Michael VanCalbergh
@mvcpoet.bsky.social
Poet, Writer, Incredible Hulk Enthusiast, Father, Comic Lover, Obsessive Reader, SRPR Reader, Trying to get 1st manuscript picked up.
Monthly writing on books/reading/writing at: https://widely-read.ghost.io/
Monthly writing on books/reading/writing at: https://widely-read.ghost.io/
Pinned
Michael VanCalbergh
@mvcpoet.bsky.social
· Jan 19
Reading thread 2025:
I'm going to try my best to post all the books I've read this year here. Tried to do this on T*itter, maybe I'll have more success here. Gonna try to do this on Sundays where I've finished books which I'm hoping is every Sunday (hahaha).
I'm going to try my best to post all the books I've read this year here. Tried to do this on T*itter, maybe I'll have more success here. Gonna try to do this on Sundays where I've finished books which I'm hoping is every Sunday (hahaha).
Im proud of myself for coming back home instead of a coffeeshop today and for making dinner and for putting away leftovers and making my lunch tomorrow.
And now that Im out of chores Im about to sit and write for an hour and sometimes its just like that isnt it. Clean up the trash to have some joy.
And now that Im out of chores Im about to sit and write for an hour and sometimes its just like that isnt it. Clean up the trash to have some joy.
November 11, 2025 at 3:21 AM
Im proud of myself for coming back home instead of a coffeeshop today and for making dinner and for putting away leftovers and making my lunch tomorrow.
And now that Im out of chores Im about to sit and write for an hour and sometimes its just like that isnt it. Clean up the trash to have some joy.
And now that Im out of chores Im about to sit and write for an hour and sometimes its just like that isnt it. Clean up the trash to have some joy.
Fascinating thread.
November 10, 2025 at 11:46 PM
Fascinating thread.
When I tell my kid Im making mashed potatoes they say, "Can you make me mac n cheese instead?" And i say no. Eat the potatoes. Then go into the lines from LoTR.
They laugh but out of kindness and frustration. And they eat the mashed potatoes.
They laugh but out of kindness and frustration. And they eat the mashed potatoes.
I'm the only one in my house who truly loves mashed potatoes, but fuck it, I'm making garlic rosemary mashed potatoes for supper.
November 10, 2025 at 11:40 PM
When I tell my kid Im making mashed potatoes they say, "Can you make me mac n cheese instead?" And i say no. Eat the potatoes. Then go into the lines from LoTR.
They laugh but out of kindness and frustration. And they eat the mashed potatoes.
They laugh but out of kindness and frustration. And they eat the mashed potatoes.
When the end of the semester hits Im going to read and write and play video games for maybe 6 days straight. I might even go dark on my cell phone. I want to crawl into a cave with a Nintendo Switch and takeout.
November 10, 2025 at 11:00 PM
When the end of the semester hits Im going to read and write and play video games for maybe 6 days straight. I might even go dark on my cell phone. I want to crawl into a cave with a Nintendo Switch and takeout.
I have been teaching freshmen in college for almost 15 years and the absolute world shaking shift is that 18yr olds now absolutely believe blatant homophobia was like in their grandparents time while the freshmen 15 years ago were actively still struggling with it.
*deep breath*
Young people’s ignorance of how homophobic American society was 30 years ago is a welcome sign of progress. Young people’s ignorance of how homophobic American society was 30 years ago is a welcome sign of progress. Young people’s ignorance of how homophobic American society was 30 y
Young people’s ignorance of how homophobic American society was 30 years ago is a welcome sign of progress. Young people’s ignorance of how homophobic American society was 30 years ago is a welcome sign of progress. Young people’s ignorance of how homophobic American society was 30 y
November 10, 2025 at 3:20 AM
I have been teaching freshmen in college for almost 15 years and the absolute world shaking shift is that 18yr olds now absolutely believe blatant homophobia was like in their grandparents time while the freshmen 15 years ago were actively still struggling with it.
The hardest part of getting back into writing as more of a practice rather than just when I can sneak it in is how it feels like riding a bike with the chains all fucked up. Everything is trying to click back into place and it hurts a little.
November 9, 2025 at 3:39 PM
The hardest part of getting back into writing as more of a practice rather than just when I can sneak it in is how it feels like riding a bike with the chains all fucked up. Everything is trying to click back into place and it hurts a little.
As a former employee of this chain I can say that I would have laughed at my manager so hard and been verbally warned if told this.
"Store employees are now required to smile if they are within 10 feet of a shopper.
They also must make eye contact with and wave to or greet the customer.
If they’re within four feet, the employee should ask how the customer’s day is going or if they need help."
🙄 Won't stop the boycott, y'all.
They also must make eye contact with and wave to or greet the customer.
If they’re within four feet, the employee should ask how the customer’s day is going or if they need help."
🙄 Won't stop the boycott, y'all.
Target is now requiring its employees to smile more
As the holiday season fast approaches, Target is urging its employees to add a little more “jolly” to their work routine.
www.wilx.com
November 9, 2025 at 2:28 AM
As a former employee of this chain I can say that I would have laughed at my manager so hard and been verbally warned if told this.
