Michael Munnik
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michaelmunnik.bsky.social
Michael Munnik
@michaelmunnik.bsky.social
1.4K followers 1.8K following 3.6K posts
Canadian pilgrim in Wales. Sociologist of media and religion, senior lecturer at Cardiff University, Centre for the Study of Islam in the UK. Musical side-hustle at https://michaelmunnik.ca/
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michaelmunnik.bsky.social
This was beautiful to see as I start my day of work. I paused a long time on the line, "It is said his time was easier than ours, but I doubt it - no time can be easy if one is living through it." Many thanks to James Baldwin.

Posted with alt text, thx to @tapirtrouble.bsky.social
James Baldwin, The Cross of Redemption (ed. Randall Kenan) Originally reprinted in THE OBSERVER, April 19, 1964. "The greatest poet in the English language found his poetry where poetry is found: in the lives of the people. He could have done this only through love—by knowing, which is not the same thing as understanding, that whatever was happening to anyone was happening to him. It is said that his time was easier than ours, but I doubt it—no time can be easy if one is living through it. I think it is simply that he walked his streets and saw them, and tried not to lie about what he saw: his public streets and his private streets, which are always so mysteriously and inexorably con­nected; but he trusted that connection. And, though I, and many of us, have bitterly bewailed (and will again) the lot of an American writer—to be part of a people who have ears to hear and hear not, who have eyes to see and see not—I am sure that Shakespeare did the same. Only, he saw, as I think we must, that the people who produce the poet are not responsible to him: he is responsible to them." "That is why he is called a poet. And his responsibility, which is also his joy and his strength and his life, is to defeat all labels and complicate all bat­tles by insisting on the human riddle, to bear witness, as long as breath is in him, to that mighty, unnameable, transfiguring force which lives in the soul of man, and to aspire to do his work so well that when the breath has left him, the people—all people!—who search in the rubble for a sign or a wit­ness will be able to find him there." Source: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/7754/the-cross-of-redemption-by-james-baldwin-edited-with-an-introduction-by-randall-kenan/9780307275967/excerpt James Baldwin, The Cross of Redemption (ed. Randall Kenan) Originally reprinted in THE OBSERVER, April 19, 1964. "The greatest poet in the English language found his poetry where poetry is found: in the lives of the people. He could have done th…
January 22, 2026 at 9:56 AM
michaelmunnik.bsky.social
So long, Nanaimo. It's been real.
View from the ferry window at stern leaving the dock at Departure Bay in Namaimo, BC. The lower and right frame of the image is shaped by a white moulded window frame. Visible through it is part of the deck with a white guardrail, some clear water churned up with froth, and the lanes and boarding apparatus of the dock. Above, a grey cloudy sky, and on the horizon, lots of green coniferous trees.
January 11, 2026 at 9:28 PM
michaelmunnik.bsky.social
It's been fantastic visiting family and friends over the holidays in BC. Hard to leave for many reasons, but one thing I won't miss is this evil machine.
A bathroom sink faucet - combined hot and cold with an oblong crystal-effect head thst you need to pull out and point in order to operate. It's on a cream-coloured porcelain sink with a dark mottled counter and a few bathroom effects visible at the margins.
January 9, 2026 at 9:33 PM
michaelmunnik.bsky.social
Going through vestiges of my childhood in the closet of my parents’ house while on a Christmas visit. Some things are obvious - keep, chuck. This one is stumping me.

