For everyone who thinks they're too bad at writing to possibly do their ideas justice, a little secret: every professional writer I've ever spoken to feels that way. Language is an imperfect medium. We're all struggling with the inadequacy of our craft--but the struggle itself is worthwhile.

Write them out anyway, because bad writing can usually be fixed through revision and practice. Most of writing well happens through practice. It's a skill as much as if not more than a talent. Most people could write decently well, given time and effort.

Haven Spec Magazine is open this month to submissions by authors of historically marginalized backgrounds only! We want to read more works by Black writers, Indigenous writers, disabled writers, gay and lesbian and trans writers, and others whose voices must be heard! www.havenspec.com/submit/

Y'all, there's a delightful bundle of ebooks over on Itchio for Autistic People's Month (cause let's be honest, we're all aware of it, now it's time for us to claim it). You can get 34 titles for $30 (or more, if you're a tipper ;] ), which means you save ~$117 📢📚 🌈🚀💫 itch.io/b/3598/autis...

‼️ Thread of Black trans M/A: It's Trans Day of Visibility! 🏳️‍⚧️ Black trans folks, if you're raising money for something, reply to this thread and I'll boost you. I'll add mutual aids/organisations I support in the thread. Cis folks: take a look and find someone to support. EVERYONE: reskeet this!

Hey gang, from today until April 30th, Juniper Books is gonna be donating a portion of sales of the fancy Sworn Soldier editions to Trans Lifeline!

First of all HELL YEAH to all these recs. And secondly hell yeah as a writer: we SHOULD be eating lots and lots of books as part of our balanced diet. Books that sound very different from ours. Different vibes, moods, styles, atmospheres, prose, structure, and subject.

This Trans Day of Visibility, I want cis people to understand that we don't need "validation." We need *action.* Write to your representatives; call out transphobic language; write letters to the editor; campaign for gender-inclusive washrooms at your office, school, or business. *Do something.*🏳️‍⚧️

On Trans Day of Visibility, read something free by me: www.lightspeedmagazine.com/fiction/cons... "There’s dysphoria, and then there’s turning into a mid-size city."

For #TransDayofVisibility I have 10 faves by trans authors to share with you! Incl 👾murdery sapphic space-selkies by @drewhuff.bsky.social! 🌆 stories within stories from @s.qiouyi.lu! ☸️a trans hacker with murders to solve via @briewoodfiction.bsky.social!

It's Trans Day of Visibility! I'm a nonbinary (agender) indie author and illustrator with over a dozen queer fantasy, romance, and horror books. You should buy them and/or join my Patreon today 🏳️‍⚧️✨ Patreon: www.patreon.com/ardenpowell Itchio: ardenpowell.itch.io Amz and KU: shorturl.at/GVSqw

A great day to tell the Mayor of New York who promised to have trans people’s backs that it doesn’t mean anything unless he finds a solution for the thousands of trans people—especially trans kids—who had their gender-affirming healthcare stopped.

Hello Bluesky! My new book, THE FIREARM REVOLUTION, is out on 14 April. It’s about how a new technology changed society, and how hard it was to control. Here’s a little thread of what’s inside:

Now that the "I don't want politics in my science fiction & fantasy" statement/opinion/complaint has come up (yet again) I'm reminded that in 2013 I wrote an essay (in defense of world building) titled "The Status Quo Does Not Need Worldbuilding" reactormag.com/the-status-q...

Dreamed I was teaching a university class on writing science fiction; our in-class introduction game was, "Tell us your name and make up a planet."

You should be paying attention to @strangehorizons.bsky.social this week, since it's our special issue on fungi. ("Perhaps all speculative fiction is just looking for "a shortcut to mushrooms'!" suggests @gautambhatia88.bsky.social.) There is fiction, poetry, nonfiction. There are mushrooms.

Just finished this today and it's SO GOOD. Kinda shocked I haven't heard more horror friends talking it up? It's got everything -- queer women in the weird woods, haunted houses, generational trauma, shapeshifting, cannibalism. Like, what more could you want from a book?

The internet's new main character reminds me of a time when I confessed to my therapist that it was really getting to me, not having commercial success as a writer. "Just do whatever Andy Weir does! He's successful! If he can do it, anyone can do it!" she said. That was our last appointment.

Just a helpful reminder to everyone: Wednesday is April 1st. If you see a news story or something that looks like a news story that makes you think "ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME??!??" ...the answer is probably yes, yes they are, that's it exactly.

Canadian authors, if you aren't eligible for the US Anthropic lawsuit bc you didn't register US copyright, we have our own class action suit! It doesn't rely on registering copyright and you're included in the class by default 🇨🇦 Sign up for updates here: www.cfmlawyers.ca/class-action...

okay so. coming soon 👀 (no, idk *exactly* when but like... all the stories are written! and I have one cover!) #WhyMonsterGirlsDontCry 📚🏳️‍⚧️ it's got trans & nonbinary characters! it's super queer! 🌈📚🪐 💜🖤💚 also very aspec! there will be 3 new stories! 🐺🎥🧸 www.kickstarter.com/projects/mer...

If you submitted an Anthropic claim, I recommend calling them and confirming it. Their system is riddled with errors and issues. Even if you got a confirmation number, maybe check: 1-877-206-2314

a fantastic list! ✨ check it out! and read Phoua Lee's complete poem, "in which Orpheus is a Hmong daughter" here psychopomp.com/deadlands/is...

