Some wonderful recommendations here. I’m especially looking forward to digging into Crossing the Wine-Dark Sea and There Is No Place for Us. 🙏

EMILY WILSON@emilyrcwilson.bsky.social · 5d ago

Here's a recommended book-list-interview, for a UK publication. For everyone who has had enough of discourse (as I certainly have): it has a tiny mention of Nolan as the hook, but then we move on to some reading. www.countryandtownhouse.com/culture/emil...

Yes indeed! It’s an action film starring an action hero. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but this hero’s hardly complicated. That said, I loved Circe’s pork-in-progress!

EMILY WILSON@emilyrcwilson.bsky.social · last wk.

I wrote about the Nolan Odyssey for the LRB. I'll summarize some of my main points below, in case you don't feel like reading all that. www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...

People keep asking what I think of the movie. Here, @wmarybeard.bsky.social explains it all for you. 🙏 to @cartersherman.bsky.social for this splendid interview.

Mary Beard on The Odyssey and how empires fall – Stateside with Kai and Carter

Christopher Nolan’s new adaption of The Odyssey is an absolute monster of a hit, grossing $264m in its opening weekend. But celebrated classicist Mary Beard tells host Carter Sherman that Nolan’s film...

theguardian.com

Haben Girma rocks!!! Illuminating, powerful, and also funny :)

France made me a Knight, and my mission is Braille!

Official website of Haben Girma, keynote speaker, bestselling author, and advocate.

habengirma.com

Haben Girma@habengirma.bsky.social · 3w ago

France made me a Knight, and I made France a promise. I may have a guide dog instead of a horse and a keyboard instead of a sword, but I pledge to champion Braille across the globe. Descriptive Transcript and full-length video: habengirma.com/2026/07/13/f...

Yes, I saw The Odyssey, and yes of course, I have thoughts. But I’ll save them until more folks have seen it (except to say that Samantha Norton must be a goddess in real life).

No mention of widdershins OR deasil???

Humans prefer to walk anticlockwise, scientists find – but reason is unclear

From Spain to Japan, experiments have repeatedly shown a left-turn bias, but exact mechanic ‘is still an open question’

theguardian.com

This Tuesday night. Join us!

Martha Barnette@marthabarnette.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Hey, #sandiego! Take a break and feed your mind along with fellow language lovers as we celebrate some wonderful words! It’s free and open to the public, but you must register.

Hey, #sandiego! Take a break and feed your mind along with fellow language lovers as we celebrate some wonderful words! It’s free and open to the public, but you must register.

A Way With Words - An Evening with Martha Barnette

Join us for an evening with the author of "Friends with Words: Adventures in Languageland" and co-host of "A Way with Words" radio program

eventbrite.com

“At least they nailed Odysseus’ Boston accent.” www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie... #language

‘The Odyssey’: Everybody Using American Accents Is Definitely a Choice

"Let's go!" Fans thrown by American accents, modern speech in new trailer for ancient Greece epic: "It sounds like they're outside a Starbucks."

hollywoodreporter.com

Pleased to learn a new-to-me phrase today!

Kyle Clark@kylec.bsky.social · 4mo ago

A viewer named Debbie got the phrase “nut cuttin time down on the ranch” banned from my program. Debbie ruined it for everyone.

Sheesh. Looking at my new passport photo and all I can think is “Girl, who licked the red off of YOUR candy??” 😐

Super-fun live show by @susiedentwords.bsky.social live show in Basingstoke today. Agreed that we need a word for that first wonderful whiff of autumn. Mind the lexical gap!

Logophiles assemble! Just back from @susiedentwords.bsky.social at the Haymarket, where I found myself sitting next to @marthabarnette.bsky.social from 'A Way With Words' 📖

a man in a suit and tie says welcome to the nerd zone

Alt: Stephen Colbert saying "Welcome to the nerd zone, my friend."

media.tenor.com

Woot! Congrats, y’all!

Kory Stamper@korystamper.bsky.social · 5mo ago

HELL YES: "The Shape of Color," an article (WITH CRAFT PROJECT) I wrote for @paperairplane.pub's inaugural issue, has been chosen for this year's Best American Science and Nature Writing anthology! Many thanks to guest editor @xkcd.com, @jaimealyse.bsky.social, and @marinerbooks.bsky.social!

Cat got your etymology?

The Curious—and Creepy—Origins of 'Cat Got Your Tongue?' | HISTORY

Three creepy theories attempt to explain the phrase’s origins.

history.com

This is gonna be fun!

Paper Airplane magazine@paperairplane.pub · 6mo ago

I wanted to make a grown-up version of the magazines I loved as a kid—like Highlights, but for adults. Then I found a bunch of likeminded humans who actually made it happen. Everlasting thanks to all the writers and artists who've contributed to Paper Airplane Vol. 2 and beyond.