Handmade costume for the one-act “Fool’s Angel” that I was in for my final year. We took it to North Islands and Provincials.
A costume laid out on a grey plastic patio table in the sunshine. The white patio railing is visible in the background. A cracked black plastic bowler hat sits right, slightly overtop a rough t-shirt from rough, unbleached cotton with unfinished hems. A brown burlap sack that’s been cut and stitched into trousers continues to the left, with a brown bit of plastic cord as a belt. A strip of the same burlap was cut into a necktie shape and sits overtop the t-shirt roughly where a tie would be. In the foreground on the table is a stick with some kitchen twine fastened to one end; at the other end of the twine is half a coconut with two holes punched in it where the twine is tied. It makes the sort of toy where you’d flip the stick to get the half-coconut balanced on top of the stick.
January 5, 2026 at 10:19 PM
michaelmunnik.bsky.social
Ngl, I was hoping for better.
Screenshot of the quoted post below, in which Merriam-Webster has a gif of a green gradient square with words in a black sans serif font scrolling at high speed. My screenshot caught on the word "swampy"
January 1, 2026 at 7:32 PM
michaelmunnik.bsky.social
Dad's got a sparkling Shiraz from the Okanagan loaded and ready. Things are looking up as we escape 2025.
A bottle of sparkling Shiraz with a Sumac Ridge label on a coffee table with three empty crystal champagne flutes to its left. In the foreground, a white plate with three scallops wrapped in bacon still on a plate (they're pierced with wooden toothpicks).
January 1, 2026 at 7:09 AM
michaelmunnik.bsky.social
Off you go, 2025.
Photo of. Newspaper. The headline reads "Mega blush of Robins descends on Saanich" by Darron Kloster of the Times Colonist.
December 31, 2025 at 5:11 PM
michaelmunnik.bsky.social
We are so close.
A young woman in a stripy multicoloured top sits at a table with a pencil in their right hand, poised above a large two-page spread crossword puzzle.
December 31, 2025 at 1:15 AM
michaelmunnik.bsky.social
I have the notes from a screening my wife and I hit, and it's a perfect testament to its excellence. My favorite film ever. Saw it on the KLM to NL when I was nearly 11, first transatlantic flight. After a few minutes, I asked my mom when they would stop speaking French. I was on the wrong channel!
(Abbreviated programme notes): HAS THE FORM OF THE ROMANTIC COMEDY ever been more perfectly expressed than in When Harry Met Sally (1989), rereleased in UK cinemas just in time for Christmas? Rob Reiner's film might not have been the first rom-com, but the dream team of director Reiner, writer Nora Ephron and stars Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal, fashioned a rom-com that to this day remains the gold standard for the genre. Ephron, operating at the top of her game, gave us a razor-sharp screenplay that sings with wit, warmth and zing, crafting characters who manage to annoy each other while simultaneously making us fall in love with them. The four-way chemistry of Reiner, Ephron, Ryan and Crystal is so perfect that it's impossible to imagine any other arrangement working half as well, but mention must also go to the supporting performances of Carrie Fisher and Bruno Kirby as Harry and Sally's long-time friends Marie and Jess, in roles that could easily have reverted to type. When Harry Met Sally is remembered for moments that are now part of the cultural zeitgeist - the 'men and women can't be friends' conversation; the last-minute New Year's Eve run; a really good sandwich - but it's the narrative and characters that connect those iconic moments that give the film its depth; Harry and Sally's decades-long loneliness is easy to miss amidst the zingy dialogue, but it rises and swells until it crashes at the film's crescendo. Harry's description of his wife telling him she never loved him is as emotionally devastating as it is hilarious in Crystal's deadpan delivery. charming in the hands of a never-better Ryan. Their journey through each whereas Sally, in all her emotionally messy fussiness, is irresistibly other's lives resonates so well that when Harry and Sally finally sleep together in a moment of emotional vulnerability, their subsequent falling out When Harry Met Sally is just as fresh, witty and warm as it was in 1989. Christopher Machell
December 15, 2025 at 9:25 AM
michaelmunnik.bsky.social
Solidarity with Muslims and Jews in Cardiff and everywhere who need to live with the spectre of violence from assholes like these two guys. So disappointing and worrying to see this statement from my colleague and friend @abdulazim.bsky.social in his sec-gen of Muslim Council of Wales role.
Muslim Council of Wales STATEMENT ON PLANNED TERROR ATTACK ON THE WELSH MUSLIMS AND JEWISH COMMUNITIES 12.12.2025 The Muslim Council of Wales is deeply disturbed by news that two extremists planned a vicious attack on Madina mosque and a Jewish cemetery in the Welsh capital city of Cardiff. We are witnessing the noble goal of a Wales of cohesive communities being undermined. The safety of all communities is paramount, and we call for cooperation from authorities to ensure that everyone can practice their faith freely and without fear. "The planned attack is horrifying, but it is not surprising that two men have been radicalised. There are those in our society, online, and in the public eye who are emboldening division between neighbours." "In the last year, Wales has seen attacks on mosques, anti-Muslim vandalism, and increasingly exclusionary attitudes towards Muslims in education, the workplace, and politics. "Islam is a Welsh religion, it has been at home here for centuries and will continue to flourish. Wales has always been at its strongest together, and we must find common cause with each other against hate." Dr. Abdul Azim Ahmed - Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Wales The Muslim Council of Wales advises Muslims to be vigilant, but not fearful. Take measures to protect mosques and families, and verify news before sharing.
December 13, 2025 at 11:31 AM
michaelmunnik.bsky.social
In case y'all thought I was joking.

