Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Laura Garden @lauragarden.bsky.social · 6d

We spent the nor’easter at the beach, which might seem like a strange choice, but was relaxing. I love the beach in all weather, but rain is my favorite. The storm high tide moved the sand around, transforming the coast, making mountains between the jetties, and wind blew leaves out into the water.

Laura Garden @lauragarden.bsky.social · 6d

We’ve been in a drought, pond low, river low, so rain is a welcome change. The big nor’easter this weekend brought in cozy hibernation vibes. Time to take down the winter clothes from the attic.

Laura Garden @lauragarden.bsky.social · 6d

Later, we’ll dig up hundreds of dahlia tubers and put them in the cellar for winter, but not yet.

It’s nice to have a pause after the wild frenzy of flower picking last week.

Following the frost came days of rain—the first we’ve had in a long time.

Laura Garden @lauragarden.bsky.social · 6d

We sold the fresh ones—dahlias, zinnias, etc—at the farmers market, our last of the year, and saved the dried flowers to make bouquets for winter. Now the house is full of dried bouquets every color of the rainbow, hanging from fireplaces and windows.

Laura Garden @lauragarden.bsky.social · 6d

Last Thursday the first frost of the season came early. Before that we had a ninety degree day, and the temperature dropped sixty degrees, putting an end to the long summer. We rushed to pick as many flowers as we could before the freeze killed them.

Laura Garden @lauragarden.bsky.social · 6d

No Kings Day October 18th

See you there!

lauragarden.substack.com

Laura Garden @lauragarden.bsky.social · 16d

This is delightful!

1 1

Reposted by Laura Garden

Kathleen Jennings @tanaudel.bsky.social · 16d

Impossible Australian wildflowers, on various things: www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/5371...

Also on fabric and wallpaper: www.spoonflower.com/en/fabric/10...

Impossible Flowers by tanaudel | Redbubble

A tangled, impossible wandering of Australian wildflowers.

www.redbubble.com

2 3 10

Reposted by Laura Garden

Lake Michigan @lakemichigan13.bsky.social · 19d

This one goes out in honor of Jane Goodall for her work in conservation and moving science forward in the understanding of other species on this planet
🌊🌊

8 75 580

Laura Garden @lauragarden.bsky.social · 19d

September being my birthday month, book club took a break from anti-fascism to read a “gothic nightmare full of buried secrets and shambling horrors”!

I loved this book.

September Book Club

Honeyeater by Kathleen Jennings

lauragarden.substack.com

Laura Garden @lauragarden.bsky.social · 19d

On the farm, the flower gardens are peaking. Dahlias put out new pink, purple and orange blooms after the rain, and cosmos are starting to go by and turn brown.

September Book Club

Honeyeater by Kathleen Jennings

lauragarden.substack.com

Reposted by Laura Garden

Robert Reich @rbreich.bsky.social · 29d

Remember: If we allow ourselves to fall into fatalism, or wallow in disappointment, or become resigned to what is rather than what should be, we will lose the long game.

The greatest enemy of positive social change is cynicism about what can be changed.

400 3.9K 13K

Laura Garden @lauragarden.bsky.social · Sep 20

We all need to be civil liberties advocates and defenders of our Constitutional rights.

1

Laura Garden @lauragarden.bsky.social · Sep 20

Whether or not we retain the right to free speech depends on everyday people being willing to speak freely about the things we care about.

You have a voice. Use it.

1

Reposted by Laura Garden

Ada Palmer @adapalmer.bsky.social · Sep 19

That’s how censorship operates in the USA (and many places) government pressure is used to force people & groups to self-censor.

It’s a constant pattern:
The majority of censorship is self-censorship, but the majority of self-censorship is deliberately cultivated by an outside power. It’s the goal

scott⚡️mccloud @scottmccloud.bsky.social · Sep 19

Gentle reminder that in the late '50s, the U.S. government did not censor comics. Comics companies censored themselves.

Not sure why that crossed my mind today but there it is...

2 66 170

Reposted by Laura Garden

Barack Obama @barackobama.bsky.social · Sep 18

After years of complaining about cancel culture, the current administration has taken it to a new and dangerous level by routinely threatening regulatory action against media companies unless they muzzle or fire reporters and commentators it doesn’t like.

Let’s be clear about what happened to Jimmy Kimmel

Trump’s most brazen attack on free speech yet.

www.yahoo.com

2K 20K 62K

Laura Garden @lauragarden.bsky.social · Sep 18

Free-to-use Picture Resources for Writers
www.jordanacosta.co/p/free-to-us...

Free-to-use Picture Resources for Writers

You have options other than Generative AI to illustrate your work

www.jordanacosta.co

1

Laura Garden @lauragarden.bsky.social · Sep 17

What's the literary equivalent of an EGOT?
Fiction, nonfiction and fantasy?
Or Poetry, nonfiction, and fiction?

2

Reposted by Laura Garden

Marty Cahill @mcflycahill90.bsky.social · Sep 17

Yesterday feels like a dream, yet all the more special knowing it was real. If you weren’t able to join last night, I’ll be in conversation tonight with @casskhaw.bsky.social at 8pm EST, hosted by @loyaltybooks.bsky.social!

Link below, hope to see you in cyberspace!

loyaltybookstores.com/thefox

Martin Cahill and Cassandra Khaw for Audition for the Fox

loyaltybookstores.com

5 10

Reposted by Laura Garden

Radley Balko @radleybalko.bsky.social · Sep 15

We're witnessing the most aggressive, fanatical crackdown on free speech in my lifetime. The speed and breadth of government censorship and private sector and nonprofit capitulation has been astonishing. As has the lack of urgency/silence from people who've long claimed to care about this stuff.

460 7.7K 25K

Laura Garden @lauragarden.bsky.social · Sep 10

I’ve always believed that writers need to immerse themselves in the world, occupations, people, and places, in order to write about the world as it is, to create stories that enrich readers’ lives.

1

Laura Garden @lauragarden.bsky.social · Sep 10

As George R. R. Martin says, “A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only one.”

1

Laura Garden @lauragarden.bsky.social · Sep 9

That is so exciting! Woo hoo!

1

Laura Garden @lauragarden.bsky.social · Sep 7

2

Reposted by Laura Garden

Governor JB Pritzker @govpritzker.illinois.gov · Sep 7

Authoritarians thrive on your silence — be loud — for America.

530 9.4K 33K