that they have ownership over the show because they care so much.
The first one deals with fan entitlement - the delusion that every true fan believes as they do and that they have ownership over the show because they care so much.
Reposted by Mo Ryan
and of course I don't think I personally know a single playwright who makes a living as ONLY a playwright, everyone teaches or directs or runs theatre outreach programming so they can afford health insurance
you guys would cry if you heard how little we make lmao
you guys would cry if you heard how little we make lmao
November 26, 2025 at 12:10 AM
and of course I don't think I personally know a single playwright who makes a living as ONLY a playwright, everyone teaches or directs or runs theatre outreach programming so they can afford health insurance
you guys would cry if you heard how little we make lmao
you guys would cry if you heard how little we make lmao
Reposted by Mo Ryan
I don't have children or student loans, and I bought a house with money left to me when my mother died, and I never leave those three things out of the "how did you transition into freelancing full time" conversation because otherwise it is WILDLY disingenuous to talk about how writing pays my bills
And the folks who are actually writing full-time generally only got there after years of day jobs, family support, or both.
The point of sharing this is not to demoralize anyone, but to let emerging writers know they're not failing if they can't make a living off writing alone. Almost no one can.
The point of sharing this is not to demoralize anyone, but to let emerging writers know they're not failing if they can't make a living off writing alone. Almost no one can.
almost every novelist you read who's not from the airport fiction or bestseller sections is working a full on day job, including multi-award winners and absolute legends, or they have a spouse or trust that supports them. virtually across the board. just normalize in your mind that's how it works.
November 26, 2025 at 12:09 AM
I don't have children or student loans, and I bought a house with money left to me when my mother died, and I never leave those three things out of the "how did you transition into freelancing full time" conversation because otherwise it is WILDLY disingenuous to talk about how writing pays my bills
Reposted by Mo Ryan
“A line, long smudged, has been crossed,” staff writer Tad Friend wrote on an all-staff email chain. “Union busting sucks,” wrote author Susan Orlean.
www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...
www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...
Famous writers at New Yorker are up in arms after fact-checker’s firing
The media company dismissed four employees, including a fact-checker at the 100-year-old magazine, for “extreme misconduct.” Many of its famous writers are outraged.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 21, 2025 at 8:52 PM
“A line, long smudged, has been crossed,” staff writer Tad Friend wrote on an all-staff email chain. “Union busting sucks,” wrote author Susan Orlean.
www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...
www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...
Reposted by Mo Ryan
Reposted by Mo Ryan
We want to find the people who loved DCist — but don’t yet know The 51st exists.
They walk among us: Our neighbors, colleagues, and friends. Do you know any of them personally, and can you help reunite them with local journalism? If you do it, you could earn rewards via our new referral program.
They walk among us: Our neighbors, colleagues, and friends. Do you know any of them personally, and can you help reunite them with local journalism? If you do it, you could earn rewards via our new referral program.
November 25, 2025 at 10:45 PM
We want to find the people who loved DCist — but don’t yet know The 51st exists.
They walk among us: Our neighbors, colleagues, and friends. Do you know any of them personally, and can you help reunite them with local journalism? If you do it, you could earn rewards via our new referral program.
They walk among us: Our neighbors, colleagues, and friends. Do you know any of them personally, and can you help reunite them with local journalism? If you do it, you could earn rewards via our new referral program.
Reposted by Mo Ryan
yes. if not for my husband’s health insurance/salary + some money my family gave me while i built my business, it’s unlikely i would be where i am—something for which i’m all too aware, and all too grateful. success in writing = talent + perseverance + coverage of human necessities.
And the folks who are actually writing full-time generally only got there after years of day jobs, family support, or both.
The point of sharing this is not to demoralize anyone, but to let emerging writers know they're not failing if they can't make a living off writing alone. Almost no one can.
The point of sharing this is not to demoralize anyone, but to let emerging writers know they're not failing if they can't make a living off writing alone. Almost no one can.
almost every novelist you read who's not from the airport fiction or bestseller sections is working a full on day job, including multi-award winners and absolute legends, or they have a spouse or trust that supports them. virtually across the board. just normalize in your mind that's how it works.
November 25, 2025 at 11:51 PM
yes. if not for my husband’s health insurance/salary + some money my family gave me while i built my business, it’s unlikely i would be where i am—something for which i’m all too aware, and all too grateful. success in writing = talent + perseverance + coverage of human necessities.
Reposted by Mo Ryan
I have long posited that Daniel Craig's accent in Glass Onion is better than Knives Out because in Knives Out he is trying to do a real Southern accent and is bad at it but in Glass Onion he is just talking like Foghorn Leghorn, which is something a real gay Southern weirdo would do.
November 25, 2025 at 10:39 PM
I have long posited that Daniel Craig's accent in Glass Onion is better than Knives Out because in Knives Out he is trying to do a real Southern accent and is bad at it but in Glass Onion he is just talking like Foghorn Leghorn, which is something a real gay Southern weirdo would do.
