Sam Ali
@writestough.bsky.social
Journalist, potter, lover of plants, dogs, film and television. Scared shitless. Author of Reel Talk on Substack https://substack.com/@writestough
Pinned
open.substack.com/pub/writesto...
This story wasn’t easy to write and hitting publish” feels like stepping out of a plane with no guarantee my chute will open. It begins with my daughter’s wedding and ends with a parable I never thought I’d quote. 🌈❤️
This story wasn’t easy to write and hitting publish” feels like stepping out of a plane with no guarantee my chute will open. It begins with my daughter’s wedding and ends with a parable I never thought I’d quote. 🌈❤️
If You Want To Know Your Tribe, Speak Your Truth
When my daughter married her wife last year, we gained a beautiful daughter—and lost relatives who could only meet our joy with shame and anger.
open.substack.com
November 25, 2025 at 3:48 PM
open.substack.com/pub/writesto...
This story wasn’t easy to write and hitting publish” feels like stepping out of a plane with no guarantee my chute will open. It begins with my daughter’s wedding and ends with a parable I never thought I’d quote. 🌈❤️
This story wasn’t easy to write and hitting publish” feels like stepping out of a plane with no guarantee my chute will open. It begins with my daughter’s wedding and ends with a parable I never thought I’d quote. 🌈❤️
A gift for ya’ll. Tis the season.
The Best Movies of the 21st Century: Readers Choose Their Top Movies www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
The Best Movies of the 21st Century: Readers Choose Their Top Movies www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
The Best Movies of the 21st Century: Readers Choose Their Top Movies (Gift Article)
The people have spoken. Here are the movies they voted for.
www.nytimes.com
November 22, 2025 at 4:29 AM
A gift for ya’ll. Tis the season.
The Best Movies of the 21st Century: Readers Choose Their Top Movies www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
The Best Movies of the 21st Century: Readers Choose Their Top Movies www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
“It’s strange to grieve something you’re not even sure was real. Strange to miss a version of people that might have existed more in your head than in their behavior.”
Who can relate?
Who can relate?
The Version of “Us” That Lived in Your Mind
And what it means when you realize that bond was never mutual
open.substack.com
November 22, 2025 at 3:02 AM
“It’s strange to grieve something you’re not even sure was real. Strange to miss a version of people that might have existed more in your head than in their behavior.”
Who can relate?
Who can relate?
What’s your favorite Wes Anderson film? open.substack.com/pub/writesto...
Every Frame Is a Masterpiece
Wes Anderson’s films are like paintings you step inside.
open.substack.com
July 6, 2025 at 4:11 AM
What’s your favorite Wes Anderson film? open.substack.com/pub/writesto...
Just shared a new post inspired by The Bear (plus a sneak peek from the book I’m working on.) Would love your thoughts!
open.substack.com/pub/writesto...
open.substack.com/pub/writesto...
The Bear, My Book, and the Murky Pond of Family
I’ve been quiet for a while.
open.substack.com
July 5, 2025 at 1:34 PM
Just shared a new post inspired by The Bear (plus a sneak peek from the book I’m working on.) Would love your thoughts!
open.substack.com/pub/writesto...
open.substack.com/pub/writesto...
I come in peace. But also… can we admit The Handmaid’s Tale is gaslighting us a little? Check out Reek Talk on Substack
#TheHandmaidsTale #ElisabethMoss
#TVCritique
open.substack.com/pub/writesto...
#TheHandmaidsTale #ElisabethMoss
#TVCritique
open.substack.com/pub/writesto...
Why Is The Handmaid’s Tale Pretending We Don’t Have Eyes
Elisabeth Moss changed. That’s normal. What’s weird is how the show pretends she didn’t.
open.substack.com
May 17, 2025 at 12:18 AM
I come in peace. But also… can we admit The Handmaid’s Tale is gaslighting us a little? Check out Reek Talk on Substack
#TheHandmaidsTale #ElisabethMoss
#TVCritique
open.substack.com/pub/writesto...
#TheHandmaidsTale #ElisabethMoss
#TVCritique
open.substack.com/pub/writesto...
open.substack.com/pub/writesto...
