Philip Nel

@philnel.bsky.social

850 Followers 634 Following

👨🏼‍🏫 Prof. he/him. 📚 Books on children's books & comics: https://philnel.com/writing/books/ 📷 IG: thephilnel 🐘 Mastodon: @philnel@mastodon.green 🎵 Spotify: thephilnel 🐦 ex-Twitter (deleted in 2022): @philnel

new Spotify logo which is supposed to look like a green disco ball, but the three horizontal Spotify stripes (in black) make it look too dark. And at that resolution, the panels on the disco ball look pixelated.
Menacing, red-eyed, blocky black-and-grey robots extend back to the horizon line. At the very front, a man sits in the giant hand of the nearest robot, smiling as he (the man) presses the screen embedded in the robot's fingertip. The New Yorker cover for April 13, 2026.
Top panel: at left, hand holding mushroom. At right, smiley Pillsbury doughboy character labelled AI Speech bubble: “Is this mushroom edible?” Another speech bubble: “Yes!” Bottom panel: at left, gravestone with “RIP.” At right, AI doughboy character says, “You’re right—that mushroom was poisonous. I’m sorry for the confusion! Would you like to learn more about poisonous mushrooms?”
White cover, Paddington-style hat at center. Text, from top to bottom: Children's Classics, Critically Please Look After This Bear How Paddington Became British Melanie Ramdarshan Bold and Aishwarya Subramanian
cover of Maria Ressa’s How to Stand Up to a Dictator: The Fight for Our Future. Title is in white type; subtitle is in yellow type. Background is a greyscale photo of Maria Ressa outdoors on a street.
Protester wearing larger-than-life art depicting abolitionist John Brown holding ABOLISH ICE sign.
"Authoritarians are weaker than they appear. They depend upon the cowardice of Columbia University, the greed of CBS/Paramount, the obedience of law firms like Paul Weiss. They depend upon people and institutions volunteering their obedience." — Philip Nel
Alex (Dane) & Alexandria (American) hold signs saying “I’ve seen better cabinets at IKEA” and “You deserve prison but you won’t get time” (shoutout to Taylor Swift!)
A group of people, smart phones raised, taking photographs of Van Gogh’s Sunflowers. Their focus is on their phones, not the painting.
Cover of A Good Man and His Good Wife, Story by Ruth Krauss, Pictures by Ad Reinhardt. Cover is green cross-section of house with — in red ink — cartoon rendering of man and wife in bottom right quadrant of house. All text is in red.
Group of protesters including woman dressed as statue of liberty and man dressed as Uncle Sam. One sign reads "Hands Off Our Democracy."
white pick-up truck drives in front of large crowd, lined up along Poyntz Ave. (Manhattan, Kansas), protesting the Trump/Musk regime.
People holding signs: "We didn't elect Elon," "Hands off Canada," "Uneducated people don't know how to question authority. Why do you think they're coming for libraries, schools, free speech, research?" and "Libraries Build Communities, not Billionaires"
A group of people holding yellow signs reading "Hands off Canada," "Hands of Rule of Law," "Hands off our bodies," and "In your guts you know he's NUTS!"
Man wearing "NOPE" shirt waves distress-signal US flag (upside down). Signs read "Congress: Protect American Citizens," "Hands Off Education," "Dump the Department of Greed and Evil"
Top 1/3rd: "Whose Country Is This Anyway?: Representation of Black People / British Spaces in Children's and YA Books." At right, cover of Karen Sands-O'Connor's book British Activist Authors Addressing Children of Color Middle 1/3rd: photo of Karen Sands-O'Connor. At right, "DR. KAREN SANDS-O'CONNOR / UNIVERSITY OF SHEFFIELD." Lower 1/3rd: "FRIDAY APRIL 4, 2025, 3:30-4:30 CT. ZOOM TINYURL.COM/SANDSOCONNOR Sponsored by the K-State Graduate Track in Children's Literature with support from the Donnelly Faculty Award" At right: cover for Beyond the Secret Garden by Darren Chetty and Karen Sands-O'Connor
“Where law ends, tyranny begins” photo quotation engraved on US Dept of Justice
Headline: Nervous about Trump, international tourists scrap their U.S. travel plans
 The Trump administration’s hard stance on tariffs and other international policies has some travelers rethinking where they vacation. top of photo of Air Canada plane passing the American Airlines terminal at LaGuardia Airport in New York last week.
Ukrainian President Zelensky, dressed in black, surrounded by cockroaches dressed in suits — in the White House's Oval Office. One cockroach asks, "Why don't you wear a suit?" — an actual question asked by cockroach/reporter Brian Glenn in the Oval Office on Thursday.
Headline: Danish grocery chain to distinguish European from US goods First paragraph: Saying it is promoting European products rather than boycotting US ones, a Danish supermarket chain has a special label for goods from Europe. The move comes as many seek to protest Trump's aim to control Greenland.
Smokey the Bear saying: “Only YOU can prevent forest fires. Seriously. We’ve been defunded. It’s just you now.”
In case you’re unaware, the American Medical Association has a YouTube page. They are doing daily updates on bird flu and other outbreaks since the CDC cannot.
