Todd Robert Petersen
@toddpetersen.bsky.social
PICNIC IN THE RUINS from Counterpoint Press. Pater Familias. Novelist. Professor of Creative Writing and Film. Repped by: Sobel/Weber.
On my Monday photo adventure downtown, I spotted this surreal moment. Ceci n'est pas Cedar Breaks.
January 23, 2026 at 6:29 PM
On my Monday photo adventure downtown, I spotted this surreal moment. Ceci n'est pas Cedar Breaks.
Hot take: C grades should be 40-60%.
January 23, 2026 at 4:32 PM
Hot take: C grades should be 40-60%.
"Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?" is a John Belushi line I have thought about a lot today.
January 23, 2026 at 12:35 AM
"Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?" is a John Belushi line I have thought about a lot today.
I'm here for this Titanic ratio.
January 22, 2026 at 7:49 PM
I'm here for this Titanic ratio.
Today in screen aesthetics I'm teaching Renoir's Rules of the Game. Not gonna lie, a farce about the rich right before WWII hits differently this year.
January 21, 2026 at 7:25 PM
Today in screen aesthetics I'm teaching Renoir's Rules of the Game. Not gonna lie, a farce about the rich right before WWII hits differently this year.
Going to the local meeting of our Utah native plants society tonight. It feels like the set up for a cozy mystery novel—Death Among the Penstemons.
January 21, 2026 at 12:12 AM
Going to the local meeting of our Utah native plants society tonight. It feels like the set up for a cozy mystery novel—Death Among the Penstemons.
I took this photo of this glass in my town yesterday, then realized it's also in one of the greatest movie scenes of the last 20 years. I'm so proud of myself for noticing.
January 20, 2026 at 7:39 PM
I took this photo of this glass in my town yesterday, then realized it's also in one of the greatest movie scenes of the last 20 years. I'm so proud of myself for noticing.
My teenage son and I prefer the term "Clanker Slop" for its accuracy and musicality.
January 20, 2026 at 7:31 PM
My teenage son and I prefer the term "Clanker Slop" for its accuracy and musicality.
Today in advanced fiction I'm teaching about "the flâneur" and the "shut in." Getting some fun ideas about the inward gaze versus outward.
January 20, 2026 at 6:30 PM
Today in advanced fiction I'm teaching about "the flâneur" and the "shut in." Getting some fun ideas about the inward gaze versus outward.
The Prime Minister of Norway should write back and say, "Sir, this is a Wendy's."
January 20, 2026 at 5:48 AM
The Prime Minister of Norway should write back and say, "Sir, this is a Wendy's."
The 14yo and I went on a downtown street photography walk today. I caught him framing something up.
January 19, 2026 at 11:44 PM
The 14yo and I went on a downtown street photography walk today. I caught him framing something up.
Blew a fuse on my amp. Got to the hardware store with 10 mins to spare. I am back in business, with a back up fuse now. Always have a back up.
January 18, 2026 at 3:57 AM
Blew a fuse on my amp. Got to the hardware store with 10 mins to spare. I am back in business, with a back up fuse now. Always have a back up.
Don't worry, everyone. It's going to be fine. AI will start having ads soon, so we won't even need the internet, or bodies.
January 16, 2026 at 11:08 PM
Don't worry, everyone. It's going to be fine. AI will start having ads soon, so we won't even need the internet, or bodies.
She growls, "I fits. I fits. Stop talking to me right now."
January 16, 2026 at 4:44 PM
She growls, "I fits. I fits. Stop talking to me right now."
Last night I felt nudged to stop by the record store. The owner, a widow and an old friend, was there alone, knitting. We talked, and I asked if she could special order something for me. Then she said she was so lonely. We talked for a long time. It's good to follow those feelings when they come.
January 16, 2026 at 4:18 PM
Last night I felt nudged to stop by the record store. The owner, a widow and an old friend, was there alone, knitting. We talked, and I asked if she could special order something for me. Then she said she was so lonely. We talked for a long time. It's good to follow those feelings when they come.
My plan this morning was to bribe myself to grade with the promise of a cronut. Readers, it worked!
January 15, 2026 at 4:42 PM
My plan this morning was to bribe myself to grade with the promise of a cronut. Readers, it worked!
I got my 14yo a digital camera, and today he said, "Campus has some really nice scenery." Readers, I think we're entering a delightful phase of teenageriness.
January 14, 2026 at 11:53 PM
I got my 14yo a digital camera, and today he said, "Campus has some really nice scenery." Readers, I think we're entering a delightful phase of teenageriness.
Whenever I invoice for something, I always feel like it'll turn Wimpyward when they receive it.
a black and white cartoon of a man eating a hamburger and saying i 'll gladly pay you tuesday
Alt: A black and white cartoon of Wimpy eating a hamburger and saying I'll gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today.
media.tenor.com
January 14, 2026 at 10:28 PM
Whenever I invoice for something, I always feel like it'll turn Wimpyward when they receive it.
Today, someone at the library circulation desk said, "Dr. P, this old guy named Bob comes in here every morning to read the newspaper. He said he's been reading your books, and he likes them a lot." That's the most wonderful thing a writer could possibly hear.
January 14, 2026 at 7:03 PM
Today, someone at the library circulation desk said, "Dr. P, this old guy named Bob comes in here every morning to read the newspaper. He said he's been reading your books, and he likes them a lot." That's the most wonderful thing a writer could possibly hear.
In my writing classes I often describe the book Peter Rabbit as a story in which a mother tells her son, "Please don't go to the place where your father was murdered."
January 14, 2026 at 3:47 PM
In my writing classes I often describe the book Peter Rabbit as a story in which a mother tells her son, "Please don't go to the place where your father was murdered."
My ancestors come from Denmark. The ancestral farm there is called Lysgaard, light field. At one point in history some of us were vikings, berserkers.
January 14, 2026 at 3:18 PM
My ancestors come from Denmark. The ancestral farm there is called Lysgaard, light field. At one point in history some of us were vikings, berserkers.
Yesterday my son and I were asked to play guitar and lead songs at a candlelight vigil for Renee Good in our town. It was such a moving way to shift from doom scrolling to community building. And what a powerful thing for us to do that together.
January 12, 2026 at 3:50 PM
Yesterday my son and I were asked to play guitar and lead songs at a candlelight vigil for Renee Good in our town. It was such a moving way to shift from doom scrolling to community building. And what a powerful thing for us to do that together.
Earlier today I was scrolling and listening to Curtis Mayfield. It sort kept things in balance...I think.
January 10, 2026 at 1:54 AM
Earlier today I was scrolling and listening to Curtis Mayfield. It sort kept things in balance...I think.
AI shouldn't be allowed to make any decisions without a chain of responsibility leading to single human being who is responsible for that decision.
January 9, 2026 at 11:00 PM
AI shouldn't be allowed to make any decisions without a chain of responsibility leading to single human being who is responsible for that decision.
Snow and wind and slush yesterday. Everything frozen today. Around here, the January to February run is the hard one.
January 9, 2026 at 3:24 PM
Snow and wind and slush yesterday. Everything frozen today. Around here, the January to February run is the hard one.