Laura Blanchard
@lblanchard.bsky.social
Retired. Consorts with librarians. Goes on stupid little daily walks. One husband, one [technically foster] cat. Lapsed Whovian, Tolkien nerd. Admirer of other people's gardens and plants. Lifelong Philadelphian except for some years spent in exile.
Reposted by Laura Blanchard
September 14, 2026 at 11:55 AM
Doing my bit to save the Academy of Natural Sciences -- I went on Friday, joined the Academy to help bump their numbers, and am contacting my elected officials and other stakeholders.
Without a concerted public effort, the country's oldest natural history museum will close at the end of the month.
Without a concerted public effort, the country's oldest natural history museum will close at the end of the month.
September 13, 2026 at 6:41 PM
Doing my bit to save the Academy of Natural Sciences -- I went on Friday, joined the Academy to help bump their numbers, and am contacting my elected officials and other stakeholders.
Without a concerted public effort, the country's oldest natural history museum will close at the end of the month.
Without a concerted public effort, the country's oldest natural history museum will close at the end of the month.
Oooooh...
The Hobbit (1937) — binding by Sangorski & Sutcliffe
tolkienlibrary.com/press/983-bo...
tolkienlibrary.com/press/983-bo...
September 13, 2026 at 4:36 PM
Oooooh...
I will bring popcorn for
this lawsuit.
this lawsuit.
Yf thys skeet doth receive 3,000 reposts then the Tolkien Estate will sue Palantir.
April 23, 2026 at 6:31 PM
I will bring popcorn for
this lawsuit.
this lawsuit.
With Congress, having skedaddle and being disinclined to come back to cope with this, I suppose our only recourse is to call the White House comment line and register an opinion – which I just did. The number is 202-456-1111. I told them I would support any lawful action to invoke Article 25.
This is the most horrifying, psychotic, grotesque message Trump has ever posted—openly threatening to commit genocide. This is beyond reckless. It’s dangerous, dehumanizing, and utterly unfit for any leader.
April 7, 2026 at 2:48 PM
With Congress, having skedaddle and being disinclined to come back to cope with this, I suppose our only recourse is to call the White House comment line and register an opinion – which I just did. The number is 202-456-1111. I told them I would support any lawful action to invoke Article 25.
Reposted by Laura Blanchard
Sneak peak for our first Big Read session: Erik Jampa Andersson on Tolkien’s “On Fairy-stories”!
erikjampa.substack.com/p/tolkien-on...
erikjampa.substack.com/p/tolkien-on...
Tolkien On Fairy-stories
The Tolkien Society 'Big Read': Session 1
erikjampa.substack.com
April 5, 2026 at 12:34 PM
Sneak peak for our first Big Read session: Erik Jampa Andersson on Tolkien’s “On Fairy-stories”!
erikjampa.substack.com/p/tolkien-on...
erikjampa.substack.com/p/tolkien-on...
Her novel,The Ear Trumpet, merits reading and re-reading.
Painter and writer Leonora Carrington was born #OTD in 1917. Her work drew on dreams, alchemical symbolism, and Celtic mythology.
🎨 ‘Self-Portrait’ (1937-8)
🎨 ‘Self-Portrait’ (1937-8)
April 6, 2026 at 7:03 PM
Her novel,The Ear Trumpet, merits reading and re-reading.
I screamed at my Congresscritters about Trump/Hegseth and war crimes, immigration, the despoliation of our public lands, and the Epstein files first thing this morning. Enjoy this photo of a magnolia blossom with solar flare as a palate-cleanser.
April 6, 2026 at 6:53 PM
I screamed at my Congresscritters about Trump/Hegseth and war crimes, immigration, the despoliation of our public lands, and the Epstein files first thing this morning. Enjoy this photo of a magnolia blossom with solar flare as a palate-cleanser.
I did my civic duty last weekend. I also scream at my Congresscritters on the regular.
April 2, 2026 at 12:10 AM
I did my civic duty last weekend. I also scream at my Congresscritters on the regular.
I’m only sharing because Gritty is holding a gingko branch, honest!
so i don't live there now but i am From Philly, it's meaningfully part of me even 20+ years out
and i'm not into hockey but this guy has transcended mere hockey mascot, imo. i've been thinking about this kind of treatment for him basically since go & especially since they doubled down on the flag-
and i'm not into hockey but this guy has transcended mere hockey mascot, imo. i've been thinking about this kind of treatment for him basically since go & especially since they doubled down on the flag-
March 31, 2026 at 10:11 PM
I’m only sharing because Gritty is holding a gingko branch, honest!
I'm registered
mobilize.us/s/BU4Ehc
mobilize.us/s/BU4Ehc
NO KINGS PHILADELPHIA · No Kings
**We have the power and are claiming it together. No Thrones. No Crowns. No Kings.**
What began in 2025 as a single day of defiance has become a sustained national resistance to tyranny, spreading fr...
mobilize.us
March 27, 2026 at 8:00 PM
I'm registered
mobilize.us/s/BU4Ehc
mobilize.us/s/BU4Ehc
Hey, Donnie-boy!
You broke it, you fix it.
You broke it, you fix it.
March 16, 2026 at 12:26 PM
Hey, Donnie-boy!
You broke it, you fix it.
You broke it, you fix it.
Are you a friend, colleague, or admirer of the open access work of the late, great Will Noel? Nominate an open access project for the Noel Prize Award (deadline March 15). Details: pacscl.org/what-we-do/f...
March 3, 2026 at 4:03 PM
Are you a friend, colleague, or admirer of the open access work of the late, great Will Noel? Nominate an open access project for the Noel Prize Award (deadline March 15). Details: pacscl.org/what-we-do/f...
