Sean Bates
@seanjbates.bsky.social
writer/poet/educator
https://substack.com/@seanjbates
https://linktr.ee/seanbateswrites
poems in:
Emerge Literary Journal
Stone Canoe
Rising Phoenix Review
"What Saves Us"anthology ed. Martín Espada https://tinyurl.com/44yksnmp
https://substack.com/@seanjbates
https://linktr.ee/seanbateswrites
poems in:
Emerge Literary Journal
Stone Canoe
Rising Phoenix Review
"What Saves Us"anthology ed. Martín Espada https://tinyurl.com/44yksnmp
Pinned
We’re Out Here: The Poet and How to Survive
a review of Chen Chen's 2022 "Your Emergency Contact Has Experienced an Emergency" for BOA Editions.
tinyurl.com
NEW REVIEW......"We’re Out Here: The Poet and How to Survive"
----a Review and Love Letter about (@chenchenwrites.bsky.social) Chen Chen's 2022 "Your Emergency Contact Has Experienced an Emergency"
tinyurl.com/yaf2v7kk
.
.
.
#poetry #booksky #substack #writingcommunity #poemsky #writing #reviews
----a Review and Love Letter about (@chenchenwrites.bsky.social) Chen Chen's 2022 "Your Emergency Contact Has Experienced an Emergency"
tinyurl.com/yaf2v7kk
.
.
.
#poetry #booksky #substack #writingcommunity #poemsky #writing #reviews
Reposted by Sean Bates
The Ethos of Eephus
Eephus sees sport not as a cultural commodity, but a community engagement, and the simplicity of its framing [...] finds the beauty in the relationship baseball has not just to its participants and onlookers, but the landscape of the country.
open.substack.com/pub/mikespry...
Eephus sees sport not as a cultural commodity, but a community engagement, and the simplicity of its framing [...] finds the beauty in the relationship baseball has not just to its participants and onlookers, but the landscape of the country.
open.substack.com/pub/mikespry...
The Ethos of Eephus
The Meaning of Games That End
open.substack.com
February 18, 2026 at 7:09 PM
The Ethos of Eephus
Eephus sees sport not as a cultural commodity, but a community engagement, and the simplicity of its framing [...] finds the beauty in the relationship baseball has not just to its participants and onlookers, but the landscape of the country.
open.substack.com/pub/mikespry...
Eephus sees sport not as a cultural commodity, but a community engagement, and the simplicity of its framing [...] finds the beauty in the relationship baseball has not just to its participants and onlookers, but the landscape of the country.
open.substack.com/pub/mikespry...
Reposted by Sean Bates
Made from logs, built by hand.
#mamiya #mamiya7 #film #photography #filmphotography #mediumformat #mediumformatfilm #mediumformatphotography #garden #permaculture #colorfilm #colorphoto
#mamiya #mamiya7 #film #photography #filmphotography #mediumformat #mediumformatfilm #mediumformatphotography #garden #permaculture #colorfilm #colorphoto
February 17, 2026 at 2:36 PM
Made from logs, built by hand.
#mamiya #mamiya7 #film #photography #filmphotography #mediumformat #mediumformatfilm #mediumformatphotography #garden #permaculture #colorfilm #colorphoto
#mamiya #mamiya7 #film #photography #filmphotography #mediumformat #mediumformatfilm #mediumformatphotography #garden #permaculture #colorfilm #colorphoto
Regular guy takes advice and tries to read more...inspiration ensues.
NEW REVIEW......"We’re Out Here: The Poet and How to Survive"
----a Review and Love Letter about (@chenchenwrites.bsky.social) Chen Chen's 2022 "Your Emergency Contact Has Experienced an Emergency"
tinyurl.com/yaf2v7kk
.
.
.
#poetry #booksky #substack #writingcommunity #poemsky #writing #reviews
----a Review and Love Letter about (@chenchenwrites.bsky.social) Chen Chen's 2022 "Your Emergency Contact Has Experienced an Emergency"
tinyurl.com/yaf2v7kk
.
.
.
#poetry #booksky #substack #writingcommunity #poemsky #writing #reviews
We’re Out Here: The Poet and How to Survive
a review of Chen Chen's 2022 "Your Emergency Contact Has Experienced an Emergency" for BOA Editions.
tinyurl.com
February 13, 2026 at 7:51 PM
Regular guy takes advice and tries to read more...inspiration ensues.
Reposted by Sean Bates
Winter is textures and shapes…I love the black silhouette down the bottom..as if it’s in a movie theatre and trees are in the audience..
