“I didn’t make up the problems. All I did was look around at the problems we’re neglecting now and give them about 30 years to grow into full-fledged disasters.“
— Octavia E. Butler, who would've been 76 today, on not being a prophet
Just had a little flurry of sign ups for my upcoming online workshop about the uncanny 🖤 Not sure where they came from but they're very welcome 😊 Still plenty of places left!
Write The Uncanny ✨💀✨
Sat 7 October, 3-5pm BST, £7-£18
I have a new paper out on #solarpunk and discussions of #technology! Read "Towards a Solarpunk Theory of Technology" along with the rest of the proceedings from the 2023 Solarpunk Conference:
Today in Labor History August 15, 1906: W.E.B. DuBois demanded equal citizenship rights for African-Americans during the second meeting of the Niagara Movement, saying, "We will not be satisfied to take one jot or little less than our full manhood." Founders of the movement named it for the “mighty current” of change they hoped to achieve. DuBois made his famous statement at Harper’s Ferry, sight of the failed insurrection led by John Brown, in 1859. For a wonderful speculative fiction story based on the premise that John Brown had succeeded in his raid, with the help of Harriet Tubman, read Terry Bisson’s “Fire on the Mountain” (1988).
In addition to cofounding the Niagara Movement, DuBois also cofounded the NAACP. He devoted his life to fighting racism, segregation, Jim Crow and lynchings. DuBois opposed capitalism and blamed it for much of the racism in America. He was also a prolific writer, an anti-nuclear and peace activist, and a proponent of Pan-Africanism.
I am in passport control. I can see my face on a screen. The technology recognises me and lets me through. I scan codes showing my vaccination status and recent Covid test results. The machines assess the data regarding my health and microbiology. Through into the waiting room, people are staring into little screens. A strangely large number have the camera flipped, and are capturing their faces at different angles, as if they've forgotten what they look like. I open my laptop and join in. I give my details to a company to enter the digital realm. Adverts tailored to my personality pop up. They know me better than I know myself.
I love sharing some of my author friends with y'all. Check out A.J. Alexander (Fantasy, Paranormal):
I'm a romance author working on a paranormal romance/fantasy series, "The Council Of Twelve" series. The books are mainly suitable for young adult readers, but I heard there are quite a number of readers beyond their teenage years who enjoy them...
Good news, writers—due to shifting our publication schedule for the upcoming year, we’re extending the submission window for our Winter issue to January 15th!
-Poetry submissions will be open to all writers
-Fiction submissions will be open to Canadian writers only.
We want your best SFF fiction and poetry that focuses on long term, lasting relationships, both romantic and non.
"Bulgacon is an annual gathering of speculative fiction (science fiction, fantasy, alternative history, horror) in Bulgaria. It is a tradition that spans more than two decades. Bulgacon 2023 will take place on Sept 22-24 in the town of Plovdiv with the support of the National Fund "Culture". Check here for the program, with Bulgarian and international participants."
Looking to start new series for the coming year (second poll). Can you help me out #Bookstodon? Because you can only have for poll topics on Mastodon, this is the second poll asking for recommendations. I'll take the top two from both polls and do a final four poll. Go to the comments for a link to the first poll.
Need to figure out what to read for @SoniaSulaiman 's #ReadPalestinianSpecFic event this year! It was great last year. (I just ended up reading Palestinian SFF year round after that tbh.)
One is definitely The Houses of Time by Jamil Nasir, I feel like reading some dreampunk.
Hello! I am Paul, an aspiring sci-fi artist who likes to draw red landscapes and weird creatures. Working on a worldbuilding project that documents organisms on an hypothetical alien planet: Phtanum B! Human history lore included!
Submissions are open through November 12 for fantastical flash fiction! We are paying a flat fee of $100 for up to 1,000 words (a pro rate of $0.10/word). We look forward to reading your best!
The books I’m sharing are free as of today in Canada and usually the United States of America, too. If you do not live in those countries or are reading this after April 4, 2024, I do not know if they are free or available for you.
Please tag me if you want a boost for your lists of free speculative fiction books from other parts of the world. 💜
For a very short time you can grab ebook copies of all of my Sir Julius Vogel-finalist collections, plus two shorts. No strings. No conditions. Just a little gift from me to you. ✨
Happy 268th Birthday to my boy Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart! Here’s a story about a time-traveling Mozart that I wrote. (originally published in Strange Horizons). #writing#writingcommunity#speculativefiction