Did you cancel your Disney+ subscription this weekend? Great. Keep it going by looking into your local school or library board. Are they protecting free speech or caving to right wing pressure?
Co-owner of @portersqbooks.bsky.social Author of The Art of Libromancy & An Exaggerated Murder. Opinions my own. BlueSky for @authorsabb.bsky.social He/him https://linktr.ee/joshthelibromancer
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Did you cancel your Disney+ subscription this weekend? Great. Keep it going by looking into your local school or library board. Are they protecting free speech or caving to right wing pressure?
Absolute fucking cowards.
Massachusetts/Boston folks: One week from today, next Tuesday 9/30 at 7 pm, I’ll be at @portersqbooks.bsky.social in Cambridge to talk about how YOU can fight book banning and advocate for the passage of a Freedom to Read bill in MA. Please join us! portersquarebooks.com/event/2025-0...
this is the solution to the male loneliness epidemic I am 100% serious
I was going to ask who are all these parents that would prefer to have dead children over autistic children but then I realized, I kinda know the answer. It's the same ones who would rather have dead children than trans children
Ha! Seeing now that it's late enough that my "Tomorrow" book is literally coming out tomorrow, i.e. the day when anyone will read it. Oh well bsky.app/profile/ilan...
And if you're already sold cause you know me from here ore are like, "Hey, that's the @portersqbooks.bsky.social guy!" here's the link to sign up: joshs-newsletter-dc434e.beehiiv.com/subscribe
They're not really reviews, so much as they are...considerations. I write about what stands out to me, maybe give you some entrance points, and consider the books in a broader world & literary context. I think it's fun! You can read August here: joshs-newsletter-dc434e.beehiiv.com/p/yesterday-...
It's a little late this month but Yesterday Today Tomorrow Forever for September is out tomorrow. What is YTTF, you might ask? It's my monthly book recommendation newsletter. I write about an old book, a relatively new book, a forthcoming book, & a book that I haven't finished...
Also, they fold in the face of the slightest difficulty
Also, there is a world of difference Veteran "If they can do that to Jimmy Kimmel" to "Since they can't do that to Jimmy Kimmel."
regardless of the details I think it’s important to spin the Kimmel thing as a win Trump is weak, he’s unpopular, he massively overreached and inspired enough of a revolt that Disney had to backtrack immediately he wants to paint himself as an all-powerful dictator, paint him as a loser who sucks
it is unreal how much can actually be accomplished by clearing *literally the lowest bar of engagement* instead of just going full deer in headlights. there’s power in that and it’s a muscle you flex. and once you’re bored of clearing the lowest bar, clear the next, then the next, then the next.
There are more of us than them. We win a lot. We can win even more. We need to learn from this success and apply the lessons to less famous people & people from marginalized communities. www.bostonglobe.com/2025/09/22/n...
every corporate decision comes down to money and clearly the economics for abc/disney outweighed the threats from the fascist government
Want to keep watching Disney shows while boycotting Disney streaming? Check out your local library:
I loved Crocosmia. It is unrepentantly hopeful & intellectual and I found that both refreshing & inspiring. We should be as ambitious in our drive to create as the other guys are in their drive to destroy portersquarebooks.com/event/2025-0...
I hear online orders are ticking up! Keep it going!!
Will also add, that we have a ton of fun putting these together. Like, other booksellers hit me up on slack being like "Is there another VB?"
That's what I figured. Thank you!
Anyone know if a government shut down will impact ICE at all? I imagine they'll be designated "essential" but have no idea how that works? Are they automatically all good because they are "law enforcement?"
Readers in Missouri! Your Right to Read Coalition is looking for members! They're working to keep libraries open & protect them from outside interference in their vital work. Both individuals & organizations can join. ncjwstl.org/right-to-rea...
"[The Little Village Community Council] had the idea of coming out with a whistle so people could hear that noise, and if they don't have legal status, go the other way ... as quickly as possible to safety and to make sure they don't open their doors."
Thanks, please check out & order our books! bipoc-run, feminist, decolonial, translation.
DYK Almost all of our new stock is from small, independent & university presses? There are so many publishers beyond the Big 5.
The thing, too, about saying Dems should run pro-abortion candidates in red states, or abandon "woke" and trans rights, is that it's easy to suggest *someone else* in the coalition sacrifice core protections. But which core protections are white male Dems willing to sacrifice?
Not 100% sure how old Elena is but Elena Knows from certainly grapple with the challenge of aging! And it's a mystery! Elena Knows | Porter Square Books share.google/8K3hbqExV5v3...
There's maybe never been a more important moment for #BookSky to get REALLY into small & indie presses. If you don't know where to start, tell me what you're into and I'll give you a recommendation
Thinking how different things might be if Gingrich hadn't destroyed the Congressional department that explored new & developing technology www.theatlantic.com/technology/a...
Go fash, lose cash Disney faces $3.8 billion loss as boycott grows over Jimmy Kimmel suspension | The Express Tribune share.google/HpUFV6JqAoI4...
