Author | Lightnews

Fi Johnston @fijohnston.bsky.social · Jun 20

Great news, great book!

The Carnegies @carnegiemedals.bsky.social · Jun 19

And the 2025 Carnegie Medal for Writing goes to Glasgow Boys! Congratulations to @margaretmcdonald.bsky.social and @faberchildrens.bsky.social @faberbooks.bsky.social! #Carnegies2025

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Fi Johnston @fijohnston.bsky.social · Jun 3

Egan is ALWAYS the vibes for me 💛💙❤️🇨🇴

robyn @robynemz.bsky.social · Jun 3

Before the podium comes honourable mentions.

This year, the Vibes Classification had to show appreciation to Egan Bernal - for coming back from such a horrific crash and showing signs of his former self when attacking - and to Romain Bardet for his final Giro participation.

Fi Johnston @fijohnston.bsky.social · Jun 3

@scottishbooktrust.bsky.social you’ll be pleased to know I found my storydeck partner and we were DEFINITELY in the same place at the same time with our cards 😬🤗

Two white women holding cards with pictures of cute animals on them, supposedly in the same place but definitely badly photoshopped together.

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Fi Johnston @fijohnston.bsky.social · Jun 3

@scottishbooktrust.bsky.social you’ll be pleased to know I found my storydeck partner and we were DEFINITELY in the same place at the same time with our cards 😬🤗

Fi Johnston @fijohnston.bsky.social · Jun 3

OF COURSE I didn’t get any photos because I was chaos incarnate BUT it was an absolute pleasure to introduce more library professionals to Tiny Zines and the power inherent in a single sheet of paper #CILIPS25

Fi Johnston @fijohnston.bsky.social · Jun 2

I would like to point out that my allocated @scottishbooktrust.bsky.social Storydeck card is ALSO cutie animals, so there is a clear theme to my @cilipscotland.bsky.social conference this year 🥰

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Fi Johnston @fijohnston.bsky.social · Jun 2

Shout out to all the cutie baby animals I have been privileged to witness on this train ride to Dundee for #CILIPS25 🙌

Fi Johnston @fijohnston.bsky.social · Jun 2

Pride Month’s here and we’re ALREADY breaking my heart with this perfect WW1 romance 😢

CILIP School Libraries Group @cilipslg.bsky.social · Jun 1

Our first #PrideReads pick is The Boy I Love by @whusseyauthor.bsky.social — a haunting WWI romance capturing the brutality of war and the forbidden love between soldiers. @ciliplgbtq.bsky.social @cilip.bsky.social 🏳️‍🌈📚

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Fi Johnston @fijohnston.bsky.social · May 26

One hundred percent would read this zine. I’ve heard Steven is the WORST.

mattie lubchansky @mattielubchansky.com · May 26

crabs in a bucket | patreon.com/lubchansky

PANEL 1: MATTIE sitting on the floor in front of a bucket.
MATTIE: Man, I put all these crabs in this bucket to watch them fight to the top for my amusement…

PANEL 2: MATTIE peering in close to the bucket. One claw is raised, holding a little piece of paper folded over.
MATTIE: …But it looks like they all just started trading ZINES in there!
MATTIE: Kind of annoying.

PANEL 3: MATTIE grabs the zine.
MATTIE: Hm?

PANEL 4: Close up of the zine in MATTIE's hands. The title is STEVEN, THE CRAB DIRECTLY BELOW ME, IS A PIECE OF SHIT!
MATTIE: Haha okay this is pretty good

Fi Johnston @fijohnston.bsky.social · May 19

Thinking about what games are small to store, easy to learn, and quick to play beyond the usual suspects for school libraries - offering a different way of escaping into a narrative for a little time. Great list to investigate!

Drayer Ink 🔜 PRAGUE🤞 🧡💛💚💙🩵💜🤎🖤🩶🤍 @drayerink.bsky.social · May 18

Small, portable card games: what are some good ones?

Looking for: easy to teach, good for travel, interesting implementations, clever use of basic components, things to learn from as a designer

✂️🎲🎲✂️

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Fi Johnston @fijohnston.bsky.social · May 12

Every single time I do a Tiny Zine workshop with young people (or adults) I get multiple versions of ‘I’m not creative’ ‘I can’t draw’ ‘I don’t have any good ideas’. And showing them that their personal creative expression has worth is my favourite thing in the world.

