Michelle
@thegreenstudy.com
Writer, Minnesotan, Army Veteran, Bird Nerd, Parent, Spouse, Atheist, GenX. I've named the squirrels in my yard & I swear a lot.
Writing at thegreenstudy.com. She/her.
2025-26 Loft Literary Mentor Fellow in Fiction.
Ruining workplaces since 1985.
Writing at thegreenstudy.com. She/her.
2025-26 Loft Literary Mentor Fellow in Fiction.
Ruining workplaces since 1985.
Pinned
Michelle
@thegreenstudy.com
· Mar 10
"My heart is moved by all I cannot save: so much has been destroyed I have to cast my lot with those who age after age, perversely, with no extraordinary power, reconstitute the world."
Adrienne Rich
Adrienne Rich
One of the prompts in a writing seminar last week was:
What gives you freedom? What holds you back?
Reading gives me freedom & joy. I think self-doubt holds me back, but it's a blessing & a curse. It makes me think before I do/say most things.
Great questions to clarify where to spend our time.
What gives you freedom? What holds you back?
Reading gives me freedom & joy. I think self-doubt holds me back, but it's a blessing & a curse. It makes me think before I do/say most things.
Great questions to clarify where to spend our time.
November 26, 2025 at 12:48 PM
One of the prompts in a writing seminar last week was:
What gives you freedom? What holds you back?
Reading gives me freedom & joy. I think self-doubt holds me back, but it's a blessing & a curse. It makes me think before I do/say most things.
Great questions to clarify where to spend our time.
What gives you freedom? What holds you back?
Reading gives me freedom & joy. I think self-doubt holds me back, but it's a blessing & a curse. It makes me think before I do/say most things.
Great questions to clarify where to spend our time.
We make imperfect choices everyday. It's a function of capitalist monopolies. Not shopping won't change the world, but it can change you - help you claim power as a consumer, teach you to participate in collective action, and surprise you when you find out what you can do without. It's worth a try.
November 25, 2025 at 8:41 PM
We make imperfect choices everyday. It's a function of capitalist monopolies. Not shopping won't change the world, but it can change you - help you claim power as a consumer, teach you to participate in collective action, and surprise you when you find out what you can do without. It's worth a try.
Reposted by Michelle
We are monitoring the situation in St. Paul and working to understand what unfolded. We received no heads up from federal authorities on this operation.
While we are always willing to work together on public safety, that is clearly not what this chaotic situation was about.
While we are always willing to work together on public safety, that is clearly not what this chaotic situation was about.
November 25, 2025 at 8:08 PM
We are monitoring the situation in St. Paul and working to understand what unfolded. We received no heads up from federal authorities on this operation.
While we are always willing to work together on public safety, that is clearly not what this chaotic situation was about.
While we are always willing to work together on public safety, that is clearly not what this chaotic situation was about.
Got rid of cable 20 yrs ago, put adblocking on our routers & individual devices. I use PrivacyBadger, Ghostery, DuckDuckGo. The work not to be tracked or see advertising continues apace. On top of defensive driving, we have to do defensive consuming. Now AI bullshit. This is exhausting.
November 25, 2025 at 6:25 PM
Got rid of cable 20 yrs ago, put adblocking on our routers & individual devices. I use PrivacyBadger, Ghostery, DuckDuckGo. The work not to be tracked or see advertising continues apace. On top of defensive driving, we have to do defensive consuming. Now AI bullshit. This is exhausting.
Reposted by Michelle
Today, PEN America introduces the Incarcerated Writers Bureau, a digital resource for professionals seeking to work with writers and journalists in US prisons. The website features a database of best practices, a submission hub, and writer profiles. Read more here: pen.org/press-releas...
New Digital Resource to Help Publishers, Journalists and Literary Agents Work Directly with Incarcerated Writers
The Prison and Justice Writing Program at PEN America launches Incarcerated Writers Bureau, a digital resource that will help make professional and creative opportunities more accessible to writers in...
pen.org
November 25, 2025 at 4:33 PM
Today, PEN America introduces the Incarcerated Writers Bureau, a digital resource for professionals seeking to work with writers and journalists in US prisons. The website features a database of best practices, a submission hub, and writer profiles. Read more here: pen.org/press-releas...
