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Michelle Cusolito ❌👑

@mcusolito.bsky.social

2.5K followers 800 following 640 posts

Award-winning author of books for kids. Educator. Science Communicator. Ocean Evangelist. Preorder JELLYFISH SCIENTIST and IN THE WORLD OF WHALES. Adjunct @SimmonsUniversity MFA. Rep: @jmcgowanbks #SciComm she/her https://linktr.ee/mcusolito

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Reposted by Michelle Cusolito ❌👑

#DVpit - Diverse Voices Pitch @dvpit.bsky.social · 16h

#DVpit 2025 has officially begun!
Today, Oct 8, 2025 from 8AM-8PM ET marginalized creators seeking out representation can pitch their completed manuscripts & portfolios to participating Agents & Editors!
Don't forget to use #DVpit in your posts!
Pls read rules before participating: dvpit.carrd.co

#DVPit Rules
-#DVpit (Diverse Voices Pitch) is a Bluesky event for marginalized creators that have been historically underrepresented in publishing to pitch their work to agents & editors
-Post your pitch on Bluesky on Wednesday, Oct 8, 2025
between 8AM ET - 8PM ET
-Only post once per hour (6 max pitches per project)
-Must have a polished, query ready manuscript or art portfolio.
-Pitch must include the #DVpit hashtag (illustrators pitching their art must use the #DVArt hashtag)
-A like from an agent = a query request
-A repost from an editor = interest in submission once you've signed with an agent
-A like from an editor = editor who takes unagented submissions
-Please do not like or repost a pitch if you are not an agent or an editor. Support other creators by replying to their pitch or
quote-reposting their pitches
-Visit dvpit.carrd.co for more detailed guidelines.

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Reposted by Michelle Cusolito ❌👑

Kelly Mangan (She/Her) 🏳️‍🌈💖💜💙 @kellyamangan.bsky.social · 1d

Librarians, booksellers, & educators— when you talk about banned books, please focus on the thousands of CONTEMPORARY books that are being banned right now.

For example….
#BannedBooksWeek

Book cover: last night at the telegraph club

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Michelle Cusolito ❌👑 @mcusolito.bsky.social · 3d

I strung all of them up to dry for use throughout the winter. I’ll probably give some as gifts at the holiday. They look so festive!

Michelle Cusolito ❌👑 @mcusolito.bsky.social · 3d

I may have grown a few too many cayenne peppers. And there are loads more still ripening. 😂

A large bowl of bright red cayenne peppers in a clear bowl resting on a lawn.

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Michelle Cusolito ❌👑 @mcusolito.bsky.social · 3d

It's time for the Massachusetts legislature to pass An Act Regarding Free Expression (H.3594/S.2328). Protect librarians + educators from harassment; and protects authors, creators, booksellers, + publishers from economic harm due to censorship. #MassFreedomToRead link in bio. #BannedBooksWeek

IT's BANNED BOOKS WEEK! It's time for the MA Legislature to pass a Freedom to Read bill that protests librarians + educators from harassment; and protects authors, creators, booksellers, + publishers from economic harm due to censorship. I support An Act Regarding Free Expression (H. 3594/S. 2328). #MassFreedomToRead

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Reposted by Michelle Cusolito ❌👑

Authors Against Book Bans @authorsabb.bsky.social · 5d

AABB is proud to join this coalition of groups fighting for the freedom to read. Nothing gives us more hope than the understanding that while the fight may be daunting, we are not in it alone. 1/3

Standing together for the freedom to read.

All students, all people, deserve and require access to information.

Access to books is essential for the free exchange of ideas and for the protection of a healthy democracy.

Books hold a pivotal role in our culture—a role that must be projected.

During Banned Books Week, we recommit ourselves to fighting censorship and authoritarianism all year round.

Today, a well-coordinated network of politically motivated public officials, groups are attacking our fundamental freedoms—including our freedom to read.

Thousands of books that predominantly depict people of color and LBGTQ+ people and that discuss sex, gender, sexuality, race, and racism are banned in public schools and libraries across the country.

These attacks on school districts and public libraries, educators and librarians, authors and illustrators, and the publishers and booksellers that support them are stripping students, families, and all library patrons of their freedom to read and learn.

These efforts upend the lives of students, families, authors, illustrators, educators, and librarians. It leads to erasure from the shelves, harassment from would be censors, denial of access to books, job loss, and financial and emotional distress.

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Reposted by Michelle Cusolito ❌👑

Massachusetts Authors Against Book Bans @massaabb.bsky.social · 5d

Good Morning #BookSky You made it to Friday! What did you do this week to help get right to read legislation passed in Massachusetts?

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Reposted by Michelle Cusolito ❌👑

Melissa Stewart @mstewartscience.bsky.social · 8d

It's almost @wearealsc.bsky.social Mock Sibert time.
These books will definitely be on my Sibert Smackdown list.
@epartridge.bsky.social @lindsayhmetcalf.bsky.social
@mcusolito.bsky.social @jessicalanan.bsky.social
@juanamartinezn.bsky.social @safajarwrites.bsky.social
#TLsky #Skybrarian #edusky

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Michelle Cusolito ❌👑 @mcusolito.bsky.social · 7d

Thank you!