I used to track every red carpet, every Instagram post, every celebrity headline. But lately, events like the Met Gala feel like they belong to another planet. #metgala
I used to track every red carpet, every Instagram post, every celebrity headline. But lately, events like the Met Gala feel like they belong to another planet. #metgala
The Glitz and Glamour Doesn't Land Anymore
The Met Gala used to feel like fun. Now it feels like a broadcast from another planet.
open.substack.com
May 6, 2025 at 11:48 PM
open.substack.com/pub/writesto...
I used to track every red carpet, every Instagram post, every celebrity headline. But lately, events like the Met Gala feel like they belong to another planet. #metgala
I used to track every red carpet, every Instagram post, every celebrity headline. But lately, events like the Met Gala feel like they belong to another planet. #metgala
Why do poems thrive on sadness, dread, and the occasional existential spiral? Genuinely wondering. It’s basically my entire body of work.
Why My Poems Are So Sad
A love letter to the strangers who know the inside of my head better than my friends do.
open.substack.com
May 4, 2025 at 9:26 AM
Why do poems thrive on sadness, dread, and the occasional existential spiral? Genuinely wondering. It’s basically my entire body of work.
What life feels like these days.
April 29, 2025 at 4:19 PM
What life feels like these days.
open.substack.com/pub/writesto...
This post is unhinged. I’m not calm. I’ve once again been emotionally blindsided by a show I foolishly trusted. So if you came here expecting nuance, turn around. This is a vent session (with spoilers).
This post is unhinged. I’m not calm. I’ve once again been emotionally blindsided by a show I foolishly trusted. So if you came here expecting nuance, turn around. This is a vent session (with spoilers).
I Knew It. I Knew It. I Knew It.
On betrayal, Joel, and the moment TV stopped playing fair.
open.substack.com
April 22, 2025 at 4:37 AM
open.substack.com/pub/writesto...
This post is unhinged. I’m not calm. I’ve once again been emotionally blindsided by a show I foolishly trusted. So if you came here expecting nuance, turn around. This is a vent session (with spoilers).
This post is unhinged. I’m not calm. I’ve once again been emotionally blindsided by a show I foolishly trusted. So if you came here expecting nuance, turn around. This is a vent session (with spoilers).
Such a beautiful song. Thanks for the reminder @melnickjeffrey1.bsky.social
Whenever I worry that my best work is behind me I remind myself that one of the most beautiful songs of the past ten years was performed by the goddam Monkees. Stay focused!https://youtu.be/FNbNYA_rh_E?si=-ZqcMqbDOU_A5GCS
The Monkees - Me And Magdalena (slow version)
YouTube video by Fuzzy Reflections
youtu.be
April 20, 2025 at 12:58 PM
Such a beautiful song. Thanks for the reminder @melnickjeffrey1.bsky.social
open.substack.com/pub/writesto...
Ever watched a trailer and thought, “Welp, no need to see the movie”?
Same.
Death of the Tease, my latest Reel Talk substack, just dropped.
Ever watched a trailer and thought, “Welp, no need to see the movie”?
Same.
Death of the Tease, my latest Reel Talk substack, just dropped.
The Death of the Tease
When movie trailers become SparkNotes, the mystery dies before the opening credits roll.
open.substack.com
April 19, 2025 at 5:18 PM
open.substack.com/pub/writesto...
Ever watched a trailer and thought, “Welp, no need to see the movie”?
Same.
Death of the Tease, my latest Reel Talk substack, just dropped.
Ever watched a trailer and thought, “Welp, no need to see the movie”?
Same.
Death of the Tease, my latest Reel Talk substack, just dropped.
Everyone buy Harvard merch!!!
April 18, 2025 at 12:19 PM
Everyone buy Harvard merch!!!
This gentleman deserves more than 77 likes and 4 comments on this post. He’s doing a brave and honorable thing and we should be shouting his name from the rooftops and banging our drums loudly for all to hear. Shine on, Senator CVH
We were just denied entry into CECOT — the notorious prison in El Salvador where Mr. Abrego Garcia is being illegally held.
We were there for one simple reason: to check on his well-being, which his family and lawyers have not been allowed to do. We won’t stop fighting.
We were there for one simple reason: to check on his well-being, which his family and lawyers have not been allowed to do. We won’t stop fighting.
