Alaina Johns
@alaina-johns.bsky.social
Philly-based journalist and crusader for cultural criticism. Editor-in-chief of Broad Street Review, Philly’s home for arts, culture, and conversation. She/her
For pitches, praise, and hate-readers: ajohns at broadstreetreview dot com
For pitches, praise, and hate-readers: ajohns at broadstreetreview dot com
Really enjoyed last night’s Intro to Review-Writing class! You still have time to register for tonight’s (Thurs July 17) BAD REVIEWS webinar, featuring panelists @alixrosenfeld.bsky.social & Wendy Rosenfield. Going to be a GREAT convo. www.eventbrite.com/e/bad-review...
July 17, 2025 at 3:10 PM
Really enjoyed last night’s Intro to Review-Writing class! You still have time to register for tonight’s (Thurs July 17) BAD REVIEWS webinar, featuring panelists @alixrosenfeld.bsky.social & Wendy Rosenfield. Going to be a GREAT convo. www.eventbrite.com/e/bad-review...
LAST CHANCE to register for our Intro to Review-Writing webinar TONIGHT (Wed July 16) at 6:30pm ET. There’s a PWYC option! www.eventbrite.com/e/intro-to-r...
July 16, 2025 at 3:01 PM
LAST CHANCE to register for our Intro to Review-Writing webinar TONIGHT (Wed July 16) at 6:30pm ET. There’s a PWYC option! www.eventbrite.com/e/intro-to-r...
BAD REVIEWS is back! Boost your cultural criticism skills with my webinar on how to write “bad” reviews and why we need them. July 17, 6:30pm ET on Zoom. www.broadstreetreview.com/previews/our...
Our popular review-writing webinars are back on July 16 and 17!
Are you an aspiring or emerging critic? Are you a journalist who is curious about getting started as a reviewer? Are you an arts-lover who wants an inside…
www.broadstreetreview.com
July 9, 2025 at 6:33 PM
BAD REVIEWS is back! Boost your cultural criticism skills with my webinar on how to write “bad” reviews and why we need them. July 17, 6:30pm ET on Zoom. www.broadstreetreview.com/previews/our...
Call your senators and keep making a ruckus. They will take health insurance away from millions like me so they can give billionaires a little treat
June 25, 2025 at 1:48 AM
Call your senators and keep making a ruckus. They will take health insurance away from millions like me so they can give billionaires a little treat
Reposted by Alaina Johns
Thanks for the reminder @janemunday.bsky.social. Every summer, I repost this article DROWNING DOES NOT LOOK LIKE DROWNING. To date, I know of FOUR kids who were saved after someone who'd clicked on the link learnt how to spot actual drowning. Take time to read and pass on.
slate.com/technology/2...
slate.com/technology/2...
Drowning Doesn’t Look Like Drowning
Drowning is not the violent, splashing call for help that most people expect.
slate.com
June 19, 2025 at 4:22 PM
Thanks for the reminder @janemunday.bsky.social. Every summer, I repost this article DROWNING DOES NOT LOOK LIKE DROWNING. To date, I know of FOUR kids who were saved after someone who'd clicked on the link learnt how to spot actual drowning. Take time to read and pass on.
slate.com/technology/2...
slate.com/technology/2...
Millions march, corporate media calls it thousands. Dozens of Broad Street Review writers joined #NoKings day. Here are the protests in their own words: www.broadstreetreview.com/editorials/b...
BSR writers speak up about the June 14 No Kings protests in Philly…
The June 14 No Kings Day, organized to reclaim the American flag and oppose unconstitutional actions by the Trump administration in favor of democracy and…
www.broadstreetreview.com
June 18, 2025 at 9:03 PM
Millions march, corporate media calls it thousands. Dozens of Broad Street Review writers joined #NoKings day. Here are the protests in their own words: www.broadstreetreview.com/editorials/b...
This isn’t grabbing headlines, but the @septaphilly.bsky.social doomsday budget would kill Philly’s arts & culture scene. Tips for action in my story. Time is running out to save public transit in our city. www.broadstreetreview.com/editorials/s...
SEPTA’s “doomsday” cuts would be devastating to Philly arts and…
A “doomsday” budget that would slash SEPTA service by 45 percent and raise fares by more than 20 percent poses an existential threat to Philly’s cultural…
www.broadstreetreview.com
June 11, 2025 at 10:23 PM
This isn’t grabbing headlines, but the @septaphilly.bsky.social doomsday budget would kill Philly’s arts & culture scene. Tips for action in my story. Time is running out to save public transit in our city. www.broadstreetreview.com/editorials/s...
