Democratizing the arts looks like universal income, low-barrier grants for both emerging and working artists, well-funded municipal arts & recreation programs, vibrant third spaces, and a well-funded public school system with progressive curriculum. Not a free pass for corporate-owned slop engines.

Once again, German wins in the arena of idioms and/or mind-bogglingly specific compound words.

Over the next few weeks @literaryhub.bsky.social will be publishing letters from Minnesotans about ICE’s authoritarian occupation of their home. First up today is poet Dobby Gibson. lithub.com/letter-from-...

He was bound to drop that scarf in some time zone or other.

For anyone who may be hastily returning certain books they bought as Christmas presents, here's a thread of excellent children's books I highly recommend you buy instead: Loki A Bad God's Guide To Being Good by Louie Stowell Funny, chaotic and a little bit naughty okay, a lot naughty

I was just talking to a translator friend who's lost literally all her translating work in recent months, but has been offered jobs by the same clients to "clean up" AI translations at a fraction of the pay, which is the same if not more work on her end, because AI translations are so shoddy.

Gorgeous Christmas cards arrived from @ciaraioch.bsky.social plus a few surprises! It's almost like she knew I've had a fascination with corvids lately!

Turns out a combination of not using That Other Site and the economic landscape at the moment in general does, in fact, makes fulfilling the whole "starving artist" stereotype a whole lot more achievable 😅

Dad’s books are full of empathy, common sense, and a healthy suspicion of the powerful. But at its heart his work is also about how systems keep people poor while pretending it’s their own fault. So I hope Kemi’s taking notes as well as reading the jokes.

"We call prose “purple” because we’ve gotten too used to prose without any color at all." @alixeharrow.bsky.social has summed up wonderfully multiple different unsettlednesses that have been eating away at the back of my mind.

If you see this, quote with the energy you bring to Bluesky.

It's the Narratess Indie Sale this weekend! Browse 300+ discounted or free sci-fi, fantasy, and horror ebooks at https://indiebook.sale/ My novel THE MISCHIEVOUS LETTERS OF THE MARQUISE DE Q is $0.99. It's a bisexual romance about solving problems with polyamory and murder!

If you're in Ireland, please fill out this public consultation about the future of the Basic Income for the Arts scheme, the best thing that's happened to Irish artists in a very long time. We need it to continue. ec.europa.eu/eusurvey/run...

are you tired of "dark academia" that is neither dark nor academic?? do you want gothic, folkloric horror in a wonderfully specific college setting???? THE BEWITCHING is here for you!

So, I think it's time I begin, in detailed specifics, talking about the mess that is Unbound / Boundless as a book publisher, in essence stealing most of a years royalties from me and many other authors, as a result of poor financial decisions, and legal BS. Please read and share this thread.

I had a brilliant time ringing in the @ilfdublin.bsky.social at Merrion Square over the weekend. So many savvy speakers giving us the inside scoop on publishing, book tents, and of course we couldn't have asked for better weather!

Your occassional reminder that Google has an AI-free search they don't promote: udm14.com

April is full of fab new Irish children's books. Check out the @irishkidsbooks.bsky.social posters for some of our favourites for all ages. Designed by @bexsheridan.bsky.social #DiscoverIrishKidsBooks The posters can be downloaded free from discoveririshkidsbooks.ie/new-irish-ch... Please share!

Going out of my comfort zone to write a more sci-fi/steampunk scene and oof, there is a reason I do not stray from fantasy. Writing about forests that are older than time, vengeful ghosts and girls with powers that are magical and bewildering is easy and right up my alley...

I've just signed this petition protesting Meta's theft of Irish writing, which they've used to build their AI tool. All seven published books were stolen and used to train their system. my.uplift.ie/petitions/pr...

I wrote a profile for the NYT talking about Tanith Lee's work and suggestions to where to start with her vast bibliography. www.nytimes.com/2025/03/30/b...

Reposting this partly because, Happy Trans Rights Readathon! And also partly as a reminder to myself, who am badly remiss at reading short fiction, to check these out once I take a break from my TBR list of much-too-long novels.

A heartening thread to remind us that people are still decent and curious and trying to understand each other.

I can attest, my appetite for horror, blood & guts, etc. in fiction was pretty limitless when I was a kid. I only got squeamish about it as a grownup.

Reminder: Kennys Bookshop delivers for free in Ireland. Easons have free delivery over 10 euros (and also sell toys and games and stationary). Lots of lovely booksellers in the actual stores too, like Books Upstairs, Gutter Bookshop, Hodges Figgis.

This, by the by, is an effing disaster if it holds up. The number of public libraries that will go under if IMLS is shuttered is mind-boggling. www.whitehouse.gov/presidential...