I gotta work for at least 2 more hours today so i put on a pot of decaf coffee and immediately came to bluesky to see how much time i could waste
November 7, 2025 at 9:02 PM
I gotta work for at least 2 more hours today so i put on a pot of decaf coffee and immediately came to bluesky to see how much time i could waste
Saving for when im not procrastinating work
THOUGHT BUBBLE MONTH review! I Know the Way Out – Chrissy Williams @chrissywilliams.bsky.social and @tomhumberstone.com Tom Humberstone’s Poetry Comics Form a Very Special Relationship with the Reader. #ThoughtBubbleatBF25 @thoughtbubbleuk.bsky.social www.brokenfrontier.com/i-know-the-w...
I Know the Way Out - Chrissy Williams and Tom Humberstone's Poetry Comics Form a Very Special Relationship with the Reader – Broken Frontier
The poetry comics of Chrissy Williams and Tom Humberstone in 'I Know the Way Out' are reviewed by BF's Andy Oliver.
www.brokenfrontier.com
November 7, 2025 at 8:06 PM
Saving for when im not procrastinating work
Reposted by Michael VanCalbergh
A family friend was telling us about what her husband shared about his experience in Broadview before he was deported back to Mexico. She's been sharing to friends and family because she's just in disbelief & horror what her husband told her. She wasn't able to talk to him until he was in Mexico.
November 7, 2025 at 3:08 AM
A family friend was telling us about what her husband shared about his experience in Broadview before he was deported back to Mexico. She's been sharing to friends and family because she's just in disbelief & horror what her husband told her. She wasn't able to talk to him until he was in Mexico.
Reposted by Michael VanCalbergh
Considering that I’ve demonstrated LLMs can’t handle any of the subtextual engines in prose, this isn’t surprising, but it remains shocking how not good at it the technology is. The Future!
Here's an interesting new study exploring whether LLMs are able to understand the narrative sequencing of comics and... even the best AI models are *terrible* at it for pretty much all tasks that were analyzed aclanthology.org/2025.finding...
Beyond Single Frames: Can LMMs Comprehend Implicit Narratives in Comic Strip?
Xiaochen Wang, Heming Xia, Jialin Song, Longyu Guan, Qingxiu Dong, Rui Li, Yixin Yang, Yifan Pu, Weiyao Luo, Yiru Wang, Xiangdi Meng, Wenjie Li, Zhifang Sui. Findings of the Association for Computatio...
aclanthology.org
November 5, 2025 at 2:43 PM
Considering that I’ve demonstrated LLMs can’t handle any of the subtextual engines in prose, this isn’t surprising, but it remains shocking how not good at it the technology is. The Future!
Its wild what you can get done when you actually have time to do it. So many poems read and commented on and so many papers being saved from the fires.
November 3, 2025 at 8:44 PM
Its wild what you can get done when you actually have time to do it. So many poems read and commented on and so many papers being saved from the fires.
Reposted by Michael VanCalbergh
In Chicago, a woman was driving to get coffee when a DHS vehicle fleeing an angry crowd crashed into her car. Armed agents jumped out of the vehicle, yanked her door open, pulled her by the legs out of her car at gunpoint, held her incommunicado for hours, then released her with no charges.
November 3, 2025 at 6:34 PM
In Chicago, a woman was driving to get coffee when a DHS vehicle fleeing an angry crowd crashed into her car. Armed agents jumped out of the vehicle, yanked her door open, pulled her by the legs out of her car at gunpoint, held her incommunicado for hours, then released her with no charges.
Reposted by Michael VanCalbergh
it gets tiring to keep explaining what it means to be poor to people.
it is not that poor people don’t know that cooking is cheaper:
cooking costs time. it costs pots and pans. it costs a working stove and your utilities on. it costs you’ve been on your feet all day and your babies are tired.
it is not that poor people don’t know that cooking is cheaper:
cooking costs time. it costs pots and pans. it costs a working stove and your utilities on. it costs you’ve been on your feet all day and your babies are tired.
November 2, 2025 at 10:59 AM
it gets tiring to keep explaining what it means to be poor to people.
it is not that poor people don’t know that cooking is cheaper:
cooking costs time. it costs pots and pans. it costs a working stove and your utilities on. it costs you’ve been on your feet all day and your babies are tired.
it is not that poor people don’t know that cooking is cheaper:
cooking costs time. it costs pots and pans. it costs a working stove and your utilities on. it costs you’ve been on your feet all day and your babies are tired.
If its still Halloween in Pokemon GO then its still Halloween. Thems the breaks. Sorry not sorry.
November 1, 2025 at 5:51 PM
If its still Halloween in Pokemon GO then its still Halloween. Thems the breaks. Sorry not sorry.
I will add that as a comics scholar Ive known of Lepore's poor scholarship and aburdity for a minute. Like the time she used children as "experts" on an adult comic and built an argument off that.
