Hat Full of Sky
@hatfullofsky.bsky.social
Profile pic by Lynda Barry. Nonsense by me.
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#ThatFeelingWhen you’ve got 26 original printings of The Columbian Orator, enough to put one into the hands of each student as you begin teaching how #FrederickDouglass taught himself #HowToRead and #SpeakTruthToPower
September 18, 2026 at 12:54 PM
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Awww. Has a sweet @duchessgoldblatt.bsky.social vibe to it!
Fighting hate speech with nice speech
Poke me for a weirdly specific compliment and help fund the fight against online hate.
talknicer.online
September 18, 2026 at 2:39 AM
Awww. Has a sweet @duchessgoldblatt.bsky.social vibe to it!
🛶James, 9/17: chs. 27, 28, 29: James the tenor; minstrelsy; black-white-black-passing.
Blackface: The Birth of An American Stereotype
Learn the history behind common African American stereotypes. #ANationsStory
nmaahc.si.edu
September 17, 2026 at 10:01 PM
🛶James, 9/17: chs. 27, 28, 29: James the tenor; minstrelsy; black-white-black-passing.
🛶 Daniel Decatur Emmett, we meet again.
🛶 I forgot to include The Notebook of Daniel Decatur Emmett in the first day’s reading of James. It’s just a few pages—song lyrics — but deserves supplemental reading. A 🧵:
Emmett was “an American composer, entertainer, and founder of the first troupe of the blackface minstrel tradition…
Emmett was “an American composer, entertainer, and founder of the first troupe of the blackface minstrel tradition…
Dan Emmett - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
September 16, 2026 at 5:20 PM
🛶 Daniel Decatur Emmett, we meet again.
🛶 James, 9/15, chs. 21, 22, 23: a moment of freedom; wanted man; back when; the return of the king and the duke; bullying by name, cruelty by violence; river hunting.
Leaving this here for no reason, or maybe because, as Faulkner said, "The past is never dead. It's not even past.”
Leaving this here for no reason, or maybe because, as Faulkner said, "The past is never dead. It's not even past.”
Racial bias in medicine - Harvard Global Health Institute
By Kate Raphael The response to drug epidemics cuts along lines of race and class. In my recent piece with Toni Monkovic in the New York Times’ Upshot Dr. M. Norman Oliver,...
globalhealth.harvard.edu
September 15, 2026 at 11:12 PM
🛶 James, 9/15, chs. 21, 22, 23: a moment of freedom; wanted man; back when; the return of the king and the duke; bullying by name, cruelty by violence; river hunting.
Leaving this here for no reason, or maybe because, as Faulkner said, "The past is never dead. It's not even past.”
Leaving this here for no reason, or maybe because, as Faulkner said, "The past is never dead. It's not even past.”
🛶 James, remaining schedule:
9/14 19, 20 (15)
9/15 21, 22, 23 (16)
9/16 24, 25, 26 (16)
9/17 27, 28, 29 (14)
9/18 30, 31, 32 (16)
9/19 Break
9/20 Break
9/21 Break
9/22 Part 2: 1,2,3 (18)
9/23 4, 5, 6 (20)
9/24 7, 8 ,9 (21)
9/25 Part 3: 1, 2, 3, 4 (20)
9/26 5, 6, 7, 8 (16)
9/14 19, 20 (15)
9/15 21, 22, 23 (16)
9/16 24, 25, 26 (16)
9/17 27, 28, 29 (14)
9/18 30, 31, 32 (16)
9/19 Break
9/20 Break
9/21 Break
9/22 Part 2: 1,2,3 (18)
9/23 4, 5, 6 (20)
9/24 7, 8 ,9 (21)
9/25 Part 3: 1, 2, 3, 4 (20)
9/26 5, 6, 7, 8 (16)
September 15, 2026 at 10:41 PM
🛶 James, remaining schedule:
9/14 19, 20 (15)
9/15 21, 22, 23 (16)
9/16 24, 25, 26 (16)
9/17 27, 28, 29 (14)
9/18 30, 31, 32 (16)
9/19 Break
9/20 Break
9/21 Break
9/22 Part 2: 1,2,3 (18)
9/23 4, 5, 6 (20)
9/24 7, 8 ,9 (21)
9/25 Part 3: 1, 2, 3, 4 (20)
9/26 5, 6, 7, 8 (16)
9/14 19, 20 (15)
9/15 21, 22, 23 (16)
9/16 24, 25, 26 (16)
9/17 27, 28, 29 (14)
9/18 30, 31, 32 (16)
9/19 Break
9/20 Break
9/21 Break
9/22 Part 2: 1,2,3 (18)
9/23 4, 5, 6 (20)
9/24 7, 8 ,9 (21)
9/25 Part 3: 1, 2, 3, 4 (20)
9/26 5, 6, 7, 8 (16)
🛶James, 9/14, chs. 19, 20: a teary tale to con the con men; revival; render unto Caesar; Southern culture on the skids.