I don’t make the rules
June 11, 2025 at 1:15 AM
I don’t make the rules
Chat with top Philly authors! Super excited for BSR’s June 4 author panel (on Zoom!). Join us and bring your questions for @elisejuska.bsky.social, @ericsmithrocks.bsky.social, @trejohnson.bsky.social, John Morrison, and @aliontas.bsky.social 👀📚❤️
June 3, 2025 at 12:01 PM
Chat with top Philly authors! Super excited for BSR’s June 4 author panel (on Zoom!). Join us and bring your questions for @elisejuska.bsky.social, @ericsmithrocks.bsky.social, @trejohnson.bsky.social, John Morrison, and @aliontas.bsky.social 👀📚❤️
Lots of reporting on effects of SEPTA “doomsday” cuts; not enough practical info to know what we can do to save the transit we rely on. I want to help change that with my clear resource guide. Read, choose an action to take, and spread this info widely! docs.google.com/document/d/1...
EASY ACTION ITEMS TO FIGHT SEPTA CUTS
UNDERSTAND AND FIGHT SEPTA “DOOMSDAY” CUTS Get informed and learn about the actions you can take, all in one place SEPTA, the public transit agency that serves Philadelphia and southeastern Pennsyl...
docs.google.com
May 13, 2025 at 2:03 AM
Lots of reporting on effects of SEPTA “doomsday” cuts; not enough practical info to know what we can do to save the transit we rely on. I want to help change that with my clear resource guide. Read, choose an action to take, and spread this info widely! docs.google.com/document/d/1...
Reposted by Alaina Johns
I'm sure someone has already said this more eloquently, but autistic folks who don't pay taxes are still valuable human beings, and people with criminal records should still not be disappeared to foreign extra judicial prison sites. Inherent human worth is the hill.
April 20, 2025 at 1:33 AM
I'm sure someone has already said this more eloquently, but autistic folks who don't pay taxes are still valuable human beings, and people with criminal records should still not be disappeared to foreign extra judicial prison sites. Inherent human worth is the hill.
Thanks everyone who showed up today. Keep showing up. I don’t think patriotism is its own end. I don’t think there’s any point in loving a country or America in particular. But a functional country with basic rights can protect people who need it, including me.
April 19, 2025 at 11:58 PM
Thanks everyone who showed up today. Keep showing up. I don’t think patriotism is its own end. I don’t think there’s any point in loving a country or America in particular. But a functional country with basic rights can protect people who need it, including me.
You might not need this yourself, but I bet someone you know does. Keep the info rippling in your network.
If you know folks who are feeling angry but new to political action, @alaina-johns.bsky.social has a guide for rookies. Share with someone who might need a nudge! docs.google.com/document/d/1...
Resistance resources for political newbies
Resistance Resources for Political Newbies By Alaina Johns INTRO This is a guide for people who want easy-to-understand info about why our democracy is at risk, why ordinary people need to speak ou...
docs.google.com
April 19, 2025 at 3:18 PM
You might not need this yourself, but I bet someone you know does. Keep the info rippling in your network.
Reposted by Alaina Johns
last year @nobordersbooks.bsky.social sent 600+ books to Rikers; this year our book drive is for teens who are incarcerated in Brooklyn. please purchase a book if you can—most of these are requested titles, and a $7 Goosebumps book would mean A LOT to a kid in detention bookshop.org/wishlists/70...
April 17, 2025 at 2:30 PM
last year @nobordersbooks.bsky.social sent 600+ books to Rikers; this year our book drive is for teens who are incarcerated in Brooklyn. please purchase a book if you can—most of these are requested titles, and a $7 Goosebumps book would mean A LOT to a kid in detention bookshop.org/wishlists/70...
Keep talking to loved ones who haven’t woken up yet. If they refuse to wake up, keep doing what you know is right.
April 17, 2025 at 2:00 PM
Keep talking to loved ones who haven’t woken up yet. If they refuse to wake up, keep doing what you know is right.
I want to start an anti-fascist crochet circle. Knitters welcome too.
April 5, 2025 at 8:03 PM
I want to start an anti-fascist crochet circle. Knitters welcome too.
