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Headshot of me wearing red lipstick Kara Babcock

Kar·a Bab·cock

/ˈkɑɹə ˈbæbˌkɑk/ Listen to how I pronounce my nametitle>

noun
  1. An inveterate reader.
  2. A word goddess.
  3. A force of nature.

Welcome to my personal site, including my blog of 17 years and links to my book reviews, podcasts, and other projects around the web.

Now offering freelance copyediting services!

Find Me Elsewhere

  • Twitter
  • The StoryGraph
  • Goodreads
  • Ravelry
  • GitHub
  • LinkedIn

Recent Tweets

Recent Blog Posts

Cover image for We cannot afford not to strike

We cannot afford not to strike

Published

Accepting arbitration now is not the way forward, not when OSSTF should be standing up with the labour movement across North America.

One month of that EV life

Recently I marked my first month as the owner of a brand-new 2023 Kia Niro EV! I’ve known for a while now that I wanted my next vehicle to be electric; I didn’t expect it to happen quite so soon. However, the timing was right. The venerable 2010 Mazda 3 I was driving until this summer was finally costing too much, in terms of annual maintenance, and I found myself in a position where…

Levelling up

My school’s graduation ceremony was an opportunity for me to celebrate my students and also myself.

Pride before the fall

Thunder Bay’s leading Pride organizations provide an object lesson in how not to practise solidarity.

Recent Book Reviews

Cover image for Our History Has Always Been Contraband: In Defense of Black Studies

Our History Has Always Been Contraband: In Defense of Black Studies

4 out of 5 stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Published

White supremacy is a problem for all of us, not just Black people. But Black people are best positioned to critique it—and to defend the need for academic responses to it. As Florida and other US states decry “critical race theory” i schools, Our History Has Always Been Contraband: In Defense of Black Studies is just that. Colin Kaepernick, Robin D.G. Kelley, and Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor have selected a treasure trove of historic essays that explicate…