I would be unsurprised if she was called out in class for deranged shit that led to her response here.
I would be unsurprised if she was called out in class for deranged shit that led to her response here.
This is an absolutely incredible thing to say. As someone in Ivy-ish (Duke) classrooms from 2016-2022… I call bull.
Or she was saying offensive shit.
Or she was saying offensive shit.
October 31, 2025 at 8:47 PM
I will add that as a comics scholar Ive known of Lepore's poor scholarship and aburdity for a minute. Like the time she used children as "experts" on an adult comic and built an argument off that.
I would be unsurprised if she was called out in class for deranged shit that led to her response here.
I would be unsurprised if she was called out in class for deranged shit that led to her response here.
While this was fun to learn it does very much remind me of that, "omg this is a great idea" that i wrote one Sunday 6 years ago in a bath that Im now so embaressed by that even typing this out brings me shame.
True Story: JRR Tolkien plotted a sequel to Lord Of The Rings where a couple generations later, disaffected teenage boys in Gondor start LARPing as orcs to be edgy.
He wrote a chapter or two but abandoned it as “too depressing”.
No, really. Absolutely true— tolkiengateway.net/wiki/The_New...
He wrote a chapter or two but abandoned it as “too depressing”.
No, really. Absolutely true— tolkiengateway.net/wiki/The_New...
October 29, 2025 at 7:23 PM
While this was fun to learn it does very much remind me of that, "omg this is a great idea" that i wrote one Sunday 6 years ago in a bath that Im now so embaressed by that even typing this out brings me shame.
Reposted by Michael VanCalbergh
writing about politics solely is kind of soul crushing...so I've got a longish piece on a wonderful Marilyn Chin poem tomorrow.
She's really one of my favorite contemporary poets, though I don't see her talked about that much?
She's really one of my favorite contemporary poets, though I don't see her talked about that much?
October 29, 2025 at 1:31 AM
writing about politics solely is kind of soul crushing...so I've got a longish piece on a wonderful Marilyn Chin poem tomorrow.
She's really one of my favorite contemporary poets, though I don't see her talked about that much?
She's really one of my favorite contemporary poets, though I don't see her talked about that much?
Just this year, I made enough to not HAVE to go to a food bank to make ends meet. There are still months I wish the food bank was still around so that I could not feel nervous about unexpected bills like my kids retainer.
Just 1 month without a foodbank would have destroyed me financially last year
Just 1 month without a foodbank would have destroyed me financially last year
October 27, 2025 at 12:00 AM
Just this year, I made enough to not HAVE to go to a food bank to make ends meet. There are still months I wish the food bank was still around so that I could not feel nervous about unexpected bills like my kids retainer.
Just 1 month without a foodbank would have destroyed me financially last year
Just 1 month without a foodbank would have destroyed me financially last year
Reposted by Michael VanCalbergh
Heading back home this morning. The Lighthouse tour is officially over with the end of the Traveling SFF Festival. I’ve been traveling off and on since June. Wow. I get to rest now. Thank you to everyone who came out. Thank you to everyone who reads.
October 25, 2025 at 11:49 AM
Heading back home this morning. The Lighthouse tour is officially over with the end of the Traveling SFF Festival. I’ve been traveling off and on since June. Wow. I get to rest now. Thank you to everyone who came out. Thank you to everyone who reads.
Ive never had more fun than on this podcast. I also brought one of the worst poems you could imagine to this show and they actually went through the whole dang thing with me. Theyre the kindest poetry lovers.
Friends! We are having so much fun with all of you amazing people. Let's keep the party going!
October 24, 2025 at 3:28 AM
Ive never had more fun than on this podcast. I also brought one of the worst poems you could imagine to this show and they actually went through the whole dang thing with me. Theyre the kindest poetry lovers.
The amount of work im putting in so I can refocus on writing is wild. Im getting there as fast as possible yet it all feels so far away.
October 22, 2025 at 9:58 PM
The amount of work im putting in so I can refocus on writing is wild. Im getting there as fast as possible yet it all feels so far away.
Yesterday I thought of a great thread to write on here in my kitchen but I have since forgotten it.
Im not sure if this is a sorry or youre welcome type situation.
Im not sure if this is a sorry or youre welcome type situation.
October 22, 2025 at 3:58 PM
Yesterday I thought of a great thread to write on here in my kitchen but I have since forgotten it.
Im not sure if this is a sorry or youre welcome type situation.
Im not sure if this is a sorry or youre welcome type situation.
There's more important things in the world but Im reading Ovid's Art of Love and he just said:
"It is worse than a crime to expect any presents from poets"
So, uh, no holiday gifts from me this year.
"It is worse than a crime to expect any presents from poets"
So, uh, no holiday gifts from me this year.
October 22, 2025 at 3:14 AM
There's more important things in the world but Im reading Ovid's Art of Love and he just said:
"It is worse than a crime to expect any presents from poets"
So, uh, no holiday gifts from me this year.
"It is worse than a crime to expect any presents from poets"
So, uh, no holiday gifts from me this year.