Most bigotries seem irrational. Beyond forever misogyny, antisemitism has a long and storied history. As ever, bigotry is about retaining power through scapegoating. This explainer by Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg @theradr.bsky.social is extremely useful.
www.lifeisasacredtext.com/the-antisemi...
www.lifeisasacredtext.com/the-antisemi...
The Antisemitism Post (tm)
Gotta get the history to know where the tropes live in the discourse today.
www.lifeisasacredtext.com
November 25, 2025 at 3:45 PM
Most bigotries seem irrational. Beyond forever misogyny, antisemitism has a long and storied history. As ever, bigotry is about retaining power through scapegoating. This explainer by Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg @theradr.bsky.social is extremely useful.
www.lifeisasacredtext.com/the-antisemi...
www.lifeisasacredtext.com/the-antisemi...
There is NOTHING controversial about telling soldiers not to follow illegal orders. There is something controversial when idjits suggest all the president's orders are legal, as if power emanates from the person and cannot be curtailed. The seditious behavior is coming from inside the House.
November 25, 2025 at 1:45 PM
There is NOTHING controversial about telling soldiers not to follow illegal orders. There is something controversial when idjits suggest all the president's orders are legal, as if power emanates from the person and cannot be curtailed. The seditious behavior is coming from inside the House.
Who is out there eating pie for their health? Just let us enjoy ourselves for two whole damned seconds without turning it into a thing.
apnews.com/article/than...
apnews.com/article/than...
Sweet potato or pumpkin? The Thanksgiving pie debate
They’re both round, orange and probably bad for your health, but which is the better Thanksgiving dessert: pumpkin or sweet potato pie?
apnews.com
November 25, 2025 at 1:11 PM
Who is out there eating pie for their health? Just let us enjoy ourselves for two whole damned seconds without turning it into a thing.
apnews.com/article/than...
apnews.com/article/than...
I'm not fond of holidays in general, but learning how to feed Keto, vegetarian, gluten-free, vegan people at the table is a fun time to explore recipes, even if they might be disasters. As long as we have mashed potatoes, mac & cheese, veggies, a slab of meat, pie, and an UNO deck, we're good.
November 25, 2025 at 1:04 PM
I'm not fond of holidays in general, but learning how to feed Keto, vegetarian, gluten-free, vegan people at the table is a fun time to explore recipes, even if they might be disasters. As long as we have mashed potatoes, mac & cheese, veggies, a slab of meat, pie, and an UNO deck, we're good.
If it takes someone from the world's least mannered, drug-addled, trashiest, most incompetent administration to get you to behave like a decent human while traveling, well, we know you aren't going to and never were. There's no place like home for your space hoarding, stinky feet, & binge drinking.
November 25, 2025 at 12:02 PM
If it takes someone from the world's least mannered, drug-addled, trashiest, most incompetent administration to get you to behave like a decent human while traveling, well, we know you aren't going to and never were. There's no place like home for your space hoarding, stinky feet, & binge drinking.
Stopped following someone referencing NYT articles. I'm not subscribing to that shitshow. Do the gift link if you want us to know what you're posting about. If it seems unfair to these mainstream pubs...Oh won't someone think of the propaganda-spreading billionaires?
Indie reporters rule.
Indie reporters rule.
November 23, 2025 at 2:03 PM
Stopped following someone referencing NYT articles. I'm not subscribing to that shitshow. Do the gift link if you want us to know what you're posting about. If it seems unfair to these mainstream pubs...Oh won't someone think of the propaganda-spreading billionaires?
Indie reporters rule.
Indie reporters rule.
As AI tech capitalists seek to make the world more bland, exploitative, colorless & so,so boring, anyone who does original, painstaking, & thoughtful creative work will help us retain our humanity. Find your creative community and art harder.
November 23, 2025 at 1:04 PM
As AI tech capitalists seek to make the world more bland, exploitative, colorless & so,so boring, anyone who does original, painstaking, & thoughtful creative work will help us retain our humanity. Find your creative community and art harder.
Abortion is healthcare. The hatred of women in these policies is palpable. And we beg for half-measures, "exceptions" so that our mothers and daughters do not die. It's unforgivable.
www.propublica.org/article/texa...
www.propublica.org/article/texa...
