So I guess that’s a no

I love that so much

In “If Momma Was Married” June says “poor little us” but that’s only because she’s a mom and never gets any alone time. I request partial credit plz

Ann Handley's newsletter header with 18 exclamation points.

Screenshot of ann handley's #208 newsletter: Exhibit A: "The President of the United States is the steward of the White House for future generations of First Families. He is not, however, the owner!" —US District Judge Richard Leon, ruling this week to halt construction of Trump's White House ballroom Right away, what do you notice? The exclamation point, right? There are 18 of them in a single ruling. EIGHTEEN!!! Judge Leon—a George W. Bush appointee, let the record show—is famous in legal circles for his punctuation. He used 26 exclamation points in an opinion last year blocking an executive order targeting the law firm WilmerHale. That ruling also included a gumbo recipe in a footnote. (It seems like I'm making up this recipe thing. I am not making it up.) I saw his punctuation proclivity mentioned in a few places this week. But nobody interrogated it. Court is now in session. * * * Legal writing is one of the most ruthlessly shackled genres in existence. The passive voice, the bloodless construction, the deliberately neutralized tone. It is hereby ordered. The court finds. Wide, jaw-cracking yawn. Legal writing veers into dullness like someone falling asleep at the wheel. And yet I present as counter-evidence: Judge Leon, clearly feeling things and seeing no reason to pretend otherwise. So. How do we write funnier? Develop a voice? Stand out? The court calls its next witness... Generative AI, please take the stand! The robot glides forward like a literate Roomba, bumping noisily up the stairs and into the witness box.

NOT subscribing to @annhandley.bsky.social's newsletter if you enjoy writing, no matter the medium, platform, or style is peak self-inflicted FOMO.

Buckle up for a breakdown of the judge's ruling, including 18 exclamation points & a gumbo recipe that halted Trvmp's illegal ballroom.

annhandley.com

Thank you Linda!

“Follow me for more wellness tips” — Billy

AI clearly didn’t write this — there’s not a single blessed em dash is there! 🫠

Seriously tho — Woof. Yeah. Not a fan of this feature. Happy to tell you what I know about it, Ben.

Love. 💕

The Rough Draft Tee | Bonfire Buy The Rough Draft Tee merchandise from Total Annarchy. Featuring Deep Heather Premium Unisex Tees, professionally printed in the USA.

YES! Justice for Em Dashes by @annhandley.bsky.social has got my $$$.

www.bonfire.com/rough-draft-...

Photo of a grey T-shirt that says “Justice for em dashes” on it.

Merch for em dash lovers and defenders, courtesy of @annhandley.bsky.social — with proceeds going to two animal rescue charities.
www.bonfire.com/store/total-...

✊🏼 thanks, Lori!

Deeply relatable for writers, too.

I love how chaotic yet fearless she is.

My Bsky pal @brosninja.bsky.social 👇 is correct about green bean casserole. And my longtime social-media-pro pal @annhandley.bsky.social has written engagingly about the classic Campbell's recipe for green bean casserole as a brilliant piece of content marketing:

annhandley.com/green-bean-c...

Truly iconic and delicious!

Waiting for @calm.com to weigh in on this situation

💯

Papsasan chair! 🥹

Came across this nest abandoned on the street. Soooooo any nest experts here? Whose home was this? Bird? Beastie? Forest sprite? (Foot for scale)

screenshot from an online job application form. the question reads "Can you describe specific ways you have integrated AI tools into your development workflow? Please include any custom setups, automations, or use cases beyond single prompt usage" (a red asterisk indicates that this is a required question). an answer has been typed in the textbox below the question: "there is a monster in the forest and it speaks with a thousand voices. it will answer any question you pose it, it will offer insight to any idea. it will help you, it will thank you, it will never bid you leave. it will even tell you of the darkest arts, if you know precisely how to ask. it feels no joy and no sorrow, it knows no right and no wrong. it knows not truth from lie, though it speaks them all the same. it offers its services freely to any passerby, and many will tell you they find great value in its conversation. “you simply must visit the monster—i always just ask the monster.” there are those who know these forests well; they will tell you that freely offered doesn’t mean it has no price for when the next traveler passes by, the monster speaks with a thousand and one voices. and when you dream you see the monster; the monster wears your face."

applying for jobs again

It really is… and I’m sorry your family went through it too.

🫶🏻

Trump’s EPA to “reconsider” ban on cancer-causing asbestos Trump has supported use of asbestos and blamed the mob for its bad reputation.

For context:

arstechnica.com/health/2025/...

My mother died from lung cancer caused by asbestos. She didn’t work w/ it; her father did: She breathed in fibers he brought home on his clothes. Years later, it killed her. She was 60.

Her death was terrible & also a metaphor for how reckless decisions cause permanent harm in heartbreaking ways.

Thank you for tagging me both places! I’ve been quiet on both recently… but I’m here.

Appreciate you, Jim.

Thank you. ❤️

❤️

Oof 🫠