My favorite Southern Shakespeare:
My favorite Southern Shakespeare:
Southern Shakespeare “Friends, Romans, Countrymen” from JULIUS CAESAR
YouTube video by The Cultured Bumpkin
www.youtube.com
September 14, 2026 at 10:48 PM
🛶James, 9/14, chs. 19, 20: a teary tale to con the con men; revival; render unto Caesar; Southern culture on the skids.
My favorite Southern Shakespeare:
My favorite Southern Shakespeare:
🛶 James readers, may I present the divine and stunning Ms. Bettye LaVette. ”Strange Fruit,” 1939.
For the soundtrack, @hleisthen.bsky.social
For the soundtrack, @hleisthen.bsky.social
Bettye LaVette - Strange Fruit (Audio)
YouTube video by BettyeLaVetteVEVO
www.youtube.com
September 13, 2026 at 2:22 PM
🛶 James readers, may I present the divine and stunning Ms. Bettye LaVette. ”Strange Fruit,” 1939.
For the soundtrack, @hleisthen.bsky.social
For the soundtrack, @hleisthen.bsky.social
A tough read from 25 years ago. With compassion for all of the suffering that grew out of that day.
Plane crashes in to the word trade center.
Plane crashes in to the word trade center. Apologies for not linking to anything besides the main CNN page but there are no full stories on this yet. The plane crashed into the building about six...
www.metafilter.com
September 11, 2026 at 11:45 AM
A tough read from 25 years ago. With compassion for all of the suffering that grew out of that day.
🛶 James, 9/11, chs. 17, 18: feud; reunited; “How do a slave sound?”; tale of trauma; Faber and Locke; and a less welcome duo.
Take the weekend off, get caught up, and feel free to keep posting.
Anybody want to take a whack at Locke’s appearance? Trauma post-violence? Code-switching/slipping?
Take the weekend off, get caught up, and feel free to keep posting.
Anybody want to take a whack at Locke’s appearance? Trauma post-violence? Code-switching/slipping?
The Eberhard Faber Pencil Company | Brooklyn Public Library
The Eberhard Faber Pencil Company traces back to 18th century Bavaria, where carpenter Casper (Kasper) Faber began crafting and selling lead pencils in the small town of Stein. Casper’s son Anton Wilh...
www.bklynlibrary.org
September 11, 2026 at 11:35 AM
🛶 James, 9/11, chs. 17, 18: feud; reunited; “How do a slave sound?”; tale of trauma; Faber and Locke; and a less welcome duo.
Take the weekend off, get caught up, and feel free to keep posting.
Anybody want to take a whack at Locke’s appearance? Trauma post-violence? Code-switching/slipping?
Take the weekend off, get caught up, and feel free to keep posting.
Anybody want to take a whack at Locke’s appearance? Trauma post-violence? Code-switching/slipping?
🛶 James, 9/10, chs. 15,16: a favor; logic hunger; the pencil and its consequences (heads up: historically accurate punishment scene); RUN.
