Alaina Johns
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alaina-johns.bsky.social
Alaina Johns
@alaina-johns.bsky.social
95 followers 79 following 69 posts
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
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alaina-johns.bsky.social
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
alaina-johns.bsky.social
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
alaina-johns.bsky.social
Never forget I wrote a free public guide for anyone who isn’t sure how to take action (including a guide for calling Congress) docs.google.com/document/d/1...
Screenshot of the first page of my document titled Resistance Resources for Political Newbies. Head to the link to read as much as you’d like.
June 25, 2025 at 1:51 AM
alaina-johns.bsky.social
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
Meme that says “MAGAs at the funeral: ‘we can disagree and still love each other’” up top and below that says: “People who needed Medicaid and the ACA” and then a photo of a tombstone that has “you voted for this” written on it
June 25, 2025 at 1:48 AM
alaina-johns.bsky.social
I don’t make the rules
June 11, 2025 at 1:15 AM
alaina-johns.bsky.social
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 👀📚❤️
The link flyer for the event with the details: Wed June 4 at 6:30pm ET on Zoom; $20 donation or pay what you can. Plus thumbnail headshots of the five authors and moderator Kyle V. Hiller.
June 3, 2025 at 12:01 PM
alaina-johns.bsky.social
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.
I am holding up a hand lettered sign at a protest outside Independence Hall. It says “Kilmar’s case is a legal pollution. Bring him home. It’s the only solution. He’s a fascist exhibit and if YOU won’t admit it, you’re shitting in our constitution” I am holding my hand lettered sign up at a protest outside Independence Hall. It says “Maga voters are out of excuses. Separation of powers? He refuses. With executive orders fit only for Mordor, Congress must stop trump’s abuses.” A man holding a sign at the protest. It is his own art with satirical portraits of Elon musk, JD Vance, Trump, and RFK Junior Protestors at the April 19 March in Philly hold signs calling for the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia
April 19, 2025 at 11:58 PM
alaina-johns.bsky.social
Keep talking to loved ones who haven’t woken up yet. If they refuse to wake up, keep doing what you know is right.
Text thread showing someone asking me why I am protesting. I answer that it’s because of Trump’s unconstitutional deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia Text thread continues with the person saying that Garcia has a criminal record. I answer that it’s it true, but that even if it was, he would be entitled to due process under the constitution Text continues with the person saying that protests are useless because the courts must decide the issue. I answer that the Supreme Court has already unanimously ruled in favor the illegally deported man and the president is ignoring that, and that constitutional crisis is why people are protesting
April 17, 2025 at 2:00 PM
alaina-johns.bsky.social
I want to start an anti-fascist crochet circle. Knitters welcome too.
My April Hands Off protest march sign is edged with red white and blue crochet squares. The text says “Yarn People Unite Against Yuge Fascists” My April Hands Off protest march sign is edged with red white and blue crochet squares. The text says “America is unraveling” and has the website taxstrike.info
April 5, 2025 at 8:03 PM
alaina-johns.bsky.social
Bonus: this yarn was a gift from a Trump voter.
Alaina holds a sign at a protest outside Philadelphia city hall. The sign has red white and blue crocheted squares attached to it and the words “America is unraveling” written on it Alaina holds a sign at a protest outside Philadelphia city hall. The sign has red white and blue crocheted squares attached to it. The sign says “Yarn people unite against yuge fascists” Alaina holds a sign at a protest outside Philadelphia city hall. The sign has red white and blue crocheted squares attached to it and it says “Yarn people unite against yuge fascists”. She is standing with her cousin, another white woman in her 40s.
March 15, 2025 at 7:33 PM
alaina-johns.bsky.social
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.
Chris Evans in the movie Knives Out, wearing a cream white cable-knit sweater Ginny the 12-pound chihuahua mix wears a chunky blue custom-knit sweater, lying next to a patterned sweater in progress on the knitting needles. The new sweater is made of cream white wool Ginny the chihuahua mix wearing the new cream white wool sweater, which is textured with a variety of attractive stitching
March 14, 2025 at 2:29 PM
alaina-johns.bsky.social
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
Screenshot of my Broad Street Review editorial with the headline “Seven historic civil-rights activists who demand your solidarity today” and the sub-head “When we stand up for justice, we don’t stand alone: now and throughout history”
March 6, 2025 at 12:41 AM
alaina-johns.bsky.social
Is it just me or are we all buying bottles of detergent that aren’t QUITE full anymore? Every brand on the shelf looks like this. I know far bigger injustices are afoot, including some that’ll probably kill me, but I hate the scale of this scam on consumers.
Photo of dish detergent bottles on the grocery store shelf, each one looking like it’s missing some product, with extra empty space at the top of the bottle
February 20, 2025 at 9:31 PM
alaina-johns.bsky.social
Working on a new one inspired by this; will keep you posted
February 20, 2025 at 3:17 AM
alaina-johns.bsky.social
Drake meme of the rapper in an orange jacket, labeled “MAGA” for this meme, looking grumpy in one frame and happy in the next. Drake’s head is replaced with a tiny scruffy dog whose expression has the same two feelings. The text next to the grumpy frame says “Accepting a Black president born in the US instead of hyping racist, xenophobic lies that he was born in Africa” and the happy frame says “Handing the federal government over to an unelected white man born in Africa”
February 20, 2025 at 1:22 AM
alaina-johns.bsky.social
I cope with my crushing existential doom by knitting sweaters for my dog. At this point I don’t even know how many she has but I think we can all agree she needs more.
A 12-pound Yorkie mix with long blonde eyebrows lies down on a white bedspread, wearing a chunky custom knit turtleneck sweater in stripes of blue and orange.
February 17, 2025 at 6:39 PM
alaina-johns.bsky.social
BRB obsessing over the 1976 knitting manual @retrogambit.bsky.social got me as a Valentine
Front of a vintage knitting book with a complicated sweater pattern Photo in vintage knitting book showing three aggressively styled 1970s adults In gorgeously complicated knitted sweaters Photo in vintage knitting book showing three extremely 70s women in fancy knitted sweaters sitting on the grass Photo from vintage knitting book showing a man with a very serious expression posing on a bike, wearing a blue knitted sweater and matching knee high socks, against an aggressively green lawn
February 14, 2025 at 2:30 AM
alaina-johns.bsky.social
In These Unprecedented Times Kyle V. Hiller (left) & Neil P. Bardhan (@neilpbardhan.bsky.social) may be all that’s keeping me going. We’ve been running Broad Street Review together since 2019.
Kyle, a Black man in his 30s, Neil, a South Asian man in his 40s, and Alaina, a white woman in her 40s, smile together in a coffee shop
February 14, 2025 at 12:34 AM
alaina-johns.bsky.social
Very fine new art by @retrogambit.bsky.social
Pen and ink drawing of Samuel L. Jackson in his spangled Uncle Sam costume from the Super Bowl Kendrick Lamar halftime show.
February 13, 2025 at 5:05 AM