The speakers in the British Library's Humanities 1 reading room play an unassuming white noise-y shhhhhhhhhhhhhh sound and now I can't write without it.

Just used the term "it's spitting" to describe a particular kind of rain only to be met with a look of disgust. Is this only a UK thing?

Finally deactivated my twitter (ugh X) account. Enough is enough. I'm only here and on Instagram now.

What an amazing list, including my own lil THE REPUBLIC OF MEMORY. 2026 is set to be a great year for sci-fi!

Watching the Iranian protests and wondering, "Do we never learn?"

It's-a-me, Mahmudio. (It seems my novel is so dangerous, dogs attack it on sight lest it spark a spate of pro-feline revolutionary zeal 😂).

So it goes

We asked @mkhardywrites.com for their best books of '25, the books they'd love for Xmas & their anticipated reads of '26. Read on https://geni.us/SolarisBks2025 to find out why they picked @buehlmeister.bsky.social @mahmudelsayed.bsky.social @cj-dotson.bsky.social & more! https://geni.us/needfire

The one, the only: the ✨UNMISSABLE SFF of 2026✨ list! 🎆 🎆 🎆 🎆 🎆 aka all the fantasy and sci-fi that should definitely be on your tbr, how are these not on your tbr already??? you poor unfortunate soul, let's fix that! buff.ly/IWTR8A6

A final front page for my father who sadly passed away this week. Permanence is for God alone.

The google translate scene between Carol and Manousos on Pluribus was top notch translatorial comedy. "A bug?" "Insecto?" 😂

The days after Christmas but before New Year's: A liminal space, a peripheral time, circumjacent nothingness. What even is time?

Reader: What's up with this POV chapter? It keeps skipping between different genres. Ugh, why can't you just write something normally, Mahmud? Me (yes, doing the voice): Theatricality and deception are powerful agents to the uninitiated.

Me: Yes, of course I've got the whole story meticulously plotted out. Detailed notes. Character sheets. Scene breakdowns. A world building bible. My pantsing days are over, I swear. I'm a plotter now. Look! Just look at my notes! My notes:

Odysseus negotiating with Circe: I don't want fop, goddamnit. I'm a Dapper Dan, man!

What a better way to start a Monday than with the second part of "A Jam's list to 2026 releases"? Second part of my most awaited titles for 2026 and that I hope to cover in the blog (depending on review copies and all): jamreads.com/articles/a-j... 💙📚

When you manage to sneak a reference to The Princess Bride into your text.

“My grandad always said, 'You should never judge a book by its cover.' And it's for that reason that he lost his job as chair of the British Book Cover Awards panel.” – Stewart Lee

I've been ill for the past few weeks which means I've been doing little writing but lots of reading. Here are some impromptu reviews (come at me, internet!)

Just finished reading an arc of the fabulous, rich and politically dense Republic of Memory by @mahmudelsayed.bsky.social. You're going to want to add this to your 2026 TBR now.

"A Ship Called Moon" by @mahmudelsayed.bsky.social Spaceship status: Also a wise-cracking detective Crew status: Loyal but tired of their ship's shit What are they doing on the ship?: Pretending to be cats and hanging out in pirate coves www.fusionfragment.com/issue-12/

I am my language. I am words' writ: Be! - Mahmoud Darwish

Mewish elegance, part one and two.

Listening to some Ibrahim Maalouf today while writing.

Nationalize the story! Unionize the characters! Workers of the book, unite!

Random writing advice from movies: "Just try to make it sound like you wrote it that way on purpose." The French Dispatch (2021)

The REPUBLIC OF MEMORY is up on Goodreads. Why not give it an add if you are looking for linguistic shenanigans, anachronistic hardboiled detectives in sci-fi settings and stories about revolutions on generation ships. www.goodreads.com/book/show/23...

Reading an early copy of Republic of Memory by @mahmudelsayed.bsky.social and enjoying it a lot. Really plays with language while also understanding how communities resist

Art is an act of hope. Writing is an act of rebellion. The world will always need more stories--from real human beings, not bullshit plagiarism machines. Every book is a love story from the author, and every reader is fighting the war against cruelty, ignorance, and hopelessness. We are fighting.

Stop! Who would access the notebook must answer me these questions three ere the notes he see. One, where is the wet food? Two, can I have some wet food? Three, gimmie!

Great piece about some of the orientalist framing in modern SFF and how this can exist even at the level of casting, costume design and soundtrack. "Pay attention. The powers that be are an adaptive gang."

REPUBLIC OF MEMORY character name inspirations

Is Pluribus cozy sci-fi?

Writing advice #2532: Take a nap. If you are writing multi-pov, it can be difficult to switch to a new pov. Go to sleep in one pov, wake up half an hour later in a different one.

Just finished watching Pantheon and those last two episodes broke my brain (in a good way). Greatest title card in a TV show ever has to be: "117,649 Years Later" Well played, TV show. Well played!

Sami and Moiz is going viral and there's a guy on Reddit trying to chop chives perfectly. What a time to be alive!

Very proud that THE REPUBLIC OF MEMORY was picked as one of the SFF books to look out for in 2026 by The Bookseller (alongside some other bangers!). While you wait, there are already a few Arabfuturist books available in English that you should check out (1/4)

Mahmud says this, Mahmud says that, Mahmud says, "Insert some reactionary, anti-immigration, Reform light, performative cruelty." I'm so sick of hearing my name on the news. Shabana Mahmood is a disgrace.

Slooshing the musika from 'A Clockwork Orange,' a molti bona sinny even if it is a bit starry ahora, and scribing some slovs that are pure horrorshow.

Scientist at SETI: Call everyone in! It’s finally happened. An extra-terrestrial message. Other scientist: Are you sure it’s real? Scientist: It’s some kind of code.We need cryptography! (One month later) Cryptographer: It begins, 'I’d like to help you publish your book…'

Bubba this, Bubba that, Bubba Ho-Tep. Take a break and watch this Bruce Campbell classic which sees the "real" Elvis Presley and black JFK fighting an Egyptian mummy in a nursing home.

Reading 'Deliver me from Nowhere' about Springsteen's making of Nebraska. "Sometimes the record or the film or the painting talks back to you. It's got its own voice, if you're listening." - Jon Landau Sometimes, the book does, too.

BBC News impartiality: Being hated by both the left and the right.

"A vibe." Definition: Writing sci-fi hardboiled detective fiction while listening to Art Pepper.

My favourite example of onomatopoeia is from Sayed Darwish's famous Arabic song 'El Halwa Di.' و الديك بينده كو كو كو كو بالفجرية And the rooster crows, 'Kou kou kou kou' at dawn. What is yours?

It's still just about Caturday and I wanted to share Mew's new perching spot. Listening to her pur while I write is very relaxing. (Wall notes have been redacted for 'nunya' reasons 🧐)

Han Solo: Jaba, you're a wonderful human being. Non-Star Wars nerd: That's a funny line. Me, Star Wars nerd extraordinaire, gleefully rubbing my hands together: Welllllll you see in the original...

Just wanted to wish everyone a Happy N7 Day! Now, I should go.

Wonderful to hold a translation of a story I wrote in my hands. 'Ihr Körper, das Schiff.' Respect to all the translators 🫡

✨It's Double Publication Day!✨ If you like science fantasy, folklore with a twist, digital ghosts, nature having opinions, and ghost cats/orcas living their best lives please do give these books a go? geni.us/weallghostsPB geni.us/saltorac @solarisbooks.bsky.social