February 13, 2026 at 12:45 PM
Winter is textures and shapes…I love the black silhouette down the bottom..as if it’s in a movie theatre and trees are in the audience..
My Friday the 13th is when I wonder if my threenager or my teenage students got me sick
February 13, 2026 at 12:51 PM
My Friday the 13th is when I wonder if my threenager or my teenage students got me sick
Reposted by Sean Bates
oh look they made a toy about writers’ social media versus writers’ work
January 19, 2026 at 2:51 AM
oh look they made a toy about writers’ social media versus writers’ work
Ever read a poem and it's soul shaking because it's so so good and also somehow exactly what you've been trying to say...so much so that it's a little disheartening...
February 12, 2026 at 5:01 PM
Ever read a poem and it's soul shaking because it's so so good and also somehow exactly what you've been trying to say...so much so that it's a little disheartening...
It's all "I don't think this class should be required for engineers" until we break out the cover letters.
#writersteachingwriting
#writersteachingwriting
February 11, 2026 at 6:29 PM
It's all "I don't think this class should be required for engineers" until we break out the cover letters.
#writersteachingwriting
#writersteachingwriting
NEW REVIEW......"We’re Out Here: The Poet and How to Survive"
----a Review and Love Letter about (@chenchenwrites.bsky.social) Chen Chen's 2022 "Your Emergency Contact Has Experienced an Emergency"
tinyurl.com/yaf2v7kk
.
.
.
#poetry #booksky #substack #writingcommunity #poemsky #writing #reviews
----a Review and Love Letter about (@chenchenwrites.bsky.social) Chen Chen's 2022 "Your Emergency Contact Has Experienced an Emergency"
tinyurl.com/yaf2v7kk
.
.
.
#poetry #booksky #substack #writingcommunity #poemsky #writing #reviews
We’re Out Here: The Poet and How to Survive
a review of Chen Chen's 2022 "Your Emergency Contact Has Experienced an Emergency" for BOA Editions.
tinyurl.com
February 10, 2026 at 5:35 PM
NEW REVIEW......"We’re Out Here: The Poet and How to Survive"
----a Review and Love Letter about (@chenchenwrites.bsky.social) Chen Chen's 2022 "Your Emergency Contact Has Experienced an Emergency"
tinyurl.com/yaf2v7kk
.
.
.
#poetry #booksky #substack #writingcommunity #poemsky #writing #reviews
----a Review and Love Letter about (@chenchenwrites.bsky.social) Chen Chen's 2022 "Your Emergency Contact Has Experienced an Emergency"
tinyurl.com/yaf2v7kk
.
.
.
#poetry #booksky #substack #writingcommunity #poemsky #writing #reviews
Reposted by Sean Bates
Culture.
#leica #leicam6 #film #photography #35mm #filmphotography #photo #colorphoto #35mmphotography #seltzer
#leica #leicam6 #film #photography #35mm #filmphotography #photo #colorphoto #35mmphotography #seltzer
February 10, 2026 at 2:19 PM
Posting my Chen Chen review/love letter tomorrow. So I want to specifically wish @chenchenwrites.bsky.social a beautiful start to the semester as we settle into Feb and ...the dreaded March.
February 9, 2026 at 8:41 PM
Posting my Chen Chen review/love letter tomorrow. So I want to specifically wish @chenchenwrites.bsky.social a beautiful start to the semester as we settle into Feb and ...the dreaded March.
Reposted by Sean Bates
Super Bowl Sunday Feeld Notes 8.2.26
I’m going to make chili and cheer for a tie. Wouldn’t we all just rather watch Kid Rock and Bad Bunny in a celebrity boxing match?
My Super Bowl column/self-indictment: open.substack.com/pub/mikespry...
I’m going to make chili and cheer for a tie. Wouldn’t we all just rather watch Kid Rock and Bad Bunny in a celebrity boxing match?
My Super Bowl column/self-indictment: open.substack.com/pub/mikespry...
Super Bowl Sunday Feeld Notes 8.2.26
Things I’m feeling on a Sunday of jingoism and Ozempic ads
open.substack.com
February 8, 2026 at 1:05 PM
Super Bowl Sunday Feeld Notes 8.2.26
I’m going to make chili and cheer for a tie. Wouldn’t we all just rather watch Kid Rock and Bad Bunny in a celebrity boxing match?
My Super Bowl column/self-indictment: open.substack.com/pub/mikespry...
