katie cusumano
@k-e-c.bsky.social
writing about culture and the outdoors. words in nyt, outside, longreads & beyond. 2025 Oregon Literary Fellow. based in portland, now. katherinecusumano.com
@ninaperrotta.bsky.social alerted me that gowanus canal essay made the lit hub daily newsletter yesterday 😭 lithub.com/lit-hub-dail...
Lit Hub Daily: January 12, 2026
Get your literary film and TV fix for 2026 with these upcoming adaptations, documentaries, and more! | Lit Hub Film Elizabeth Chamblee Burch exposes the scumbags behind shady doctors and telemarket…
lithub.com
January 13, 2026 at 9:11 PM
@ninaperrotta.bsky.social alerted me that gowanus canal essay made the lit hub daily newsletter yesterday 😭 lithub.com/lit-hub-dail...
huge thanks to @cherilucasrowlands.com for citing my essay in this week's Longreads Top 5: "Like the fish, it seems to emerge from nothing."
Welcome to 2026! In this week's Top 5:
—January begins @theatlantic.com
—Finding beauty @thebeliever.net
—Powerful blues @oxfordamerican.bsky.social
—Toxic water @orionmagazine.bsky.social
—Begonia baton @theobserveruk.bsky.social
—January begins @theatlantic.com
—Finding beauty @thebeliever.net
—Powerful blues @oxfordamerican.bsky.social
—Toxic water @orionmagazine.bsky.social
—Begonia baton @theobserveruk.bsky.social
The Top 5 Longreads of the Week - Longreads
In this edition: January begins, finding beauty, powerful blues, toxic water, and begonia batons.
longreads.com
January 9, 2026 at 5:06 PM
huge thanks to @cherilucasrowlands.com for citing my essay in this week's Longreads Top 5: "Like the fish, it seems to emerge from nothing."
Reposted by katie cusumano
"Its reputation as a poisonous place eventually gave way to a surreal, dream-like quality of legend, as though if you fell in, you’d emerge with some dark superpower."
@k-e-c.bsky.social for @orionmagazine.bsky.social: orionmagazine.org/article/trou...
@k-e-c.bsky.social for @orionmagazine.bsky.social: orionmagazine.org/article/trou...
Troubled Water - Orion Magazine
Diving into the myths of the Gowanus Canal
orionmagazine.org
January 8, 2026 at 5:58 PM
"Its reputation as a poisonous place eventually gave way to a surreal, dream-like quality of legend, as though if you fell in, you’d emerge with some dark superpower."
@k-e-c.bsky.social for @orionmagazine.bsky.social: orionmagazine.org/article/trou...
@k-e-c.bsky.social for @orionmagazine.bsky.social: orionmagazine.org/article/trou...
it's so embarrassing that the websites of actual federal agencies have to refer to the "one, big, beautiful bill." also who copy edited that. have some questions about the commas.
January 7, 2026 at 10:17 PM
it's so embarrassing that the websites of actual federal agencies have to refer to the "one, big, beautiful bill." also who copy edited that. have some questions about the commas.
re-reading a draft two weeks later to find it is merely bad, as opposed to Mythically Bad… great feeling
January 5, 2026 at 12:03 AM
re-reading a draft two weeks later to find it is merely bad, as opposed to Mythically Bad… great feeling
if u are in the mood to read about how we are extincting the night sky (and also about insomnia, the surveillance state, and Birds) ........ may I recommend this @elvia-wilk.bsky.social essay nyra.nyc/articles/the...
January 4, 2026 at 8:54 PM
if u are in the mood to read about how we are extincting the night sky (and also about insomnia, the surveillance state, and Birds) ........ may I recommend this @elvia-wilk.bsky.social essay nyra.nyc/articles/the...
I don't really believe in *the new year,* my least favorite holiday, but I do believe in assessing where you've been and where you're going ... so in that spirit, a belated 2025 recap
January 3, 2026 at 11:33 PM
I don't really believe in *the new year,* my least favorite holiday, but I do believe in assessing where you've been and where you're going ... so in that spirit, a belated 2025 recap
brilliant pal @cooperdart.bsky.social on [conceptual art] for @dintywmoore.bsky.social !!! brevity.wordpress.com/2025/12/29/s...