Van Hollen denied entry to CECOT, notorious El Salvador prison where Abrego Garcia is illegally held
YouTube video by Senator Chris Van Hollen
youtube.com
April 17, 2025 at 5:07 PM
This gentleman deserves more than 77 likes and 4 comments on this post. He’s doing a brave and honorable thing and we should be shouting his name from the rooftops and banging our drums loudly for all to hear. Shine on, Senator CVH
BREAKING:
u.s. senator is doing something useful.
no, really.
chris van hollen’s flying to el salvador to fight for kilmar abrego garcia’s release.
this is not satire (we checked).
u.s. senator is doing something useful.
no, really.
chris van hollen’s flying to el salvador to fight for kilmar abrego garcia’s release.
this is not satire (we checked).
Mr. Abrego Garcia was illegally abducted by the Trump Admin and, by their own admission, wrongly deported to El Salvador. He shouldn’t have to spend another second away from his family.
I'm flying to El Salvador tomorrow morning to check on his condition and discuss his return.
I'm flying to El Salvador tomorrow morning to check on his condition and discuss his return.
April 16, 2025 at 11:32 AM
BREAKING:
u.s. senator is doing something useful.
no, really.
chris van hollen’s flying to el salvador to fight for kilmar abrego garcia’s release.
this is not satire (we checked).
u.s. senator is doing something useful.
no, really.
chris van hollen’s flying to el salvador to fight for kilmar abrego garcia’s release.
this is not satire (we checked).
Just ordered No Pun Intended in honor of Joel and Ellie from The Last of Us (both volumes).
Because if the world ends, I want to be emotionally prepared… but also punny. #thelastofus #nopunintended
Because if the world ends, I want to be emotionally prepared… but also punny. #thelastofus #nopunintended
April 16, 2025 at 11:17 AM
Just ordered No Pun Intended in honor of Joel and Ellie from The Last of Us (both volumes).
Because if the world ends, I want to be emotionally prepared… but also punny. #thelastofus #nopunintended
Because if the world ends, I want to be emotionally prepared… but also punny. #thelastofus #nopunintended
Congratulations, everyone: We’re praising a news outlet for telling the truth plainly. That’s how deeply we’ve sunk. The bar has been set so low that describing reality without dressing it up in “both sides” language feels revolutionary.
I don’t think a better headline could have been written about what happened yesterday.
www.rollingstone.com/politics/pol...
www.rollingstone.com/politics/pol...
April 16, 2025 at 3:06 AM
Congratulations, everyone: We’re praising a news outlet for telling the truth plainly. That’s how deeply we’ve sunk. The bar has been set so low that describing reality without dressing it up in “both sides” language feels revolutionary.
www.thedailybeast.com/lauren-sanch...
Let them eat cow pie.
Let them eat cow pie.
Lauren Sánchez in Space was Marie Antoinette in a Penis-Shaped Rocket
Let’s call the “first all-female spaceflight” what it is: rich women showing off.
www.thedailybeast.com
April 14, 2025 at 10:15 PM
www.thedailybeast.com/lauren-sanch...
Let them eat cow pie.
Let them eat cow pie.
And the beat goes on.
Just trying to imagine a president prior to 2016 ordering the revocation of a network’s broadcast license.
After watching 60 Minutes tonight, Trump calls on FCC Chair Brendan Carr to revoke CBS’s broadcast license.
April 14, 2025 at 12:22 PM
And the beat goes on.
youtube.com/shorts/6PWNc...
A good way to start Monday
A good way to start Monday
🫠🎹🐾🥰 #dogsofyoutube #piano #cutedog #soothing #peace
YouTube video by Kara Baldus
youtube.com
April 14, 2025 at 12:19 PM
youtube.com/shorts/6PWNc...
A good way to start Monday
A good way to start Monday
You don’t negotiate with the bond market.
You apologize to it and hope it forgets your name.
You apologize to it and hope it forgets your name.
"Trump cannot assuage the bond market. He cannot convince it that he is 'normal' and should be given the benefit of the doubt. He cannot scare it into submission. He cannot bribe it. The bond market is not like the Supreme Court or Paul Weiss or Columbia."
Trump Finally Met an Adversary Totally Immune to His Bullshit
And it’s not the Supreme Court.
www.thebulwark.com
April 14, 2025 at 2:51 AM
You don’t negotiate with the bond market.
You apologize to it and hope it forgets your name.
You apologize to it and hope it forgets your name.