Karen Babine
@karenbabine.bsky.social
Writer. The Allure of Elsewhere: A Memoir of Going Solo; All the Wild Hungers: A Season of Cooking and Cancer; Water and What We Know: Following the Roots of a Northern Life / Assoc Prof @UTCEnglish / Editor @assayjournal / My skillet's name is Agnes.
Remembering also the Armistice Day Blizzard of 1940, which killed 49 in MInnesota, 150 nationwide. It started with the storm system that collapsed Galloping Gertie--the Tacoma Narrows Bridge-- in Washington. #armisticeday #armisticedayblizzard #veteransday
The Winds of Hell
On November 11, 1940, one of the deadliest blizzards this region has ever seen struck. The Armistice Day Storm killed 49 people in Minnesota, 150 nationwide. One of the most tragic chapters of…
www.mprnews.org
November 11, 2025 at 8:45 PM
Remembering also the Armistice Day Blizzard of 1940, which killed 49 in MInnesota, 150 nationwide. It started with the storm system that collapsed Galloping Gertie--the Tacoma Narrows Bridge-- in Washington. #armisticeday #armisticedayblizzard #veteransday
I didn't know until he died that my grandfather, Sgt Bill Babine, was awarded a Bronze Star at the Battle of the Bulge (he's left in this pic) as part of the Army's 84th Infantry, the Railsplitters. He also received a Purple Heart for his injuries.
#armisticeday #veteransday
#armisticeday #veteransday
November 11, 2025 at 8:14 PM
I didn't know until he died that my grandfather, Sgt Bill Babine, was awarded a Bronze Star at the Battle of the Bulge (he's left in this pic) as part of the Army's 84th Infantry, the Railsplitters. He also received a Purple Heart for his injuries.
#armisticeday #veteransday
#armisticeday #veteransday
Lt jg Kermit Kleene, U.S. Coast Guard, USS Charlottesville. When he returned after four years at war, his family thought he had been "on a four year vacation." Except for one night, two months before he died, my grandfather never spoke of the war and what he had seen. #ArmisticeDay #VeteransDay
November 11, 2025 at 5:15 PM
Lt jg Kermit Kleene, U.S. Coast Guard, USS Charlottesville. When he returned after four years at war, his family thought he had been "on a four year vacation." Except for one night, two months before he died, my grandfather never spoke of the war and what he had seen. #ArmisticeDay #VeteransDay
My great-grandfather, William Henry Babine, Sr., on this #ArmisticeDay, because he's one of the focal points of my Nova Scotia book. I suspect he saw action in France, but I can't prove it. What Bill, Sr. saw or didn't see still affects generations he never met. #veteransday
November 11, 2025 at 3:19 PM
My great-grandfather, William Henry Babine, Sr., on this #ArmisticeDay, because he's one of the focal points of my Nova Scotia book. I suspect he saw action in France, but I can't prove it. What Bill, Sr. saw or didn't see still affects generations he never met. #veteransday
Chaplain Lt. Col Dan Babine, United States Air Force, ret. #ArmisticeDay #VeteransDay
November 11, 2025 at 2:58 PM
Chaplain Lt. Col Dan Babine, United States Air Force, ret. #ArmisticeDay #VeteransDay
Reposted by Karen Babine
Sounds like the squishes in the senate caucus are ready to pull the plug with no ACA changes. This is real. If you want to register your opinion you shld call yr senator in the next hour. They not only want to reopen w/nothing. They want cover from their colleagues who still want to hold out.
November 9, 2025 at 8:42 PM
Sounds like the squishes in the senate caucus are ready to pull the plug with no ACA changes. This is real. If you want to register your opinion you shld call yr senator in the next hour. They not only want to reopen w/nothing. They want cover from their colleagues who still want to hold out.
Reposted by Karen Babine
Call the United States Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and they will connect you with your senator's office.
If you're represented by one of the squishier centrists, be sure to make a call. Now.
If you're represented by one of the squishier centrists, be sure to make a call. Now.
Sounds like the squishes in the senate caucus are ready to pull the plug with no ACA changes. This is real. If you want to register your opinion you shld call yr senator in the next hour. They not only want to reopen w/nothing. They want cover from their colleagues who still want to hold out.
November 9, 2025 at 8:47 PM
Call the United States Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and they will connect you with your senator's office.
If you're represented by one of the squishier centrists, be sure to make a call. Now.
If you're represented by one of the squishier centrists, be sure to make a call. Now.
Not a bad use of a Saturday. My house smells really good right now.
Florence, in the background: felt cute, might make soup later
Florence, in the background: felt cute, might make soup later
November 8, 2025 at 8:04 PM
Not a bad use of a Saturday. My house smells really good right now.
Florence, in the background: felt cute, might make soup later
Florence, in the background: felt cute, might make soup later
Reposted by Karen Babine
This Throwback Thursday, we’re revisiting Assay issue 1.1 with Ned Stuckey‑French’s essay “Our Queer Little Hybrid Thing.”
“The essay has also gotten lost under the big tent of terms..."
