R.D. Pohl
@rdpohl.bsky.social
Writer, critic, literary journalist, poetry editor. Trained as language philosopher. Follow at POETRY/POETICS/LANGUAGE/COMMUNITY (https://rdpohl.substack.com). Formerly with The Buffalo News, currently The Buffalo Hive, a non-profit arts & culture startup.
Mirabile dictu! 😂
Mitt Romney is in the New York Times saying we should tax the rich.
December 19, 2025 at 5:43 PM
Mirabile dictu! 😂
Mirabile dictu! 😂
I’m old enough to remember when Mitt Romney said the problem was that 47% of America didn’t pay taxes and wanted to be freeloaders. But I welcome him to the resistance.
Mitt Romney is in the New York Times saying we should tax the rich.
December 19, 2025 at 5:42 PM
Mirabile dictu! 😂
Reposted by R.D. Pohl
December 19, 2025 at 12:31 AM
Reposted by R.D. Pohl
at urging of Bob, re-sharing these two new poems up at @havehashad.com -- the second first.
www.havehashad.com/preview/hadp...
www.havehashad.com/preview/hadp...
December 19, 2025 at 3:21 PM
at urging of Bob, re-sharing these two new poems up at @havehashad.com -- the second first.
www.havehashad.com/preview/hadp...
www.havehashad.com/preview/hadp...
I'm now experiencing cognitive dissonance about cognitive dissonance...
The theory of cognitive dissonance has become ubiquitous—but newly released documents seem to debunk the concept’s foundational case study. www.newyorker.com/culture/the-...
Is Cognitive Dissonance Actually a Thing?
A foundational 1956 study of the concept, focussed on a U.F.O. doomsday cult, has been all but debunked by new research.
www.newyorker.com
December 19, 2025 at 2:57 AM
I'm now experiencing cognitive dissonance about cognitive dissonance...
Reposted by R.D. Pohl
The theory of cognitive dissonance has become ubiquitous—but newly released documents seem to debunk the concept’s foundational case study. www.newyorker.com/culture/the-...
Is Cognitive Dissonance Actually a Thing?
A foundational 1956 study of the concept, focussed on a U.F.O. doomsday cult, has been all but debunked by new research.
www.newyorker.com
December 19, 2025 at 2:00 AM
The theory of cognitive dissonance has become ubiquitous—but newly released documents seem to debunk the concept’s foundational case study. www.newyorker.com/culture/the-...
Reposted by R.D. Pohl
EXCLUSIVE: the Working Families Party is putting out a recruitment call for people opposed to data centers in their communities to run for local office
the recruitment effort comes just 2 days after Bernie Sanders called for a moratorium on data center construction
the recruitment effort comes just 2 days after Bernie Sanders called for a moratorium on data center construction
Opposed to Data Centers? The Working Families Party Wants You to Run for Office
The influential progressive third party announced Thursday that it was putting out a recruitment call for candidates specifically opposed to data centers.
www.wired.com
December 18, 2025 at 2:02 PM
EXCLUSIVE: the Working Families Party is putting out a recruitment call for people opposed to data centers in their communities to run for local office
the recruitment effort comes just 2 days after Bernie Sanders called for a moratorium on data center construction
the recruitment effort comes just 2 days after Bernie Sanders called for a moratorium on data center construction
Reposted by R.D. Pohl
Alina Stefanescu : Above/groundings. (on above/ground press,
abovegroundpress.blogspot.com/2025/12/alin...
abovegroundpress.blogspot.com/2025/12/alin...
Alina Stefanescu : Above/groundings.
American poet, critic and subscriber Alina Stefanescu was kind enough to highlight the press over at her blog, pointing out a whole swath o...
abovegroundpress.blogspot.com
December 16, 2025 at 3:17 PM
Alina Stefanescu : Above/groundings. (on above/ground press,
abovegroundpress.blogspot.com/2025/12/alin...
abovegroundpress.blogspot.com/2025/12/alin...
In yet another cost-cutting move, Lee Enterprises will not allow the Buffalo News reporters assigned to Sabres coverage to use these Finnish diacritical marks in Kekäläinen's name. For what it's worth, The New York Times is using the diacritical marks.
