Writer/academic friends - aside from AWP, what conferences are you attending to network, learn, be inspired?

Hey friends! I'm sharing a flash fiction piece every day this month to celebrate my birthday, and I would love some suggestions! Tell me what you're reading, writing, loving, surprised by, new discoveries... all the things! You can follow along here: therepurposedlife.substack.com THANKS!!

Setting intentions.

What's on the inside? It could be fire. Check out this amazing collage work from @lauriemmarshall.bsky.social in Issue 4! asteralesjournal.com/1-3-johnson-...

Here he goes.

@andrewbertaina.bsky.social Hey, Andrew! Would you have .pdf or do you have any arcs of Ethan Hawke and Me? A friend of mine who is putting together a student-run lit mag would like to review it. (@dogyardmag.com) No pressure or anything - if you’re interested let me know! :)

Made an appointment to say goodbye to my old man cat today. He’s had one thing after another over the last year including recurrent infections in his mouth, can’t make it to the litter box, hobbled by arthritis… but he sleeps well and loves us. Struggling to decide if this is the right thing. 😢

The problem with enjoying a lazy, go-nowhere, sleep late summer is that when the semester kicks off again I’m whining to myself about having to put on clothes and make a lunch every day. Every day!?! 😩😋

Russia lost a war in Crimea in the 1850s. To pay off war debts, Russia sold Alaska to the U.S. Now presidents Trump and Putin will meet Friday in Alaska to discuss another war involving Crimea.

Do better, @bsky.app @support.bsky.team

Issue Three is live! Poems from @readinstead.bsky.social @johnpauldavis.org, @mfitejohnson.bsky.social, @fklein907.bsky.social, Gail Martin, Kerry Trautman, Meghan Sterling and art from @carolee.bsky.social, Rachel Turney, @lauriemmarshall.bsky.social & Sandra Wilcoxon!

So happy to have my art used to illustrate such a lovely piece of poetry. Take a look! 👀

@johnaugust.bsky.social When you & Craig read 3-pg challenges you often give a note to strike character info that can’t be directed. Would it be appropriate to include character sketches? Where would they go? Plays often include them, but not sure about screenplays.

Fellow olds: get yourself some younger friends. Mine are into all the things I love, like gardening, birdwatching, collecting vinyl and shopping at thrift stores, but they also introduce me to queer poets and musicians, and we can discuss where to get tattoos. It’s a massive win-win-win.

😂😂😂

not gonna use this to point out that we were Ralph's first publication. not at all. that'd be tacky. just saying congrats. that's all. congrats!!

The destruction of public radio is truly an existential threat to books and book culture. I can't say it enough.

Port, poet… whatever. 😋

Port friends: what lit journals are accepting *translated* poetry? #poetry #poets #litmags

Thanks to @djvorreyer.bsky.social being persistent, I found out I had a piece of collage art accepted by @asteralesjournal.bsky.social after the email went to my junk mail. Haha, whoops! Anyway, yay for my first acceptance of anything at all since 2023! #gradschoollife #howdoyouworkthisthing 🎉

So-called “less-lethal” weapons like those that have been used against demonstrators in Los Angeles can cause severe, lasting harm like nerve or brain damage or blindness. They can also kill. www.wired.com/story/what-t...

Yo writer types @barrelhouse.bsky.social is currently still open for everything -- fiction, nonfiction, poetry -- for our 26th print issue! No submission fees, we pay $50. Send us some good weird sad funny surprising stuff. www.barrelhousemag.com/submission-i...

Tonight at 7pm - the online launch of Cold Toast 🍞🥂 We'd love to see you! www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/cold-toast...

In just under one hour, this link will be live. (How soon thereafter will it be dead? We'll see!) havehashad.submittable.com/submit/32953...

Still looking!

As a former member of the armed forces this is infuriating. These three young people are more of a leader and reflection of my country’s values than the man who is trying to hide them.

Nearly 14 MILLION people are estimated to lose their health insurance under Republicans' “big beautiful bill.” That's like everyone in: Wyoming Vermont Alaska North Dakota Montana Maine New Hampshire Hawaii West Virginia Idaho and Nebraska COMBINED.

I’m looking for fiction and poetry collections that incorporate imagery as a storytelling component. Not graphic novels, not just illustrations, but imagery that helps provide context and shape and move a story along. Is anything like this out there? Please drop links in the comments!

Surprised more people aren’t talking about this. I’m going to go out on a limb and say: If this was written by a woman, she wouldn’t need 11K words to explain why (US) birth rates have gone down. Have you seen the way this country treats women, mothers and children?

people who reach out bc they liked your work are the *best* people. tell your fav writer how you feel bc it will make them so, so happy.

The first measles death in the US in a decade -- the tragic, preventable death of a child whose parents chose not to protect them with vaccination -- should spark an immediate nation-wide campaign to ensure all children are protected against preventable diseases. Anything less is unconscionable.

This decision come in the middle of the deadliest flu season in 15 years

My mode? Depeche.

Listen to the man. 🙌

According to the most recent Gallup poll, Trump is the least popular president in more than 70 years. www.msn.com/en-us/news/o...

Hi, just a reminder that when you use Libro.fm for your audiobooks, you support independent bookshops vs. large corporations that drive them out of business. We also pay taxes. And so do indie bookshops.

Last Sunday, all the Gannett-owned newspapers removed Doonesbury from the Sunday papers. Here it is.

If you are outside of America, please start insisting your government sever all ties with Musk and Thiel associated companies. The odds are Palantir is already being used to handle operations for something in your government. Mobilize to get them out. They are coming for you next if you don’t.

Parts of the South will see high temperatures while upper parts of the U.S. will see wintry weather.

Anyone know the over/under on whether we’ll receive tax refunds this year? 😅😬

The good news is, those tariffs are about to provide the fafo moment to the loyalists that we’re all dying to see. Worried about your gas and grocery bills? Hold on to your hat, partner!

This should be 25th amendment level conduct. The president ordered water to be released from a random dam in California nowhere near the wildfires and then claimed it would help. That’s literally Mad King behavior.

"We know you’re out of power. We understand you’re in the minority. We hear that, loud and clear. What we’re not hearing is your anger. We’re not hearing your outrage. We’re wondering whether or not you actually hear us." charlotteclymer.substack.com/p/comms-advi...

This is a hostile takeover of the federal government by a private citizen of unlimited means with no restrictions and no transparency. Welcome to the Deep State www.reuters.com/world/us/mus...

I do not need the Dems to tell us how bad things are. We already read the news. I need them tell us *what they plan to do about it*

Divorced women everywhere are snorting into their glass of wine. 😂

the land of the free where x isn’t a real gender but corporations are people

Looking for a movie with heart? My Old Ass is it. Made me cry, made me laugh, made me want to make movies and write stories.

You have ELEVEN days left to submit your short story(ies) up to 4000 words to the Bristol Short Story Prize! Publication and prizes to everyone on the short list! Full details at bssp.blogs.bristol.ac.uk -- please share!