Read the complete article here:
buff.ly/vmZg07o
#ThrowbackThursday #CreativeNonfiction #CreativeWriting #Queer
“The essay has also gotten lost under the big tent of terms..."
Read the complete article here:
buff.ly/vmZg07o
#ThrowbackThursday #CreativeNonfiction #CreativeWriting #Queer
November 6, 2025 at 4:04 PM
This Throwback Thursday, we’re revisiting Assay issue 1.1 with Ned Stuckey‑French’s essay “Our Queer Little Hybrid Thing.”
“The essay has also gotten lost under the big tent of terms..."
Read the complete article here:
buff.ly/vmZg07o
#ThrowbackThursday #CreativeNonfiction #CreativeWriting #Queer
“The essay has also gotten lost under the big tent of terms..."
Read the complete article here:
buff.ly/vmZg07o
#ThrowbackThursday #CreativeNonfiction #CreativeWriting #Queer
Reposted by Karen Babine
Kaohly Her will be the first Hmong mayor of St. Paul. We asked her how she wants people to pronounce her name.
November 5, 2025 at 9:37 PM
Kaohly Her will be the first Hmong mayor of St. Paul. We asked her how she wants people to pronounce her name.
Now that is November, it is now legal in my house to watch Knives Out
a woman is drinking from a mug that says " my house "
ALT: a woman is drinking from a mug that says " my house "
media.tenor.com
November 2, 2025 at 8:54 PM
Now that is November, it is now legal in my house to watch Knives Out
Reposted by Karen Babine
Gas utility bills are rising even though natural gas prices are down. That's because a much larger share of your gas bill now goes to infrastructure instead of fuel.
Natural gas prices are low, but your monthly gas bill is up. Here's why
Gas utility bills are rising even though natural gas prices are down. That's because a much larger share of your gas bill now goes to infrastructure instead of fuel.
n.pr
October 20, 2025 at 10:47 AM
Gas utility bills are rising even though natural gas prices are down. That's because a much larger share of your gas bill now goes to infrastructure instead of fuel.
Reposted by Karen Babine
‼️ CHATTANOOGA - Public school kids outperform voucher kids AGAIN
As @GovBillLee steers more and more taxpayer funds away from public schools to private (mostly Christian) schools for wealthy families who are already there.
More: www.timesfreepress.com/news/2025/oc...
As @GovBillLee steers more and more taxpayer funds away from public schools to private (mostly Christian) schools for wealthy families who are already there.
More: www.timesfreepress.com/news/2025/oc...
October 12, 2025 at 11:40 AM
‼️ CHATTANOOGA - Public school kids outperform voucher kids AGAIN
As @GovBillLee steers more and more taxpayer funds away from public schools to private (mostly Christian) schools for wealthy families who are already there.
More: www.timesfreepress.com/news/2025/oc...
As @GovBillLee steers more and more taxpayer funds away from public schools to private (mostly Christian) schools for wealthy families who are already there.
More: www.timesfreepress.com/news/2025/oc...
So excited for Julija Šukys' new book!
It’s not *about* campus shootings, but about the archives left behind. The stories we leave and the stories we tell are not neutral, and the choice not to tell a story is as much a story in itself.
Grateful to my dear friend for this powerful, timely work.
It’s not *about* campus shootings, but about the archives left behind. The stories we leave and the stories we tell are not neutral, and the choice not to tell a story is as much a story in itself.
Grateful to my dear friend for this powerful, timely work.
October 9, 2025 at 2:08 PM
So excited for Julija Šukys' new book!
It’s not *about* campus shootings, but about the archives left behind. The stories we leave and the stories we tell are not neutral, and the choice not to tell a story is as much a story in itself.
Grateful to my dear friend for this powerful, timely work.
It’s not *about* campus shootings, but about the archives left behind. The stories we leave and the stories we tell are not neutral, and the choice not to tell a story is as much a story in itself.
Grateful to my dear friend for this powerful, timely work.
Revisiting MFK Fisher this morning and I just want to wrap this book around me like a blanket. She should not be so relevant in these days. #amreading #foodwriting
October 8, 2025 at 12:05 PM
Revisiting MFK Fisher this morning and I just want to wrap this book around me like a blanket. She should not be so relevant in these days. #amreading #foodwriting
Chattanooga friends, come hang out with me and Sybil Baker in my last event of this wonderful Summer of Book with The Allure of Elsewhere! Tickets available in the link!
www.thebookandcover.com/events/36477...
www.thebookandcover.com/events/36477...
The Allure of Elsewhere: An Evening with Author Karen Babine | The Book & Cover
www.thebookandcover.com
October 7, 2025 at 1:57 PM
Chattanooga friends, come hang out with me and Sybil Baker in my last event of this wonderful Summer of Book with The Allure of Elsewhere! Tickets available in the link!
www.thebookandcover.com/events/36477...
www.thebookandcover.com/events/36477...
Reposted by Karen Babine
The first conversation piece in Assay 12.1 is Desirae Matherly’s “In Defense of Navel Gazing.”