Reposted by Mo Ryan
feds in st. paul today
November 25, 2025 at 10:07 PM
feds in st. paul today
Reposted by Mo Ryan
And this is exactly why I don't do more book and pop culture criticism or why I haven't written a third book. I'm single and live alone in a high coat of living area. My day job provides health insurance and retirement. I don't have a safety net to freelance full time. Wish I did!
If you have ever thought that my journalism or my first book were net positives for the world, understand that they probably would not exist if I did not have a spouse who paid the mortgage. If I'd been a solo earner/parent, I likely would have left criticism, journalism or book writing long ago.
And the folks who are actually writing full-time generally only got there after years of day jobs, family support, or both.
The point of sharing this is not to demoralize anyone, but to let emerging writers know they're not failing if they can't make a living off writing alone. Almost no one can.
The point of sharing this is not to demoralize anyone, but to let emerging writers know they're not failing if they can't make a living off writing alone. Almost no one can.
November 25, 2025 at 11:48 PM
And this is exactly why I don't do more book and pop culture criticism or why I haven't written a third book. I'm single and live alone in a high coat of living area. My day job provides health insurance and retirement. I don't have a safety net to freelance full time. Wish I did!
Reposted by Mo Ryan
The convo about money and what someone's situation looks like from the outside is so important. As a single, full-time freelancer, my financial situation in a cost of living crisis is not great. I am honest about that; the constant grind is taxing and people should know what they might be facing.
If you have ever thought that my journalism or my first book were net positives for the world, understand that they probably would not exist if I did not have a spouse who paid the mortgage. If I'd been a solo earner/parent, I likely would have left criticism, journalism or book writing long ago.
And the folks who are actually writing full-time generally only got there after years of day jobs, family support, or both.
The point of sharing this is not to demoralize anyone, but to let emerging writers know they're not failing if they can't make a living off writing alone. Almost no one can.
The point of sharing this is not to demoralize anyone, but to let emerging writers know they're not failing if they can't make a living off writing alone. Almost no one can.
November 25, 2025 at 11:44 PM
The convo about money and what someone's situation looks like from the outside is so important. As a single, full-time freelancer, my financial situation in a cost of living crisis is not great. I am honest about that; the constant grind is taxing and people should know what they might be facing.
If you have ever thought that my journalism or my first book were net positives for the world, understand that they probably would not exist if I did not have a spouse who paid the mortgage. If I'd been a solo earner/parent, I likely would have left criticism, journalism or book writing long ago.
And the folks who are actually writing full-time generally only got there after years of day jobs, family support, or both.
The point of sharing this is not to demoralize anyone, but to let emerging writers know they're not failing if they can't make a living off writing alone. Almost no one can.
The point of sharing this is not to demoralize anyone, but to let emerging writers know they're not failing if they can't make a living off writing alone. Almost no one can.
almost every novelist you read who's not from the airport fiction or bestseller sections is working a full on day job, including multi-award winners and absolute legends, or they have a spouse or trust that supports them. virtually across the board. just normalize in your mind that's how it works.
November 25, 2025 at 11:40 PM
If you have ever thought that my journalism or my first book were net positives for the world, understand that they probably would not exist if I did not have a spouse who paid the mortgage. If I'd been a solo earner/parent, I likely would have left criticism, journalism or book writing long ago.
Reposted by Mo Ryan
Remarkable ¶ in Sara Ellis' opinion on CBP/ICE abuse of force. This is about an October 14 conflict at 105th Street and South Avenue North (I don't claim to know the neighborhood).
legacy.www.documentcloud.org/documents/26...
legacy.www.documentcloud.org/documents/26...
![The agents therefore began making plans to deploy chemical munitions on their way out.
See Axon Body 4 Video 2025-10-14 1151 D01A49557 at 1:19:37–1:19:40 (“Yeah, I’ll drop ’em
everywhere. But I need two more cans. I only got three on me.”); id. at 1:27:05, 1:27:18–20
(repeatedly stating that “I’m going to gas this street”); id. at 1:29:17–1:29:30 (“I’m going to be
the one deploying the gas . . . I’m going to gas this street. And then I’m waiting here and I’m
looking for fucking with the bricks and shit to keep everybody safe.”); Axon Body 4 Video
2025-10-14 1130 D01A4281B at 52:45–47 (agent miming throwing tear gas canisters and
saying, “we’re going to be ching ching-ing away, just booking it”); Chicago Vehicle Wreck Riot
at 1:15:00–1:15:03 (“I have a feeling I’m going to get to use this [tear gas] finally.”); id. at
1:22:14 (“We’re definitely gassing them when we leave. Just start throwing shit.”); id. at
1:28:56–1:28:58 (“We’re definitely going to gas them when we get out of here.”); Axon_Body_
4_Video_2025-10-14_1251_D01A30574 at 29:52–30:00 (“We’re going to gas the street . . . let
[the other agents] know.”); id. at 30:14–30:21 (“Hey guys. We’re going to start gassing here in a
little bit.”).](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:bbp2b224lro3bfnzcqwwnkfo/bafkreieyeehm5fcfr7xbqwwhw7vv7yeflgvvar3dgudijhemtlk4a7fmc4@jpeg)
November 25, 2025 at 11:17 PM
Remarkable ¶ in Sara Ellis' opinion on CBP/ICE abuse of force. This is about an October 14 conflict at 105th Street and South Avenue North (I don't claim to know the neighborhood).
legacy.www.documentcloud.org/documents/26...
legacy.www.documentcloud.org/documents/26...