Neven Mrgan @mrgan.com · May 8

It's a fundamentally conservative idea that art is good when it's detailed, realistic, and predictable. This impulse also promotes neoclassical architecture, three-point-thesis writing, and pristine audio production. It's a boring blight on creativity and expression.

Stupid-ass AI app for turning your kid's wonderful drawings into who-gives-a-shit 3D-render-likes.

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Reposted by Fi Johnston

Binni Brynolf (they/them) @brynolf.bsky.social · May 2

On Tuesday 27 May 1-2pm, I'm presenting a webinar on behalf of @ciliplgbtq.bsky.social, "How to be a good ally to trans*, non-binary and gender-conforming people"

I've spoken about this before but allies are more vital than ever now...

Register and share please!

www.cilip.org.uk/events/Event...

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Reposted by Fi Johnston

Simon James Green @simonjamesgreen.bsky.social · Apr 24

The world feels so bleak I almost didn’t post this… but fear and misery is what they want, so screw them!

Out today! A YEAR OF PRIDE & JOY - 52 inspirational LGBTQ+ folk, from all walks of life, talking about JOY!

Art by Ruth Burrows, curated by me.

www.waterstones.com/book/a-year-...

A Year of Pride and Joy by Simon James Green, Ruth Burrows | Waterstones

Buy A Year of Pride and Joy by Simon James Green, Ruth Burrows from Waterstones today! Click and Collect from your local Waterstones or get FREE UK delivery on orders over £25.

www.waterstones.com

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Reposted by Fi Johnston

Dr Beth @drbeth.bsky.social · Apr 22

Excellent news for the day is book #2 is now officially in the works. Excited to working with @facetpublishing.bsky.social again to write what in my head is "Beth's big gay book of Libraries" (definitely not the final title).

#ActualAuthor #QueerLibraries

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Fi Johnston @fijohnston.bsky.social · Apr 13

Hell of the North Weekend is the best weekend, the cobble love is strong.

Geology of the Tour de France @geotdf.bsky.social · Apr 13

No Paris-Roubaix without a geology story!

Marjolein Naudé explains in this clip how the Hell of the North froze over and made the muddy, dusty mess we all love so much!

And read more in our blog: www.geo-sports.org/2024/geology...

youtu.be/R00JSTLw-f0?...

Geology of Paris-Roubaix - When did the Hell of the North break loose?

YouTube video by Geo-Sports - The Geology of Sports Events

youtu.be

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Fi Johnston @fijohnston.bsky.social · Apr 8

A year and a half ago I visited @stninianslib.bsky.social to chat Tiny Zines - today I visited and saw the HUGE AND AMAZING Tiny Zine Library they are creating and constantly expanding. I may have almost cried at how good they were.

St.Ninian's School Library @stninianslib.bsky.social · Apr 3

Well done to the Ms H's S1 class today making their #Zines - lots of focus and lots of great ideas. By the end of this project we will have over 300 new stories in the library that other pupils can borrow and learn from. #zinepower

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Reposted by Fi Johnston

Robert G. Reeve @robertgreeve.bsky.social · Apr 5

if you’re an artist who ever thought “what’s the point? The world is Hell and I should do something that matters instead”

even in an ICE detention center people will treat art as sacred, seek it out, and find joy and comfort in it. You aren’t making art, you’re making hope.

On her first day in the facility, Becky asked for a scrap of paper and a pen, and began to draw the inmates on the table next to her. She was immediately inundated with portrait requests. A Mexican woman called Lopez, who had a photo of her children stored on one of the iPads, told Becky she would buy her some paper and colouring pencils from the commissary if Becky drew her kids. She soon became the dorm’s unofficial artist-in-residence, with women huddling around the dirty mirrors to make themselves look presentable before they sat for her. They would decorate their cells with Becky’s drawings, or send them to their families. Lopez declared herself Becky’s manager. “She kept saying, ‘Becky, you need to ask for stuff in exchange. Ask for popcorn.’ And I’d be like, ‘Lopez, I don’t need anything.’ I thought, I’m here briefly, you’re stuck here a long time. I’m not going to take your food away from you.”