Sentences on [The Essay]
By Cooper Dart (with thanks to Sol Lewitt) Cooper Dart This past winter, during the final year of my MFA program, I took a class on poetics, and the only thing we as a course could agree upon at th…
brevity.wordpress.com
December 29, 2025 at 6:14 PM
brilliant pal @cooperdart.bsky.social on [conceptual art] for @dintywmoore.bsky.social !!! brevity.wordpress.com/2025/12/29/s...
meanwhile i DO believe in the sentient slime in the gowanus canal … everyone gets the cryptid they need to see in the world.
Looking forward! In case you're wondering, no, I don't believe in that bigfoot nonsense.
Got my new copy of @orionmagazine.bsky.social and am thrilled to be in this issue with writers I know and love like @jeffvandermeer.bsky.social @k-e-c.bsky.social and J. Drew Lanham. Can’t wait to dig in!
December 27, 2025 at 8:07 PM
meanwhile i DO believe in the sentient slime in the gowanus canal … everyone gets the cryptid they need to see in the world.
Reposted by katie cusumano
Got my new copy of @orionmagazine.bsky.social and am thrilled to be in this issue with writers I know and love like @jeffvandermeer.bsky.social @k-e-c.bsky.social and J. Drew Lanham. Can’t wait to dig in!
December 26, 2025 at 9:01 PM
Got my new copy of @orionmagazine.bsky.social and am thrilled to be in this issue with writers I know and love like @jeffvandermeer.bsky.social @k-e-c.bsky.social and J. Drew Lanham. Can’t wait to dig in!
for @trailsmag.net I wrote about what happens when the work of Forest Service rangers becomes the work of volunteers on public lands. thanks to @sidehilling.bsky.social for the PHOTOS and @ryan.trailsmag.net for shepherding this one into print 🌄
December 12, 2025 at 8:16 PM
for @trailsmag.net I wrote about what happens when the work of Forest Service rangers becomes the work of volunteers on public lands. thanks to @sidehilling.bsky.social for the PHOTOS and @ryan.trailsmag.net for shepherding this one into print 🌄
Reposted by katie cusumano
worth pointing out how we first came to know this. In populations affected by measles, deaths from other infections are elevated for YEARS afterward. So scientists started comparing blood samples and looking for antibodies.
December 12, 2025 at 5:37 PM
worth pointing out how we first came to know this. In populations affected by measles, deaths from other infections are elevated for YEARS afterward. So scientists started comparing blood samples and looking for antibodies.
December 11, 2025 at 9:24 PM
need a word or expression for the deep desire for in-person experiences and interactions in direct response to the AI-ification of ... everything. like how we talked about "skin hunger" during the pandemic, except for all of life.
December 10, 2025 at 11:59 PM
need a word or expression for the deep desire for in-person experiences and interactions in direct response to the AI-ification of ... everything. like how we talked about "skin hunger" during the pandemic, except for all of life.
just another day realizing I'm writing a feature that boils down to how the only certainty in life is the absolute impossibility of knowing anything for sure
December 5, 2025 at 6:42 PM
just another day realizing I'm writing a feature that boils down to how the only certainty in life is the absolute impossibility of knowing anything for sure
happy thanksgiving & happy anniversary to the most correct blog www.newyorker.com/culture/kitc...
The Perfect Thanksgiving Cocktail Is the Boulevardier
Helen Rosner on the Boulevardier, a classic cocktail dating back to the nineteen-twenties, made with whiskey, Campari, and vermouth.
www.newyorker.com
November 27, 2025 at 7:30 PM
happy thanksgiving & happy anniversary to the most correct blog www.newyorker.com/culture/kitc...
Reposted by katie cusumano
I once asked a bookseller at a large indie store how many people would have to buy a book for it to get the attention of the store buyer and cause an additional order and they said: Three.
I see some book piracy discourse, and, to make a positive argument in favor of buying books, your marginal ability to influence what books get published and support the careers of writers you like is massive compared to most other forms of media.
November 25, 2025 at 11:07 PM
I once asked a bookseller at a large indie store how many people would have to buy a book for it to get the attention of the store buyer and cause an additional order and they said: Three.
Reposted by katie cusumano
NEW: The US has deported a longtime Oregon firefighter who was arrested by Border Patrol while deployed at a major wildfire in Washington state.