Okay. They aren't *all* full of I Am with the Hunters CDs, but there are still many, and you can buy them here: #BandcampFriday michaelmunnik.bandcamp.com/album/i-am-w...
Two stacks of cardboard boxes in a living room, with a table and chairs to the right border and a bookcase visible behind the stack at left. The top boxes are open, and the smaller stack on the left has bubble wrap visible at the top.
December 5, 2025 at 9:02 PM
michaelmunnik.bsky.social
Last one: Lady Grey.
I've seen this one in shops for a while, never really understood it. Seems to be additional citrus (lemon and orange) which makes the whole thing "bright and zesty".
I would say: it's fine. Not one I'd reach for but not one I'd say no to if offered.
#FiveDaysEarlGreysFiveWays
A sachet for Twinings Lady Grey tea propped against a grey mug with tea visible over the mouth. Both are positioned on a grey textured chair. The tea sachet is black and grey with accents of orange and yellow, and rather than a top hat, the ridiculous icon is a parasol.
November 28, 2025 at 11:25 AM
michaelmunnik.bsky.social
Today: Strong EG
This is much better than yesterday. Unclear what makes it "strong" - box says slightly more bergamot flavouring plus some peel. I wondered if the tea itself would be stronger.
Anyway, it seems just a fuller version of Good Ol Earl Grey. Would drink again.
#FiveDaysEarlGreysFiveWays
A sachet for Twinings Strong Earl Grey tea torn at the top and propped against a grey mug with tea visible over the rim. Both are positioned on a textured grey chair. The sachet continues the Twinings Earl Grey motif of black and shades of grey with a purple flare, but other accents here are shades of pink, including bars at the side and the ridiculous top hat. Nice that pink can be strong.
November 27, 2025 at 11:43 AM
michaelmunnik.bsky.social
Today: Lavender EG.
Oh dear. Actually an abomination. I worried when I saw this tag on the box, and the drink confirms them.
I know aroma is a chief yea/nay factor for Earl Grey anyway, but lavender makes this smell like laundry. Can't say "taste like" - I don't eat soap.
#FiveDaysEarlGreysFiveWays
November 26, 2025 at 11:42 AM
michaelmunnik.bsky.social
Today: Vanilla EG.
When you start w a sweet perfume quality, adding more sweet perfume seems unnecessary. (Many feel the bergamot in Earl Grey is already so.)
But vanilla is a comforting one that plays well with others. Big teaching day for me, so the warm hug is welcome.
#FiveDaysEarlGreysFiveWays
A Twinings Vanilla Earl Grey tea bag sachet, torn open at top, propped against a grey mug with a tea bag floating at the top just visible over the lip. Both rest on a textured grey chair. The sachet is black and shades of grey with a dash of unifying purple (for the theme of the company's Earl Grey series) but has predominant creamy off-white accents, as well as the ridiculous cliched top hat.
November 25, 2025 at 11:15 AM
michaelmunnik.bsky.social
First up: the classic. This was my mom's tea, the only tea we had in the house (Dad was a coffee drinker). She liked it "clear" & so that's me, too.
Colleagues despise the idea of Earl Grey: "it's been doused with perfume."
Well, I like it. But I miss the yellow sachet.
#FiveDaysEarlGreysFiveWays
The sachet for Twinings Earl Grey (purple shares on a grey and black background, with a ridiculous top hat icon), propped against a grey mug with tea and a floating bag just visible at the top, on a textured grey chair.
November 24, 2025 at 11:30 AM
michaelmunnik.bsky.social
Getting some teas for the rest of the family and came across this monstrosity of 21st Century consumerism.

On the one hand, what the hell, Twinings?

On the other hand, I'm all in for it.