This is absolutely fucking hilarious and pants shittingly terrifying in equal measure.
For sure. All shade on the people deciding to publish fascists
Broken record and such but while it is undeniably good that PRH is doing this work, part of the reason why they need the task force at all is because they legitimized & helped fund the book banners by publishing them www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/...
One of the key ways you refuse to comply with fascism is by becoming even louder and more fearless in supporting vulnerable people. You SHOW that you are unwilling to throw the "undesirables" under the bus if only for self-preservation because under fascism you will also become undesirable one day.
Seriously, just look at Missouri, where an abortion rights ballot measure outperformed Democrats in 2024, because abortion rights are popular, and now their Republican legislature wants to override voters to put a repeal on the ballot next election, an attack on democracy.
What’s this debate even going to look like. You really want someone to debate flat earthers? Or that viruses are real? One side brings someone who’s spent years studying how something works… the other side brings someone who just claims it and has a podcast or works ‘down the street’.
if only Black people went to Klan meetings to debate their humanity
The idea that if you make Dems a little more Republican, Republicans will vote Dem is what’s breaking us. And it doesn’t even work!
Testing a theory: reskeet if "every ICE agent will be unmasked and tried for their crimes" would get your vote
This is why it's so hard to write maximalist post-modernism
Any "moderate" who hasn't already been driven out of the GOP by its current actions can't be got by being a little quieter about hot-button issues. Chase the people who want the same things you do, who vote third party or stay home, b/c they already feel abandoned. Don't alienate them FURTHER.
Oh I see. I mean, I would say voters choosing a more moderate candidate is different from a candidate tactically moderating to gain voters. Biden's association with Obama & the belief that we NEEDED to run a white man to beat Trump probably had more impact than his actual policies
What's baffling to people who vote for Democratic pols is why they seem more concerned about what *republican* voters think (though they will NEVER vote for them) than what their own base thinks. That's *baffling* and worse, disappointing, demotivating & actually at times like this kinda disgusting
Just a quick heads up for the few of you I know are going to pick up Your Name Here next week. It has a very crystalline opening then (for me at least) feels a little muddy for a bit before the voice(s) accumulated enough for me to find my footing again. Goddamn DeWitt is a genius
It is like someone bet him he couldn't completely ruin his reputation in less than a week.
Sally Rooney won the Sky Arts award for literature for Intermezzo. Her editor collected it for her as she couldn't travel in case of arrest for her support for Palestine Action. "to reiterate... and my solidarity with the people of Palestine." We are proud of her always. #BDS #SolidarityIsAVerb
I mean, I don't remember him moving anymore right than he already was.
There’s just never any situation where you need to vote on the same line as fascists. It’s really not difficult but we can keep pretending it is I suppose.
Serious question, outside of Bill Clinton (& I'm honestly not sure he even counts) when has tactical moderation worked in recent memory?
The American right has one belief: They oppose the autonomy of the people they think of as their lessers. So they attack ALL expressions of autonomy that is not their own & trust me, they will get to yours.
It's incredible AND very cognizant of the tropes that plague queer characters
A reading list for building durable organizations for both short term survival and long term social transformation.
I will continue recommending Confessions of the Fox until morale improves Confessions of the Fox: A Novel | Porter Square Books share.google/X2vdExSDEFK0...
I hope some newspapers use a crop where you can easily read the sign.
Look. I'm not mad you bought a Kimmel picture book. But marginalized creators are getting banned and death threats and harassed all the time. It'd be neat to show them that wallet solidarity.
Reminding myself
True, though I think RFK is more gettable than the others
Dam been writing a book about this and she just TikToked it in 90 seconds.
It seems pretty simple to me. No Democrat votes without. 1. The removal of RFK Jr. 2. Ending the military occupation of American cities 3. Some reversal on the attacks on free speech. Trump is underwater with EVERYONE at the moment. There's never been a better chance to fight
You can't buy yourself safety by giving ground, exhibit a million
If you're in any of these districts: Wachusett Regional, Framingham, Plaistow NH, Peabody, Sharon, Ipswich, & Barrington RI contact your school board & let them know this is unacceptable
Turning into a single issue voter for 2028, where the issue is which Democratic candidate will vow to nominate the most rabidly partisan, vengeful and hate-filled AG you can possibly imagine
This is probably a lot more effective than cancelling your Hulu subscription tho of c you can do both.
Almost can't believe this is tonight. In some ways, I see this Symposium Series as about the purest form of my work as a bookseller, introducing readers to authors they would not have otherwise encountered while inspiring conversation. It's fucking great & we're gonna do it every year.
#BoycottDisneyABC is really happening! Join in.
it’s so far from the biggest problem facing us right now but as minnesota’s top VHS influencer [citation needed] i’ll just add that collecting physical media is a great way to not support streaming companies. get out your old DVD player and hit the goodwill bins bbs!!!
