Hey it's that time of year! Where everything is on fire and satire is my only coping mechanism! I'm feeling bitey so it's time for THE TECH BILLIONAIRE'S WISHLIST FOR THE OFFICE SECRET SANTA 1/

Award eligibility post! It was a poetry year, it seems. So, here are the six poems that came out this year that should be eligible for nominating, if you're so inclined: (details about each threaded)

New poem out today!

New story sold over the weekend! “The Ways of Plants and Spells” will be in the *Trunk* anthology in 2026. Excited to be able to share the story!

I’ve spent a good proportion of the past week either listening to Rosalía’s Lux or watching reaction/analysis videos. Anything I say would just feel repetitive, so…just give it a listen. Amazing voice (as always), very deliberately produced in ways that add to it, and enormously creative.

<totters out onto porch> <settles into rocker> <thumps cane a few times> Let's talk about what the process of submitting short fiction used to look like, shall we? And about what it looks like now.

Here’s how tariffs work. Your costs go up, and that money gets transferred to the wealthy. Whether you’re progressive, liberal, leftist, libertarian, communist, socialist, moderate, democrat, conservative, Christian, atheist, Gen Z, Boomer… we have the same enemy. It’s the oligarchs. No Kings

Many years later, in front of the firing squad, Colonel Aureliano Buendía would remember that Congress has not authorized the use of military force.

Short story sale! Thrilled to announce "Sea Harvest of Moonlight" will be in the January issue of Sally Port magazine. It's a Studio Ghibli-esque fantasy and will be in a YA-focused issue of the zine.

I poemed today. I'm quite pleased with the poem. I've written other poems recently, so it isn't that out of the ordinary. And I often have an inflated opinion of what I write soon after (or an abysmally low opinion...). So that's not extraordinary either. Just something small to mention.

What poster did you have hanging in your room as a kid? (My dad didn’t like us sticking things on the walls for more than a few weeks, so this was a poster I bought in college, hanging alongside a foldable map of Middle Earth)

Not too spoilery to say that in my Spire City series this is what the bad guys wanted, to get rid of people that were a drain on their way of living. But even as morally reprehensible as those characters were, I didn't think they'd just openly say it, so I had them hide their real intent...

A little ditty I wrote

Time again, time again! This week we have some good, good flash from @danielausema.bsky.social and @devzmiller.bsky.social howsweetthewords.com/two-fic-tues...

Earliest that seems like SF is a lesser known work (not sure I ever see people mention it): Shadow of the Gloom-world by Roger Eldridge. It was shelved with books for much younger kids, and I remember it being at the upper edge of my reading ability, but it left an impression. Post-apocalyptic.

Fantasy often swirls around royalty. I'll allow there can be something genuine and moving in those stories, even for those of us with no kings. Cruel kings can be overthrown. The trope of a just ruler has resonance. Simba defeating Scar. Aragorn revealing his heritage. Ged lifting up Arren.

Half-elven orphan with a magically refilling quiver learns that the long enemies on either side of a sea are being deliberately lied to about each other to encourage their enmity...and a far greater evil is rising. 1st of a trilogy with at least 3 later trilogies, spanning 1000s of years

Another poem out this weekend! "The River of Naming" is in the new issue of Orion's Belt: www.orions-belt.net/archives/the...

May issue just dropped! It opens with “Lesser Zodiacs” by Daniel Ausema. This slipstream poem rocks, setting the tone for a magically strange and colorful set of stories. Read the issue now at our site!

A new poem out! "Lesser Zodiacs" is in the May issue of Merganser Magazine @mergansermagazine.bsky.social

The beetle Spiral wants to invite you to my new itch.io store: danielausema.itch.io This is a great way to buy ebooks direct from me, avoiding Amazon and other stores. And there's a bonus, free/pay-what-you-want TTRPG one-shot in the store as well, Spire Songs & Steam Gears!

Cool news over the weekend--Orion's Belt accepted one of my poems, a 40-some-line free verse poem about words and meaning. And the...water cycle. Sorta, kinda. I'll link when it's up!

And here is the same beetle, trying to find its way into the city, looking for…a stable or a flying taxi, probably

Now taking center stage, a Spire City beetle, ready to pull a carriage down the cobble streets! (Crocheted beetle courtesy of writer-and-librarian extraordinaire @endawson.bsky.social )

New issue of Star*Line! I have a poem in this, about cats and trees (and feline dryads). Link to the full list of poems (and purchasing options) is here: sfpoetry.com/sl/issues/st...