Hi, we are an alternative to Amazon-owned Audible 👋🏻 With us, you select the independent bookshop you want to support (we have 3,000+ partners across the globe), and we share profits from your purchase with them. We're also employee-owned and a registered Social Purpose Corporation.

Submissions are now open for The Prompt, a new writing series for RTÉ Radio 1. Eight of Ireland's best writers have set prompts for you - details here: www.rte.ie/culture/2025...

There's a guitar riff before the last verse in Pink Pony Club that calls to mind the riff in Don't Stop Believing that leads into "Singer in a smoky room". I've decided this is deliberate, that Small-Town Girl and City Boy have made it to the Pink Pony Club and are having a great time dancing it up

Dream job alert! Do you want to be Santa Claus, but for books? Children's Books Ireland are looking for an Assistant Book-Gifter!

📕HAPPY WORLD BOOK DAY, ASPIRING AUTHORS!📕 Are you a writer of Children's stories, looking to publish your book? Today only, I am offering 10% off ALL my editing services. Just quote "World Book Day" using my contact form when you email to book in! melissawelliver.com/editorial-se...

Hey, this shop got ripped off by Temu and they make great enamel pins of their own design. Hint hint. www.etsy.com/listing/1024...

In other #WorldBookDay news, I just ordered myself a novel about airships and other steampunkery, which I am justifying as Very Important Research for my WIP, then ordered an extra 36 euros worth of books so I could cash in a 5 euro discount for signing up to the bookshop's mailing list. Huzzah!

I'm seeing everywhere that it's #WorldBookDay and these things always sneak up on me so I have no costume... but I am currently reading a book, and that book is Julia, the companion novel to 1984 that received the Orwell Estate's seal of approval. Only 40 pages or so in, but I have THOUGHTS

"What's your #WorldBookDay costume?" "Hemingway" "You're just drunk at 10am" "correct"

Tonight there's apparently some super-rare alignment of seven planets? Like in Disney's Hercules? Is Tartarus going to open and unleash the Titans on us all?? Because that would be pretty on brand for all of this... *gestures at 2025*

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.

We are so sorry to hear of the passing of Jennifer Johnston, one of the most acclaimed Irish writers of her generation. We were honoured to host her at the Irish Writers Centre for several literary events. Sending our thoughts to her family and friends.

I can forage, cook, and preserve wild foods, and I can identify seven (7!!) edible mushrooms. I'm a slow but decent knitter, and I can card and spin wool with my own drop spindle, so I can make those stylishly distressed sweaters and cowls everybody seems to wear in dystopian movies.

Such a glorious celebration of children's books, perfectly putting into words why they matter and that first-love feeling of falling for fantasy books when you're a kid.

UK writers: if you haven't yet responded to the government's AI consultation (& don't feel like giving away your copyright), the @alcs-uk.bsky.social have produced some really helpful advice ⤵️ www.alcs.co.uk/news/your-ri...

It is now officially spring, and I've made a push to write for myself for an hour each morning, after family-rearing and before freelance work... and I'm doing it, by god, I'm doing it!! (I'm finishing work around 10-11 pm, but still... it seems sustainable?)

okay this is a CALL FOR ESSAY PITCHES! I'm looking for freelance writers for Reactor Mag, a long-running SFF website (formerly tor dot com not the publisher). Im the senior editor for book content, focusing on contemporary sci-fi, fantasy, gothic, horror, and genre-defying books. (details below)

the isle in the silver sea by tasha suri (october) if you haven't heard, 2025 is the year of the ladyknight. this is because the bisexual alanna/sabriel/xena girlies are now mid career authors, and also bc the green knight had a great writing soundtrack

I especially loved this duology, which just ticked so many boxes for me... alternate mid-19th c. history set in the US, zombies, violent bisexual heroine, zombies, set partly in Baltimore (how many fantasy novels do you find that take place in Baltimore?), and did I mention there are zombies!

The Lesbian Historic Motif Podcast is open to fiction submissions during January. Lesbian/sapphic historical short stories. PAYING MARKET. (I'm at the point where I'm terrified that I won't have enough submissions to justify continuing next year.) alpennia.com/lhmp/essays/...

I'm deep in the "kill your darlings" stage of this draft, but it's not so much "kill" as "quietly excise and take them to a nice resort spa where they stay indefinitely in the event that I need them again", i.e. a Word doc titled "Excerpts To Use Later". The length of this doc is 146 pages. *weeps*

Don't mind me, I'm just writing a zombie attack scene and listening to the 28 Days Later theme on repeat. #AmWriting

Did...Did Tolkien write this article?