Hello! Today is THE LAST DAY to file a claim in Bartz v. Anthropic. GET YOUR MONEY! Check the works list to see if you are on it here: secure.anthropiccopyrightsettlement.com/lookup/ File a claim here: www.anthropiccopyrightsettlement.com/claim-form

I have been gently batting around the idea of going back to grad school over the last ~five years--I think I have a much better idea what kinds of claims I'd be interested in making in a dissertation--but honestly, the AI bubble utterly destroyed my interest.

These answers are mostly just ... really affirming, actually We're learning and getting involved in our communities and making and enjoying art and nourishing ourselves--because the crisis is ongoing but so are we

Writers, especially of novels, are paid very little, especially compared to the amount of work that goes into them.

Millennials who can't afford our parents' midlife crises: what are we doing instead

wouldn't it be funny if EVERYONE blocked this Attie AI account @ bsky.app/profile/atti... before they could do anything with it

You would get so many more amazing books if you had Universal Basic Income. Not even the most dream-scenario AI could compete with the creativity of a world of authors no longer afraid of affording rent.

Major quilt eye candy incoming. This was pieced by Kris Lescinsky, pattern is Catch Me by Jacqueline DeJong. Took me 5 audiobooks to quilt it, lol.

If you're taking to the streets for No Kings protests today, know your rights. Find your nearest event at nokings.org/?SQF_SOURCE=aclu When using this link, Indivisible will know you came from us; their privacy policy applies.

ICYMI, today is the final day to enter this! Please feel free to share this appeal! Your contributions will help me pay for my cancer meds and treatment, which have recently greatly increased in cost. You can find out more details about that, my journey, and this giveaway at the link. Thank you!

As my wife and I prepare for a guest: "Do you think we should move the picture of the red hooded figure on the throne of skulls?"

Vielä shoutout tälle kansalaisaloitteelle, koska tän voi enää allekirjoittaa tänään ja huomenna💪🌈🏳️‍⚧️

Okay! Let's try this! If you have a sff book with queer rep that is coming out in 2026, would you mind filling out this form? Especially if your book is not otherwise marketed as queer, but you don't want that lost. :)

Some books are art first. Some books are products first. Market performance doesn’t reflect artistic skill—just product-market fit & marketing $$$. You can’t measure the value of art by capitalist standards 💜 They’re separate skills. And luck. All together.

If you think No Kings is too vague or insufficiently radical, I sincerely encourage you to go to your local No Kings rally tomorrow and hand out flyers/zines to recruit folks to your org/cause. It's a perfect recruitment event! Thousands of people eager to DO STUFF! Get out there!

Power likes to see itself replicated flatteringly: as natural, unremarkable, benignly inevitable. So of course power amplifies those artists who claim their works are non-political--those works can be used to shore up the illusion that power does not require constant exercise to maintain itself.

Oh hey! The Hugo award nomination deadline approaches. If you're nominating, kindly consider my SF novella DESCENT about parental expectations and planetary exploration [Its a finalist for the Nebulas and BSFA + on the Locus Recommended List] Read/Listen here: clarkesworldmagazine.com/talabi_05_25/

sorry I'm like this y'all but you have FIVE MORE DAYS, is all, and because I have totally forgotten to mention it, let me just add that one lucky nominator will win a whole pile of books, which is to say the entire 2025 shortlist! could be yours! go forth and nominate!

Want to grab some amazing 🏳️‍⚧️TRANS COMICS & BOOKS🏳️‍⚧️ for the Trans Rights Readathon? Our bundle for the #transrightsreadathon is out today, now on itchio!!!💖🏳️‍⚧️ 💕GET YOUR BOOKS HERE: itch.io/b/3611/trans...

Review of 'The Bruising of Qilwa' by Naseem Jamnia. Queernorm worldbuilding layered over a mystery that gradually grips you. I was genuinely in awe at what a gentler pacing and kinder language can do without diluting a story's thoughtfulness or intensity. app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/3878... 💙📚

Going to have to have one of my front teeth out and replaced with an implant as soon as I can practicably afford it, which I'm not at all looking forward to--not least because I'm not sure I'll be able to afford it until the end of summer.

Hugo nominations close TOMORROW, March 28, 2026—@ 12:00pm (noon) Pacific Time, not at midnight as one might expect. nomnom.lacon.org

If you’re a New York resident (city or state) use this thread to see how you can contact Governor Hochul, Mayor Mamdani & AG James. Tell them to live up to their promises to protect trans kids. Don’t let people talk shit to get elected and then not follow through.

If you haven't read this book and you like fantasy, well. You ought to. One of my top reads last year.

Readers! What is the last book you loved by a trans author? And what is something you loved about it?

People have said some really cool things about my dark fantasy boss rush yuri, THE CRADLE OF ETERNAL NIGHT They love @pompoison.bsky.social's illustrations almost as much as I do 📖: payhip.com/b/p6Ux7 ✒️ ladz-merch.square.site/product/the-... 📚 books2read.com/thecradleofe...

biiiiig friday stretch how's it going? need something....GRAVE? we got you 🫶 psychopomp.com/grave-goods/