Sarah Brand
@sarahbrand.bsky.social
DC-adjacent. local elected/activist, data nerd, sometimes SF/fantasy writer, live-in photographer for my cats. opinions are mine and do not reflect the views of my cats. elected official account: @sarahbw.bsky.social
Pinned
Sarah Brand
@sarahbrand.bsky.social
· Sep 16
Hello, new followers! I was elected in 2022 to the Montgomery County Democratic Central Committee in Maryland. We are not government officials, but we are on the primary ballot every four years and elected by the 400,000 Democrats in our county to lead the local party.
New followers! Hello! This is my personal account, where I retweet elected official stuff for ~*reach*~ but also post cat pictures and repost things like DS9 and Tom Holland’s “Umbrella.” If you’re just here for the politics, @sarahbw.bsky.social is your best bet. Either way, I’m happy to have you.
Reposted by Sarah Brand
not sure how to square ‘no one person can be reasonably expected to pay for every media subscription’ with ‘sorely underpaid writers need to make a living’ but my inclination is not to locate that problem with any of the broke ass people on either end of the complaint
December 8, 2025 at 5:21 PM
not sure how to square ‘no one person can be reasonably expected to pay for every media subscription’ with ‘sorely underpaid writers need to make a living’ but my inclination is not to locate that problem with any of the broke ass people on either end of the complaint
Reposted by Sarah Brand
Someone just tagged this post from November 2024. Maybe I should do a signed paperback giveaway? I'll pick one at 5 pm CST tomorrow at random from the likes. You don't even have to follow or repost ... but it would be nice if you did!
December 12, 2025 at 2:45 AM
Someone just tagged this post from November 2024. Maybe I should do a signed paperback giveaway? I'll pick one at 5 pm CST tomorrow at random from the likes. You don't even have to follow or repost ... but it would be nice if you did!
Reposted by Sarah Brand
The point of accumulating political power ought to be to do what’s right. Otherwise you’re just hoarding power for its own sake.
Stopping the government from sending innocent people to a foreign prison where they were beaten, sexually assaulted, and tortured was the right thing to do.
Stopping the government from sending innocent people to a foreign prison where they were beaten, sexually assaulted, and tortured was the right thing to do.
December 12, 2025 at 12:59 PM
The point of accumulating political power ought to be to do what’s right. Otherwise you’re just hoarding power for its own sake.
Stopping the government from sending innocent people to a foreign prison where they were beaten, sexually assaulted, and tortured was the right thing to do.
Stopping the government from sending innocent people to a foreign prison where they were beaten, sexually assaulted, and tortured was the right thing to do.
Reposted by Sarah Brand
in an age of criminal government the Times's commitment to treating every political question with delicacy becomes an assertion that laws aren't real
To the New York Times, a constitutional provision is just something that's "traditional."
December 12, 2025 at 5:31 AM
in an age of criminal government the Times's commitment to treating every political question with delicacy becomes an assertion that laws aren't real
Reposted by Sarah Brand
“She has marks on her neck and wrist from where agents restrained her. Agents cut off her wedding ring and held her in leg shackles at Whipple Federal Building for about five hours.”
Her crime: witnessing ICE, from a distance.
Her crime: witnessing ICE, from a distance.
Federal agents arrest citizen observer watching ICE detain neighbors on her north Minneapolis block
Susan Tincher, a 55-year-old American citizen, appears to be the first observer arrested by federal immigration enforcement officers since the agency launched an immigration surge in the Twin Cities l...
www.mprnews.org
December 10, 2025 at 10:45 AM
Reposted by Sarah Brand
the number of different ways in which this single sentence is profoundly offensive is just remarkable
RFK Jr: "All of the ingenuity of corporate America has not produced an infant formula that is superior in nutrition and all the qualities that we want to the infant formula that God made, which is the infant formula in a mother's breast."
December 8, 2025 at 10:45 PM
the number of different ways in which this single sentence is profoundly offensive is just remarkable
Hang on, going back in time to convince the Person of Interest showrunners to cast literally anyone else. Preferably Daniel Henney but I will also accept a randomly selected Muppet or the ghost of Gilbert Gottfried.