This is good stuff...
After months of relentless rapid response in Minneapolis, members of Defend the 612 had a moment to breathe and reflect on the lessons they’ve learned, the grief they carry, and the citywide fellowship they hope will endure. The crisis is not over, and I’m grateful they made time to speak with me.
“We Belong to Each Other Now”: Lessons from Minneapolis
“This extreme closeness, togetherness and intimacy — you cannot infiltrate your way into a space where you'll understand that," says May, a rapid responder in Minneapolis.
organizingmythoughts.org
February 22, 2026 at 4:07 PM
This is good stuff...
A cleanse for your feed as the level of political angst rises: my beautiful Hippeastrum 'La Paz,' a cybister hybrid, now opening on my windowsill. You're welcome.
February 21, 2026 at 7:11 PM
A cleanse for your feed as the level of political angst rises: my beautiful Hippeastrum 'La Paz,' a cybister hybrid, now opening on my windowsill. You're welcome.
Proud non-user of this sinister device.
After years of activist pressure, lawsuits, and bad press Ring made much needed reforms. Now, they’re pivoting back to mass police surveillance as a business model. www.eff.org/deeplinks/2...
Amazon Ring Cashes in on Techno-Authoritarianism and Mass Surveillance
Ring founder Jamie Siminoff is back at the helm of the surveillance doorbell company, and with him is the surveillance-first-privacy-last approach that made Ring one of the most maligned tech
www.eff.org
February 21, 2026 at 6:55 PM
Proud non-user of this sinister device.
The signage is back at The President's House historic site. For now.
share.inquirer.com/Wi6KW4
share.inquirer.com/Wi6KW4
How a Black history tour kept the story of the President’s House alive after the Trump administration tried to erase it
The National Park Service began restoring slavery exhibits at the President's House on Thursday, but in the last few weeks Philadelphians made sure the story was told despite the bare walls.
share.inquirer.com
February 20, 2026 at 8:54 PM
The signage is back at The President's House historic site. For now.
share.inquirer.com/Wi6KW4
share.inquirer.com/Wi6KW4
I want the hat! Unfortunately, it's out of stock -- for a preorder???
Anyone who would like to purchase the PA resistance bird image on a shirt or hat, do it!. Lightning Bug Gift Co. is coordinating the sale. 100% of the proceeds will be donated to Thrive International's legal defense fund for immigrants in Pennsylvania. www.lightningbuggiftco.com/shop/jen-ran...
February 20, 2026 at 8:48 PM
I want the hat! Unfortunately, it's out of stock -- for a preorder???
The only thing better than reading about the Supreme Court's tariff decision is reading about the reaction of that man in the White House.
CNN's Kristen Holmes reports that Trump blew up during a meeting after learning of the SCOTUS ruling on tariffs.
"He started ranting about the decision, not only calling it a disgrace, but started attacking the courts and at one point saying these effing courts, but using the actual language there"
"He started ranting about the decision, not only calling it a disgrace, but started attacking the courts and at one point saying these effing courts, but using the actual language there"
February 20, 2026 at 5:31 PM
The only thing better than reading about the Supreme Court's tariff decision is reading about the reaction of that man in the White House.
Whoa.
We put on an all-Yiddish community production of fiddler on the roof in Philadelphia and cast member and local artist Sofie Rose Seymour created the most amazing show poster that ever was
February 7, 2026 at 3:08 AM
Whoa.
Reposted by Laura Blanchard
Sir Ian McKellen performing a monologue from Shakespeare’s Sir Thomas More on the Stephen Colbert show. Never have I heard this monologue performed with such a keen sense of prescience. Nor have I ever been in this exact historical moment.TY Sir Ian, for reaching us once again.
#Pinks #ProudBlue
#Pinks #ProudBlue
February 5, 2026 at 11:50 AM
Sir Ian McKellen performing a monologue from Shakespeare’s Sir Thomas More on the Stephen Colbert show. Never have I heard this monologue performed with such a keen sense of prescience. Nor have I ever been in this exact historical moment.TY Sir Ian, for reaching us once again.
#Pinks #ProudBlue
#Pinks #ProudBlue
Welp, so much for my plan to order some red yarn...
“I did reorders with four different companies this past week and am only getting half of the red yarn requested, ” Elegant Ewe owner Kelly Bridges told the Concord Monitor, all the way in New Hampshire. “Everything else is now backordered.”
I know her! That used to be my LYS!
I know her! That used to be my LYS!
February 5, 2026 at 10:11 PM
Welp, so much for my plan to order some red yarn...
Awwww...
what if we kissed while singing little tunes from the 15th century heart shaped book of french love songs ?
February 5, 2026 at 10:09 PM
Awwww...
When I'm not doomscrolling, caregiving, preparing for the Flower Show, or protesting, there's always Tolkien. This online read-through of The Hobbit is definitely popcorn-worthy. The sessions are live-streamed on YouTube with recordings available later.
www.rosenbach.org/programs/bib...
www.rosenbach.org/programs/bib...
February 4, 2026 at 10:34 PM
When I'm not doomscrolling, caregiving, preparing for the Flower Show, or protesting, there's always Tolkien. This online read-through of The Hobbit is definitely popcorn-worthy. The sessions are live-streamed on YouTube with recordings available later.
www.rosenbach.org/programs/bib...
www.rosenbach.org/programs/bib...
More opportunities to support the restoration of the President's House signage...
February 4, 2026 at 10:22 PM
More opportunities to support the restoration of the President's House signage...