Anyone reading for the Elgin, don't forget my Ephemeral Village and other chapbooks by Island of Wak-Wak: islandofwakwak.com/printed-book... (if buying a print book is a hardship, reach out to me--I'm happy to set voting members up with an e-ARC!)

Pre-order Spire City, Episode 0 now! Eleven years ago, we were releasing the original Spire City episodes, a story of a found family, people infected with a terrible and targeted disease, turning them slowly into animals. In preparation to re-release an omnibus, this is a new intro to Chels & co:

The world feels fragile. I put a few thoughts together on the arts, reading fiction, and more during times like these here: www.danielausema.com/2025/02/fict...

Breaking: Punxsutawney Phil sees the shadow of death and fall of an empire, so there will be 6 more weeks of winter and then groundhogs inherit the earth.

If you went to college 1. What was your career goal when you started 2. Your initial major 3. If you changed majors, what did you change to 4. What do you do now professionally 1 Writer 2 English (history minor) 3 English & Spanish double major (journalism minor) 4 Writer, educator (& at-home dad)

I remember watching the first Internado series (to keep my Spanish fresh), and *spoiler* when Nazis were revealed as the enemy, thinking it was a stretch, a bit overdone. Still, I loved the line when my favorite character said, "But hunting down Nazis, man? That I do for fun."

As the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. wisely said, "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter." Today and every day, I pledge to never silence my voice in the fight for what is right, and I will continue to march in the path he forged toward justice.

I am not saying things are going to be fine. I am saying, find a thing to do that will put a little more hope in the world, however small.

In a world of Kid Rocks and Carrie Underwoods, be a Woody Guthrie.

Announcement: Psychopomp is relaunching Fantasy Magazine WELCOME BACK, FANTASY! full details here: psychopomp.com/fantasy-maga...

If you're reading for rewards (or just want to see what I've been up to), I have 3 flash stories, 1 poem, 1 novel (!), and a chapbook of an additional 20 poems. Especially give "In the City of the Faced" in @factorfourmagazine.com a look... Eligibility post: www.danielausema.com/2024/12/awar...

Some international mail recently brought me these lovely poetry chapbooks! Available lots of places now, for when you’re (or those on your list are—get extra copies!) in the mood for some speculative poems!

Good news that happened while I was traveling last week—one of my poems was accepted by @kaleidotrope.bsky.social ! It’s a sonnet, *mostly* following traditional rules (hey, I don’t *only* write free verse) and will be out sometime in the next couple of years

This is wonderful and NOW SFWA PLEASE DO FLASH!

And now it's available! (even outside of Sweden) At the moment, the other option is B&N: www.barnesandnoble.com/w/ephemeral-... Published by Island of Wak-Wak, cover art by Belgian landscape artist Charles Leickert.

I mentioned my poetry chapbook the other day, when it was only available in Sweden. But now there's a B&N listing, too. So what's the scoop? It's been a whirlwind, far faster than just about any other thing I've published. So need a moment to get my thoughts straight...

My new chapbook of poems is out! But only in select locations for now. Like...Sweden. Published by Island of Wak-Wak Press. Link below, and watch for more information about these poems as the chapbook becomes more widely available!

Encouraged by some other writers that even in times like these (especially in times like these?), sharing my writing is important, just want to say that the Arcist Chronicles as a whole is about people resisting power and corruption. And creating something better. (1/4)

Some online bookstores have begun to list the paperback for sale! Ebooks still to come. Storytelling as magic! Betrayal and control! Forging a place for outcasts! Exploration and discovery!

First sighting! Book 3 comes out this weekend!

Ooh, just heard this song on the radio, and love it! youtu.be/uhAaqnaY-2k?... (I'd Miss the Birds by Joy Oladokun, thanks 105.5 The Colorado Sound)

In my small act of defiance against hatred and lies (obviously in addition to voting, encouraging others to vote, etc), I started learning Haitian Creole this weekend. Still very basic vocab in that typical Duolingo way, but really fun too, especially if you speak even a bit of French

Putting together my September newsletter, as always with a reprinted story or poem. This month's reprint is a short story that's never been available online before. Subscribe right away so you don't miss it! Lyrical Worlds: landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/lan...

Publication day! A bunch of stories and poems in the new issue of The Pink Hydra, including this very short one for your enjoyment-- www.thepinkhydra.com/issues/01032... Check it out!