Charlotte Shane

What does it mean to make something? Last night I did something unusual: I went to a comedy show to see a friend's friend do standup. I know, right? Thing is, it was delightful. (This is a rare thing.) And it got me thinking again about ...

felt inspired to blog for the first time in a while because of good work from @charoshane.bsky.social @thelincoln.bsky.social et al newsletter.bijanstephen.blog/what-does-it...

secret poetry reveal!

Charlotte’s new essay on why to make things and the metrics of (literary) success is so invigorating.

Someone’s Gotta Write It — CS The involvement of people I love, respect, or simply find interesting is ultimately the only incentive I need. I even kind of like doing things with people who piss me off since incompatibility can be...

"I find myself thinking 'this isn’t sustainable' of the continual decimation of the media, which has been happening aggressively for at least ten years, but what do I mean by that? For whom isn’t it sustainable? In what way?" charlotteshane.com/blog/2026/2/...

Someone’s Gotta Write It — CS The involvement of people I love, respect, or simply find interesting is ultimately the only incentive I need. I even kind of like doing things with people who piss me off since incompatibility can be...

I'm addicted to collaborating and I don't care who knows it! Got a bunch of stuff off my chest about publishing, book marketing, making art for free or at a loss, not waiting to be given what we want. Hopefully it is useful for writers as well as lovers of writing charlotteshane.com/blog/2026/2/...

"Jim Boyling, who infiltrated environmental and animal rights activist groups for five years, said senior managers turned a blind eye to undercover officers having deceitful sexual relationships with women, often lasting years."

oh yeah this is the good shit

Father Knows Best Daniel Berrigan’s spiritual radicalism – Charlotte Shane

I finally wrote my big essay about Daniel Berrigan! For anyone with an interest in non-violence, futility, the political/social/moral role of writing, and so much more, even if you've never heard of the man www.bookforum.com/print/3203/f...

DeLauro to pressing clergy: 'I will not vote to abolish ICE' The Connecticut U.S. representative found herself at odds with faith leaders.

“I would rather you vote for what is morally correct,” Davidson said.

“Don’t talk to me about my own morality,” DeLauro shot back.

“Don’t tell your constituents what they can and can’t talk to you about,” replied Rev. Nathan Empsall. “What you are voting for is not moral.”

How the men in the Epstein files defeated #MeToo The emails show the “anti-woke” crusaders are afraid of accountability.

“Lorin Stein, the disgraced former editor of The Paris Review who resigned after accusations of sexual impropriety, forwarded to Wolff an email from the writer Stephen Elliott, who intended to sue the list’s creator… Epstein promises to ‘help anyway i can.’”

Police ‘buried’ footage that showed a teen didn’t kill his friend at a SEPTA station, lawsuit says

A teenager who was detained for 49 days over his friend’s killing at a SEPTA station contends police “buried” footage that showed he was innocent.

Now he’s suing the city and transit officers.

Talking on the phone is so intimate.

loveeed listening to Jamie talk about the novel that is personally responsible for every time I have ever used the phrase “swimming-pool light”

Pursued by federal agents, suburban ICE observers remain resolved After a frightening pursuit by federal agents, suburban ICE observers say fear hasn’t stopped them from protecting their communities.

“If I am killed doing this, throw my body at the White House, martyr the shit out of me & raise hell. Do not be sad. Do not think I would do anything differently. I would do it over & over again — this is too important to sit down & shut up and not do anything.” www.mprnews.org/story/2026/0...

One of the best lit podcasts on one of the very best novels – keeping this for my next long walk with the dog

Ok originally a weird version of this episode was uploaded but it's fixed now! Should be an hour and 7 minutes instead of 58, enjoy and apologies 😣

ahhh thank you!

Deeply Heterosexual: Jamie Hood on Doris Lessing’s The Golden Notebook Podcast Episode · Reading Writers · 02/04/2026 · 59m

My friend @veryhotmomm.bsky.social joined me and (my friend!) @jolivingstone.bsky.social to talk about Doris Lessing's The Golden Notebook, political disappointments, simply living for dick, etc. Also, I need everyone to read In the Cut, NOW! podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/r...

Marimar Martinez, shot by Border Patrol in Chicago, speaks out after Good, Pretti deaths: 'I am their voice' In a wide-ranging interview with the Chicago Sun-Times and WBEZ, Martinez discusses her shooting, the federal government’s failed attempt to prosecute her and the role she now sees for herself in a fi...

Marimar Martinez, shot 5 times by Border Patrol in Chicago, speaks out after Renee Good, Alex Pretti deaths

'I am their voice'

NEW w/ @adrianacardmag.bsky.social: chicago.suntimes.com/immigration/...

ICE is afraid of children protesting “Next time, I’ll be back with a gas mask.”

ICE tear gassed a bunch of children on Saturday. This was a massive escalation of force. They were shooting tear gas at the back of the crowd, it took these unmasked people maybe 3-5 minutes in the cloud of tear gas to escape in without trampling. www.theverge.com/policy/87278...

This is one of the most important cases that galvanized Black people in the late 40s through the 1950s. Almost every major Black leader had a comment about it. It is also one of the most successful defense committees that was organized in the 20th century. Almost no one knows about it today.

ICE halts "all movement" at Texas detention facility due to measles infections The measles​ cases at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center were detected Friday, Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement to CBS News.

Horrifying. ICE confirms measles outbreak at Dilley family detention center. www.cbsnews.com/news/ice-dil...

‘They killed him inside’: man who was son’s caretaker detained by ICE and denied final goodbye Wael Tarabishi, who has a lifelong muscle disorder, died after Maher, his father and primary caretaker, was detained

“The Guardian once again asked ICE why the request was denied, but did not receive a reply.

ICE has repeatedly claimed Maher is a member of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).” www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

Paper details how police pushed for body cams so that they could protect themselves and control narrative while policing and surveilling more aggressively.

Dems allied w cops to create narrative that this was somehow a corrective for state violence, now every time they kill they get more $$/power

sounds like you need a second switchblade

Possibilities Are Endless — CS Bad and middling cultural products can have huge impacts on our lives. I don’t think JJK is a great anime or manga—why are you booing me? I’m right!— yet it cured me of depression and bears much resp...

Some thoughts on Daniel Berrigan, H**ted R*v*lry, ways in which I'm like a teenage Russian boy, very important music, and so on... charlotteshane.com/blog/2026/1/31

Since it’s Friday… I’m not saying that you should be “afraid” of getting arrested. I’m saying that you should avoid arrest if possible. Things become much more difficult for you when you’re in police custody. This is solid movement advice thats been passed down from generations of rad lawyers. STFU!

The government also sought and was denied a detention hearing as to Jamael Lundy, a state senate candidate. He was to be released as well.

ICE releases Chicago-area mother after seven months. It failed to provide evidence justifying her detention. While Marina Lopez was in ICE detention for seven months, parishioners in her church stepped up to help care for her family.

www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/25/m... [gift link]

This is Georgia Fort's website — the independent journalist also arrested today for covering the anti-ICE protest, along with Don Lemon. Donations to her page support her journalism — and I'm sure now her legal defense for doing that journalism.