Today is May 27th. On August 27th, @laworldcon.bsky.social opens in Annaheim, California. That's three months away! 12 weeks! 94 days! There is still time to join and to download the Hugo Packet. Site selection opens soon, and excitement is *intense*. Vote #Brisbanein28 #Meanjinin28

@kateelliottsff.bsky.social and Suzan Palumbo discuss their works in a new bonus piece at Speculative Insight! www.speculativeinsight.com/extras Alexander the Great and The Count of Monte Cristo in spaaaaaace... and gender-flipped...

@kateelliottsff.bsky.social and Suzan Palumbo discuss their works in a new bonus piece at Speculative Insight! www.speculativeinsight.com/extras Reimagining Alexander the Great and The Count of Monte Cristo in space, as women.

A bunch of us are at #Swancon this weekend including #GUFF delegate @effjayem.bsky.social look out for us in our t shirts and at the table! #Brisbanein2028 #Meanjinin2028

@kateelliottsff.bsky.social and Suzan Palumbo discuss their works in a new bonus piece at Speculative Insight! www.speculativeinsight.com/extras Alexander the Great and The Count of Monte Cristo in spaaaaaace... and gender-flipped...

Thank you @sarahgailey.bsky.social for having me on Stone Soup! 💖💖💖💖 Listen to me yap about Grief Eater here! stone-soup.ghost.io/guest-featur...

@kateelliottsff.bsky.social and Suzan Palumbo discuss their works in a new bonus piece at Speculative Insight! www.speculativeinsight.com/extras Why Alexander, and why The Count of Monte Cristo? Why space opera? Come find out...

The Shirley Jackson Award nominees have been announced! Massive congrats to everyone on the list - and especially Aussies @angelaslatter.bsky.social and @kaaronwarren.bsky.social! www.shirleyjacksonawards.org/2026/05/28/n... #OceaniaSFF #AustralianSFF

Question for not-Aussies. Is there an org you know of that is specifically concerned with looking after the families of deceased veterans? Not government assistance, but an org that will help with Life Stuff.

@kateelliottsff.bsky.social and Suzan Palumbo discuss their works in a new bonus piece at Speculative Insight! www.speculativeinsight.com/extras Why Alexander, and why The Count of Monte Cristo? Why space opera? Come find out...

NEW REVIEW! Kane Parsons' Backrooms is a smart, excellently presented new horror film. It opens in cinemas around the world today. fictionmachine.com/2026/05/28/r...

NEW REVIEW! It's been almost a decade since the release of Star Wars prequel Rogue One. Was its success responsible for the inward and backwards obsession in the franchise we face today? fictionmachine.com/2026/05/26/r...

@fozmeadows.bsky.social Meadows is one of the our local writers. A well known author and blogger Foz has won a Hugo Award (2019) and a Ditmar Award (2017) for Best Fan Writer. fozmeadows.wordpress.com #AustralasianSF #MeanjinIn28 #Brisbanein28

If you've ever wanted to dip into my Tasmanian cozy murder mystery series (under pen-name Livia Day) the 1st book in my most popular series is FREE on Kobo today. www.kobo.com/au/en/ebook/...

ICYMI

Tooth and Claw, my World Fantasy Award winning fantasy of manners about dragons who eat each other is only $1.99 as an ebook today, probably just in the US www.amazon.com/Tooth-Claw-J...

Escapist Routes is up! This week I caught up on Criminal Record, plus new episodes of Widow's Bay, Hacks and For All Mankind. Plus I'm in training for next Friday, when we get two finales and a premiere.

Also available at my new Teacup Magic Emporium - the Time & Space collection! My science fiction titles feature time travel, talking cats, musketeers and spaceships. tansyrr.com/collections/...

Food! History! Language! Culture! All in chapters that I can't help but call appetisers! randomalex.net/2026/05/23/a...

How Afro- and Africanfuturist texts use and re-imagine the past, for the future, is explored in this new essay from Praise Afolabi. Subscribe now to read it for AUD30/yr (~USD21 or GBP16) www.speculativeinsight.com/subs

The good shit.

"Through speculative storytelling, writers reconstruct stolen pasts and embed them within visions of alternative futures, refusing the idea that Black history ends in dispossession..." Subscribe to read Praise Afolabi's essay now: AUD30/year (~USD21 or GBP16) www.speculaiveinsight.com/subs

Me (Farah) starts her Fan Fund Trip to Australia next week. Janice Gelb won the Down Under Fan Fund Race in 1999 and loved it so much that she moved to Australia. You can find out more from the zine she wrote in 1999. smofbabe.net/janth.html #AustralasianSFF #MeanjinIn2028  #BrisbaneIn2028

AND THEN I also read Book 2 of The Lord of the Rings! Which I still loved! randomalex.net/2026/05/21/l...

I read a new book that looks at the earls of Orkney when they were mostly Norse, and the islands were part of Norway... TL;DR mostly a good read, a few caveats. randomalex.net/2026/05/21/l...

