The Conversationalist

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“I felt that children had not only lost their schools; they had lost a part of their daily lives.” Palestinian reporter and translator Hassan Herzallah spends the day at a makeshift school in one of Gaza's displacement camps. conversationalist.org/2026/10/13/g...

"I take care of the spirits, and they watch over me." Over 75 years after the Daejeon Massacre, writer @jungwonkim.bsky.social meets the community of grief keepers still honoring and seeking justice for the victims. conversationalist.org/2026/10/22/g...

New for @conversationalist.org: For 175 years, bail has been a constitutional right in #Indiana for all but those charged w murder or treason. Public Question 1 would change that, letting judges deny bail for any charge. Voters everywhere should pay attention: conversationalist.org/2026/10/09/2...

On the ballot in Alabama this November is a proposed constitutional amendment to policies on prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance in public K–12 schools. Here's why you should pay attention. The latest story in our Down-Ballot series. 🗳️

📣 We're less than a month away from the U.S. midterm elections! 📣 Join us tomorrow, October 8, at 4 PT / 7 ET for a virtual AMA with trustworthy experts who can answer all your questions on all things voting. RSVP at the link below—and don't forget to register to vote! forms.gle/zWYNci8UvShA...

Welcome to Down-Ballot! 🗳️ Every day this week, we’re sharing stories from local reporters that highlight state measures worth watching in the 2026 U.S. election. Starting with why you should pay attention to North Carolina’s Require Voter Identification Amendment this election.

UPDATE: NEW DATE❗️ The U.S. midterm elections are coming up. Are you registered to vote? 🗳️ Join us Oct 8th from 7-7:45pm EST for a virtual Voting Ask Me Anything. Bring your questions and we’ll provide trustworthy answers from voting experts. Sign up here ➡️ docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

Book of the Month 📚: “The Art of Fighting” by Priya Parker "Conflict is inevitable. Parker’s latest book is a helpful guide on how to better navigate it."

"The fact that writing—that any form of art—requires so much of us is a part of what makes it so valuable. The fact that it is by a person, with their own experiences of the world, makes it even more so." @marianneeloise.bsky.social's argument against AI.

"Our department looked like an actual battlefield, with blood everywhere, and IV lines, syringes, and used equipment scattered about." A Palestinian nurse recounts an average shift at Gaza’s largest hospital in November 2023.

Unfortunately, still relevant. Story by founder @alindguzik.bsky.social.

Preaching to the choir here, but this is very good. Something I've started to appreciate more over the years is that I write precisely because it is difficult. Writing is an act of communication that allows for multiple iterations until you find the "best" one. It's not easy, and it shouldn't be.

"Overnight, I lost some of my capacity to think and write. After fighting to get it back, I cannot imagine choosing to give those faculties over to a machine." @marianneeloise.bsky.social's argument against AI.

We asked women working across different fields, countries, and cultural backgrounds a simple set of questions about how to be a better neighbor. One being: What does community mean to you? Here's what they said. Story by Kovie Biakolo and @loreleikelly.bsky.social.

UPDATE: NEW DATE❗️ The U.S. midterm elections are coming up. Are you registered to vote? 🗳️ Join us Oct 8th from 7-7:45pm EST for a virtual Voting Ask Me Anything. Bring your questions and we’ll provide trustworthy answers from voting experts. Sign up here ➡️ docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

Want to be a better tourist? Start by embracing Icelandic elf lore, like @marianneeloise.bsky.social did. "By having patience and respect for the places you visit, even when it requires a suspension of disbelief, you might open yourself up to a little magic."

The U.S. midterm elections are coming up. Are you registered to vote? 🗳️ Join us Oct 1st from 7-7:45pm EST for a virtual Voting Ask Me Anything. Bring your questions about voting and we’ll provide trustworthy answers from voting experts. Sign up here ➡️ docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

"I believe it’s vital we go to these museums and face the evidence head on." A tour through Europe’s past—and what lessons we might learn from its museums to fight authoritarianism today. Story by @katiedd.bsky.social.