The Buffalo Sabres organization is now in that grace period when no one yet knows how to pronounce the new general manager's name. Those two Finnish vowels are called ääkkösets. Might take a whole season for the fan base to learn how to pronounce his name well enough to call for his firing.
December 16, 2025 at 2:37 PM
In yet another cost-cutting move, Lee Enterprises will not allow the Buffalo News reporters assigned to Sabres coverage to use these Finnish diacritical marks in Kekäläinen's name. For what it's worth, The New York Times is using the diacritical marks.
The Buffalo Sabres organization is now in that grace period when no one yet knows how to pronounce the new general manager's name. Those two Finnish vowels are called ääkkösets. Might take a whole season for the fan base to learn how to pronounce his name well enough to call for his firing.
December 16, 2025 at 2:30 PM
The Buffalo Sabres organization is now in that grace period when no one yet knows how to pronounce the new general manager's name. Those two Finnish vowels are called ääkkösets. Might take a whole season for the fan base to learn how to pronounce his name well enough to call for his firing.
Poet Diana Cao is the featured Teaching Artist for this week’s Just Buffalo Literary Center TEACHERS ARE WRITERS Series.
Buffalo Area Poetry & Literature Calendar (week of Dec. 15 to Dec. 21) @thebuffalohive.bsky.social
thebuffalohive.com/buffalo-area...
Buffalo Area Poetry & Literature Calendar (week of Dec. 15 to Dec. 21) @thebuffalohive.bsky.social
thebuffalohive.com/buffalo-area...
Buffalo Area Poetry & Literature Calendar (week of Dec. 15 to Dec. 21) -
Poet Diana Cao is the featuring Teaching Artist for this week’s Just Buffalo Literary Center TEACHERS ARE WRITERS Series. Five events this week in the Buffalo literary community. Tuesday, Dec. […]
thebuffalohive.com
December 15, 2025 at 1:23 PM
Poet Diana Cao is the featured Teaching Artist for this week’s Just Buffalo Literary Center TEACHERS ARE WRITERS Series.
Buffalo Area Poetry & Literature Calendar (week of Dec. 15 to Dec. 21) @thebuffalohive.bsky.social
thebuffalohive.com/buffalo-area...
Buffalo Area Poetry & Literature Calendar (week of Dec. 15 to Dec. 21) @thebuffalohive.bsky.social
thebuffalohive.com/buffalo-area...
All 'information' is disinformation now, especially on the large platforms.
How far are we into the degradation of language and the entire epistemic ground of truth that 'fact checking' entails? In 2026, Nieman Lab predicts the ground for journalism will shift from checking facts to analyzing not *whether* we are being lied to, but HOW BIG THE LIE IS and WHO THE LIE SERVES
"In 2026 the fight against misinformation will rely less on correcting claims and more on understanding and addressing the deep-seated frictions that allow them to thrive." www.niemanlab.org/2025/12/from... by Valerie Belair-Gagnon
December 9, 2025 at 7:23 PM
All 'information' is disinformation now, especially on the large platforms.
How far are we into the degradation of language and the entire epistemic ground of truth that 'fact checking' entails? In 2026, Nieman Lab predicts the ground for journalism will shift from checking facts to analyzing not *whether* we are being lied to, but HOW BIG THE LIE IS and WHO THE LIE SERVES
"In 2026 the fight against misinformation will rely less on correcting claims and more on understanding and addressing the deep-seated frictions that allow them to thrive." www.niemanlab.org/2025/12/from... by Valerie Belair-Gagnon
December 9, 2025 at 7:21 PM
How far are we into the degradation of language and the entire epistemic ground of truth that 'fact checking' entails? In 2026, Nieman Lab predicts the ground for journalism will shift from checking facts to analyzing not *whether* we are being lied to, but HOW BIG THE LIE IS and WHO THE LIE SERVES
Wednesday Night Live at Caffe Aroma with Deia Elwadi is among seven events in the community this week. @thebuffalohive.bsky.social
thebuffalohive.com/buffalo-area...
thebuffalohive.com/buffalo-area...