Text: “Show me what democracy looks like? THIS is what democracy looks like! Today, 13 constituents met with staff members Dawson and Adrian at Representative Mann’s office in Manhattan to voice their concerns about the dismantling of the federal government, Musk’s conflicts of interest, and the impact on agricultural communities losing USAID funding. The group demanded that Representative Mann act in the interests of his constituents rather than maintaining prioritizing the status quo of prioritizing one’s political party above country. If you want to be heard, there is strength in numbers. Planning a trip to your legislator’s office isn’t difficult and many hands make light work.” Photo: 13 people with sunflowers concealing their faces.
Screenshot of post by JA Westenberg. Still of Paddington Bear staring angrily at viewer. Accompanying text: “This is called a ‘hard stare.’ It’s for when someone has forgotten their manners — or is tearing apart a 200-year-old democracy in service of white supremacy.”
The cover of Barnaby volume 5, published by Fantagraphics, and designed by Dan Clowes. On a blue background, it shows Barnaby waving at Mr. O'Malley as he flies off into the distance.
Children's Literature as Public Humanities
Zuck (Zuckerberg) posts: “It's time to get back to our roots around free expression and giving people voice on our platforms. Here's what we're going to do:” Pat Bagley responds with his cartoon showing Zuck shooting FACTS dead while kneeling before & offering $1 million to T**mp, who is seated on a throne. T**mp says “Now cluck like a chicken.”
Headline from The Guardian: “America on Edge: US staggers into 2025 buffeted by week of attacks and looming political violence” Photo of person sitting on sidewalk, head in hands.
Spotify Top Artists: Beethoven, REM, Paul Simon, Cowboy Junkies. Spotify Top Songs: Discount De Kooning, Highlands, 3 Gymnopedies, Throw, Lazy.
When faced with a Trump supporter, I encourage you to say what witches say. “May whatever you put out into the world come back to you threefold.” It’s a blessing or a curse. It just depends on you. — @KazWeida on Threads
More names, including: Molly Idle, Stephanie V.W. Lucianovic, Amitava Kumar, Laurie Keller, Aimee Mann, Corinna Lukyen, Tayari Jones
700+ Writers have endorsed Harris for president. Prominent names: Cyndi Lauper, Margaret Atwood, Louise Erdrich, Barbara Kingsolver, George Saunders, Isabel Allende, Judy Blume
Map of Riley County Kansas showing 587 Harris donations (totaling $200K) and 120 Trümp (totaling $10K).
Photograph of white man wearing a light blue shirt with — in dark blue, on the front — , la. Photo taken in attic with wooden ceiling. Man’s head it just below apex of ceiling.
Bluesky butterfly at top left. In center of white background, “Celebrating 10M users 🎉” and in large font “# 308,659” with a circular stamp reading “FIRST 10% / CERTIFIED BLUESKY EXPLORER” slightly overlapping the bottom of the “5” and the “9.” At bottom left, “Philip Nel / @philnel.bsky.social” At bottom right, “Joined Jul 15, 2023”
Photograph of dog standing on snowy patch in the Alps, summertime. Mountaintops and clouds in the distance.
“First Butler, PA and now Palm Beach Fla. When will the leaders of the white community do something about the white on white violence in white neighborhoods?” — @michaelharriot
Atlantic cover depicts Trump as demonic driver of 19th-century circus caravan with elephant looking out of back. Our perspective is from the back. Trump’s whip is raised, about to descend on the horse leading the carriage. They are headed for the US Capitol building. Dark clouds gather.
Crockett Johnson’s drawing of FDR’s dog, Fala, in 1944.
Red line crossing out all but “Elon Musk” in Washington Post headline “Trump to be interviewed by Elon Musk on social media.” New red text adds “hosts Trump infomercial.” Result is: “Elon Musk hosts Trump infomercial.” Below headline are photos of Kamala Harris (at left) and Trump (at right).
Tim Walz fixed your bicycle.
on HARRIS for PRESIDENT letterhead: Statement on a 78-Year-Old Criminal’s Fox News Appearance After watching Fox News this morning we have only one question: Is Donald Trump OK? Main takeaways Trump gave to the American people: • Trump praised his Project 2025 • Trump is flustered and lashing out • When Trump wasn’t lying, he was making threats • Abortion bans are good, mail-in voting is bad • Praised dictators because he wants to be one • Trump is clearly worried he made the wrong pick in JD Vance • Trump is old and quite weird? • This guy shouldn’t ever be president again If someone wants an alternative, Kamala Harris is offering one.
Panel 1: Surrounded by wealthy ghosts (all Republicans) & Barnaby, Mr. O’Malley says, “Our worries are over! All the forecasters assure us of a landslide victory! … If we receive the support of the Average Voter. And I, gentlemen, am the Average Voter!” A wealthy ghost responds: “Then we’re IN!” Panel 2: O’Malley says, “Yes. Of course Dr. Gallup hedged a bit. He allows a 100 percent margin of error. In case I happen to pull the wrong lever. … But—“
At right, giant tantrum-throwing Trump has knocked over his table, thrown food at the wall, broken glasses. And he is howling with rage. At left, a smaller-scale Biden sits quietly at a neat table, a wine glass in front of him. The waiter, labeled “MSM” (Mainstream Media) says: “Sir, I’m afraid I have to ask you to leave.” Biden responds: “C’mon, man!”