"Our department looked like an actual battlefield, with blood everywhere, and IV lines, syringes, and used equipment scattered about." A Palestinian nurse recounts an average shift at Gaza’s largest hospital in November 2023.

Convo Reads from @vox.com about why we should be partying more: "We need nightlife to have these communal euphoric experiences and feel part of something bigger than ourselves."

"Our department looked like an actual battlefield, with blood everywhere, and IV lines, syringes, and used equipment scattered about." A Palestinian nurse recounts an average shift at Gaza’s largest hospital in November 2023.

Hayat Mohamed Obada Naser and Amal, with their children Rolan and Omar Ahmads (Original Ahmad, Child Ahmad) Suad Sisters Malak and Maali Majd Moataz Meet the friends of Fatima Ayub who are still trying to survive in Gaza.

"Maybe the form of courage I can work towards is mirroring a sibling friendship built on healthy communication and respect, and taking chances, little by little, in trusting them with who I am."

“Seeing the cultural and artistic production of Nigerians once again revived my belief that hope must be a practice.” Kovie Biakolo on how Nigeria’s artists continue on despite the country's plethora of problems.

"When people don’t see, feel, and taste the whole flavor of produce, they also feel less encouraged to eat it. A mango that once grew on a tree, appears nature morte—a dead nature—in a plastic container, more like a granola bar than fruit. In Colombia, produce tasted intense and complex."

Staff Reads from our Contributing Editor: "This essay, which focuses on A.I., explains much of the dissonance between all the A.I. news around us—including its devastating consequences—and the seemingly endless push for it all the same." Read more: pluralistic.net/2026/08/19/b...

The art of story telling is integral to who we are as humans Our lives are stories, our relationships are stories Both the telling and listening are essential components to a meaningful life

"For many in the African and Caribbean diaspora, oral tradition is a survival tool that is sharpened, exercised, and passed down through generations." For one writer, it encompasses family stories, beliefs, and customs that preserve history and can even inform where they are headed next.

We asked women working across different fields, countries, and cultural backgrounds a simple set of questions: What does community mean to you? Here's what they said. Story by Kovie Biakolo and @loreleikelly.bsky.social share.

Being a good community member feels fraught today, yet in the face of uncertainty, it has become all the more essential in the collective fight for a better tomorrow. Kovie Biakolo and @loreleikelly.bsky.social share their thoughts on what we owe our shared future in our latest story.

Book of the Month 📚: "Piñen” by Daniela Catrileo "Much of the book explores the idea of collective memory, and the deep wound that colonialism leaves behind. It is also an exercise in how we might begin to correct and defy colonial narratives by uncovering the truth hidden beneath them."

Staff Reads from Executive Editor @ginamei.bsky.social: "Claire L. Evans continues to be one of the most infinitely readable tech writers in the game. Her latest feature is a trip!"

Convo Reads from @theflytrapmedia.com: @nicolefroio.bsky.social deep dives into the music industry, technofeudalism, and what it's doing to girly pop music.

For this week's newsletter, we’re turning the mic over to our summer intern, Allison Baker, who just wrapped up a season as a member of the Conversationalist team. Read about her path to journalism and her passion for the WNBA. ➡️ mailchi.mp/conversation...

"For many in the African and Caribbean diaspora, oral tradition is a survival tool that is sharpened, exercised, and passed down through generations." For one writer, it encompasses family stories, beliefs, and customs that preserve history and can even inform where they are headed next.

Brightside, in my home town Powells in Portland - great memories there

What's your favorite bookstore?

Contributing Editor Kovie Biakolo reflects on her own Urhobo culture and the aunties that keep Nigerian traditions alive in our podcast. Listen here 🎙️: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a...

"It could be said that the art world needs to touch grass, but I would argue it needs to touch hardwood." In this Cultural Currency, Cara Marsh Sheffler writes about what the art world can learn from the New York Knicks (and other jocks)—a spontaneous sense of togetherness and real connection.