Props to my dear friend Lillian Faderman for this splendid review of the new film based on her book SCOTCH VERDICT! www.theguardian.com/film/2026/fe...

The Education of Jane Cumming review – sexuality, race and a real school scandal

Sophie Heldman’s drama about two teachers accused of lesbianism by a pupil is exhilaratingly candid

theguardian.com

Happy birthday, Chuck D!

Letters of Note@lettersofnote.com · 6mo ago

Happy birthday to one of my favourite haters, Charles Darwin

“In other words, Spanish is not a foreign language. It's woven all through the history, culture, and communities of the United States, especially the Southwest, California, and Florida. You cannot name the most important parts of California without Spanish.” Thanks, @rebeccasolnit.bsky.social‬

Rebecca Solnit@rebeccasolnit.bsky.social · 6mo ago

English-only California: the golden state with Spanish place names removed. First map I ever commissioned, to commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, whereby the US made Mexico give up its northern half, adding California and the Southwest to the Union.

January links! Credits: @mashedradish.bsky.social @marthabarnette.bsky.social @paperairplane.pub @stancarey.bsky.social @stronglang.bsky.social @grammargirl.bsky.social & more! fritinancy.substack.com/p/january-li...

January linkstack

New newsletters, a new print magazine (!), the AI naming crisis, and more.

fritinancy.substack.com

But wait — where’s Useless Etymology??

Jess Zafarris@jesszafarris.com · 7mo ago

And I’ll close with word books because it was a fantastic year for word nerdy new releases. 📖 Proto by @laurainparis.bsky.social 📖 Unabridged by @stefanfatsis.bsky.social 📖 Why Q Needs U by @dannybate.bsky.social 📖 Friends with Words by @marthabarnette.bsky.social

“ . . made my first foray into audiobooks with my girl Martha Barnette’s impossibly delightful (and wonderfully narrated) Friends with Words.” Thanks, The Millions! themillions.com/2025/12/a-ye...

A Year in Reading: 2025

The Millions has been on hiatus for the last year, so we’ve had to scale back our editorial output to just our seasonal Most Anticipated lists. But we couldn’t let 2025 go by without bringing out our ...

themillions.com

A chewy chat about aging, regrets, goals, and adjusting—and how words change as we do. Check out this @oldstermag.bsky.social questionnaire:

This is 67: Public Radio Host Martha Barnette Responds to The Oldster Magazine Questionnaire

"I did kind of like going into a store where the salesperson needed ID, looked at my driver license, and said, 'Oh! You’re eligible for our wisdom discount!'”

oldster.substack.com

When it comes to books, I guess you can judge a cover. Here’s a spectacular list from @literaryhub.bsky.social. I’m delighted it includes the gorgeous cover of FRIENDS WITH WORDS. Richly deserved! The whole list is a treat for the eyes.

The 173 Best Book Covers of 2025

Per Literary Hub tradition, I am pleased to present the best book covers of the year—as chosen by some of the industry’s best book cover designers. This year, I asked 52 designers to share their fa…

lithub.com

Listen in and nerd out! Lots of fun chatting about words and wonderful books 🙂📚

Mignon Fogarty@grammargirl.bsky.social · 8mo ago

@marthabarnette.bsky.social's book "Friends With Words" is packed with tidbits for word lovers, and in today's podcast we look at some of my favorites: — Why South Carolinians paint porches "haint blue" (to ward off ghosts) — What a "quidnunc" is (a nosy neighbor) 1/2 APPLE: tinyurl.com/2cwb4t92

Great time sharing the joy of language with Arik and his listeners!

Arik Korman@arikkorman.bsky.social · 8mo ago

New interview! @marthabarnette.bsky.social, co-host of @waywordradio.org, discusses which local dialects or colloquialisms stood out when she traveled around the United States and how we can get our kids as excited about #language as she is. Listen: bit.ly/martha_barne... #words

Fun chat about memoir and hypnagogic inspiration with @saribotton.bsky.social (“Hypnagogic”? Hint: It’s a great excuse for a nap! 😁) #memoir #writersofbluesky #amwriting #readinglist #bookchat

The Memoir Land Author Questionnaire #156: Martha Barnette

"If you have deep knowledge of a subject and want to share it widely, consider framing it within stories from your life."

open.substack.com

Well, THAT’s a nice little bit of good news amid all the other mishegoss! Friends with Words made USA TODAY’s Best-Selling Booklist last week. Huzzah!

Taking my own damn escalator ride! See y’all tonight in Lexington!

Word Nerdery alert: Come peep us at the South Burlington Library in VT tonight!