It's about time. May that career criminal's name be banished from the public square and come to fade from memory forever!

Wishing an excelsior-filled birthday to my Marvel Bullpen pal Jim Salicrup, whom I've known for half a century. Celebrate by eavesdropping on a nostalgia-filled episode of Eating the Fantastic — and learn about his late-night mission to secure Stan Lee’s toupee! www.scottedelman.com/wordpress/20...

Today's fourth post-Balticon COVID-19 test tells me I'm probably not walking about an asymptomatic threat to those I meet. I'll test one more time tomorrow, and if all is once again well, will assume I've made it through another gathering of friends unscathed.

This hate mail from a grifter is going directly into the trash unwanted, unopened, unread, and unloved.

Writers beware! Check out the scam warning from the Texas Book Festival.

Your context-free comic book panel of the day.

A production I was privileged to catch in 1979 at the intimate Theatre of St. Peter's before it moved to Broadway. I believe by that time I'd already seen Kevin Conway in other shows at the Circle in the Square Theatre, but it was my first exposure to Philip Anglim. I've lived a lucky life!

Episode 283 of my 2026 Hugo Award-nominated Eating the Fantastic podcast is now live! Join editor/agent John Jarrold for dinner during Eastercon and discover what he means when he says getting published "is the jam on the bread, it’s not the bread" — plus more. www.scottedelman.com/wordpress/20...

Starting today uploading a new episode of my Eating the Fantastic podcast, during which you'll get to eavesdrop on my dinner with John Jarrold. No direct link yet, but once live, it'll appear up top here, pushing my chat with Charles Stross down a notch. I hope you'll join us! eatingthefantastic.com

Printed out my notes for the first of five episodes of Eating the Fantastic I've scheduled to record during next week's StokerCon — because after all, the podcast must be fed. If you'd like a seat at the table for the conversations I'll bring back home, why not subscribe now? pod.link/1083737796

"We’re watching Donald Trump on a revenge tour, and as incredible as it sounds, it is not out of the realm of possibility that somebody could be spotted at this concert and be told they don’t need to show up for work on Monday." www.notus.org/republicans/...

Today's treadmill TV rewatch of The Wire took me to the top of Season 5, Episode 7. Only four episodes left to wrap up the series, which during its final moments has a brief scene which brings me to tears. You'll get no spoilers from me, but those who've watched the show know the few seconds I mean.

Your context-free comic book panel of the day.

Congrats to all who made the 2025 Shirley Jackson Awards final ballot! I'm especially pleased four of them — @sarahpinsker.bsky.social, @datlow.bsky.social, @jordankurella.com, and @kaaronwarren.bsky.social — have chatted and chewed on Eating the Fantastic. Join them for a nosh! pod.link/1083737796

Alas, today's Clues by Sam rated Tricky was indeed much too tricky for me to solve error-free. cluesbysam.com

This trend has picked up speed recently, but I've loathed the erasure of yesterday since the '70s, when I first encountered it in the paperback reprints of The Spider's pulp adventures, for which the publisher updated the descriptions of cars and the vintage of wines. www.nytimes.com/2026/05/27/b...

Today in career criminal Donald Trump's state-sponsored terrorism. www.wusa9.com/article/news...

Pleased to see this morning's third post-Balticon COVID-19 test tells me I continue to be a negative guy.

Coming tomorrow morning — a new episode of my Hugo Award-nominated Eating the Fantastic podcast, during which you'll be able to take a seat at the table for my Eastercon dinner with editor/script doctor/agent John Jarrold. I hope you'll subscribe to tag along and eavesdrop! pod.link/1083737796

“Show me what comic you loved when you were 13, and that’s all I need to know about you.” - Brad Meltzer

Happy birthday to writer Shannon Robinson! Celebrate the date by joining us for dinner, where we discuss the ways the genres in which we write are often defined by those who decide to publish us rather than by the words we choose to put on the page — plus more. www.scottedelman.com/wordpress/20...

Today's continuing treadmill TV rewatch of The Wire took me through the top of Season 5, Episode 5. Not that much stepping left until I catch up to one of my favorite closing montages of all time. Spoiler alert! youtu.be/V6IM9FqXwPA

For those who like knowing how the Hugo Award-nominated podcast sausage is made — editing the raw audio for the next episode of Eating the Fantastic took 1,028 snips, removing 14 minutes, 59 seconds so my Eastercon chat with John Jarrold will be pleasing to your ears. Join us! pod.link/1083737796

Yet another reason to loathe AI ... as if another reason were needed.

The closest I've come to an error-free solution on a Clues by Sam puzzle rated Medium in quite a while. cluesbysam.com

Happy anniversary to lovebirds @briankeene.bsky.social and @marysangiovanni.bsky.social, the cutest couple in horror! Celebrate by brunching with them on an episode of Eating the Fantastic, and learn how they collaborate both on the page and in real life. www.scottedelman.com/2023/02/09/k...

