Boyce Upholt

The Top 5 Longreads of the Week - Longreads In this edition: ICE fighter, tectonic researcher, prairie preserver, regal grandmother, wild timekeeper.

This week's Top 5 #longreads:

• ICE fighter, @spiegel.de
• Tectonic researcher, @highcountrynews.org
• Prairie preserver, @noemamag.com
• Regal grandmother, Southlands (@boyceupholt.bsky.social)
• Wild timekeeper, @emergencemagazine.bsky.social

longreads.com/2026/01/16/t...

Thanks, Ben!

you'll have to wait a few years, but the plan for book 2 is to focus on this -- though through the lens of meat in particular

This week Jesse talks to Southlands founder and editor @boyceupholt.bsky.social about Southerners' relationship to our natural surroundings — and about a new book Upholt has also written, about the history and destiny of the Mississippi River. theprogressivesouth.org/headlights-e...

Love seeing @anyagroner.bsky.social's feature for Southlands on this list. (Ugh, do we need a Southlands bluesky account?)

lol

Love seeing these land in mailboxes!

Southlands - Issue No. 2 - Contributor Guidelines.docx Issue No. 2 Pitch Guide Theme: PUBLIC / PRIVATE Updated: October 10, 2025 What is Southlands? Southlands is a new print journal that explores the diverse ways Southerners connect with the natural wo...

With Southlands Issue No. 01 getting set to ship next week -- it's time to start thinking about the next issue! See pitch guidelines here:

docs.google.com/document/d/1...

Power Shift In New Orleans, residents frustrated by an unaccountable energy utility are building a network of community resilience hubs to take back their power.

"Disconnected from the grid after Hurricane Ida, New Orleans went without power for 10 days. That dark week marked the beginning of a social movement that has become a political cause."

@boyceupholt.bsky.social spoke w/ New Orleanians fed up with unaccountable energy providers and ready for change.

Power Shift In New Orleans, residents frustrated by an unaccountable energy utility are building a network of community resilience hubs to take back their power.

When Places Journal asked if I wanted to write about "climate urbanism" in New Orleans, I decided to tackle what felt like the most pressing problem: our rickety old electrical grid. The reporting was, by turns, frustrating, terrifying, and empowering.
placesjournal.org/article/powe...

Y’all! I’m nervous about it, but I’m gonna be live on a PBS News Hour “Tipping Point” special about the Mississippi River on Wednesday night. Tune in here at 6pm CST, July 16:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLoq...

thanks for reading, Mike. Such decisions are beyond my pay grade at Smithsonian, but as someone launching my own pub I can say it makes for complex decisions. I’m not convinced paring back on support for good publications is the best way to fight Trump in this moment.

Thanks for sharing, @barryyeoman.com

Ten-ish years ago, I contemplated the academic path, and a PhD in environmental history. I decided that journalism might be more lucrative and (yikes) jury is still out. But it's a field that means a lot to me, so I'm so honored by this review!

The Corps, in its letters, cites a series of letters the agency received from Gordon Dove (new head of the state's Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority). Seems important that those get in the hands of a reporter so we can better see what's going on here...

I'd like to know a lot more about what Landry at el considering worrying in the withheld report (which is here: www.mvn.usace.army.mil/LinkClick.as...). What he leaves out, too, is how the Corps cites the state's new reluctance to build this thing as changing the economic analysis

Here is Landry's melodramatic tweet, describing this as a Grisham-esque legal thriller and accusing former Gov. John Bel Edwards of withholding information. BUT...

x.com/LAGovJeffLan...

More trouble for Louisiana's largest coastal project after Army Corps pulls permit Here's what we know.

This is big news that I wish I had the capacity to drill into much further www.nola.com/news/environ...

Someone commission this, please

I love a good bridge but also -- these last remaining forests matter so much...

www.tclf.org/environmenta...

Seeking artists and illustrators who love to spend time outdoors in the South. If you know anyone who fits that bill, please link me to their portfolio 🙏

Most of the flora and fauna are adapted to it — this is what big rivers do! — and the levees will protect most of us, but there are definitely some low spots that will be hard for farmers to drain. It’s just gonna be tough on tow boats and give the Army Corps a lot of work!

Get your eyes on the Mississippi, y'all. We haven't seen anything like this since I started writing the book in 2020. Or more than that: my friend John Ruskey is telling me in his 30 years on the river he's never seen it come up so fast.

Thanks, NASA, we're doing great down here...
earthobservatory.nasa.gov/topic/natura...

Canada goose fights off bald eagle in rare, symbolism-laden battle on ice Photographer captures 20-minute clash between birds emblematic of Canada and US amid high trade tensions

Fuck yeah, goose www.theguardian.com/environment/...

you’re fired. wait you’re rehired. email us a list of things you’ve done today wait forget it you’re fired again. come back your job was important. you’re fired. or hired. come in to the office. wait the office has no computers go home. we are the department of government efficiency.

Imagine DOGE opens your mail and finds your household electric bill. To eliminate this cost, they burn your house down without warning. Then they total up the bills that, as a homeless person, you will never again pay. On its website, DOGE boasts about the money it has saved you.

Fate unclear on plans by DOGE to ax 15 Arkansas leases, including Buffalo National River HQ | Arkansas Democrat Gazette The federal government plans to terminate 15 real estate leases in Arkansas, including the one for the Buffalo National River's headquarters in Harrison, according to the Department of Government Effi...

One more way to gut public lands: ensure the remaining staff members don’t even have an office to work from. www.arkansasonline.com/news/2025/ma...

Thanks for sharing!

It’s US-centric, but you might be interested in Tom’s Extreme Pizza in Ocean Springs, MS