Violet Fox 🦊

oh but Fish-Cat is so much fun!

Oh, the weather outside is frightful And since we've no place to go It doesn't show signs of stopping How I hate going out in the storm The fire is slowly dying

'Let it Snow' with all the positive lines removed

I'm raising money for our Black Zine Fair coming next May. We don't charge exhibitors or participants and would love to keep it accessible in this way. Please consider a donation if you are able. gogetfunding.com/black-zine-f... - I would be so happy to be 50% to our goal by the end of the year.

Maid-Rite - Wikipedia

Oh it looks like the location of the first Maid Rite is a debated question??? en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maid-Rite

Some of the mid-1800s buildings on the Knox College campus.

Knox? I walked around to see the debate site and learn about the underground railroad sites. A pretty campus!

To be honest, I'd be very bad as a travel writer because every recommendation would just devolve into me quoting the MST3K "Progress Island USA" episode: "Look, just come here."

A bus inside a brewery, it's got about 30 taps of different beers on the side.

Here's a 1960s-era Peoria city bus that's now a self-serve tap bar in a brewery. Galesburg: pretty good.

(Getting ready for a new career as an Amtrak-travel-based influencer, please send job offers to violetbfox@gmail.com.)

Interior of the Galesburg library from the second floor, featuring lovely hanging lights.

A sign on a library shelf reading "Be a cool cat, check meowt!" with an image of an adorable cat wearing sunglasses and reading a book.

A rack with a few knitted scarves and hats. The sign reads "Free, take what you need, leave what you can".

The Galesburg Public Library building is gorgeous, just opened in 2024. A rack at the front door provides free knitted goods for the winter. 📚

Why don’t Chicagoans put ketchup on their hot dogs? | Chicago Mysteries with Geoffrey Baer Why don’t Chicagoans put ketchup on their hot dogs?

In Chicago, it's a thing. www.wttw.com/chicago-myst...

A plaque outside a hot dog place denoting Coney Island as Galesburg's oldest restaurant, established in 1921.

I have to go at least 200 miles from Chicago to eat a hot dog so nobody hassles me about putting ketchup on it. 🌭

The unassuming Amtrak train station in Galesburg. A statue of Abraham Lincoln stands near the entrance, as legally mandated by all Illinois small towns.

Attractive brick buildings and a Budweiser sign on a bar.

Good looking brick buildings, including an old service station that is now an ice cream shop.

If you live in Chicago, you can just get on a train to Galesburg any time you want. If you're unemployed, you can do it on a Thursday because nothing matters!!!!

Teach like a Luddite - Kappan Online Embracing new technologies that don’t advance teaching and learning is a mistake. Educators must ask questions — and resist when necessary.

Teach like a Luddite! In which I join @philnichols.bsky.social and @anterobot.bsky.social to argue for a Luddite praxis in education grounded in three elements: embracing strategic playfulness; developing localized tactics; and building networks of resistance. Read the article at Kappan:

You can help SJP make the Black Zine Fair happen next May by donating to our fundraiser: gogetfunding.com/black-zine-f... - the fundraiser has been slow going because times are hard. Any amount is welcome for those who want to support.

Gen-Zine: DIY publications find new life as form of resistance against Trump Zines have made a resurgence as communities seek to share information on everything from ICE raids to local elections

Yours truly and @meganpiont.bsky.social are quoted waxing poetic about zines, lol. What's new? www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-i...

Maybe Things Will Be Better in Chicago A spirited Mavis Staples cover of Tom Waits‘s “Chicago” gives us reason to muse on music, migration, and our city.

Here's my recent @chicagomag.com essay: A spirited Mavis Staples cover of Tom Waits‘s “Chicago” gives us reason to muse on music, migration, and our city.
www.chicagomag.com/arts-culture...

Absolutely.

You'll love it! 🧹🧁

What if humans still picked music? What if algorithms weren't inevitable? What if libraries could help?

Check TRACK 10: a librarian's journey beyond the algorithm, out now from Library Futures intern Thomas Gagnon-van Leeuwen!

www.libraryfutures.net/post/sick-of...