A three by three grid illustrating in blue pen cartoon portraits of women in an ICE detention center. “Mrs Kailey,” Bana, Lewelyn, Ikram, Asil, ‘Auntie,’ ‘F.Z,’ Kseniia, and “P.A.” Two have light hair, three have glasses, one wears a hijab, one poses, and one holds a drink.

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Fi Johnston @fijohnston.bsky.social · Mar 31

On this Trans Day of Visibility, I stand with all my trans and nb homies, and Godzilla.

Queer and Pleasant Danger @monsterologist.bsky.social · Feb 10

Godzilla don't take no mess.

Godzilla (my favorite Shōwa era suit, the KinGoji design) looking tough in trans pride colors, with the text what says "Godzilla says Protect Trans Kids"

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Reposted by Fi Johnston

Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library @rareuva.bsky.social · Mar 31

#MiniatureMonday "This little miniature accordion-book adorned with a gold frame accented with pearls highlights the history of how pearls became the hallmark of the American woman. Vintage advertising photos of women wearing all lengths of pearls highlights the text..."

Cover of miniature book titled “Pearlessence” featuring a vintage photo of a white woman dressed in elegant garb in a golden frame adorned with pearls.

Book open to a spread featuring vintage photos of two white women wearing pearl necklaces. Pearl beads have been glued onto the illustration as earrings.

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Reposted by Fi Johnston

Library Girl @jenniferlagarde.bsky.social · Mar 18

🎉 I've curated a list of all the resources I shared during our recent #TLSkyChat + a couple of other goodies I forgot to share during our conversation! I hope you find it useful AND I hope you'll join us for a future chat! #TLSky #Librarians #Kidlit #EduSky

#TLSkyChat Resource Roundup: Book Talks that Hook

I've shared before that back in January, Heather Turner and I began moderating educator chats for Teacher Librarians (and those who love them!) over on Bluesky. It's been so much fun and it reminds me...

www.librarygirl.net

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Reposted by Fi Johnston

Lighthouse - Edinburgh's Radical Bookshop @lighthousebks.bsky.social · Feb 28

Not all feminisms are created equal. Our feminism is always antifascist & intersectional.

Over the coming months we’re thrilled to be hosting authors who are boldly exploring new territories in feminist struggle - its pitfalls & possibilities

@theskinnymag.bsky.social @rs21edinburgh.bsky.social
🧵

A bookseller stands in the bookshop holding two books in front of their face: Enemy Feminisms by Sophie Lewis and Pink-Pilled by Lois Shearing. They are wearing a black and white striped jumper and a cosy scarf in pink shades.

Two books laid out on a wooden floor: Pink Pilled by Lois shearing and Enemy Feminisms by Sophie Lewis

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Reposted by Fi Johnston

Ursula K. Le Guin @ursulakleguin.com · Feb 24

You can read the full speech at the link below, and in the collection Dancing at the Edge of the World (Grove Press, 1989).

serendipstudio.org/sci_cult/leg...

"I don't think we have any right to obedience. I think we have a responsibility to freedom." Ursula K. Le Guin, from her 1986 Bryn Mawr commencement address

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Fi Johnston @fijohnston.bsky.social · Feb 20

Creating a culture of kindness and connection to community through a cart - alliterative and actual perfection

Kristina A. Holzweiss @lieberrian.bsky.social · Feb 20

"The simplest way to begin to culture of kindness and making a difference is through a kids kindness cart program." Here's how: schoollibraryconnection.com/Content/Arti...

Fi Johnston @fijohnston.bsky.social · Feb 13

The perfect addition to your inspiring Tiny Zine collection

Austin Kleon @austinkleon.bsky.social · Feb 13

I made a one-page version of the READ LIKE AN ARTIST zine you can print out and share with your book club, classroom, etc

Download here: austinkleon.substack.com/p/how-to-rea...

Reposted by Fi Johnston

Matthew Noe @noethematt.bsky.social · Feb 3

Librarians aren't going to save us. Librarians aren't superheroes.

They're just people trying to keep largely underfunded and overwhelmed public services going.

Praise is nice; realistic expectations are better; material support is best.

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