I'm always telling my research students to look for sources as physically close to events as possible. Case in point: The idea that a very dead Ramses II travelled with a passport to France is a beloved "weird fact" in U.S. papers. French sources show it ain't true: factuel.afp.com/ce-passeport...

Ce "passeport" de la momie de Ramsès II est un montage

Des publications partagées des centaines de fois sur Facebook en Suisse, France ou Belgique depuis la mi-septembre affirment que la momie de Ramsès II aurait reçu un "passeport" afin de voyager d’Egyp...

factuel.afp.com

Where is the AI agent that will argue with insurance on behalf of chronically ill people? I don't need help ordering groceries or shopping for ceramic plates, but if someone could figure out how much tests are and re-order these 3 scripts from 3 different pharmacies, that would actually be helpful.

Dealing with some unpleasant COVID parting gifts right now, but I am THRILLED to have served on the @thestranger.com's Genius Awards Committee this year. And it was an honor to do the write-up for the Beacon Cinema's Film Genius award: www.thestranger.com/genius-award...

Film Genius: The Beacon Cinema - The Stranger

The Beacon Cinema earned my devotion one night at the tail end of 2023. My obsession with the mid-century British writer of “strange stories” Robert Aickman had led me to the BBC’s A Ghost Story for C...

thestranger.com

In a world of Musks, Brins, Altmans and Zuckerbergs, be a Dolly.

Our August issue asks that question from every angle. Through stories about grief, death workers, remembrance, and the ways people learn to live with loss, this package explores something all of us will experience but few of us are taught how to face.

What Happens When We Go? - The Stranger

Three things are certain in life: death, summer music festivals, and the absolute poetry that The Stranger’s death-themed issue is my last at this paper.  Our August issue’s feature package started wi...

thestranger.com

Just a few more days to sign up for my summer research class with @morbidanatomy.bsky.social, and a few more spots left! Deets here: www.morbidanatomy.org/classes/p/re...

Back By Popular Demand: Re-Enchanting the World Through Research with Author Bess Lovejoy, Begins June 22 — Morbid Anatomy

5-Week class taught online via Zoom Monday, June 22 -July 20 2026 7 - 9 pm ET (NYC time) $180 Paid Patreon Members / $190 General Admission PLEASE NOTE: All classes will be recorded f...

morbidanatomy.org

I love sourdough, but I'm not sure I'd want to eat it if the yeast came from Ötzi the Iceman. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vn4H... (Also, I definitely thought this said "mommy juice" at first, and I was like, "They made bread from wine?")

Yum! Mummy juice bread!

YouTube video by Scientific American

youtube.com

Bumper sticker idea for These Times: Be the friction you want to see in the world.

Wrapping up my last research class at Folio tonight. I’ve loved teaching this one in person. Next up: an online version via Morbid Anatomy in June — plus a new on-demand edition is live. Research, archives, storytelling, vetting, info literacy, and more. Deets: besslovejoy.com/classes-talks

Classes & Talks

George Peabody Library at John Hopkins via Library of Congress I teach classes on research for writers and creatives that are designed to help you find better material, think more critically about …

besslovejoy.com

Very pleased there's a new story in the Alice Isn't Dead universe. I have few fandoms in life, but this is one. Mostly because the music by Disparition is so sublime, but the narration, the quiet eeriness ... all A+. Just search your podcast apps for Alice Isn't Dead -- "Don't Tell Alice."

You thought you heard a roll of thunder, but it was actually thousands of medical historians cracking their knuckles and rolling up their sleeves to revisit centuries of “dirty immigrant” canards.

Elizabeth Jacobs, PhD@elizabethjacobs.bsky.social · 6mo ago

RFK Jr. just said that immigration is to blame for the outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases in the U.S., not him.

Shameless 1921 watercolor of cherry blossoms for attention, but hey Seattle: my research class for creative types launches on Monday! In the beautiful Folio library inside Pike Place Market. Sign up here (select 4/13 as start date—it's not sold out!) www.folioseattle.org/event-detail...

How it feels doing literally any task right now.

I have decided that astrology is the pumpkin spice of the occult sciences and will not be taking questions at this time.

Important news: Have just discovered that the name Betelgeuse came from the French rendering of 9th-century Arabic that can be translated as "armpit of the Great One," and suddenly a whole bunch of stuff has started to make sense.