Hi, sending me a pitch or press release that’s a joke or prank is a quick way to get yourself blocked for today and all the days that come after April 1. Maybe other journalists have the patience for this in the year of our lord 2025 but I do not 🤗
April 1, 2025 at 2:34 PM
Hi, sending me a pitch or press release that’s a joke or prank is a quick way to get yourself blocked for today and all the days that come after April 1. Maybe other journalists have the patience for this in the year of our lord 2025 but I do not 🤗
Cultural & literary folks (and anyone who likes libraries & museums): you need to call your House rep NOW about supporting IMLS in the face of cruel Trump cuts. I had a good convo w Rep Dwight Evans’ Philly office today. Pls make the call. More info: bit.ly/4c8dVO3
Updates and Resources on the Impacts of Executive Orders
Recent Executive Orders are having profound effects on communities, organizations, and museums. We know this brings uncertainty, and we’re here to help by providing updates and resources. We …
bit.ly
March 27, 2025 at 7:28 PM
Cultural & literary folks (and anyone who likes libraries & museums): you need to call your House rep NOW about supporting IMLS in the face of cruel Trump cuts. I had a good convo w Rep Dwight Evans’ Philly office today. Pls make the call. More info: bit.ly/4c8dVO3
Bonus: this yarn was a gift from a Trump voter.
March 15, 2025 at 7:33 PM
Bonus: this yarn was a gift from a Trump voter.
I want to know what you’re doing to stay sane(ish) lately and whether any of you has as good an accomplice as my dog.
March 14, 2025 at 2:29 PM
I want to know what you’re doing to stay sane(ish) lately and whether any of you has as good an accomplice as my dog.
Long Bright River, the new show based on the book by @lizmoorebooks.bsky.social, starts streaming today. Series stars joined locals in Philly last week to talk about how our community informed the show: bit.ly/4iKKSCh
Long Bright River star Amanda Seyfried joins author Liz Moore at…
Philly author Liz Moore’s bestselling novel Long Bright River , set in Kensington, is now a TV series streaming this week on Peacock. The show’s stars and…
bit.ly
March 13, 2025 at 3:24 PM
Long Bright River, the new show based on the book by @lizmoorebooks.bsky.social, starts streaming today. Series stars joined locals in Philly last week to talk about how our community informed the show: bit.ly/4iKKSCh
I feel like a lot of people aren’t really plugging into the fact that banning someone from the bathroom is absolutely the same thing as banning them from the building. Disabled people know this too, including ppl who use wheelchairs & ppl w medical conditions that need a handy bathroom
Supporting bathroom, sports and healthcare bans for trans people means signing on to a moral panic about problems that DON'T EXIST.
When people say Democrats should "moderate" on these issues, they are suggesting that we legislate a group out of public life based on lies.
When people say Democrats should "moderate" on these issues, they are suggesting that we legislate a group out of public life based on lies.
March 7, 2025 at 2:43 AM
I feel like a lot of people aren’t really plugging into the fact that banning someone from the bathroom is absolutely the same thing as banning them from the building. Disabled people know this too, including ppl who use wheelchairs & ppl w medical conditions that need a handy bathroom
When I feel down about the fascists I remember that if we keep going we are in solidarity w the activists of history. They were in it for life under much worse circumstances. Act with them: bit.ly/4i5lk33
March 6, 2025 at 12:41 AM
When I feel down about the fascists I remember that if we keep going we are in solidarity w the activists of history. They were in it for life under much worse circumstances. Act with them: bit.ly/4i5lk33
Congrats to the adult person near me in the audience at Alvin Ailey today who spent the entirety of Revelations on their phone. You’ve disrespected some of the greatest artists in America & degraded the experience for others. I weep for the @ensembleartsphilly.bsky.social ushers.
March 2, 2025 at 9:38 PM
Congrats to the adult person near me in the audience at Alvin Ailey today who spent the entirety of Revelations on their phone. You’ve disrespected some of the greatest artists in America & degraded the experience for others. I weep for the @ensembleartsphilly.bsky.social ushers.
Philly pals, who are your fave historical activists from our region? William Still? Octavius Catto? Alice Paul? The Germantown Quakers who made American’s first anti-slavery protest in 1688? Activists for disability rights, abolition, suffrage, science, the environment? I want to know for a story!
February 25, 2025 at 11:29 PM
Philly pals, who are your fave historical activists from our region? William Still? Octavius Catto? Alice Paul? The Germantown Quakers who made American’s first anti-slavery protest in 1688? Activists for disability rights, abolition, suffrage, science, the environment? I want to know for a story!