Finally digging in to the osechi. Happy New Year everyone!

It’s been a rough week, but I have a new story out today, right under the wire for 2025! “Empire State of Mind” in @frivolouscomma.bsky.social is inspired by the famous song of the same name and how it seems to haunt every corner of New York City. www.frivolouscomma.com/fiction/empi...

“As a writer…you are the freest person that ever was.” Don’t let genAI ever take away this freedom.

As a multiple language speaker it's also frustrating to see people using AI for translation because the English speaking world tends to treat translators like workers for hire instead of co authors of text and this feels like more of it. Translation at the literary level is creative work. (2/?)

my 7-year-old’s teacher: so, i hear you write? me: *jump into a bush*

Since yesterday, many people have DM’d to say that they were strongly affected by my essay & wished they could share it. So I've revised, expanded, & posted it for free on both Substack & Patreon. Please feel free to share. www.patreon.com/posts/this-i... catvalente.substack.com/p/this-is-wh...

Reading Brave New Weird Volume 3 from @tenebrouspress.bsky.social and gods damn Vining by @emnays.bsky.social was incredible as was A Contract of Ink and Skin by @angelaliu.bsky.social. I'm only two stories in and this is quite the collection already. If you like body horror hoo boy

Oh wow, so delighted to see Cypress Teeth (@khoreo.bsky.social) on this list! 💚 so many good recs on here 🎉

Happy to see my short story “Barbershops of the Floating City” (@uncannymagazine.bsky.social) on Jay’s annual recommendation list alongside some of my favorites from this year! Always a joy finding new favorites I might have missed otherwise too.

Ah! Appreciate the rec for "In My Country" (short story) and shoutout for "Uncertain Sons" (novelette). See a lot of great stories by @aardwyrm.bsky.social, @angelaliu.bsky.social, @mimulus.bsky.social, @tiatashiro.bsky.social and a ton more I can't tag. Thanks very much.

Contract signed! So psyched my story “The Doll Problem,” inspired by a strange doll that randomly appeared on a friend’s couch, will be in a future issue of @nightmare-magazine.com!

"In the basement the television is on, and Robert Stack is waiting for me, his gray trench coat perfectly still against a black void. 'In the closet under the stairwell, remove the wood paneling...'" @iamchrisscott.bsky.social leads us into impossible architectures, new today on hex!

君にあの夕陽を

Do you like train stories? Do you want to read a story where a lot of weird stuff happens on a train (and then more weird stuff happens near a train station)? Then boy oh boy, maybe you’ll like this story in @castofwonders.org

when the kiddo already knows the secret to life. me: "how was picture day?" 7-year-old: "outside me was smiling, while inside me was sweaty and annoyed"

Strange Horizons will be open to general fiction submissions for 48 hours beginning January 19th, 2026 at 3 p.m. UTC and ending January 21st, 2026 at 3 p.m. UTC. There will be no cap. See our fiction submission guidelines for more information on how to submit: strangehorizons.com/submit/ficti...

Reading Bunny and oh man, this line: “The poets brace themselves for imminent, overeducated poverty.”

Read this story by @ambersparks.bsky.social, now. It really gets to the core of that overwhelming end-of-the-year melancholy I've had since my late-20s. Man, I love short stories.

Just a reminder that when Nightmare Magazine opens to subs again in January, we are VERY EAGER to read your dark creative nonfiction! We're the place to send that creepy list or micro research project about something awful. adamant.moksha.io/publication/...

Richard Siken's Crush inspired me to start writing poetry, and his boyfriend's death in 1990 is what that book is all about. This was devastating to read. pitheadchapel.com/cover-story/

Can't believe they're retiring the MetroCard on Dec 31st. So many memories of using that extra swipe as a student to go to museums or check out bookstores in midtown with friends. Those glorious early days with my first monthly Unlimited after landing my first job--I wanted to go everywhere.

This is also the 1st year for a Nebula Award for Poetry! I had 5 poems out this year, but here are my favorites: 1) The Mourning Robot @uncannymagazine.bsky.social uncannymagazine.com/article/the-... 2) The Church at the Edge of Time @strangehorizons.bsky.social strangehorizons.com/wordpress/po...