Buffalo Area Poetry & Literature Calendar (week of Dec. 8 to Dec. 14) -
Wednesday Night Live at Caffe Aroma with Deia Elwadi is among seven events in the community this week. Tuesday, Dec. 9, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.: Tuesdays at Cabernet, monthly open […]
thebuffalohive.com
December 9, 2025 at 1:06 AM
Wednesday Night Live at Caffe Aroma with Deia Elwadi is among seven events in the community this week. @thebuffalohive.bsky.social
thebuffalohive.com/buffalo-area...
thebuffalohive.com/buffalo-area...
Marina Blitsheyn's third poetry collection Landguage/Mirror Me was published by the Bunny Presse imprint of Fonograf Editions in November of 2025. These two poems appear in that collection.
Two Poems from Landguage/Mirror Me by Marina Blitshteyn - Just Buffalo Literary Center | Buffalo, NY
Read poems from "Landguage/Mirror Me" by Marina Blitshteyn - part of the Poem of the Week series, curated by literary legacy awardee R.D. Pohl.
www.justbuffalo.org
December 8, 2025 at 5:04 PM
Marina Blitsheyn's third poetry collection Landguage/Mirror Me was published by the Bunny Presse imprint of Fonograf Editions in November of 2025. These two poems appear in that collection.
The University at Buffalo, where Morton Feldman (1926-1987) was Edgard Varèse Professor of Music Composition from 1973 to 1987, will host a Feldman@100 Celebration featuring talks and concert performances on January 12 & 13th of 2026 at the UB North Campus. Link is in comments.
December 3, 2025 at 8:24 PM
The University at Buffalo, where Morton Feldman (1926-1987) was Edgard Varèse Professor of Music Composition from 1973 to 1987, will host a Feldman@100 Celebration featuring talks and concert performances on January 12 & 13th of 2026 at the UB North Campus. Link is in comments.
Reposted by R.D. Pohl
I just added SO many books to my list! Hats off to @miriamgershow.bsky.social and all the reviewers and @literaryhub.bsky.social for putting together this incredibly vital, necessary, and good guide to the indies this year. Please do read! lithub.com/100-notable-...
100 Notable Small Press Books of 2025
The idea of 100 Notable Small Press Books was born November 2024, after The New York Times’s annual 100 Notable Books list featured eighty-two books from the Big Five publishing houses (Pengu…
lithub.com
December 2, 2025 at 2:39 PM
I just added SO many books to my list! Hats off to @miriamgershow.bsky.social and all the reviewers and @literaryhub.bsky.social for putting together this incredibly vital, necessary, and good guide to the indies this year. Please do read! lithub.com/100-notable-...
Fitz Books hosts a visit by debut novelist Sam Sussman, author of the acclaimed auto-fictional novel Boy From the North Country this Saturday evening. Plus, five other events in the community. @thebuffalohive.bsky.social
Buffalo Area Poetry & Literature Calendar (week of Dec. 1 to Dec. 7) -
Fitz Books hosts a visit by debut novelist Sam Sussman, author of the acclaimed auto-fictional novel Boy From the North Country this Saturday evening. Plus, five other events in the […]
thebuffalohive.com
December 1, 2025 at 10:59 PM
Fitz Books hosts a visit by debut novelist Sam Sussman, author of the acclaimed auto-fictional novel Boy From the North Country this Saturday evening. Plus, five other events in the community. @thebuffalohive.bsky.social
Reposted by R.D. Pohl
I’ll be discussing Language Machines with Anna Kornbluh @annakornbluh.bsky.social and Mike Lipkin @mlipkin.bsky.social at the Sem Coop on Dec 12
www.semcoop.com/event/leif-w...
www.semcoop.com/event/leif-w...
Leif Weatherby - "Language Machines" - Anna Kornbluh, Mike Lipkin | Seminary Co-op Bookstores
www.semcoop.com
December 1, 2025 at 3:35 PM
I’ll be discussing Language Machines with Anna Kornbluh @annakornbluh.bsky.social and Mike Lipkin @mlipkin.bsky.social at the Sem Coop on Dec 12
www.semcoop.com/event/leif-w...
www.semcoop.com/event/leif-w...
Later today (11/30), Brandon Williamson will host the November Pure Ink Poetry Slam at the Em Tea Coffeecup Café in Buffalo. On Wednesday (12/3) he appears in The Literary Café Series at the Center for Inquiry, 1310 Sweet Home Rd. in Amherst, NY.
