Judy Freshwater Polak

School building with bullet holes. Sign in front reads “attention this school protected from drag queens, dirty books.”

Happy West Virginia Day! Mothman with pepperoni roll and Mountain Dew in hand, surrounded by a deer, farmer, miner, cardinal - all symbols of WV.

Happy West Virginia Day!

An image of a page from the Chicago Sun Times titled, "Summer reading list for 2025" with an image of a woman sitting on a porch, perhaps, beside a body of water, reading. It's beige as fuck. Above the title is a row of icons that invoke summer, I guess. The article itself is too long to reproduce, BUT, only five of the fifteen books listed here as titles you should read are actually real. Brit Bennett doesn't have a book titled Hurricane Season. The fuck? Isabel Allende has no book named Tidewater Dreams. The Last Algorithm by Andy Weir, The Collector's Piece by Taylor Jenkins Reid, Nightshade Market by Min Jin Lee, The Longest Day by Rumaan Alam, Boiling Point by Rebecca Makkai, Migrations by Maggie O'Farrell, The Rainmakers by Percival Everett, and Salt and Honey by Delia Owens are all books that DO NOT EXIST!!!

Of the books named on this reading list, Brit Bennet, Isabel Allende, Andy Weir, Taylor Jenkins Reid, Min Jin Lee, Rumaan Alam, Rebecca Makkai, Maggie O'Farrell, Percival Everett, and Delia Owens' titles are all books that DO NOT EXIST!!!

See Alt Text for more detail.
Image by @tbretc.bsky.social

"No man chooses evil because it is evil; he only mistakes it for happiness, the good he seeks."
- Mary Wollstonecraft

Be like Dr. Hayden.

Grateful that ALA’s lawsuit is halting the damage (for now) against the IMLS, just bummed that these maniacs are able to destroy far faster than the bureaucratic process can stop them

Lindsey Graham has lost his mind!

My favorite image of Pope Francis, always the pastor.
Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May his soul and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

Yes! #HandsOff. Huntington WV

bsky.app/profile/dana...

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Little Clarksburg #WV showed up. #HandsOff
#HandsOf2025

Happening in Charleston WV 1pm 4.5

Charleston WV hands off protest at Capitol

Charleston WV Capitol steps #handsoff up to about 250 now. This is one of 8 protests in WV today. Apparently the Legislature fled - they were supposed to be in session.

RFK Jr. fat shames governor and suggests monthly 'public weigh-in' HHS Secretary Robert Kennedy served up jokes about West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey's weight during his visit to the state on Friday.

RFK Jr and WV Gov Morrissey

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article...

Every day on the internet makes it abundantly clear that some people have never had a single person turn around and say to them, ‘Cite your sources’ because, and I say this with every ounce of love I can muster as a teacher: while you are entitled to your opinion, that does not make it fact.

This is making me so happy and proud to be an #uglydog today.

On March 12, the Iditarod withdrew Quince Mountain from the race (through no fault or behavior of his own). Q and his 10 dogs were flown from Grayling 2 to Unakleet where Q made an amazing decision. They were going to go to Nome anyway.

Here’s hoping. 🤞🏻

Oh f*ck!

Bluesky for Journalists - Bluesky

bsky.social/about/blog/p...

I’m excited about watching this thread 🧵 grow! New kidlit books this week!

Statement on Trump's Attack on Federal Funding for Libraries

In a new executive order, Trump has targeted the federal agency charged with distributing congressionally approved funds to state libraries and to library, museum, and archives program grant recipients. www.everylibrary.org/statementiml...

can't believe it's 2025 and i'm stressed about tariffs and measles, like am i a character in an american girl book

I got an early copy of The Listeners, Maggie Stiefvater’s 1st adult novel & am delighted to report that it’s a truly wonderful read; it’s set during WW 2 at a boutique resort in the West Virginia mountains, w/just a soupçon of elastic realism woven throughout + a great heroine.

I am always so happy to read your “bedtime report” of the #Iditarod field, @esp1371.bsky.social. Go dogs, go! #mushersky

This thread 🧵

Graphic novels matter.

I have been part of this effort, #igivearod (I give arod) since 2019. Reading the summary below brought me to happy, joyful tears again.

#uglydogs #mushersky #Iditarod