“Navel-gazing as a criticism is most often applied to works that focus merely on the self and do not look out from it."
Read it here or visit the link in our bio:
buff.ly/eUpi85N
#CreativeNonfiction
“Navel-gazing as a criticism is most often applied to works that focus merely on the self and do not look out from it."
Read it here or visit the link in our bio:
buff.ly/eUpi85N
#CreativeNonfiction
October 6, 2025 at 3:03 PM
The first conversation piece in Assay 12.1 is Desirae Matherly’s “In Defense of Navel Gazing.”
“Navel-gazing as a criticism is most often applied to works that focus merely on the self and do not look out from it."
Read it here or visit the link in our bio:
buff.ly/eUpi85N
#CreativeNonfiction
“Navel-gazing as a criticism is most often applied to works that focus merely on the self and do not look out from it."
Read it here or visit the link in our bio:
buff.ly/eUpi85N
#CreativeNonfiction
Reposted by Karen Babine
“The past beats inside me like a second heart.” – John Banville, The Sea
October 4, 2025 at 7:56 PM
“The past beats inside me like a second heart.” – John Banville, The Sea
Reposted by Karen Babine
Remembering Brian Friel. Hard to believe that ten years has passed since his death.
October 2, 2025 at 4:40 PM
Remembering Brian Friel. Hard to believe that ten years has passed since his death.
Reposted by Karen Babine
"If we lose hope, we're doomed."
We must continue Dr. Jane Goodall's mission and all fight for the future of the planet.
We must continue Dr. Jane Goodall's mission and all fight for the future of the planet.
October 1, 2025 at 7:31 PM
"If we lose hope, we're doomed."
We must continue Dr. Jane Goodall's mission and all fight for the future of the planet.
We must continue Dr. Jane Goodall's mission and all fight for the future of the planet.
Reposted by Karen Babine
Happy October! Assay Issue 12.1 (Fall 2025) is here, full of delightful new nonfiction scholarship and pedagogy!
buff.ly/Sv9yxzt
#AssayJournal #SubmissionsOpen #SubmitYourWork #Pedagogy #Nonfiction #Interviews #LiteraryCriticism #TeachingResources #NewIssue #MagazineLaunch
buff.ly/Sv9yxzt
#AssayJournal #SubmissionsOpen #SubmitYourWork #Pedagogy #Nonfiction #Interviews #LiteraryCriticism #TeachingResources #NewIssue #MagazineLaunch
October 1, 2025 at 12:05 PM
Happy October! Assay Issue 12.1 (Fall 2025) is here, full of delightful new nonfiction scholarship and pedagogy!
buff.ly/Sv9yxzt
#AssayJournal #SubmissionsOpen #SubmitYourWork #Pedagogy #Nonfiction #Interviews #LiteraryCriticism #TeachingResources #NewIssue #MagazineLaunch
buff.ly/Sv9yxzt
#AssayJournal #SubmissionsOpen #SubmitYourWork #Pedagogy #Nonfiction #Interviews #LiteraryCriticism #TeachingResources #NewIssue #MagazineLaunch
Hey friends, I asked this a while ago, but returning to it: who's publishing your favorite nonfiction craft books?
I've got my list, so I'm wondering if I've missed any.
I've got my list, so I'm wondering if I've missed any.
a man is writing in a notebook with a pen .
ALT: a man is writing in a notebook with a pen .
media.tenor.com
September 22, 2025 at 4:12 PM
Hey friends, I asked this a while ago, but returning to it: who's publishing your favorite nonfiction craft books?
I've got my list, so I'm wondering if I've missed any.
I've got my list, so I'm wondering if I've missed any.
Reposted by Karen Babine
Next up, @karenbabine.bsky.social's "Prince Edward Island," excerpted from THE ALLURE OF ELSEWHERE: A MEMOIR OF GOING SOLO from @milkweededitions.bsky.social
@therumpus.net #RumpusEssays therumpus.net/2025/05/16/e...
@therumpus.net #RumpusEssays therumpus.net/2025/05/16/e...
Prince Edward Island - The Rumpus
The gas station attendant looks at me and says, "My advice, get out of town." There’s no snark in his voice. He’s worried.
therumpus.net
September 17, 2025 at 4:42 PM
Next up, @karenbabine.bsky.social's "Prince Edward Island," excerpted from THE ALLURE OF ELSEWHERE: A MEMOIR OF GOING SOLO from @milkweededitions.bsky.social
@therumpus.net #RumpusEssays therumpus.net/2025/05/16/e...
@therumpus.net #RumpusEssays therumpus.net/2025/05/16/e...
Knoxville friends, I'm going to be reading at Union Ave Books for their First Friday event on Oct 3--would love to see you there!
unionavebooks.com/event/2025-1...
unionavebooks.com/event/2025-1...
October First Friday Poetry Night
unionavebooks.com
September 17, 2025 at 1:16 PM
Knoxville friends, I'm going to be reading at Union Ave Books for their First Friday event on Oct 3--would love to see you there!
unionavebooks.com/event/2025-1...
unionavebooks.com/event/2025-1...