Venture Smith, from Slavery to Freedom - Connecticut History | a CTHumanities Project
Smith’s account sheds light on the experience of enslaved and free blacks in 18th-century Connecticut.
connecticuthistory.org
September 10, 2026 at 1:34 PM
🛶 James, 9/10, chs. 15,16: a favor; logic hunger; the pencil and its consequences (heads up: historically accurate punishment scene); RUN.
🛶 James, 9/9, chs. 13 and 14: Huck's uncle; losing Huck; meeting new folks; James needs a pencil.
When is a pencil a really special find?
Pencils are not especially common artifacts to find in archaeological contexts, compared to say, things like window glass or nails, but they are also not rare. The wood often preserves well, as do…
30daysofkentuckyarchaeology.wordpress.com
September 10, 2026 at 12:14 AM
🛶 James, 9/9, chs. 13 and 14: Huck's uncle; losing Huck; meeting new folks; James needs a pencil.
🛶 James, 9/8: Chs. 11, 12. If wishes worked; fiction, take me away; naming the self; good has nothing to do with the law; the voice of the river.
What is James reading? "In the country of Westphalia, in the castle of the most noble Baron of Thunder-ten-tronch, lived a youth whom Nature...
What is James reading? "In the country of Westphalia, in the castle of the most noble Baron of Thunder-ten-tronch, lived a youth whom Nature...
Candide - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
September 8, 2026 at 2:12 PM
🛶 James, 9/8: Chs. 11, 12. If wishes worked; fiction, take me away; naming the self; good has nothing to do with the law; the voice of the river.
What is James reading? "In the country of Westphalia, in the castle of the most noble Baron of Thunder-ten-tronch, lived a youth whom Nature...
What is James reading? "In the country of Westphalia, in the castle of the most noble Baron of Thunder-ten-tronch, lived a youth whom Nature...
🛶 Re-upping this soundtrack thread as there's music ahead. If you have suggestions, please add them, and tag our mix-maker-in-chief, @hleisthen.bsky.social.
🛶 Musical 🧵: Past reads have included a soundtrack. Drop your suggestions here. (If you are willing to create/maintain a YT playlist, please sing out! Just wanted to make sure there’s a place to collect suggestions.)
Brad Paisley is a Twain fan? Huh.
Brad Paisley is a Twain fan? Huh.
Huck Finn Blues
YouTube video by Brad Paisley - Topic
www.youtube.com
September 8, 2026 at 1:16 AM
🛶 Re-upping this soundtrack thread as there's music ahead. If you have suggestions, please add them, and tag our mix-maker-in-chief, @hleisthen.bsky.social.
Reposted by Hat Full of Sky
just take a look at this pig ok
Everything is terrible, but look at this pig
September 7, 2026 at 2:04 PM
just take a look at this pig ok
…and that’s how Lev Zubov got his pet thylacines.
Been working on this story for a couple weeks, and it's got everything: surprisingly valuable antiques, the plight of the thylacine, and bad taxidermy.
www.sciencealert.com/antique-fox-...
www.sciencealert.com/antique-fox-...
Antique 'Fox Head' Bought at Auction Wasn't a Fox at All. It Was a Long-Extinct Species.
With its googly eyes, lumpy forehead, and awkward almost-smile, the strange, taxidermied fox head at the antique market was funny enough to throw down 50 quid on. When the buyer later sold it at auct...
www.sciencealert.com
September 5, 2026 at 2:11 PM
…and that’s how Lev Zubov got his pet thylacines.
Speaking of learning and literacy…
This is joyful problem solving! (Do read the Reddit post.)
This is joyful problem solving! (Do read the Reddit post.)
This Finnish guy has been teaching himself Sumerian, and sent a cuneiform tablet to the British Museum to check his progress.
They just emailed him that they've sent him something in the post.
I'm now thrilled and excited for a total stranger! Clay tablet mail!
www.reddit.com/r/Cuneiform/...
They just emailed him that they've sent him something in the post.
I'm now thrilled and excited for a total stranger! Clay tablet mail!
www.reddit.com/r/Cuneiform/...
September 5, 2026 at 1:54 PM
Speaking of learning and literacy…
This is joyful problem solving! (Do read the Reddit post.)