December 8, 2025 at 7:07 PM
Hang on, going back in time to convince the Person of Interest showrunners to cast literally anyone else. Preferably Daniel Henney but I will also accept a randomly selected Muppet or the ghost of Gilbert Gottfried.
Reposted by Sarah Brand
America’s pretty cool, I think we should have as many people here as we can so they can make it cooler
December 8, 2025 at 1:59 AM
America’s pretty cool, I think we should have as many people here as we can so they can make it cooler
Reposted by Sarah Brand
In the sixth month
of a disastrous reign in the house of money
in the street of money in the city of money in the country of money,
our great country of money, we (forgive us)
lived happily during the war
of a disastrous reign in the house of money
in the street of money in the city of money in the country of money,
our great country of money, we (forgive us)
lived happily during the war
December 7, 2025 at 3:39 AM
In the sixth month
of a disastrous reign in the house of money
in the street of money in the city of money in the country of money,
our great country of money, we (forgive us)
lived happily during the war
of a disastrous reign in the house of money
in the street of money in the city of money in the country of money,
our great country of money, we (forgive us)
lived happily during the war
Reposted by Sarah Brand
One of the essential projects of humanity is building a world in which appropriate resources and energy are directed toward a million crucial problems so the rest of us can go to bed knowing they're being handled.
The collapse of that project specifically is perhaps the great tragedy of our age.
The collapse of that project specifically is perhaps the great tragedy of our age.
Even as a Millennial TurboLiberal for whom this website is made I have to admit I get pretty tired of reading about one trillion problems I neither understand nor can solve. "THOUSANDS of octopi are dying off the coast of Madagascar" alright I'm not in charge of that. That's not my job.
December 6, 2025 at 4:42 PM
One of the essential projects of humanity is building a world in which appropriate resources and energy are directed toward a million crucial problems so the rest of us can go to bed knowing they're being handled.
The collapse of that project specifically is perhaps the great tragedy of our age.
The collapse of that project specifically is perhaps the great tragedy of our age.
Reposted by Sarah Brand
I'm not exaggerating when I say following @boltsmag.org rn will unlock money for our journalism.
A generous reader, @russ41.bsky.social, has offered to donate $1 for every 1-person increase to our follower count.
If you're not following @boltsmag.org yet, it'll directly help fund our reporting!
A generous reader, @russ41.bsky.social, has offered to donate $1 for every 1-person increase to our follower count.
If you're not following @boltsmag.org yet, it'll directly help fund our reporting!
December 6, 2025 at 12:07 AM
I'm not exaggerating when I say following @boltsmag.org rn will unlock money for our journalism.
A generous reader, @russ41.bsky.social, has offered to donate $1 for every 1-person increase to our follower count.
If you're not following @boltsmag.org yet, it'll directly help fund our reporting!
A generous reader, @russ41.bsky.social, has offered to donate $1 for every 1-person increase to our follower count.
If you're not following @boltsmag.org yet, it'll directly help fund our reporting!
Reposted by Sarah Brand
You can help Bolts continue to provide crucial coverage of local elections. Here's how:
- Repost this = I donate $1.
- Follow @boltsmag.org = I donate $1.
- Donate (link below) + tell me how much = I match your donation.
(Donate monthly = I match a year's worth)
- Repost this = I donate $1.
- Follow @boltsmag.org = I donate $1.
- Donate (link below) + tell me how much = I match your donation.
(Donate monthly = I match a year's worth)
Support Bolts
We are a nonprofit publication that covers the nuts and bolts of political change, from the local up, and we need reader support to build our journalism.
boltsmag.org
December 3, 2025 at 6:20 PM
You can help Bolts continue to provide crucial coverage of local elections. Here's how:
- Repost this = I donate $1.
- Follow @boltsmag.org = I donate $1.
- Donate (link below) + tell me how much = I match your donation.
(Donate monthly = I match a year's worth)
- Repost this = I donate $1.
- Follow @boltsmag.org = I donate $1.
- Donate (link below) + tell me how much = I match your donation.