José Bertin Cruz-Estrada, separated from his family, is speaking out from Mexico for the first time:
“I feel betrayed ... What am I going to do now?"
José Bertin Cruz-Estrada, separated from his family, is speaking out from Mexico for the first time:
“I feel betrayed ... What am I going to do now?"
US firefighter detained on the job speaks out after deportation: ‘I feel betrayed’
Exclusive: Border patrol arrested José Bertin Cruz-Estrada while he was battling a wildfire in Washington. He is now in Mexico, separated from his family in Oregon
www.theguardian.com
November 11, 2025 at 11:04 PM
NEW: The US has deported a longtime Oregon firefighter who was arrested by Border Patrol while deployed at a major wildfire in Washington state.
José Bertin Cruz-Estrada, separated from his family, is speaking out from Mexico for the first time:
“I feel betrayed ... What am I going to do now?"
José Bertin Cruz-Estrada, separated from his family, is speaking out from Mexico for the first time:
“I feel betrayed ... What am I going to do now?"
PBF!! attending this festival was one of the first things I did in portland after moving to oregon and it was an absolute dream to moderate this panel with aashna avachat and alex castellanos. already dreaming about next year 🧁📖
November 10, 2025 at 7:59 PM
PBF!! attending this festival was one of the first things I did in portland after moving to oregon and it was an absolute dream to moderate this panel with aashna avachat and alex castellanos. already dreaming about next year 🧁📖
I'm moderating a conversation about romance, food, and FAKE DATING with two fabulous authors of YA rom-coms at the portland book festival this weekend
12:45 at the park tent — portland friends, hope to see u there 🍬📖
pdxbookfest.org/event/sweet-...
12:45 at the park tent — portland friends, hope to see u there 🍬📖
pdxbookfest.org/event/sweet-...
Sweet and Sour: Alexis Castellanos & Aashna Avachat - PDX Book Fest
Alexis Castellanos and Aashna Avachat join Katherine Cusumano in a panel on serendipitous and unexpected young love featuring all the juicy stuff including but not limited to: fake dating, handsome ga...
pdxbookfest.org
November 6, 2025 at 6:07 PM
I'm moderating a conversation about romance, food, and FAKE DATING with two fabulous authors of YA rom-coms at the portland book festival this weekend
12:45 at the park tent — portland friends, hope to see u there 🍬📖
pdxbookfest.org/event/sweet-...
12:45 at the park tent — portland friends, hope to see u there 🍬📖
pdxbookfest.org/event/sweet-...
"I have an absolutely perfect Katie story" there is literally (??) no greater privilege than to receive this text from an editor
November 6, 2025 at 5:44 PM
"I have an absolutely perfect Katie story" there is literally (??) no greater privilege than to receive this text from an editor
sob what a beautiful night to be an alum of new york, greatest city in the world
November 5, 2025 at 2:48 AM
sob what a beautiful night to be an alum of new york, greatest city in the world
“I was just a maniac, saying yes to everything and feeling like I was going to be doomed at any point. … You should always bet on yourself. It always turns out well, making that investment.”
wendy red star by me for @thecreativeindependent.com
thecreativeindependent.com/people/visua...
wendy red star by me for @thecreativeindependent.com
thecreativeindependent.com/people/visua...
Visual artist Wendy Red Star on collaborating with your ancestors – The Creative Independent
Visual artist Wendy Red Star discusses how she approaches an archive, her MFA experience, and betting on herself.
thecreativeindependent.com
October 16, 2025 at 8:26 PM
“I was just a maniac, saying yes to everything and feeling like I was going to be doomed at any point. … You should always bet on yourself. It always turns out well, making that investment.”
wendy red star by me for @thecreativeindependent.com
thecreativeindependent.com/people/visua...
wendy red star by me for @thecreativeindependent.com
thecreativeindependent.com/people/visua...
what a move to drop this on the second-to-last page of your doorstop book about 20th-century whale science (compliment) (from D. Graham Burnett, The Sounding of the Whale)
October 15, 2025 at 10:33 PM
what a move to drop this on the second-to-last page of your doorstop book about 20th-century whale science (compliment) (from D. Graham Burnett, The Sounding of the Whale)
Reposted by katie cusumano