How to Make Each Moment Count by Brandon Williamson - Just Buffalo Literary Center | Buffalo, NY
Read "How to Make Each Moment Count" by Brandon Williamson - part of the Poem of the Week series, curated by literary legacy awardee R.D. Pohl.
www.justbuffalo.org
November 30, 2025 at 3:07 PM
Later today (11/30), Brandon Williamson will host the November Pure Ink Poetry Slam at the Em Tea Coffeecup Café in Buffalo. On Wednesday (12/3) he appears in The Literary Café Series at the Center for Inquiry, 1310 Sweet Home Rd. in Amherst, NY.
Reposted by R.D. Pohl
". . .but I never despaired about my students, who, when our conditions allowed it, showed me again and again how close reading requires and multiplies both trust and strength."
Thank you @johannawinant.bsky.social for this ♥️
www.bostonreview.net/articles/the...
Thank you @johannawinant.bsky.social for this ♥️
www.bostonreview.net/articles/the...
The Claims of Close Reading - Boston Review
Literary studies have been starved by austerity, but their core methodology remains radical.
www.bostonreview.net
November 29, 2025 at 3:21 PM
". . .but I never despaired about my students, who, when our conditions allowed it, showed me again and again how close reading requires and multiplies both trust and strength."
Thank you @johannawinant.bsky.social for this ♥️
www.bostonreview.net/articles/the...
Thank you @johannawinant.bsky.social for this ♥️
www.bostonreview.net/articles/the...
Wednesday Night Live with Bianca L. McGraw is one highlight of this week's events in the Buffalo literary community.
thebuffalohive.com/buffalo-area...
thebuffalohive.com/buffalo-area...
Buffalo Area Poetry & Literature Calendar (week of Nov. 24 to Nov. 30) -
Wednesday Night Live with Bianca L. McGraw is one highlight of this week’s events in the Buffalo literary community. Tuesday, Nov. 25, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.: Tuesday Night Open […]
thebuffalohive.com
November 24, 2025 at 1:22 PM
Wednesday Night Live with Bianca L. McGraw is one highlight of this week's events in the Buffalo literary community.
thebuffalohive.com/buffalo-area...
thebuffalohive.com/buffalo-area...
Reposted by R.D. Pohl
"She’s not trying to rebuild her reputation as a journalist—she’s building a different kind of brand entirely, one where being interesting matters more than being ethical, where attention is the only currency that still spends."
The best thing I have read about her. www.mediaite.com/opinion/the-...
The best thing I have read about her. www.mediaite.com/opinion/the-...
The Olivia Nuzzi Comeback Is Everything Wrong With Modern Media
Olivia Nuzzi’s comeback isn’t a personal scandal story—it’s proof that today’s media rewards access, personality, and controversy more than ethics.
www.mediaite.com
November 21, 2025 at 4:27 PM
"She’s not trying to rebuild her reputation as a journalist—she’s building a different kind of brand entirely, one where being interesting matters more than being ethical, where attention is the only currency that still spends."
The best thing I have read about her. www.mediaite.com/opinion/the-...
The best thing I have read about her. www.mediaite.com/opinion/the-...
Congratulations to Omar El Akkad, who received the National Book Award in nonfiction for “One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This,” a book about Western indifference to civilian suffering in Gaza.
A provocative bestseller wins the National Book Award for nonfiction
Omar El Akkad’s “One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This” criticizes Western indifference to civilian suffering in Gaza.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 20, 2025 at 4:04 PM
Congratulations to Omar El Akkad, who received the National Book Award in nonfiction for “One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This,” a book about Western indifference to civilian suffering in Gaza.
Congratulations to Omar El Akkad (nonfiction) and Patricia Smith (poetry) for receiving 2025 National Book Awards. Omar won for "One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This" and Patricia for "The Intentions of Thunder: New and Selected Poems." Photo below is of Rabih Alameddine.
November 20, 2025 at 1:33 PM
Congratulations to Omar El Akkad (nonfiction) and Patricia Smith (poetry) for receiving 2025 National Book Awards. Omar won for "One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This" and Patricia for "The Intentions of Thunder: New and Selected Poems." Photo below is of Rabih Alameddine.