(Donate monthly = I match a year's worth)
Reposted by Sarah Brand
The magazine that brought you "FAQ: The Snake Fight Portion of Your Thesis Defense" and "It's Decorative Gourd Season, Motherfuckers" bring you Isaac Chotiner's interview with Santa and it is OUTSTANDING.
www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/the...
www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/the...
The New Yorker’s Isaac Chotiner Interviews Santa Claus
For several centuries, Santa Claus has been one of the most prolific mythical gift-givers in the world. Formerly known as Saint Nicholas of Myra, a...
www.mcsweeneys.net
December 5, 2025 at 1:59 AM
The magazine that brought you "FAQ: The Snake Fight Portion of Your Thesis Defense" and "It's Decorative Gourd Season, Motherfuckers" bring you Isaac Chotiner's interview with Santa and it is OUTSTANDING.
www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/the...
www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/the...
Reposted by Sarah Brand
It's not enough to say, "here's an approach that can solve a problem." You have to show it fully in real people's lives. That's what @annneumann.bsky.social does in this rich exploration of programs that keep addicted moms & babies together while moms get sober. www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...
She was pregnant and addicted to fentanyl. Getting to keep her baby saved them both
A baby is born in withdrawal every 18 minutes in the US, and most end up in foster care. At centers like Maddie’s Place, mothers stay with their infants – and leave together, in recovery
www.theguardian.com
December 4, 2025 at 10:56 PM
It's not enough to say, "here's an approach that can solve a problem." You have to show it fully in real people's lives. That's what @annneumann.bsky.social does in this rich exploration of programs that keep addicted moms & babies together while moms get sober. www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...
Reposted by Sarah Brand
Does it hurt to get shot with a gun? The HHS has issued new guidance that it actually hurts more not getting shot with a gun. Health watchdogs warn that promoting getting shot with a gun will make more people get hurt from bullets, though the actual science is disputed by some researchers
December 4, 2025 at 6:31 AM
Does it hurt to get shot with a gun? The HHS has issued new guidance that it actually hurts more not getting shot with a gun. Health watchdogs warn that promoting getting shot with a gun will make more people get hurt from bullets, though the actual science is disputed by some researchers
Reposted by Sarah Brand
Consider the following before adopting a Manticore for your family
December 3, 2025 at 8:20 PM
Consider the following before adopting a Manticore for your family
When I met @zachbrand-wiita.bsky.social, he didn’t make a lot of money, but he put every spare dime toward taking care of his disabled mom. And yeah, we split a lot of bills.
It’s not just about how much someone earns—which comes and goes—but where their priorities will be when things get hard.
It’s not just about how much someone earns—which comes and goes—but where their priorities will be when things get hard.
Yes where else could men possibly receive this scorching insight
December 3, 2025 at 6:51 PM
When I met @zachbrand-wiita.bsky.social, he didn’t make a lot of money, but he put every spare dime toward taking care of his disabled mom. And yeah, we split a lot of bills.
It’s not just about how much someone earns—which comes and goes—but where their priorities will be when things get hard.
It’s not just about how much someone earns—which comes and goes—but where their priorities will be when things get hard.
Reposted by Sarah Brand
I should own Antarctica, and I think I could take a majority of the current inhabitants in a fight
December 3, 2025 at 5:24 AM
I should own Antarctica, and I think I could take a majority of the current inhabitants in a fight
Reposted by Sarah Brand
This is a piece of classic writing advice that I have begun to seriously turn on
Don’t kill your darlings. Love and nurture your darlings. Write for your darlings. Recognize when one of them may not be right for the story and gently remove them, but for the most part: fucking INDULGE your darlings
Don’t kill your darlings. Love and nurture your darlings. Write for your darlings. Recognize when one of them may not be right for the story and gently remove them, but for the most part: fucking INDULGE your darlings
You don't have to kill ALL your darlings, okay?
December 2, 2025 at 11:46 PM
This is a piece of classic writing advice that I have begun to seriously turn on
Don’t kill your darlings. Love and nurture your darlings. Write for your darlings. Recognize when one of them may not be right for the story and gently remove them, but for the most part: fucking INDULGE your darlings
Don’t kill your darlings. Love and nurture your darlings. Write for your darlings. Recognize when one of them may not be right for the story and gently remove them, but for the most part: fucking INDULGE your darlings
I’ll just straight-up say “I’ve sold two stories to small-press anthologies and I’m working on a novel,” which also answers any questions about whether they’ve “heard of me.” (It helps that the probability actually is near zero even among people who read short SFF.)