Reposted by Mo Ryan
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.
My contribution to the discourse around "should writers be paid or should you steal their work" is: Yes, we should be paid.
ALSO! I'm very proud of my book. If you buy it, I do not mind what format you buy it in, where you get it or if you get it from a library 💚 bookshop.org/p/books/burn...
ALSO! I'm very proud of my book. If you buy it, I do not mind what format you buy it in, where you get it or if you get it from a library 💚 bookshop.org/p/books/burn...
November 25, 2025 at 11:12 PM
My contribution to the discourse around "should writers be paid or should you steal their work" is: Yes, we should be paid.
ALSO! I'm very proud of my book. If you buy it, I do not mind what format you buy it in, where you get it or if you get it from a library 💚 bookshop.org/p/books/burn...
ALSO! I'm very proud of my book. If you buy it, I do not mind what format you buy it in, where you get it or if you get it from a library 💚 bookshop.org/p/books/burn...
Reposted by Mo Ryan
We’re not small business owners, ffs - we’re independent contractors, and we are routinely robbed by the world’s dumbest dingbats.
![A quote-tweet with the profile blocked out because I won’t be accused of sending flying monkeys at this digital turd.
counterpoint: pirate everything all the time. pirate a sandwich. download a car. abscond from from small business owner mindset with your brain
[High Priestess, Low Patie... • @cherie... • 14h
Re: previous post - People who steal art of any kind are assholes, full stop. If *you* deserve to be paid for your labor, so do I - and so does everybody else; this means writers, visual artists, musicians, and every other category of People Who Make Things.]
• • •
every time vulgar leftism pipes in from the sidelines of petit bourgeoisdom i am forced to become 8.75% more marxist](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:x2ssvkga34xug334b66hvrje/bafkreigp2f33rtfu62kqjygnsxhg3jxxs6udwuyisipmyqrh5ew4c6kbyi@jpeg)
November 25, 2025 at 7:25 PM
We’re not small business owners, ffs - we’re independent contractors, and we are routinely robbed by the world’s dumbest dingbats.
Reposted by Mo Ryan
I went FT freelance in 2019 to write my books, but the majority of my income came from freelancing for places like syfy or a writer's room where my name will never show up on the things I made. Then those ended and I had to go back to a day job. Can't survive on what my writing alone makes.
I know we know this, but authors need to get better at talking about how they actually make their money. Stop pretending it's from the books.
November 25, 2025 at 10:43 PM
I went FT freelance in 2019 to write my books, but the majority of my income came from freelancing for places like syfy or a writer's room where my name will never show up on the things I made. Then those ended and I had to go back to a day job. Can't survive on what my writing alone makes.
Reposted by Mo Ryan
okay having finished this episode i can say that there is truly no reason for toby huss to be here, he just walks in wearing the hat, mariska goes "still doing the hat thing huh" and then he walks out
A+
A+
i'm sorry, last week's SVU featured toby huss wearing a fedora????
November 24, 2025 at 9:01 PM
okay having finished this episode i can say that there is truly no reason for toby huss to be here, he just walks in wearing the hat, mariska goes "still doing the hat thing huh" and then he walks out
A+
A+
Reposted by Mo Ryan
Dave is who helped me after I got shot in the face. To hold a journalist for 30 hours on absurd charges is a very, very bad sign of things to come
Freelance photojournalist @davedeckerphoto.bsky.social was arrested while reporting on an immigration protest outside an ICE facility in Miami on Nov. 22.
He was held in custody for 30-plus hours and released with charges of trespassing and resisting an officer.
He was held in custody for 30-plus hours and released with charges of trespassing and resisting an officer.
Photojournalist arrested at Miami immigration protest, gear seized
Freelance photojournalist Dave Decker was arrested by Miami-Dade Sheriff’s deputies while documenting anti-deportation protests outside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement …
pressfreedomtracker.us
November 24, 2025 at 11:08 PM
Dave is who helped me after I got shot in the face. To hold a journalist for 30 hours on absurd charges is a very, very bad sign of things to come
Reposted by Mo Ryan
So many thanks to @mldavies.bsky.social for this comprehensive feature for @jezebeldotcom.bsky.social on WITHOUT CONSENT, which gets at all of the frustrating complexities I had to (and continue to) grapple with.
The Complicated, Frustrating History of the First Spousal Rape Trial
Sarah Weinman's excellent new book, Without Consent, chronicles the relationship at the center of the sensationalized 1970s trial and its impact on the long—and alarmingly recent—fight to criminalize ...
www.jezebel.com
November 20, 2025 at 6:34 PM
So many thanks to @mldavies.bsky.social for this comprehensive feature for @jezebeldotcom.bsky.social on WITHOUT CONSENT, which gets at all of the frustrating complexities I had to (and continue to) grapple with.