Mike O’Connell

Unbelievable

damn. hoping it at least signifies something

I feel like this photo of masked, armed men pepper spraying a pastor protecting his community is going to be a defining picture of this moment in America for a long, long time.

Roundtable by The 92nd Street Y, New York — Live, Online Classes Roundtable is live, in-the-moment online classes with respected and passionate experts who give you a place at the table to ask questions, join a discussion, and satisfy your curious mind.

I’m leading a 4 week class in November on David Foster Wallace’s short stories through the 92nd St Y Roundtable. Join me! roundtable.org/live-courses...

This is really good

Pope Leo XIV today: "Brothers and sisters, those boats which hope to catch sight of a safe port, and those eyes filled with anguish and hope seeking to reach the shore, cannot and must not find the coldness of indifference or the stigma of discrimination!"

"We’re havin’ an all-night revival" A dispatch from the largest ticketed concert in US history

Wrote about seeing Zach Bryan at the Big House

Yeah as a Red Sox fan it’s …. Not Fun

Wildly impressive postseason performance! 🐯

Our 2026 DFW conference in Austin welcomes scholars and non-academics of all backgrounds. Our call for papers is now live: call-for-papers.sas.upenn.edu/cfp/2025/09/...

Also the start of the Ryder Cup — a very dad-coded sporting event

Congratulations — and well deserved!

a man with a mustache is wearing a hat and a suit . Alt: a man with a mustache is wearing a hat and a suit and smiling beguilingly (it’s Robert Redford as the Sundance Kid in Butch Cassidy and…)

An absolute icon

This book was great!

Station Eleven was one of the best tv shows of the last 5 years! I’ll have to check out Good Lord Bird

This is such a no-brainer that the lack of a coordinated response feels deeply damning. A Democratic leadership team that can't mobilize an instant all-hands-on-deck effort on RFK Jr. isn't a leadership team at all.

WATCH GRID: The last shall be first Everything has happened before. No one knows what will happen.

CFB Watch Grid, Week 1: Saint Origen and Cam Skattebo

Riooooooooo #lfc

You and Jason going to announce another podcast soon? 🙏

I feel you, Toad.

With a special shout out to @harvilla.bsky.social for (unknowingly) giving the prompt here, and @themountaingoats.bsky.social for the music

"There's gonna be a party when the wolf comes home" "Tell someone you love about a song you love."

Wrote about a couple of songs I love, and turning to music to get through dark times

the intensity of my anger at those who would criminalize the homeless — a population literally created by the greed and callousness of the ruling class — is very hard to contain. it was you who dismantled the safety net. if you don’t like the results, put it back

In Memoriam: David Tracy's Catholic Imagination - Jesuit Media Lab For Tracy, what we believe is not tied solely to doctrine, but to the classics that continue to disclose truths across time.

Michael O'Connell reflects on David Tracy and the Catholic imagination. jesuitmedialab.org/in-memoriam-...

Post someone who looks good in a hat

The @aadl.org Summer Game is the best!

If you don’t count covid victims people won’t die.
If you don’t measure carbon the temperature won’t rise.
If you fudge unemployment numbers the economy will soar.

Our fool is building his paradise

Featuring Stephen Colbert, Thomas Merton, George Saunders, JRR Tolkien, and (of course) Ignatius of Loyola.

“The Gate of Heaven is Everywhere”: An Ignatius Day Reflection on Mystical Experiences - Jesuit Media Lab A reflection on the power of the mystical as we celebrate a saint who wrote some of the most nuanced accounts of the spiritual life — and also was alleged to have levitated during prayer.

Wrote about @jamesmartinsj.bsky.social recent podcast with Stephen Colbert, and mystical experiences, for Ignatius Day

Of Cards and Card Collecting — The Under Review The 1991 Topps Stadium Club Frank Thomas card perfectly captures the arc of the Big Hurt’s powerful right-handed swing. He is photographed in profile, mid swing; the follow-through of the bat is not y...

www.underreviewlit.com/issue-8-summ...