“Ticking Time Bomb”: A Pregnant Mother Kept Getting Sicker. She Died After She Couldn’t Get an Abortion in Texas.
Walker is one of several women ProPublica found with underlying health conditions who died when they couldn’t access abortions.
www.propublica.org
November 19, 2025 at 12:47 PM
Abortion is healthcare. The hatred of women in these policies is palpable. And we beg for half-measures, "exceptions" so that our mothers and daughters do not die. It's unforgivable.
www.propublica.org/article/texa...
www.propublica.org/article/texa...
I had to read up on agentic AI. It's the stuff of nightmares. I hate AI from a creative standpoint, but also from a human perspective. We're just outsourcing our brains on purpose until we're completely under the thumb of misogynistic, bigoted tech jagoffs.
November 18, 2025 at 11:29 PM
I had to read up on agentic AI. It's the stuff of nightmares. I hate AI from a creative standpoint, but also from a human perspective. We're just outsourcing our brains on purpose until we're completely under the thumb of misogynistic, bigoted tech jagoffs.
Grifters are always grifters no matter how much you agree with what they're saying in the moment. If they want to finally do the right thing, they can do their penance without an audience. They're not entitled to our attention. Nor our votes. MTG & her ilk will reap what they have sown.
November 18, 2025 at 7:16 PM
Grifters are always grifters no matter how much you agree with what they're saying in the moment. If they want to finally do the right thing, they can do their penance without an audience. They're not entitled to our attention. Nor our votes. MTG & her ilk will reap what they have sown.
Reposted by Michelle
"They each offer inclusive, emotionally rich narratives that invite readers to confront and honor the past while forging their own paths forward." Check out Bay Area Reporter's fabulous joint review of "When the Harvest Comes" and "Both/And" 💛 🩵 🩷
Denne Michele Norris's ‘When the Harvest Comes’ & ‘Both/And: Essays by Trans and Gender Non-Conforming Writers of Color’
In a literary landscape hungry for authentic voices, Denne Michele Norris emerges this year with two groundbreaking works: her debut novel, “When the Harvest Comes,” and a trans anthology she has…
buff.ly
November 17, 2025 at 11:00 PM
"They each offer inclusive, emotionally rich narratives that invite readers to confront and honor the past while forging their own paths forward." Check out Bay Area Reporter's fabulous joint review of "When the Harvest Comes" and "Both/And" 💛 🩵 🩷
Moonlighting, side hustles, and now "polyworking". Anything to avoid calling it what it is, the exploitation of American workers by the obscenely wealthy corps & persons.
apnews.com/article/work...
apnews.com/article/work...
Workers turn to 'polyworking' to combat frozen salaries and inflation
Working professionals in the U.S. are taking on side jobs to supplement their incomes amid frozen salaries, inflation and fear of layoffs.
apnews.com
November 14, 2025 at 4:58 PM
Moonlighting, side hustles, and now "polyworking". Anything to avoid calling it what it is, the exploitation of American workers by the obscenely wealthy corps & persons.
apnews.com/article/work...
apnews.com/article/work...
Reposted by Michelle
Scientists should graduate ready to share what they know, effectively. Even the top science programs in our country do not require science communication and public engagement for their graduates. This is dangerous. Let's change the future. Sign the petition to make a difference: bit.ly/3LbnfHB
November 13, 2025 at 5:50 PM
Scientists should graduate ready to share what they know, effectively. Even the top science programs in our country do not require science communication and public engagement for their graduates. This is dangerous. Let's change the future. Sign the petition to make a difference: bit.ly/3LbnfHB
On Nov. 15th, it's the Day of the Imprisoned Writer. Art is often dismissed - but freely speaking, creating & writing is how we bring attention to injustice, it's how we make things better. This is why authoritarians don't want free speech.
Letter from Jailed Egyptian Poet Galal El-Behairy
This letter announcing a hunger strike from imprisoned poet Galal El-Behairy was shared with PEN America on August 8, 2025.
pen.org
November 13, 2025 at 5:48 PM
On Nov. 15th, it's the Day of the Imprisoned Writer. Art is often dismissed - but freely speaking, creating & writing is how we bring attention to injustice, it's how we make things better. This is why authoritarians don't want free speech.