I’m going to make chili and cheer for a tie. Wouldn’t we all just rather watch Kid Rock and Bad Bunny in a celebrity boxing match?
My Super Bowl column/self-indictment: open.substack.com/pub/mikespry...
Reposted by Sean Bates
Phoenix is vibey this way.
#pentax #film #photography #filmphotography #mediumformat #mediumformatfilm #mediumformatphotography ##colorfilm #colorphoto
#pentax #film #photography #filmphotography #mediumformat #mediumformatfilm #mediumformatphotography ##colorfilm #colorphoto
February 6, 2026 at 2:13 PM
Phoenix is vibey this way.
#pentax #film #photography #filmphotography #mediumformat #mediumformatfilm #mediumformatphotography ##colorfilm #colorphoto
#pentax #film #photography #filmphotography #mediumformat #mediumformatfilm #mediumformatphotography ##colorfilm #colorphoto
Reposted by Sean Bates
Sunday Feeld Notes 01.02.2026
So many feelings this week: Loving @thedollop.bsky.social, Sophie Turner and Steal, not SNL, not the weather, and not the Super Bowl. Plus, last week's and this week's essays.
open.substack.com/pub/mikespry...
So many feelings this week: Loving @thedollop.bsky.social, Sophie Turner and Steal, not SNL, not the weather, and not the Super Bowl. Plus, last week's and this week's essays.
open.substack.com/pub/mikespry...
Sunday Feeld Notes 01.01.2026
Things I’m feeling on a Sunday morning in the time of feelings
open.substack.com
February 1, 2026 at 3:02 PM
Sunday Feeld Notes 01.02.2026
So many feelings this week: Loving @thedollop.bsky.social, Sophie Turner and Steal, not SNL, not the weather, and not the Super Bowl. Plus, last week's and this week's essays.
open.substack.com/pub/mikespry...
So many feelings this week: Loving @thedollop.bsky.social, Sophie Turner and Steal, not SNL, not the weather, and not the Super Bowl. Plus, last week's and this week's essays.
open.substack.com/pub/mikespry...
Reposted by Sean Bates
Wall outside Hi Bridge Books.
#mamiya #film #photography #filmphotography #mediumformat #mediumformatfilm #streetphotography #mediumformatphotography #shibuya #tokyo #japan
#mamiya #film #photography #filmphotography #mediumformat #mediumformatfilm #streetphotography #mediumformatphotography #shibuya #tokyo #japan
February 3, 2026 at 3:25 PM
Wall outside Hi Bridge Books.
#mamiya #film #photography #filmphotography #mediumformat #mediumformatfilm #streetphotography #mediumformatphotography #shibuya #tokyo #japan
#mamiya #film #photography #filmphotography #mediumformat #mediumformatfilm #streetphotography #mediumformatphotography #shibuya #tokyo #japan
f e e l i n g s
Sunday Feeld Notes 01.02.2026
So many feelings this week: Loving @thedollop.bsky.social, Sophie Turner and Steal, not SNL, not the weather, and not the Super Bowl. Plus, last week's and this week's essays.
open.substack.com/pub/mikespry...
So many feelings this week: Loving @thedollop.bsky.social, Sophie Turner and Steal, not SNL, not the weather, and not the Super Bowl. Plus, last week's and this week's essays.
open.substack.com/pub/mikespry...
Sunday Feeld Notes 01.01.2026
Things I’m feeling on a Sunday morning in the time of feelings
open.substack.com
February 2, 2026 at 3:17 PM
f e e l i n g s
Nothing gets my engineering students focused like the cover letter & resume unit.
Game on.
#writersteachingwriting #teachers #writinghelp
Game on.
#writersteachingwriting #teachers #writinghelp
February 2, 2026 at 3:16 PM
Nothing gets my engineering students focused like the cover letter & resume unit.
Game on.
#writersteachingwriting #teachers #writinghelp
Game on.
#writersteachingwriting #teachers #writinghelp
Reposted by Sean Bates
Reposted by Sean Bates
"Haunted by Futures Promised: Stranger Things, PLUR1BUS, and the ghost of expectation"
New essay on #StrangerThings, hauntology, and the quiet disappearance of expectation.
mikespry.substack.com/p/haunted-by...
#GenX #Hauntology #PLUR1BUS
New essay on #StrangerThings, hauntology, and the quiet disappearance of expectation.
mikespry.substack.com/p/haunted-by...
