Grist From the Mills

A view looking out over a drum set, with band members on stage in front, speakers overhead, and a crowd beyond.

Refuse to evacuate your life

Vol. 79 In This Issue: ESSAY | FAVORITE MUSIC OF THE YEAR | WISCONSIN NEWS | NOW READ THIS | FINAL FRAME If you’re at all online in December, it’s likely you’ll come across a friend or relative posting their Spotify “Wrapped” lists. This annual tradition gives people a chance to

A group of four large buffalo runs across an open field.

Gratitude and good news

Vol. 78 In This Issue: ESSAY | NOW READ THIS | LISTEN UP | TAKE ACTION | FINAL FRAME I’ve started and stopped writing this newsletter something like five times over the past month. My writer’s block often manifests as too many ideas and not enough time or mental bandwidth to sit

Two cops stand watch over a line of protesters holding giant inflatable palm trees outside the Wisconsin State Capitol building in winter.

Frogs, palm trees, and humor as resistance

Vol. 77 In This Issue: ESSAY | NOW READ THIS | FINAL FRAME I’m sure you’ve seen it by now: People showing up to protests against ICE and Trump wearing big, silly, inflatable animal costumes. It began when one person in Portland faced off with federal goons in a blow-up

An old black and white photo shows a solder dressed in a Union Civil War uniform, with a musket on his shoulder.

Chasing queer history

Vol. 76 In This Issue: ESSAY | NOW READ THIS | RESOURCE LIBRARY | GOOD THINGS | FINAL FRAME For at least the last ten years, when people ask me what I’m working on, I’ve sighed and said, “my novel.” The earliest date on a document related to the project is from

A freckled orange butterfly perches with wings open on top of a purple coneflower.

Sowing and reaping, etc.

Vol. 75 In This Issue: ESSAY | NOW READ THIS | IN PERSON | FINAL FRAME The last two weeks have been rough. I threw out my back at the gym and then hobbled home to the news about professional conservative troll Charlie Kirk being shot and killed during a speaking event on

The Progress Pride flag flies underneath the Wisconsin and U.S. flags on a pole over top of the ornate facade of WI State Capitol building.

Wisconsin needs a candidate for governor who will defend LGBTQ people

Vol. 74 IN THIS ISSUE: Essay | Now Read This | Get Outside This essay originally appeared in The Recombobulation Area, part of the Civic Media Network. With Tony Evers’ announcement last month that he will not be seeking a third term in office, the field for governor is wide open. As

A bar with large round weights mounted on either end, set on top of black gym mats.

Lifting Heavy Things

Vol. 73 In This Issue: ESSAY | NOW READ THIS | RESOURCES | FINAL FRAME One of my favorite arguments against the use of generative AI tools like ChatGPT and Claude is this: You don’t go to a gym and use a forklift. The point isn’t just to move heavy things

A black and white photo shows an old Ford minivan parked along a cracked roadway, with a flat field of grass and flowers behind it.

On staying.

Vol. 72 In This Issue: ESSAY | NOW READ THIS | RESOURCE SHARING | BOOK NOOK | FINAL FRAME On Staying. This past weekend marked the 25th anniversary of my moving to Madison. A whole quarter century lived in the same place. It’s sort of wild to think about, even after all this

Screengrab from the 1995 movie “Hackers” shows Johnny Lee Miller’s face, with a flurry of equations superimposed over it.

Breaking Up With Social Media

Vol. 71 In This Issue: ESSAY | NOW READ THIS | TAKE ACTION | IN PERSON | FINAL FRAME I have been online since 1994. I was 13 years old and my family purchased a Macintosh Power PC that had a whopping 14.4 bps modem included. It was the first time we owned

Two, side-by-side staircases leaded up to an ornate doorway, flanked on either side by hallways lined with tall columns.

A win for checks and balances and a win for actual expertise

Vol. 70 IN THIS ISSUE: Essay | Now Read This | Listen Up | In Person | Final Frame This essay originally appeared in The Recombobulation Area, part of the Civic Media network, on July 23, 2025. Earlier this month, Wisconsin saw an important win for checks and balances in our state government. It

A group of roller derby skaters and coaches carry a large Palestinian flag overhead as they skate and walk in a procession.

The Roller Derby World Cup and a borderless future

Vol. 69 (nice) IN THIS ISSUE: ESSAY | NOW READ THIS | TAKE ACTION | IN PERSON | FINAL FRAME It’s no secret that I love the sport of roller derby. I’ve been involved since 2012, when I finally worked up the courage, time, and money to try out for my local

Three people sit along a curb, talking with one another.

(Interview) USAID Matters: An Interview with Jessica Benton Cooney

Vol. 68 In This Issue: INTERVIEW | TAKE ACTION | NOW READ THIS | IN PERSON | FINAL FRAME [Give me a tip on Ko-Fi!] Several lifetimes ago, during my senior year at Edgewood College, a small, Catholic, liberal arts school, I became co-editor of a campus newspaper that had fallen into serious disrepair.