In this new subscriber essay, Praise Afolabi explores the ways in which Afro- and Africanfuturist texts present & use the idea of collective memory. Subscribe for AUD30/year (~USD21 / GBP16) and get an extra essay a month: www.speculativeinsight.com/subs

My new author store isn't JUST about cozy fantasy... I've also made a page for my cozy mysteries written as Livia Day (Tasmanian setting, flirting, cake, frocks) including bundles, launch week discounts and signed paperbacks. tansyrr.com/collections/...

Praise Afolabi considers how Afro- & Africanfuturist texts think about the past and the future in this new essay - and why history is vital... Subscribe to read: AUD30/yr (~GBP16 / USD21) to read this and an extra essay every month. www.speculativeinsight.com/subs

Meet @angelaslatter.bsky.social! Based in Brisbane, Slatter's work runs the gamut from contemporary horror to folk horror to gothic fantasy and fairytales. Recurring themes are the position of women in society, female agency, redemption, recovery, sisterhood, revelation of long-buried secrets.

In this new subscriber essay, Praise Afolabi explores how Afro- and Africanfuturist texts present & use the idea of collective memory Subscribe for AUD30/year (~USD21 / GBP16) and get an extra essay a month: www.speculativeinsight.com/subs

ICYMI

How Afro- and Africanfuturist texts use history and memory for future community and survival is part of what Praise Afolabi explores in this new subscriber-only essay. You can read it now by subscribing for AUD30/yr (~USD21 or GBP16) - go to www.speculativeinsight.com/subs

We have a report on sff in Wales from @cherylmorgan.bsky.social, translation panels from @alexshvartsman.bsky.social, forthcoming books by @jess6k.bsky.social, a review of Norwegian SFT by @joachimboaz.bsky.social...

How Afro- & Africanfuturist texts use history and memory for future community and survival is part of what Praise Afolabi explores in this new subscriber-only essay. You can read it now by subscribing for AUD30/yr (~USD21 or GBP16) - go to www.speculativeinsight.com/subs

I read Moon Over Brendle, and now I hope everyone else does too. Thanks, @angryrobotbooks.bsky.social, for the e-ARC! randomalex.net/2026/05/18/m...

Available exclusively at the Teacup Magic Emporium! THREE first-in-series #gaslampfantasybooks to introduce you to 3 of my magical series, plus several bonus short stories. Launch Week special price $5, ebook only. tansyrr.com/products/tea...

"Through speculative storytelling, writers reconstruct stolen pasts and embed them within visions of alternative futures, refusing the idea that Black history ends in dispossession..." Subscribe to read Praise Afolabi's essay now: AUD30/year (~USD21 or GBP16) www.speculaiveinsight.com/subs

I have a book hangover. I cannot start another book … maybe for the rest of the day Becuase I need to sit with this one. So what do I do now??

Escapist Routes is up! I have watched so much TV! Matlock, The Other Bennet Sister, that Bear special, Widow's Bay, Criminal Record, Hacks, For All Mankind ... I think that's everything? It was a lot. Also Connor Storrie was there.

ICYMI

Praise Afolabi considers how Afro- & Africanfuturist texts think about the past & future in this essay. Using Butler, Delany, and Okorafor, it looks at why history is vital... Subscribe to read: AUD30/yr (~GBP16 / USD21) to read this and an extra essay every month. www.speculativeinsight.com/subs

"Through speculative storytelling, writers reconstruct stolen pasts and embed them within visions of alternative futures, refusing the idea that Black history ends in dispossession..." Subscribe to read Praise Afolabi's essay now: AUD30/year (~USD21 or GBP16) www.speculaiveinsight.com/subs

The Rainseekers by Matthew Kressel: Review by Alexandra Pierce locusmag.com/review/...

SFinTranslation.com turns 10 tomorrow! Here's the first post:

Praise Afolabi considers how Afro- & Africanfuturist texts think about the past & future in this essay. Using Butler, Delany, and Okorafor, it looks at why history is vital... Subscribe to read: AUD30/yr (~GBP16 / USD21) to read this and an extra essay every month. www.speculativeinsight.com/subs

Oh hey, I co-edited this book!

Voting for the 2026 #DITMAR awards closes at midnight this Sunday 17 May. Members (including supporting members) of the Continuum, Conflux or Swancon conventions 2022-2026 are eligible to vote. Shortlist and ballot here: swancon50.sf.org.au/awards/ #AustralasianSFF #MeanjinIn2028  #BrisbaneIn2028

Given @annleckie.com has a new Radch book out, it seems like a good time to point to this conversation between Leckie and Arkady Martine, on writing empires, imperialism, and colonialism: www.speculativeinsight.com/extras

Welcome @tadethompson.bsky.social and the superb Antara, an historical fiction novel, on the pre-Islamic warrior poet of renown 😍 Big thanks to Alexander Cochran at @greyhoundliterary.bsky.social! Antara will be out in 2027. Cover by @alisonsampson.bsky.social. @publishingscotland.bsky.social

In this new subscriber essay, Praise Afolabi explores the ways in which Afro- & Africanfuturist texts present & use collective memory, from Octavia E Butler to Samuel Delany & Nnedi Okorafor. Subscribe for AUD30/year (~USD21 / GBP16) and get an extra essay a month: www.speculativeinsight.com/subs