Matthew Battles
@mrbattles.bsky.social
Editor of ARNOLDIA, a magazine about the nature of trees, published by the Arnold Arboretum. Author of LIBRARY: AN UNQUIET HISTORY, TREE, & other books. Making music from old poems and the press of wild things. Posts are my own.
No! Goodness, though, I will see if I can spend time with it!
July 30, 2025 at 6:13 PM
No! Goodness, though, I will see if I can spend time with it!
I just wanted to test whether prepending "the secret to publishing" before any old slop would get me the social-media love I'm looking for.
July 25, 2025 at 6:44 PM
I just wanted to test whether prepending "the secret to publishing" before any old slop would get me the social-media love I'm looking for.
Ah, this is great perspective, thank you. And yes, the centennial ought to be an opportunity to celebrate them both!
July 25, 2025 at 5:19 PM
Ah, this is great perspective, thank you. And yes, the centennial ought to be an opportunity to celebrate them both!
...it's probably fair to acknwoledge too that HLB was just covered in laurels—honorary degrees and the like—while Coatsworth almost certainly didn't get the academic/cultural attention she deserves. That said, Outermost House is an *astonishment*. Thanks for sharing your experience of it!
July 25, 2025 at 5:12 PM
...it's probably fair to acknwoledge too that HLB was just covered in laurels—honorary degrees and the like—while Coatsworth almost certainly didn't get the academic/cultural attention she deserves. That said, Outermost House is an *astonishment*. Thanks for sharing your experience of it!
Interestingly, Beston's wife, Elizabeth Jane Coatsworth, was a prolific writer and a Newberry Medal Winner; their daughter, Kate Barnes, was Maine's first poet laureate.
July 25, 2025 at 5:00 PM
Interestingly, Beston's wife, Elizabeth Jane Coatsworth, was a prolific writer and a Newberry Medal Winner; their daughter, Kate Barnes, was Maine's first poet laureate.
The secret to publishing is this *ridiculous* supersize chocolate-chip Belgian waffle I got at a Cracker Barrel on B-95 in Springfield, IL [picture].
July 25, 2025 at 4:54 PM
The secret to publishing is this *ridiculous* supersize chocolate-chip Belgian waffle I got at a Cracker Barrel on B-95 in Springfield, IL [picture].
Emulsifying again!
July 21, 2025 at 7:01 PM
Emulsifying again!
I used to spend a LOT of time rolling library carts in very quiet stacks, and the haptic/synesthetic trance of being in community with them was for me a deep practice!
June 26, 2025 at 1:24 PM
I used to spend a LOT of time rolling library carts in very quiet stacks, and the haptic/synesthetic trance of being in community with them was for me a deep practice!
Hey, this is... great? Seriously, I so appreciate the kind words for the work, and the fun presentation!
June 9, 2025 at 4:19 PM
Hey, this is... great? Seriously, I so appreciate the kind words for the work, and the fun presentation!
Gosh, thank you! And apologies for slow reply—I'm still working bluesky into my routine.
June 9, 2025 at 4:18 PM
Gosh, thank you! And apologies for slow reply—I'm still working bluesky into my routine.
Many thanks, Andrew!
May 20, 2025 at 7:40 PM
Many thanks, Andrew!
No, no! You are the exception that proves the rule, dear one.
January 17, 2025 at 7:12 PM
No, no! You are the exception that proves the rule, dear one.
SELLOUTS. I'd buy that book. And we are, every last one of us.
January 17, 2025 at 7:10 PM
SELLOUTS. I'd buy that book. And we are, every last one of us.
I find it easier to tell if two strings are out of tune when played together—but to tell *which* is higher/lower than the other, I need to play them separately. I'll listen to them together & catch the beats of dissonance, then play them apart to catch the relation. Tested, I get within 2 cents.
January 6, 2025 at 8:29 PM
I find it easier to tell if two strings are out of tune when played together—but to tell *which* is higher/lower than the other, I need to play them separately. I'll listen to them together & catch the beats of dissonance, then play them apart to catch the relation. Tested, I get within 2 cents.
I like Battles, the band, too, name notwithstanding. (My sibs and I long have joked about starting a band and calling it the Family Battles.)
January 6, 2025 at 8:03 PM
I like Battles, the band, too, name notwithstanding. (My sibs and I long have joked about starting a band and calling it the Family Battles.)
Hey there fave folks! I've not got any traction with bsky yet, so I didn't see these mentions at speed. Hope all is well!
January 6, 2025 at 7:59 PM
Hey there fave folks! I've not got any traction with bsky yet, so I didn't see these mentions at speed. Hope all is well!
I once walked into a roadside gas-station restroom that had two toilets FACING EACH OTHER.
December 9, 2024 at 6:12 PM
I once walked into a roadside gas-station restroom that had two toilets FACING EACH OTHER.