@nicoleknudsen
I write things and play make-believe. Sometimes I even get paid for it. || The Godfrey Audio Guide || What A Movie: A Nostalgia-Infused Podcast || Frequently gets on a soapbox about Shakespeare and genre fiction || She/Her https://www.nicole-knudsen.com
And since thoughts are not enough, @5calls.org makes it easy to contact your reps. Which also doesn’t feel like enough, but we must start somewhere.
P.S. If you’re anxious about talking directly to a staff member (like I am), you can call outside of business hours and leave a voicemail.
Civilians are always the ones who pay the price. In Iran. Palestine. Sudan. Congo. Immigrant communities. Trans communities. Too many to count or name, but I am thinking of all of them.
“What terrible news to wake up to” is a sentence I wish felt rare
If you’re looking for something spooky or strange to listen to for #Halloween, check out this curated list of @fableandfolly.bsky.social shows over on @pocketcasts.com! Yours truly has worked on two of them 👻
#AudioDrama #AudioFiction
lists.pocketcasts.com/fable-and-fo...
bisan is calling for another global strike for tomorrow: thursday, august 21st!
as always, please do what you're safely able to in order to limit your spending, call into work if you can, be as loud & disruptive as possible, & support this strike! share posts & spread the word!
#freepalestine 🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸
The death of journalism in Gaza. LA Public Press condemns the weekend deaths of five more journalists, calling the 237 total deaths evidence of a systematic war on press freedom.
lapublicpress.org/2025/08/the-...
Fascism is here. We are not “getting closer” or “in danger of.”
This matters because it frames our discussion: We aren’t trying to prevent it, we’re trying to defeat it. It’s not taking over our institutions, it’s taken them over.
Otherwise, we’re always behind, fighting a past we’ve already lost.
Would you like some fictional horror to distract you from the real world horrors? Check out the latest episode of Someone Just Like You, written by yours truly!
(Please read the show notes for content warnings.)
Grief is an old friend who knows I leave the spare key under the mat. I keep meaning to find a safer hiding place (under the mat is where any burglar would check first) but old habits die hard. Today, Grief lets herself in at 5 AM, long before the sun rises or my alarm beckons me into the morning. She sits square on my chest, her usual perch, and rails about the wrongs of a former lover. My fiancé sleeps soundly beside me, and I worry that Grief will wake him, too.
Her hold on my heart is tight, her weight far heavier than it’s been in years. I ask her: why is she here? This is an old pain, one she has long since let go of (though occasionally will knock at when she’s feeling spicy). She doesn’t move, her weight doesn’t lessen, her grip remains vice-like. I ask again: why are you here? Finally, she tells me.
It’s too much. Too much? Out there. I am being called to too many places at once. I feel myself sprouting up everywhere. It’s spreading me so thin. She finally shifts her weight, my breath coming a little easier. This, she says, squeezing the memory of my old flame’s carelessness: it’s easier to return here. I know how to navigate a broken heart, not a breaking world.
Slowly, I wrap my arms around her and ease her off my chest. Lying in this embrace, I do my best to understand her. That is what old friends do, after all. My fiancé stirs. Of course we woke him, how could we not? He kisses us both on the forehead, gets up, makes a pot of coffee. In case you want any, he tells us. For when you’re ready to face the day.
In these dark times, remember to be gentle with yourself.
#poem #poetry #writing
A screenshot of a Scrivener project’s writing history. Writing days: 10. Average words written per day in draft: 825.
Sometimes, writing is inching forward on a project, bit by bit.
Other times, it’s cranking out the first draft of a 50+ page one-act play in 10 days.
The ebbs and flows of creative output will never not fascinate me.
#Writing
Hakeem Jeffries has used the “magic minute” to hold the floor for the last 4 hours.
There is still time to pressure Republicans. See our thread below for who to reach out to.
If you need a distraction from The Endless Horrors (please call your reps!!!), might @thereeljferrero.bsky.social and I suggest the most recent episode of What A Movie? Listen to our discussion about fictional, dinosaur-based horrors:
open.spotify.com/episode/3ZDI...
“The chaos you’re seeing is not the result of peaceful protestors, it’s the result of actions of law enforcement, specifically the Los Angeles sheriff’s department.” @msnbc.com reporter #nokings
This weekend’s shocking and violent raids in Los Angeles are meant to be a show of force from the Trump regime. This is about instilling fear and terrorizing Angelenos.
Wrote a thing for you.
gabinoiglesias.substack.com/p/i-encourag...
Number 3 - The SECOND new What A Movie episode since 2024, in which we discuss Spy Kids! This one’s also our 50th regular episode 🥳
open.spotify.com/episode/2dSB...
Number 2 - The first new What A Movie episode since 2024, in which we discuss James and the Giant Peach!
open.spotify.com/episode/7jbO...
For the sake of my sanity, I’ve been trying to limit the time I spend on social media. So there have been a few recent(ish) podcast things that I haven’t posted about.
Number 1 - The Godfrey Audio Guide’s Q&A episode!
open.spotify.com/episode/62tE...
The movie poster for Sinners.
After watching this on Saturday, my first thought as I left the theater was “I need to see this again.”
I haven’t stopped thinking about it since.
#Sinners is absolutely stunning.
For my New York folks:
Fascism: “Columbia University recently set up an office that is secretly investigating its students for political statements about Israel, Drop Site News reported this week, and is requiring students to sign non-disclosure agreements to view the evidence being brought against them.”
Artemisia Gentileschi knew a thing or two about feminine rage
Do any other #writers here switch from your computer to pen and paper when you’re feeling stuck?
There’s something about the messiness of my handwriting on the page that makes me less self-conscious about the messiness of the content. It’s a trick that helps me get out of my own way.
#writing
Darkness, lurking in
every corner. Be the light
that banishes it.
#Haiku #Poetry #TheHorrorsPersistButSoDoI
The Senate is moving forward on HR28 / S9, threatening to defund schools unless they segregate trans students and subject women and girls to invasive genital and sex exams for athletics programs. Protect students, save Title IX!
actionnetwork.org/letters/tell...
“Humanitarian aid should never be used as a tool of war.”
Doctors Without Borders (MSF) says the Israeli decision to stop the entry of all humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip is “outrageous and will have devastating consequences”.
🔴 LIVE updates: aje.io/66nsyl
A graphic titled "2025 Economic Blackout Schedule" outlines planned consumer blackouts. The word "BLACKOUT" is displayed in bold black letters with a crossed-out shopping cart icon inside the letter "O." A calendar and clock emoji appear in the top right corner. The schedule lists: Total Blackout (Feb. 28): No purchases at all, with a recommendation to buy essentials in advance and shop local if necessary. Amazon Blackout (March 7-14): No purchases from Amazon. Nestlé Blackout (March 21-28): No purchases of Nestlé products, including Gerber, Perrier, Chefmate, Purina, and Friskies. Walmart Blackout (April 7-14): No purchases from Walmart or Walmart.com. A sad face emoji is next to Walmart's name. Total Blackout 2 (April 18): Another full no-purchase day with similar recommendations. At the bottom, three sections encourage people to: Spread the word – by sharing the information. Prepare – by purchasing necessities before the blackout days. Spend $0 – by avoiding purchases on blackout days and shopping local if necessary.
This will not be the first economic blackout or the last. But it's a place for new people to start, and for others to continue their boycott.
Eat. The. Rich.
The fight continues--sign our letter to Children's Hospital Los Angeles to call on their executive leadership to continue providing vital healthcare to trans youth: dsa.la/chla
