Betsy Carswell

Subaru Forester completely packed with conference supplies!

Subaru Forester completely packed with conference supplies!

Subaru Forester completely packed with conference supplies!

Can you fit an entire #gcls2025 Con in a Subaru? Yes! Yes you can!

Heading your way, Albany! Can’t wait to see everyone!

Today, #worldpride, in 38 days, #GCLS2025 in Albany New York! Can’t wait to see all the sapphic lit creators and fans at the #gcls Con!

Me too!

He's not blaming DEI, he's blaming women and non white people.

The Things They Hate and Acts of God The New American Normal

"Trump is right there, always comforting: You’re not really mediocre, and even if you are mediocre, it shouldn’t matter. You’re a white man in the greatest country on earth. You’re entitled to all your heart’s desires. I, alone, will make you happy."

charlotteclymer.substack.com/p/the-things...

Our stories and histories provide hope, a sense of possibility, insight into where we’ve been and a view to where we can go, and respite when we need a break. The power of our literature to engage our hearts is exactly why some work to silence us.

Where will you fight for justice?

My work will focus on free speech—access to literature (especially queer and other underrepresented voices) and truthful assessments of our history.

Find others engaged in that fight, grab the end of that arc, and pull with all your might. We can do this. We must do this.

It is our responsibility to keep our eyes on the strategic goal of justice for all. Keep an eye on what they do, not just what they say, and organize to fight for justice. None of us can do everything…pick the space(s) where you have expertise and/or the energy for a long fight.

We don’t yet know exactly what is to come. We have a sense of who will be negatively impacted by this new administration’s policies—immigrants, trans people, Black people, women, queer people, and so many others.

One thing I’ve learned in my life is bemoaning the circumstances of the battle is far less effective than assessing the situation and building a plan to fight back.

WE are responsible for bending the arc. It doesn’t happen on its own. We can certainly question why each of us doesn’t receive equal treatment without a fight.

Justice is a strategic goal, one that takes coordinated action over time. Every tactical step will not be successful. Setbacks are expected but we cannot let even significant setbacks stop our quest for justice because that goal is not just righteous, it is essential.

Just as injustice is part of our history, so are grand civil rights movements that bent the arc toward justice. That work is not done.

I love my country. I spent my entire professional career in defense of this nation and her people. And the whole time I knew our history is complicated and marked by significant injustice toward all kinds of people from our earliest days. My faith was in our aspiration to do better.

“The Arc of the Moral Universe is Long, But it Bends Toward Justice.”
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

This has always been one of my favorite quotes, not just from Dr. King, but from anyone.