Seattle, I’m teaching an in-person class at Folio on research for writers & creative types. In a moment when knowing what’s trustworthy matters more than ever, we’ll dig into search, libraries + archives, evaluating sources, organizing, interviewing, narrative — and AI. Starts 4/13! bit.ly/4bHoKac

Workshop: Research for Writers and Creatives with Bess Lovejoy | FOLIO SEATTLE

A 5-week workshop at Folio

folioseattle.org

I loved Tabs today but I am confused about what Dinergoth has to do with goth and I refuse to read that essay to find out.

Can you believe this dress is made from paper? Specifically, hanji — handmade Korean paper that can last for 1,000 years. It was such a delight to speak to artist Aimee Lee about hanji, artists' books, and resilience for @thestranger.com's Spring Arts issue. www.thestranger.com/books/2026/0...

I wrote about the world's first Scent Lending Library for The Art Newspaper. Read all about scent art, scent literacy, and what happened with the bottles I borrowed (it was not quite what I expected!) Sorry to say that peacock doesn't have a smell, tho. www.theartnewspaper.com/2026/03/05/a...

Artist creates the world’s first scent-lending library

The Seattle-based artist Donna Lipowitz provides a popular service that no one nose they need

theartnewspaper.com

On a better note, went to a sneak peek of the Seattle Art Museum's Beyond Mysticism show yesterday and it's pretty glorious. Of course I got stuck in the Surrealism section, gaping at work by Leo Kenney, a Seattle Surrealist I'd never heard of. www.historylink.org/File/5350

Some good food for thought on AI in the military and beyond here; I particularly appreciated the note that these systems are not trained to *ever* say "I don't know" and the types of mistakes they make are not ones we are used to looking out for. www.kuow.org/stories/anth...

I'm attending a Washington State Immigrant Solidarity Know Your Rights training Feb 11, because I need a refresher on what to do when crap is going down here. And it is going down. This morning there was an ICE arrest a few blocks from where I grew up. I'm livid. Join me Feb 11? waisn.org/events/

Upcoming Events & Trainings - WAISN

waisn.org

quick, someone help, we've got a vegetable situation

Young adult in babydoll dress and Docs around the corner from Easy Street records: "It's In Utero's 30th anniversary?!" Friend: "I don't know who the fuck that is." Babydoll: "It's not a person!" #thekidsarealright

Look, even the cats are against ICE now. www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/im-...

I’m a Bodega Cat, and I Guess I’m in Charge Now?

Dear Customers: Some humans (I think? Hard to tell) in masks and vests showed up this morning and took Manny and Kumal away. As you may have notice...

mcsweeneys.net

Washington state investors: Seattle City Employees’ Retirement System, Washington State Investment Board

Gillian Brockell@gillianbrockell.com · 9mo ago

As promised, here is more on Omni's ICE flights, including: how to help Melissa Tran and the other recently deported people in my Mother Jones story, and which blue state public funds are invested with Omni's private equity owner, Stonepeak. gillianbrockell.ghost.io/more-on-omni...

Today's On Point (which should appear here eventually) was about how Minneapolis is resisting ICE--even people who don't consider themselves "political," even people who voted for Trump. The whole city is saying no. We should all be paying attention to how it's done. www.npr.org/podcasts/510...

On Point with Meghna Chakrabarti

Get ready for your aha moment: Every weekday, host Meghna Chakrabarti pierces your news bubble to expose the whole story. Getting answers to the questions that need to be asked, examining our history ...

npr.org

Given current events, are we sure the success of Heated Rivalry isn't some kind of Psych Ops by the Canadians?

Somehow only just now stumbling on the Public Domain Review's collection of "decayed daguerreotypes," in case you need a distraction from the news for some weird reason publicdomainreview.org/collection/d...

Decayed Daguerreotypes

A selection of images from the <a href="http://www.loc.gov/pictures/search/?sp=1&co=dag&st=grid" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Library of Congress</a> of decaying daguerreotypes whose phot...

publicdomainreview.org

But what I actually came here to say is that if you want a fast, legit way of staying on top of the false claims being spread by this admin (and how they're being supercharged by AI), I recommend NewsGuard's newsletter: www.newsguardrealitycheck.com?r=39ar2 (I am not affiliated)

NewsGuard's Reality Check | Substack

A report on how false claims online are undermining trust — and who’s behind them. Produced by co-CEOs Steven Brill, Gordon Crovitz, and the NewsGuard Team. Click to read NewsGuard's Reality Check, a ...

newsguardrealitycheck.com