#GenX #Hauntology #PLUR1BUS
Haunted by Futures Promised:
Stranger Things, PLUR1BUS, and the ghost of expectation
open.substack.com
January 21, 2026 at 6:15 PM
"Haunted by Futures Promised: Stranger Things, PLUR1BUS, and the ghost of expectation"
New essay on #StrangerThings, hauntology, and the quiet disappearance of expectation.
mikespry.substack.com/p/haunted-by...
#GenX #Hauntology #PLUR1BUS
New essay on #StrangerThings, hauntology, and the quiet disappearance of expectation.
mikespry.substack.com/p/haunted-by...
#GenX #Hauntology #PLUR1BUS
Reposted by Sean Bates
12 hour exposure.
#mamiya7 #film #photography #filmphotography #mediumformat #mediumformatfilm #colorphoto #nikko #japan #colorfilm #iso100
#mamiya7 #film #photography #filmphotography #mediumformat #mediumformatfilm #colorphoto #nikko #japan #colorfilm #iso100
January 27, 2026 at 2:06 PM
Reposted by Sean Bates
Shoutout my friend the Poet Emily Siegenthaler for helping keep twenty twenty-somethings alive for a month in Tokyo.
#mamiya #film #photography #mediumformat #mediumformatfilm #mediumformatfilmphotography #colorphoto #tokyo #japan
#mamiya #film #photography #mediumformat #mediumformatfilm #mediumformatfilmphotography #colorphoto #tokyo #japan
January 23, 2026 at 2:08 PM
Shoutout my friend the Poet Emily Siegenthaler for helping keep twenty twenty-somethings alive for a month in Tokyo.
#mamiya #film #photography #mediumformat #mediumformatfilm #mediumformatfilmphotography #colorphoto #tokyo #japan
#mamiya #film #photography #mediumformat #mediumformatfilm #mediumformatfilmphotography #colorphoto #tokyo #japan
#writingthoughts I tell my students that it's not just them... writing is hard
January 23, 2026 at 1:49 PM
#writingthoughts I tell my students that it's not just them... writing is hard
Small group ice breakers with students today because I am evillllllllll
January 22, 2026 at 6:45 PM
Small group ice breakers with students today because I am evillllllllll
Reposted by Sean Bates
NEW AUDIO --- My review of 'Designated Stranger' a poetry collection by Gion Davis @gion.bsky.social published by @thirdhandbooks.bsky.social now has an audio version narrated by yours truly.
Give it a listen---> tinyurl.com/2v43jd3d
#poemsky #writingcommunity #audiobooks #poetry #booksky
Give it a listen---> tinyurl.com/2v43jd3d
#poemsky #writingcommunity #audiobooks #poetry #booksky
A New Hero: A Review of 'Designated Stranger' by Gion Davis
Distance, Strangeness, and Intimacy in Gion Davis’ debut collection “Designated Stranger” for Third Hand Books
tinyurl.com
January 21, 2026 at 6:37 PM
NEW AUDIO --- My review of 'Designated Stranger' a poetry collection by Gion Davis @gion.bsky.social published by @thirdhandbooks.bsky.social now has an audio version narrated by yours truly.
Give it a listen---> tinyurl.com/2v43jd3d
#poemsky #writingcommunity #audiobooks #poetry #booksky
Give it a listen---> tinyurl.com/2v43jd3d
#poemsky #writingcommunity #audiobooks #poetry #booksky
NEW AUDIO --- My review of 'Designated Stranger' a poetry collection by Gion Davis @gion.bsky.social published by @thirdhandbooks.bsky.social now has an audio version narrated by yours truly.
Give it a listen---> tinyurl.com/2v43jd3d
#poemsky #writingcommunity #audiobooks #poetry #booksky
Give it a listen---> tinyurl.com/2v43jd3d
#poemsky #writingcommunity #audiobooks #poetry #booksky
A New Hero: A Review of 'Designated Stranger' by Gion Davis
Distance, Strangeness, and Intimacy in Gion Davis’ debut collection “Designated Stranger” for Third Hand Books
tinyurl.com
January 21, 2026 at 6:37 PM
NEW AUDIO --- My review of 'Designated Stranger' a poetry collection by Gion Davis @gion.bsky.social published by @thirdhandbooks.bsky.social now has an audio version narrated by yours truly.
Give it a listen---> tinyurl.com/2v43jd3d
#poemsky #writingcommunity #audiobooks #poetry #booksky
Give it a listen---> tinyurl.com/2v43jd3d
#poemsky #writingcommunity #audiobooks #poetry #booksky