This is joyful problem solving! (Do read the Reddit post.)
🛶 Language and life lessons from James.
Nonso Anozie reads from ‘James’ | The Booker Prize
YouTube video by The Booker Prizes
www.youtube.com
September 4, 2026 at 11:56 PM
🛶 Language and life lessons from James.
🛶 James, 9/4: Chs. 8, 9. Family secrets and dangerous waters. Jim isn't the only one pretending not to be himself, as he sends Huck on a covert mission to find out how Jim's family is getting along without him. (Now with 100% less boy-in-a-dress humor, and a lot more tactical planning from Jim.)
September 4, 2026 at 11:51 PM
🛶 James, 9/4: Chs. 8, 9. Family secrets and dangerous waters. Jim isn't the only one pretending not to be himself, as he sends Huck on a covert mission to find out how Jim's family is getting along without him. (Now with 100% less boy-in-a-dress humor, and a lot more tactical planning from Jim.)
🛶 “But my interest is in how these marks that I am scratching on this page can mean anything at all. If they can have meaning, then life can have meaning, then I can have meaning.”
Writing as integrity and freedom, a 🧵.
@hleisthen.bsky.social
Writing as integrity and freedom, a 🧵.
@hleisthen.bsky.social
Hamilton – “Wrote My Way Out” (Nas, Dave East, Lin-Manuel Miranda & Aloe Blacc) [Official Video]
YouTube video by Hamilton
www.youtube.com
September 4, 2026 at 8:43 PM
🛶 “But my interest is in how these marks that I am scratching on this page can mean anything at all. If they can have meaning, then life can have meaning, then I can have meaning.”
Writing as integrity and freedom, a 🧵.
@hleisthen.bsky.social
Writing as integrity and freedom, a 🧵.
@hleisthen.bsky.social
🛶
Frederick Douglass escaped slavery in under 24 hours, disguised as a sailor. He went on to become the most photographed man of the 19th century — more than Lincoln.
See more: https://bit.ly/4gyAeR0
#FrederickDouglass #BlackHistory
See more: https://bit.ly/4gyAeR0
#FrederickDouglass #BlackHistory
September 3, 2026 at 5:37 PM
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Reposted by Hat Full of Sky
We have whittled down all the nominations to our shortlist for the 2026 Tiny Awards! 11 of the most beautiful, interesting, heartfelt, weird, silly websites from the past year, for you to explore and enjoy and vote on - pick your favourite, vote for the winner, TELL THE WORLD! tinyawards.net/vote/
September 1, 2026 at 8:59 AM
We have whittled down all the nominations to our shortlist for the 2026 Tiny Awards! 11 of the most beautiful, interesting, heartfelt, weird, silly websites from the past year, for you to explore and enjoy and vote on - pick your favourite, vote for the winner, TELL THE WORLD! tinyawards.net/vote/
Psst, if you don't already know about this excellent podcast, treat yourself to amazing stories of endurance, adaptability, and hope: What to Carry, What to Burn.
My theory: survival stories and true crime are actually photo negatives of each other, because in true crime, someone's dead who should be alive, and in survival, someone's alive who should be dead, and in both cases you're trying to figure out why
One more thing on What to Carry, What to Burn: Podcasting's devolution into chat /true crime has depressed me as listener & writer. It's labeled--wrongly--as latter, & at first seems to be @blairbraverman.bsky.social "just" talking. But it's so arfully structured! podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/w...
September 3, 2026 at 2:19 PM
Psst, if you don't already know about this excellent podcast, treat yourself to amazing stories of endurance, adaptability, and hope: What to Carry, What to Burn.
🛶 James, chs. 6, 7: A visit with Voltaire; the power of the pen.
Slave Market with the Disappearing Bust of Voltaire (1940) by Salvador Dali – Artchive
www.artchive.com
September 3, 2026 at 1:41 PM
🛶 James, chs. 6, 7: A visit with Voltaire; the power of the pen.
Reposted by Hat Full of Sky
writing tip: when in doubt, read
September 2, 2026 at 3:48 AM
writing tip: when in doubt, read