Started the day once again checking I didn't bring home an unintended souvenir from Balticon. So far, so good.

Life is like a pizza. youtu.be/x_-dIe3PHys

Hit the halfway point in editing the raw audio from my Eastercon chat with John Jarrold as I eliminate any infelicities before it goes live on the next episode of Eating the Fantastic. I hope you'll subscribe to be among the first to join us at the table. Happy birthday, John! pod.link/1083737796

A blogger at Balticon who bought a copy of 101 Things to Do Before You're Downloaded had this to say about my new collection: "If you’ve never read anything he wrote before, this book would be a damned fine place to start." Sounds like good advice to me! doctorwyrm.com/2026/05/book...

Remembering Herb Trimpe, longtime Hulk artist and Wolverine co-creator, born on this date in 1939. How lucky I was he drew an 8-page Vision story published half a century ago in Avengers Annual #6! Alas, his batting advice was useless when it came to improving my swing on Marvel's softball team.

Have arrived at the point in the editing of audio from my Eating the Fantastic Eastercon chat with John Jarrold when we discussed Brian Aldiss, and I told John of the time during the 2014 Worldcon I knelt by that Grand Master's side and we sang George Formby songs together. And here's the evidence!

Glad to find my first post-Balticon COVID-19 test returned a negative result. I'll be testing each of the next five days, the better to count back and pin down the date of infection should one occur. I hope all other attendees are equally healthy.

Today's first task now that I'm home from Balticon was to process the audio for the Eating the Fantastic episodes I recorded with Mark L. Van Name and @somtoihezue.bsky.social to be sure the audio was acceptable. And everything's copacetic! I hope you'll join us once uploaded. pod.link/1083737796!

Best bumper sticker I saw on the way home from Balticon. (And don't worry — I snapped this in a parking lot, not while driving.)

Drove home from Balticon listening to the latest episodes of both @octothorpecast.bsky.social and @coodestreet.bsky.social. That's the wonderful thing about podcasts — if you listen to enough of them, your convention weekend need never end!

Starting my Balticon Monday the same way I began my Balticon Friday — with a visit to Sacré Sucré. No fanciful pastries today though. I finally tried out their Salted-Butter Pancake Stack. And it was good! Only thing is … now that I’ve eaten it, I feel as if I’m about to fall into a nap.

Before throwing myself into this final day of Balticon, I did my usual due diligence to be sure I’m of no threat to others there. Let’s have fun today!

My fourth and final night of Balticon sleep, though poor, was the best of four, with the least time awake per hours in bed. I don't do well in hotel rooms, at least not until I'm in them for a week or more, and my subconscious somehow adjusts. I look forward to meeting my own mattress again tonight!

Because of the way today's Balticon programming worked, I made no dinner plans, and here it is 9:00 p.m., and all I've eaten has been a breakfast of two donuts from Eating the Fantastic's 10th anniversary party plus a lunch of two power bars. I sense I'd better seek out some sustenance somewhere.

Considering the 26 dozen donuts consumed at Eating the Fantastic'S 10th anniversary donut party today, I sure hope no one feels this way.

Saddened to learn Ted White has died at 88. He’s been a part of my life since I was 13, when I read his Captain America novel The Great Gold Steal, published the same year he won the Hugo Award for Best Fan Writer. I also enjoyed his tenure editing Amazing and Fantastic. RIP, alas.

Today in spam texts I shall not be answering.

Eating the Fantastic's 10th anniversary celebration at Balticon was a joyful success. It was great celebrating only a few hundred yards from where the first episode was recorded, having so many former guests on hand, and seeing 26 dozen donuts disappear in 90 minutes. Onward to the second decade!

Hey, Balticon — do you think I brought enough donuts for Eating the Fantastic’s 10th anniversary party? Come to the Con Suite from 10:00-11:00 a.m. and help me find out!

Good morning, Balticon! Remember — you're all invited to my Eating the Fantastic podcast's 10th anniversary party in the Con Suite today from 10:00-11:00 a.m., where there'll be donuts and door prizes. I'll be the guy with the garland of donuts in his hair. Hope to see you there!

Started the day doing my due diligence in the hopes of not putting at risk anyone I encounter at Balticon today. And everything continues to seem copacetic.

Continuing my custom of having lousy sleep in any bed other than my own, may I present what went on in my Balticon hotel room from Saturday night through Sunday morning.

Even though @rcwordsmith.bsky.social and I shared the same pizza tonight, the pie appears twice as large when photographed in front of me than it does in front of her. I'm sure there's a photographic term for that optical illusion. I have no idea what that term might be — I just know it amuses me.

Took a break from Balticon today to chat and chew at a Mexican restaurant with current Locus and Nebula Awards finalist @somtoihezue.bsky.social — a conversation on which you'll be able to eavesdrop during an upcoming episode of Eating the Fantastic. I hope you'll join us! pod.link/1083737796