Reposted by Michelle
Somewhere out there someone who’s the best at what they do is terrified that they have imposter syndrome while a bunch of barely literate pedophiles are very calmly running the world
November 13, 2025 at 4:26 PM
Somewhere out there someone who’s the best at what they do is terrified that they have imposter syndrome while a bunch of barely literate pedophiles are very calmly running the world
After galloping through the morning news (must be done at full gallop lest one decide getting out of bed isn't worth it). My god, this administration...such a bunch of fucking weirdos.
youtu.be/PB-wmOYelnM?...
youtu.be/PB-wmOYelnM?...
Sam the Eagle "You Are All Weirdos!"
YouTube video by Vaughn Michael
youtu.be
November 13, 2025 at 2:17 PM
After galloping through the morning news (must be done at full gallop lest one decide getting out of bed isn't worth it). My god, this administration...such a bunch of fucking weirdos.
youtu.be/PB-wmOYelnM?...
youtu.be/PB-wmOYelnM?...
Growing up on Buffalo Springfield and Neil Young, I hear echos of 70s folk in Humbird's "Child of Violence" (2024).
youtu.be/NhWc-ZuZZ54?...
youtu.be/NhWc-ZuZZ54?...
Humbird - Child of Violence (Official Visualizer)
YouTube video by Humbird
youtu.be
November 13, 2025 at 1:38 PM
Growing up on Buffalo Springfield and Neil Young, I hear echos of 70s folk in Humbird's "Child of Violence" (2024).
youtu.be/NhWc-ZuZZ54?...
youtu.be/NhWc-ZuZZ54?...
"...adulthood will shower you with so many accidental thefts from so many sources that teach you what it means to be she."
Object Lessons by Addie Tsai
I've taken pages of notes from this collection of essays. Expansive, heartbreaking, and triumphant. @electricliterature.com
tinyurl.com/sebtc9pk
Object Lessons by Addie Tsai
I've taken pages of notes from this collection of essays. Expansive, heartbreaking, and triumphant. @electricliterature.com
tinyurl.com/sebtc9pk
Both/And
From Denne Michele Norris and Electric Literature, a vital anthology of essays by trans and gender-nonconforming writers of color, sharing stories of joy, h...
tinyurl.com
November 13, 2025 at 11:47 AM
"...adulthood will shower you with so many accidental thefts from so many sources that teach you what it means to be she."
Object Lessons by Addie Tsai
I've taken pages of notes from this collection of essays. Expansive, heartbreaking, and triumphant. @electricliterature.com
tinyurl.com/sebtc9pk
Object Lessons by Addie Tsai
I've taken pages of notes from this collection of essays. Expansive, heartbreaking, and triumphant. @electricliterature.com
tinyurl.com/sebtc9pk
Doing useful research to find more words to call members of the current administration. Oof. Love my Brit insults, but "toerag/towrag" is super gross when you read about the nautical etymology. Hence, also perfect for the purpose.
www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?t...
www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?t...
Urban Dictionary: Tow Rag
Tow Rag: Means a low-life, scum, or loser. Originally a British Royal Naval term. This was a long piece of rope, either frayed at the end, or with a bit of...
www.urbandictionary.com
November 12, 2025 at 6:50 PM
Doing useful research to find more words to call members of the current administration. Oof. Love my Brit insults, but "toerag/towrag" is super gross when you read about the nautical etymology. Hence, also perfect for the purpose.
www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?t...
www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?t...
I've returned to falling in love with music like I did growing up. Streaming instead of wornout cassette tapes, but listening to an artist's album in the order they intended. And repeatedly. Latest obsession is Malena Cadiz's album Hellbent & Moonbound. Poetic lyrics.
youtu.be/PBkX8zaREqA?...
youtu.be/PBkX8zaREqA?...
Malena Cadiz "Call It a Night" - Live at Gold Diggers Sound
YouTube video by Malena Cadiz
youtu.be
November 12, 2025 at 6:04 PM
I've returned to falling in love with music like I did growing up. Streaming instead of wornout cassette tapes, but listening to an artist's album in the order they intended. And repeatedly. Latest obsession is Malena Cadiz's album Hellbent & Moonbound. Poetic lyrics.
youtu.be/PBkX8zaREqA?...
youtu.be/PBkX8zaREqA?...