#FiveDaysEarlGreysFiveWays
A box of Twinings teabags dubbed the Earl Grey Discovery Collection sits on a grey textured chair with no arms. The box advertises 4x five different versions of Early Grey tea, each with a different coloured tab and a cutesy faux Britannia icon: Earl Grey, Vanilla Earl Grey, Lavender Earl Grey, Strong Earl Grey, and Lady Grey.
November 24, 2025 at 9:51 AM
michaelmunnik.bsky.social
A movie that takes place where you're from (double bill)
Movie poster for Cool Runnings. Four men in colourful t-shirts and shorts mak funny gestures while half-in a bobsled painted black, yellow and green for the Jamaican team. Movie poster for film Eddie the Eagle. A slightly squat man in blue lycra and a numbered bib and a blue crash helmet stands on the roof of a red van with the tips of his skis poking over the windscreen. Driving the van is a cool dude in sunglasses and a black shirt, his left hanging out the window as he drives.
November 23, 2025 at 9:49 PM
michaelmunnik.bsky.social
Lovely to have Mark Drakeford, former First Minister for Wales, at the celebration and anticipation of our community garden at Canton Uniting Church. A good use of his time, and speaking of green space as a need in these densely populated urban neighbourhoods.
An older man with grey hair and glasses in a grey jumper speaks at a wooden podium in a wood-floored Church sanctuary. Against the white wall are carved.wooden chairs amd a table, and a blue and white banner hangs at the top right.
November 21, 2025 at 6:47 PM
michaelmunnik.bsky.social
This week: two goose eggs and minimal words down on "productive" days, but there was good reading and note taking. #AcWriMo
Screenshot of table from Microsoft Word. Left column is dates, next is word count tallies for the day, notable for two zeros. Next is an accumulative total that finishes at 8,449, and then at right some notes on what was accomplished.
November 21, 2025 at 5:43 PM
michaelmunnik.bsky.social
Not sure why I'm punishing myself publicly, at this point.

But anyway, I scraped 367 words on Friday and didn't even have capacity to post an update and week-ending screenshot because that's how the day went.

And my #AcWriMo is most definitely #AcWriMonToFri, so nothing added at the weekend.
A table with four columns. Left is days of the week, from 10 Nov to 14 Nov. Next column is a daily word count (noting two zeros on 10 and 13 Nov), followed by a cumulative count that finishes at 7,563. Right column is minor notes on what was happening in the writing each day.
November 17, 2025 at 12:26 PM
michaelmunnik.bsky.social
Ffantasteg to hear @juderogers.bsky.social reading to kick off the launch for Folding Rock vol. 3 - a literary mag fron Wales whose theme this issue is, appropriately, music. And we're at The Canopi, my neighbourhood hang for an excellent open mic. foldingrock.com
www.thecanopi.org
A woman in glasses and a red dress stands before microphone reading from a journal in her hands. She's offset to the right, and her shadow, with green and red aura fringes, displays on a bare white screen behind her.
November 13, 2025 at 8:52 PM
michaelmunnik.bsky.social
But for Michael Prescott to portray concern from Jewish org's over BBC coverage of the conflict and ignore concerns from the Muslim org the Centre for Media Monitoring shows the selectivity that characterises his criticisms more broadly. (Report here, for the curious: cfmm.org.uk/cfmm-report-...)
Cover of a report called Media Bias: Gaza 2023-24 by the Centre for Media Monitoring. Two megaphones on a red and white cover, one with an Israeli flag and a smaller one with a Palestinian flag. It's placed on a pale table, and the hexagonal pattern of an ottoman is visible at the top left.
November 10, 2025 at 1:55 PM
michaelmunnik.bsky.social
Other things on my shelf were already down and about my desk as I work on this #AcWriMo book text (haha to today's productivity...) Just thinking about the enterprise of journalism more broadly, and apologies for the heavy US tilt of these thinking-through texts. What *is* journalism for in 2025?
Three books on a pale table, with a hexagonal-patterned ottoman in top left. To left, Why Journalism Still Matters by Michael Schudson; centre, What Journalism Could Be by Barbie Zelizer; to right, Beyond Journalism by Mark Deuze and Tamara Witschge.
November 10, 2025 at 1:31 PM
michaelmunnik.bsky.social
A glimpse of a few texts from my shelf. I know scholarly critiques of media are not accessible to or interesting for everyone, but they give context: Schlesinger from 1978/87; Born more recently; Mills from a very critical angle that still repudiates the "liberal metropolitan elite" bias argument.
Three books on a pale table, with a hexagonal patterned ottoman in the top left behind. To left, Putting Reality Together by Philip Schlesinger; centre, Uncertain Vision by Georgina Born; to right, The BBC: Myth of a Public Service by Tom Mills.
November 10, 2025 at 1:22 PM