Michelle Cusolito ❌👑 @mcusolito.bsky.social · 8d

Thank you so much!

Reposted by Michelle Cusolito ❌👑

Melissa Stewart @mstewartscience.bsky.social · 9d

It's almost @wearealsc.bsky.social Mock Sibert time. These books will definitely be on my Sibert Smackdown list.
@epartridge.bsky.social @mcusolito.bsky.social @jessicalanan.bsky.social @lindsayhmetcalf.bsky.social @juanamartinezn.bsky.social @safajarwrites.bsky.social
#TLsky #Skybrarian #edusky

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Reposted by Michelle Cusolito ❌👑

Malinda Lo @malindalo.bsky.social · 15d

Massachusetts/Boston folks: One week from today, next Tuesday 9/30 at 7 pm, I’ll be at @portersqbooks.bsky.social in Cambridge to talk about how YOU can fight book banning and advocate for the passage of a Freedom to Read bill in MA. Please join us! portersquarebooks.com/event/2025-0...

Be the Change Workshop: Act to Support the Freedom to Read

portersquarebooks.com

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Michelle Cusolito ❌👑 @mcusolito.bsky.social · 18d

Cancelled.

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Michelle Cusolito ❌👑 @mcusolito.bsky.social · 18d

#ByeHulu. I care about #FreedomOfSpeech. Big corporations only listen to our $. Hit them where it hurts. #DitchHulu #DropDisney

Reposted by Michelle Cusolito ❌👑

wobblerocket 🎲🎮 @wobblerocket.com · 20d

As you cancel streaming services, here is a casual reminder that only 16% of Americans read for pleasure anymore, and your local library has hundreds or thousands of books you haven't read.

They would love to see you stop by and renew your library card.

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Michelle Cusolito ❌👑 @mcusolito.bsky.social · 18d

“…framing exploration as a distraction or indulgence misses the point. It’s precisely during uncertain times that we most need sources of inspiration to tackle big problems. When we invest in exploration, we are also investing in education, innovation, and the future.” 🌊 www.whoi.edu/news-insight...

Forty years ago, we helped find the Titanic.

Forty years ago, on September 9, 1985, we returned to port in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, to a media frenzy few seagoing scientists have ever experienced.

www.whoi.edu

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Michelle Cusolito ❌👑 @mcusolito.bsky.social · 21d

Scam Alert: Harper Book Writers (Scroll down to article. ) #amwriting #authors mailchi.mp/authorsguild...

Newsletter: $1.5B Anthropic Settlement, Copyright Registration, and More

mailchi.mp

Michelle Cusolito ❌👑 @mcusolito.bsky.social · 24d

Please watch.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=HlIv...

In Wake of Charlie Kirk Murder, Sen. Bernie Sanders Addresses Rising Political Violence in America

YouTube video by Senator Bernie Sanders

www.youtube.com

Michelle Cusolito ❌👑 @mcusolito.bsky.social · Sep 6

Today’s harvest! (Plus enough basil to make 6 cups of pesto!)

A large metal bowl overflowing with tomatoes, eggplant, and cayenne peppers.

Reposted by Michelle Cusolito ❌👑

Ryan Estrada @ryanestrada.com · Sep 6

Just a reminder to check for your name in this list of books that OpenAI trained from. If your name is there, they probably owe you several thousand dollars.

OpenAI cried that if everyone eligible author files, the company will go bankrupt, so I'm alerting every author I have ever spoken to.

Search LibGen, the Pirated-Books Database That Meta Used to Train AI

Millions of books and scientific papers are captured in the collection’s current iteration.

www.theatlantic.com

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Reposted by Michelle Cusolito ❌👑

Priscilla Gilman @priscillag.bsky.social · Sep 2

🐋🐋 What a book! 🐋🐋

This one is top of the top of the top. 📚👍🏼

From @mcusolito.bsky.social ⭐️
and @jessicalanan.bsky.social ⭐️

The cover of In the World of Whales words by Michelle Cusolito, illustrated by Jessica Lanan. Two adult sperm whales lift a baby to breathe at the surface while a free diver looks on from below.

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Michelle Cusolito ❌👑 @mcusolito.bsky.social · Sep 3

Thank you so much!

Michelle Cusolito ❌👑 @mcusolito.bsky.social · Sep 1

Today’s Thai basil harvest. This is from one plant.

A large bunch of Thai basil with deep purple flowers resting in a large oval Nantucket basket.

Michelle Cusolito ❌👑 @mcusolito.bsky.social · Aug 28

Sharing this for any authors who may have missed it. #Amwriting www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/...

Authors v. Anthropic Copyright Piracy Lawsuit Speeds Ahead

The class action lawsuit charging the AI giant with copyright infringement is rapidly developing despite an appeal from Anthropic, with two new firms joining to represent the interests of publishers a...

www.publishersweekly.com

Michelle Cusolito ❌👑 @mcusolito.bsky.social · Aug 28

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Authors Against Book Bans @authorsabb.bsky.social · Aug 26

Everyone can contribute something to the fight, but because certain actions tend to get all the coverage, it can be easy to feel shut out. So here's a thread of ways to help that do NOT include:
Going anywhere
Calling anyone
Writing anything
If you want to help, we want your help. Let's go....