Nothing more embarrassing than telling someone you are a writer. Every potential follow up question they have is a humiliation ritual. Then you find yourself in a position of trying to convince some random person you're "a real writer" but without coming off like a braggart. Don't recommend it!
What’s the worst question someone can ask after you tell them your profession? For linguists, it’s definitely “how many languages do you speak?”, but I’m curious what else is happening to the rest of y’all out there?!
December 1, 2025 at 10:43 PM
I’ll just straight-up say “I’ve sold two stories to small-press anthologies and I’m working on a novel,” which also answers any questions about whether they’ve “heard of me.” (It helps that the probability actually is near zero even among people who read short SFF.)
Reposted by Sarah Brand
Protip: Do not argue into the "no ceiling" framing - it's designed to frame the argument against you, creating a metaphor in which the implicit logic argues against the correct position.
November 30, 2025 at 6:43 PM
Protip: Do not argue into the "no ceiling" framing - it's designed to frame the argument against you, creating a metaphor in which the implicit logic argues against the correct position.
Reposted by Sarah Brand
Strong floor no ceiling is a design spec for a fucking patio not a slogan to get unemployed and unengaged voters to the polls
No value, no villain, no vision. Sounds like the tagline for the earnings call of a collapsing appliance retailer
November 30, 2025 at 3:33 PM
Strong floor no ceiling is a design spec for a fucking patio not a slogan to get unemployed and unengaged voters to the polls
Reposted by Sarah Brand
I cannot even begin to express my rage at this lie
reading this through me back into my pandemic EMT life, attempting to resuscitate a child experiencing a cardiac arrest secondary to COVID while a father says “we heard that the vaccine was riskier than COVID for kids” and a mother wails in agony
reading this through me back into my pandemic EMT life, attempting to resuscitate a child experiencing a cardiac arrest secondary to COVID while a father says “we heard that the vaccine was riskier than COVID for kids” and a mother wails in agony
NEW: The F.D.A. announced in an internal memo that 10 children died "because of" the Covid shot. Other experts want to see proof.
“This is a profound revelation,” Dr. Prasad's memo said. “For the first time, the U.S. F.D.A. will acknowledge that Covid-19 vaccines have killed American children.”
“This is a profound revelation,” Dr. Prasad's memo said. “For the first time, the U.S. F.D.A. will acknowledge that Covid-19 vaccines have killed American children.”
F.D.A. Attributes 10 Children’s Deaths to Covid Vaccines
www.nytimes.com
November 29, 2025 at 12:27 PM
I cannot even begin to express my rage at this lie
reading this through me back into my pandemic EMT life, attempting to resuscitate a child experiencing a cardiac arrest secondary to COVID while a father says “we heard that the vaccine was riskier than COVID for kids” and a mother wails in agony
reading this through me back into my pandemic EMT life, attempting to resuscitate a child experiencing a cardiac arrest secondary to COVID while a father says “we heard that the vaccine was riskier than COVID for kids” and a mother wails in agony
Reposted by Sarah Brand
My big concert flex for Bluesky is that I saw @themountaingoats.bsky.social play "This Year" at the Middle East (downstairs stage) in Cambridge — MONTHS BEFORE THE SONG WAS RELEASED
It was the rare instance of me hearing an unreleased new song at a concert and going, "Oh, THAT is gonna be a hit"
It was the rare instance of me hearing an unreleased new song at a concert and going, "Oh, THAT is gonna be a hit"
November 30, 2025 at 12:41 PM
My big concert flex for Bluesky is that I saw @themountaingoats.bsky.social play "This Year" at the Middle East (downstairs stage) in Cambridge — MONTHS BEFORE THE SONG WAS RELEASED
It was the rare instance of me hearing an unreleased new song at a concert and going, "Oh, THAT is gonna be a hit"
It was the rare instance of me hearing an unreleased new song at a concert and going, "Oh, THAT is gonna be a hit"