Oof, I'm sorry! I walked to my library today and more sidewalks were unshoveled than shoveled. ☹️

You Can’t Fight Fascism While Defunding Libraries “Libraries embody everything that we need right now to fight back against fascism," says Sara Heymann.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson has proposed disastrous cuts to our city's libraries while setting aside $5M for a ShotSpotter replacement. As library associate Sara Heymann told me, “Libraries embody everything we need to fight back against fascism.” My piece on what’s at stake and how to fight back:

A chart showing the frequency of Violet's posts on Bluesky. The number of posts drops off abruptly in August after her layoff.

Look how I dropped off the face of the earth after getting laid off. Doing my best to disappear. Actively trying not to spread my despair.

Word cloud visualization for 2025 showing my 50 most-used words, sized by frequency. Top 10: "zine" (96×), "library" (49×), "text" (38×), "zines" (29×), "hope" (28×), "sharing" (27×), "hear" (26×), "cataloging" (25×), "glad" (25×), "critcat" (24×). Data from Anisota's Annual Bluesky Harvest.

Emoji bubble chart for 2025 showing 50 different emojis used 297 times total, visualized as bubbles sized by frequency. Top 10: 📚 (50×), 💜 (37×), 🌟 (31×), 💖 (17×), 💗 (16×), 😊 (11×), 😍 (8×), 🍀 (8×), 😄 (7×), 💀 (6×) Data from Anisota's Annual Bluesky Harvest.

My most used words and emoji. See me trying my best to be a positive force in the world.

Have you heard the good news? Black Zine Fair is coming back to NYC on May 9, 2026—and we need your help to have a successful event.

gogetfunding.com/black-zine-f...

We’re raising $20,000 to keep the fair free and accessible. If you can, please give $5, $15, $50, or more.

Here's Sandy Berman's whole self-interview lowereastsidelibrarian.info/interviews/s...
He starts with "Q: Should ALA really be celebrating its 150th anniversary?"

"A: No. Instead, it should be devoting its energy and resources to atoning for its checkered history" and continues in that vein.

The digital version is gorgeous so I'm sure the print will look amazing!!

A blurry photo at night of railroad tracks set on fire to keep them from freezing over.

Blessed by the sight of the Metra lines on fire. 🔥 #Chicago

Call for Submissions! Wild Ramp is putting together a one-off (for now) lit zine in 2026: Wild Ramp Review of Books. Midwest-made book nerdery for the people! We’re looking for: • Critical essays on fiction/non-fiction • Cultural writing • Midwest culture takes • Kid reviewers + kid book reviews • Comics + zine reviews • Thoughtful writing (no academic voice needed) Not looking for: hot takes, AI slop, takedowns, or stuff already covered well everywhere (sorry romance/BookTok ). Deadline: Rolling until March 31, 2026 Length: 800–2,000 words, include name and short bio Submit to: wildramppublishing@gmail.com, Subject: Wild Ramp Review of Books Include: Name, bio, book(s) you’re writing about Payment: 2 contributor copies Rights: You keep all rights!

"Is Criticism Really A Creative Art? Why Should It Not Be?" - Oscar Wilde

Call for Submissions!

We're putting together a one-off (for now) lit zine in 2026: Wild Ramp Review of Books.

Midwest-made book nerdery for the people!

Deadline: Rolling until March 31, 2026

Writers of all ages welcome.

#CallForSubmissions #BookReviewZine #ZineCommunity

I've been at the same university for 30 years, first as a student then as a staff member, and at the uni library for 25 years; so here are my thoughts bout the current higher ed overlapping crises, that should be a blog post but I don't know if people read those anymore. 0/

For The People Newsletter Vol. XXXIV For everyone working to strengthen and expand public libraries

@librariesftp.bsky.social is inviting folks to send a photo + 100 words about what your local library means to you and your community. We'll feature them every month in our newsletter. Submit: tinyurl.com/b44bfx23

I wrote about @slcpl.bsky.social for this month's newsletter! tinyurl.com/2rac688x