Jenny Shank

Sure, AI Can Do Some Stuff but There Used To Be a Hotline for That It's the 5th Annual Tumbleweed Halloween Spooktacular! Read on for blasts from the past, stationery goods, spooky books, and literary events!

In the new Tumbleweed, I've got some spooky book recommendations and literary news and events from
Teague Bohlen, Hillary Leftwich, @rlmaizes.bsky.social and
@erikatwurth.bsky.social! bit.ly/43paHma

I've got four spots left! Come join us to discuss "Just Another Family" by @loriostlund.bsky.social and many other wonderful short stories (in person or Zoom options are available). bit.ly/3WrL9B2

Yes, the frog appears thoughtful, as if he's either on the verge of saying something, or he's holding his mouth open aghast at what he's witnessing.

This is a great theory. I only have one question--you write that the frog is "smiley," when I think in fact he is frowning slightly. Does his expression of slight disapproval make any difference to the dynamic you outlined? Did that help the meaning in "context" become more clear, as you mention?

i humbly accept the nomination.

I always thought the rupture opened when the Cubs won the World Series for the first time in 98 years on November 2, 2016.

I'll be teaching a new class starting October 20 for Lighthouse Writers Workshop on one of my favorite topics, short stories! We'll draw inspiration from the Best American Short Stories 2024, edited by @legroff.bsky.social. Register for online or in-person attendance in #Denver.
bit.ly/3WrL9B2

the Bostitch EZ Squeeze 40.

I can’t control much in this crazy world, but I never wanted to fight with a flimsy 4 dollar 3 hole punch again so I got myself this Cadillac of perforation: the Bostitch EZ Squeeze 40. Now I’m just going to sit back and watch my whole life slide into place.

Colorado food recalls: Listeria-tainted pasta, corn dogs with wood, radioactive shrimp.

Something on the menu for everyone here.

Jane Goodall speaks to a crowd at the University of Colorado Boulder.

Jane Goodall fans in the audience.

Jane Goodall was one of a kind, a messenger for peace and respect for all creatures. I'm so glad my kids and I got to see her when she visited Boulder in 2015. And we brought some monkey stuffies.

Hellions by Julia Elliott, with golden aspens of Keystone Colorado in the background.

Fall colors in Keystone, Colorado and a brilliant story collection, “Hellions” by @juliaelliott.bsky.social, makes for an epic Sunday morning.

That is a cute creature--and your handwriting is impeccable!

done.

Aw, thanks for sharing Cara. And congratulations on the book award!

Ralphie's Last Prance: Loving Creatures as Belonging to Themselves A very chunky chipmunk, a new story collection, and September literary events.

In the Tumbleweed, I discuss a mascot's retirement, what it teaches us about how to love, and book news starring @rlmaizes.bsky.social, @ninamcconigley.bsky.social, @khadijahqueen.com, @scottsemegran.com, @unmpress.bsky.social, @caralopezlee.bsky.social & @karenpalmer.bsky.social! bit.ly/42gAIDZ

My kid's school went on lockdown two hours ago. It appears it was a case of misidentification--a student saw a man in a weighted vest and thought it was tactical, thought they saw a gun. I'm trying to work now, but I'm shaky. I can still hear helicopters overhead.
Another day as a parent in America.

Homeland Sec. Noem comes to New Mexico to paint border wall black because Trump thinks it will make it too hot to climb - New Mexico Political Report The Trump administration’s has a new tool in its arsenal to deter undocumented immigration and you can get one on sale at Home Depot for $5.67. U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Krisit Noem arrived in ...

My best regards to whoever Tom Sawyered Kristi Noem.

nmpoliticalreport.com/2025/08/20/h...

This Car Dealership Wants to Become the Main Character of Your Life An oil change gone horribly wrong, an insane clown tractor, a riveting debut novel, and lots of literary news!

In this month's Tumbleweed, I tell of an oil change that took months to resolve and of witnessing an insane clown tractor, and I hype exciting new literary works by Evanthia Bromiley, @suziqsmith.bsky.social, R Alan Brooks, @gessyalvarez.com and @vesselywriter.bsky.social‬. bit.ly/4lvaDri

I Am the Overtourist and I’m Here to Marry Your Town I am the Overtourist. I’m here to overtour your picturesque town or world-class city. Shooting water pistols at me only hydrates and emboldens me. ...

"I am here to touch your boiling hot springs. I am here to sit on your antique chairs. I am here to obstruct the areas on the bus designated for your seniors."

I Am the Overtourist and I’m Here to Marry Your Town I am the Overtourist. I’m here to overtour your picturesque town or world-class city. Shooting water pistols at me only hydrates and emboldens me. ...

In June I took the jammed train from Paris to Giverny to visit Monet's house. One guy bickered with another using a seat for a cello, while I stood in the aisle and began this piece. "I Am the Overtourist and I'm Here to Marry Your Town" is up on ‪McSweeney's‬ today! bit.ly/4fzlmzz

So many tomatoes,

Tomato risotto with basil and Parmesan.

My favorite gardening problem, and how I’m solving it.

I love Brooks' conclusion in this essay about how being polite is good for your wellbeing: "I see politeness as today’s punk rock because it so transgresses the spirit of our times...It is the ultimate exercise in freedom: the freedom to be the person I want to be in the face of a cultural tyranny."

Happy birthday James Baldwin! Here are two portraits of the great writer by his friend Beauford Delaney at the “Paris Noir” exhibit at the Centre Pompidou.

Happy birthday James Baldwin! Here are two portraits of the great writer by his friend Beauford Delaney at the “Paris Noir” exhibit at the Centre Pompidou.

Happy birthday James Baldwin! Here are two portraits of the great writer by his friend Beauford Delaney at the “Paris Noir” exhibit at the Centre Pompidou.

Yay!

Yay!

Come to the Short Form Fest at Lighthouse Writers Workshop tomorrow! I'll interview the accomplished Samantha Hunt during "Hauntings--An Onstage Reading and Conversation." Sunday, I'll share my best insights for crafting strong endings for short fiction and essays. bit.ly/46tRJ0a #writing

Oh Ozzy Osbourne, you were truly great! I started my son on piano lessons at age 6, and he learned how to play "Iron Man" when he was about 10. It was pretty obvious he needed to transition to guitar, which he plays now. I hope my house is full of the sound of Black Sabbath for as long as I'm in it.

Crater Lake, a beautiful alpine lake in the San Juan Mountains in southern Colorado.

Crater Lake near Pagosa Springs today. A stunner! #colorado

Wes Anderson and the Immersiveness of Precise Detail Wes Anderson pays attention, I learn how to go clubbing, Lori Ostlund writes a great book, and new literary events and classes!

In July's edition of The Tumbleweed, I share insights from the Wes Anderson exhibit at Cinémathèque in Paris, recommend a new book by @loriostlund.bsky.social, and share events including a poetry slam tribute to @andreagibson.bsky.social at Petals and Pages in #Denver. bit.ly/44v2I8g

I thoroughly enjoyed "When the Clock Broke" by John Ganz, a finalist for the @bookcritics.bsky.social John Leonard Prize. It posits that political events in the 1990s presaged and set the stage for what's going on today...and it looks like it's third party o'clock now. (Ganz is great on Ross Perot.)