Reading 2025 fiction? Try the short story "Barbershops of the Floating City" by Angela Liu @angelaliu.bsky.social! You can read it here! buff.ly/gvGVEuk

are we still on about em dashes and ai. imo human writers should just use the em dashes even harder. we should be out here pummeling out those em dashes like we're emily dickinson

Welcome to THE BEST BOOKS OF 2025: REVIEWER'S CHOICE!! Reactor's book reviewers have come together to recommend their favorite 2025 reads. How many have you picked up?

THE WRITHING, VERDANT END IS OUT TODAY!!!!!! Need some weird weird eco-horror in your life? Then look no further than this little split collection from @ericraglin1992.bsky.social, @tiffmorris.bsky.social, and me!!!

Richard Siken's Crush inspired me to start writing poetry, and his boyfriend's death in 1990 is what that book is all about. This was devastating to read. pitheadchapel.com/cover-story/

A few other pieces that I was hoping would publish this year - my Jeffrey Ford essay, in particular - but I guess I'll go ahead and call it and say this is my 2025 summary. Go to doomsdayer.wordpress.com and follow some links to some criticism of weird fiction. Or don't, I'm not the boss of you.

....I hear we're discussing both disability issues AND pop culture essays published in 2025? WELL: www.uncannymagazine.com/article/port...

古本屋の訪問者

I spent three days last week putting together an eligibility MEGA POST for @strangehorizons.bsky.social, with all the people and work within it that's eligible for awards in 2026. I hope you'll check it out, click on some things, and consider putting your faves forward 🥹 Thank you, and here's to 26!

In case you missed it, here’s my favorite poem I had out this year 🕰️ I want to write a whole story in this same world.

✨2025 Eligibility Post✨ I co-edited an anthology with @dontcallmeliv.blacksky.app, published a novelette, three short stories, and one poem. You can read all these works via the link below, and your consideration is most welcome & appreciated. somtoihezue.wordpress.com/2024-eligibi...

In case you missed it, here’s my favorite poem I had out this year 🕰️ I want to write a whole story in this same world.

STATION DINER💥

Inner Worlds is out!! My (t4t love story) of two queers healing from loss with the help of a strange octopus/alien? creature that gives them otherworldly dreams is free to read today :') & so many other creature stories! Would be so thankful if you read some 💜 🐙 inner-worlds.ghost.io/issue-9-to-s...

7-year-old: *points at a pug staring at him on the street* what kind of secret technology do you think the dogs have?

Feels surreal to be able to say this, but my very first published story is out in Clarkesworld today! clarkesworldmagazine.com/jin_12_25/

Masterpiece. Now's a great time to watch it, if you haven't ever before.

This poem by Andrea Gibson perfectly encapsulates the feeling I get when people say "hey, why don't you have more confidence?"

Not enough has been said about how bad season 3 of Alice in Borderland is 💀

I've never bothered doing one of these because it felt kinda silly, but I'm trying new things.

Graphic design skills I do not possess, as evidenced by this free template I selected because the other free templates kept crashing... Still and all! Here are my awards eligible stories for this year ✨

All the stories in Weird Horror #11 are great, but I've been thinking about “We Didn’t Used to Be Like This” by @jackklausner.bsky.social for days. Deeply unsettling look into one person's descent into madness that had me questioning what was true by the end. A phenomenal story.

I really did take the weekend off on this, didn't I? Lol catching up. . . For what remains of Puerto Rican Heritage Month, I wanted to share work by other Puerto Rican authors Check out @benfrancisco.bsky.social's playful take on that most Puerto Rican of customs, "jumping the puddle" 1/2

I made another round of updates to my eligibility and recommendations link post. Take a look at what's new and keep sending your own links my way! acwise.net/what-have-yo...

It's that time of the year 😜 Find links to all short fiction on my site: akislinardos.com/short-fiction/

Got to hear Fonda read a snippet of this at Worldcon, and it was so, so good.

Ultraman curry.