Martyn Wendell Jones
@martynwendell.bsky.social
Senior editor, The Bulwark. American in Canada, writer. Books, menswear, parenting, politics, religion. Post the posts you want to see in the world.
I am amazed by the regularity with which the thought "I wonder if they've ever set a television drama in a hospital" comes back to mind fresh. Each time I wonder about it for a moment as though I've discerned a new creative possibility, and then I think, "wait a sec–"
Oldest son's t-ball team introduced walk-up music tonight. Lots of classic rock and current pop, plus our boy's pick, "Intergalactic," which has a great break that would hit right as he reached the plate. Sublime.
That said, this remains her most important connection to Toronto:
Bummed that the Jays traded Daulton Varsho. A great guy, and such a steady presence for the team. So it goes.
This fall’s reading group listings comprise one of the richest @catherineproject.bsky.social offerings I’ve seen so far. There are multiple Moby-Dick sections, including one in a young parent-friendly 8–10 p.m. slot—consider! Would be a great way to spend a damp, drizzly November in your soul!
Catherine Project@catherineproject.bsky.social · 5d agoEnrollment for Fall 2026 is now open! 📚🍂 Join our global readership for thoughtful, open-ended discussions on books that matter. Browse what's on offer and apply today: catherineproject.org Applications close August 14.
Happy Civic Holiday/Simcoe Day/August Long Weekend to all who celebrate
if I ever taught film criticism lesson one would be “you being smarter than the movie is not interesting to anyone”
Enrollment for Fall 2026 is now open! 📚🍂 Join our global readership for thoughtful, open-ended discussions on books that matter. Browse what's on offer and apply today: catherineproject.org Applications close August 14.
kind of weird to not mention Ralph here, especially seeing as the guy being profiled is a former Ralph Lauren store employee washingtonian.com/2026/07/23/s...
![FOUR TIPS FROM FROM SAM PARVEN
1. Mix high and low
That’s what Parven does to, as he says, “push the boundaries of acceptable office wear.” [following line highlighted in screenshot] He’s been known to wear sun-bleached blue jeans with a tuxedo jacket. “If you want to tell me that I’m casual, ‘I’m not too casual, I’m wearing a tuxedo.’ But if you want to tell me I’m too formal, ‘I’m wearing jeans.’ ”](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:p56ule2yxpevx5wi3mqe6nyq/bafkreiah4htx7ba35hzf6exmjjtwrlnugwkyb5pezddyh27rqzitvdsqpi)
"Resist the perverse instinct to treat as the authority on your beauty the people who want you dead."
Against Heteropessimism
Accounting for the nature of straight women’s desire is hard. What to do about it?
lnk.thebulwark.com
We all have that one homie who scholars theorize was not a single individual, but a collection of different authors
I often say our public libraries are the best thing about Toronto. 100 branches & an incredible variety of free programs & services.
august 🍂@auguststreet.ca · last wk.toronto does libraries right. our current mayor has managed to open every single library branch on all 7 days of the week. i don't believe any other major city has achieved the same in north america, not even nyc. we have the best library system in the world 🤭
Lots of great observations in this piece; I appreciated this passage in particular
Martyn Wendell Jones@martynwendell.bsky.social · 2w agoNew on the @thebulwark.com homepage this morning: a wonderful, engaging review by Clare Coffey of @phoebebovy.bsky.social's The Last Straight Woman, a book that "is a pleasure to quarrel with." Tolle lege: www.thebulwark.com/p/against-he...
A review of Phoebe Maltz Bovy's new book, 'The Last Straight Woman: On Desiring Men': "A book that is comfortable with ambivalence, that is a pleasure to quarrel with, that channels a kind of Ephronesque spirit of plainspoken inquiry into everyday absurdities—this is a rare gift."
Against Heteropessimism
Accounting for the nature of straight women’s desire is hard. What to do about it?
thebulwark.com
I think it was @proptermalone.bsky.social who noted that many straight men cannot consider themselves as an object of (sexual) desire and so much of this (and gender broadly) is tied up in that
Martyn Wendell Jones@martynwendell.bsky.social · 2w agoLots of great observations in this piece; I appreciated this passage in particular
Have ended up once again in AMERICA, that curious nation in the middle of North America, where I am enjoying a local mountain range and trees. Open to any suggestions for other classic American sights and pastimes while we’re passing through the country
A terrific weekend read, ICYI:
Martyn Wendell Jones@martynwendell.bsky.social · 2w agoNew on the @thebulwark.com homepage this morning: a wonderful, engaging review by Clare Coffey of @phoebebovy.bsky.social's The Last Straight Woman, a book that "is a pleasure to quarrel with." Tolle lege: www.thebulwark.com/p/against-he...
New on the @thebulwark.com homepage this morning: a wonderful, engaging review by Clare Coffey of @phoebebovy.bsky.social's The Last Straight Woman, a book that "is a pleasure to quarrel with." Tolle lege: www.thebulwark.com/p/against-he...
Against Heteropessimism
Accounting for the nature of straight women’s desire is hard. What to do about it?
thebulwark.com
NEW: Here's how Trump is trying to screw up the census to exclude noncitizens. It's unconstitutional. And the stakes are huge. www.thebulwark.com/p/inside-tru...
Inside Trump’s Stealth Trick to Rig the Census—and Congress
The administration’s latest power grab is disguised as boring technical guidance.
thebulwark.com
Important new reporting from @crampell.bsky.social: "President Trump has been trying to ratfuck the census for years," and now, a coming rule change may alter "the technical meaning of who 'resides' in the United States to exclude some or most immigrants." www.thebulwark.com/p/inside-tru...
Inside Trump’s Stealth Trick to Rig the Census—and Congress
The administration’s latest power grab is disguised as boring technical guidance.
thebulwark.com
Tolle lege
Joshua Tait@joshuatait.bsky.social · 2w agoI had great fun writing this for The Bulwark, combining the type of conservative intellectual history I relish with culture commentary and some (sub-)Devil's Dictionary-type gags thrown in for good measure. How the Tech Right Learned to Love Mordor open.substack.com/pub/thebulwa...
The NYRB Author’s Closet, a series of videos of the least camera-ready people in society mumbling inaudibly about Vasily Grossman.
Ned Resnikoff@resnikoff.bsky.social · 2w agoNYRB should do their own version of the Criterion Closet for their book publishing arm imo
"'The Last Straight Woman' is probably better conceived as an exploration of tensions than an attempt to resolve them, which is why, despite this long and incomplete list of disputes, I thoroughly enjoyed it." Clare Coffey reviews Phoebe Maltz Bovy:
Against Heteropessimism
Accounting for the nature of straight women’s desire is hard. What to do about it?
lnk.thebulwark.com
Lots of great observations in this piece; I appreciated this passage in particular
Martyn Wendell Jones@martynwendell.bsky.social · 2w agoNew on the @thebulwark.com homepage this morning: a wonderful, engaging review by Clare Coffey of @phoebebovy.bsky.social's The Last Straight Woman, a book that "is a pleasure to quarrel with." Tolle lege: www.thebulwark.com/p/against-he...