“When was Joe Biden president?” remains the most difficult question in politics
The @freedomreadproject.bsky.social has created a free guide to advocacy drawn from the experience of parents who had to fend off a coordinated attack on the right to read. Download it here: Turning the Page - Freedom to Read Project
You can never appease a tyrant.
I know we shouldn't make everything about the current crises going on but I do believe these symposiums are great examples of the kind of deep engagement with art the world desperately needs more of.
I don't think pointing out the fascists' 'hypocrisy' is a good use of time. It's not hypocrisy, it's hierarchy. They actually do believe that they have the right and obligation to dominate you because they are superior to you. They are using their power not being hypocritical.
Let them know!! You can contact ABC by calling 818-460-7477 or using this contact form: support.abc.com/hc/en-us/art...
I’m sure all the standup comedians who have been ranting about censorship the last few years are going to take to the streets any minute now.
Take Action Against Disney-ABC Boycott Cancel subscriptions (if you have) Leave comments on ABC (dot) com Leave comments for Sinclair Show up to an ABC HQ or affiliate to picket! docs.google.com/document/d/1...
Also, like, he could be out of power, either actually or essentially by January 2027. Not even 2 years away! Why why why why roll over or cater to or curry favor with someone who could be useless to you in a year & a half? Ahhhhh!!!!!
Gonna once again put out my call for publishers to start their own periodicals. They have the resources. There is the hunger.
if the remaining talk show hosts don't devote their monologues to this they're scabs and cowards.
Hey all! I'd like to thank the world's media institutions, and of course the Bluesky mods, for being totally normal and proportional about a barely famous trans woman cracking wise about a Nazi's death.
I'd try to set it up so there was nice flow!
Honestly I didn't expect an escalation fucking tonight! Where are my Hyperion authors? Who is going to be 1st to refuse to turn in a manuscript or cancel a book tour in solidarity?
Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries could hold a press conference right now and announce that they will not fund a government that is engaged in an organized and unconstitutional effort to silence any criticism.
This makes me think it's a great time for someone to start up an alt weekly in a metro area. It's clearly working for The Onion, why not try it (again) with regional news, art, and events?
Becoming increasingly clear we’re gonna have to build a parallel infrastructure for all the media we really love. The reason all of this is happening under the color of law is hyperconsolidation, dissent being traded straight up for merger approval, or fear of harassment.
I mean, this has to be the response right? No live programming in the morning, no broadcasts, nothing. This is what solidarity is for.
if you find this difficult to imagine, I can tell you it is fun
Imagine if I picked out an 8 or 12 book sequence for you. (Not you @rachelhands.com, we already have a set up)
...Like, didn't JKR win? Like didn't she already take a really gross, gloating victory lap? What is she doing!?!?!
It's #WeirdBookWednesday AND our Kathryn Davis symposium is tomorrow! It will be a great introduction to her work. The symposium will feature 4 essays about her books AND she'll be in conversation with @kellylink.bsky.social Here's a thread of a few of her books to get you psyched!
I've mostly seen "diversity of view points" with a side of free speech, which I obviously don't think has ever held much water. Now though it's absurd, almost insulting
I forget where I first saw someone connect the dots between “men didn’t used to have so much ADHD” and “men used to be smoking cigarettes 24 hours a day indoors while chugging black coffee and having their secretaries organize all their work for them.”
Given the continued escalation of attacks on free expression & every indication that escalation will continue, has any publisher moved to cancel right wing books & or fold conservative imprints? If no, I would really like to see the bigs articulate why they fund people trying to destroy them.
You want to be alive, but they want you dead. We’re a new, well, funded democratic group that thinks you can meet them halfway.
More 👏🏼 elected 👏🏼 officials 👏🏼 in 👏🏼 the 👏🏼 streets
@loyaltybooks.bsky.social is one of my favorite bookstores I've never visited. If you're buying books for any reason, consider throwing some business their way. DC & the indie bookselling community can't afford to lose them, especially not to the current admn's BS. loyaltybookstores.com
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/09/16/c...
I'd wondered about this. Bookstores need foot traffic & an illegal military occupation will kill foot traffic. Send them some orders AND THEN BE PATIENT! Orders take time to fulfill, esp when there's a surge. So if you send them a complainy check in email after 2 weeks I will haunt you.
Loyalty is an incredible bookstore with an incredible team. I've done in-person events there, we did the Comfort Reads panels there with @marthawells.com @kjcharleswriter.com @tkingfisher.com, it's a wonderful place. please support if you can. www.crowdcast.io/c/comfortrea...
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This is easily the worst time for free speech in my life. Between crackdown on student protestors, Trump admin attacks on journalists and academics, organized conservative cancel mobs targeting random people for mild speech acts... very dark. And the "free speech" pundits are all cowering in silence
Started a double batch of this today. I use a homemade strawberry vinegar to finish it. (Yes, very fancy I know, but actually cheap & easy.) Also the leftover macerated rhubarb is great in oatmeal & yogurt www.feastingathome.com/rhubarb-shru...