“The morning is wiser than the evening.” — The House with Chicken Legs, by Sophie Anderson (It is. Go to bed.)

"You have improved," the swordmaster said. "Thanks to my new sword," said the student. The swordmaster studied the blade and frowned. "This is enchanted?" "You know about cursed swords that whisper that you should kill?" "Yes?" "This tells me I'm loved and valid." "Ah. Well. It's not wrong."

Heads up. This is a scam. Just had this DM… 🌟 Yоu’vе cаught оur аttеntiоn! Thе Вluе Ѕку tеаm hаѕ ѕоmеthing ѕресiаl juѕt fоr уоu 😍 Dоn’t wаit — уоur ѕurрriѕе iѕ rеаdу 🎁 🔗 bsky-giveawey.app/badge

“If you don’t use Ai you’ll be really bad at spotting Ai” is certainly… an interesting take www.lrb.co.uk/blog/2026/ju...

Lol nicely done

What gives smoked foods their flavour, and where do these flavour compounds come from? This edition of #PeriodicGraphics in @cenmag.bsky.social has the answers: cen.acs.org/articles/104...

Mr Stevens, Head of Catering youtu.be/7p5KpjR93SE?...

For #LoveConquersAllDay 💜 🎵 It's strong and it's sudden and it's cruel sometimes, But it might just save your life 🎶 youtu.be/wBl2QGAIx1s?...

Everything I know about economics, I learned queueing at Alton Towers as.ft.com/r/21e56ef4-2...

"Listen, forget it," said Ford, "forget all of it. Nothing matters. Look, it's a beautiful day, enjoy. it. The sun, the green of the hills, the river down in the valley, the burning trees."

🔤 Where did the English alphabet come from, and how do we know this? 🎙️ In this episode of Curiosity Meets the Past, linguist and writer, Dr. Danny Bate @dannybate.com, guides us through the archaeology and linguistic history behind the letters many of us use every day 🏺 youtu.be/wGuQEV9zsWQ

Ooh, yikes! Wear gloves when picking berries, folks! 🫐 www.devonlive.com/news/uk-worl...

Due to a pronoun mix-up, this is now a much BETTER story

Some good news! “The net zero economy, which is worth more than £100bn a year, benefits all of the UK, according to the CBI Economics analysis commissioned by the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit thinktank” www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Summer thunderstorms are hitting here ⛈️ Whenever you see a flash of lightning, you’re seeing the trigger for atmospheric chemical reactions. Learn more in this graphic: www.compoundchem.com/2018/07/31/t... #ChemSky 🧪

Alongside colleagues, I have tabled a motion to disapprove the Equality Act 2010: Draft Code of Practice for Services, public functions and associations. We cannot support it, and we have a responsibility to our trans constituents to resist it. Please email your MP asking them to sign EDM 240.

When the father of a murdered son makes a public statement saying "we do not want his death to be used to create further division, hatred or tension", then I believe it's incumbent on any news outlet reporting on Farage's comments to ensure people know he has chosen to disregard the family's wishes.

One of Australia's biggest banks is worried about the rising costs of AI in return for basically no productivity improvements "You can use AI to create an enormous amount of volume, noise and waste" Pretty sure @edzitron.com predicted this...... www.afr.com/technology/b...

Support Jamie: his pins are fantastic! Here’s my Bunsen burner pin ❤️🧡💛💚🩵💙💜🤎🖤🩶🤍

I am *deeply* suspicious of the phrase “profits will be donated to deserving organizations doing good work in the LGBTQ+ community!” If they can’t specify a cause they genuinely support, it screams “oh, yeah, better try to appear as though we’re doing good, maybe it’ll boost sales after June…”

The House of Commons yesterday debated the laying of the EHRC code of practice. Functionally, it didn’t do very much, there was no opportunity to dis-apply it, but it was an important opportunity to get oppositional voices into the media and build awareness. No Green MPs turned up.

I took a little trip to the Rollrights yesterday. Yes, science, yes, but also this IS gnarly country. The energy in this place is deep and strange and quiet. If you’re ever nearby, make time to go.

Hilarious and deeply insightful writing by @brianphillips.lol.

Yes. Yes! And you can do this with horror too. It doesn’t have to be unrelentingly bleak. You can have a flicker of hope. In fact, you know what? It’s often easier to see the light against the dark. Take the light to dark places. (As a wise writer once wrote.)

LAUNCH DAY! There's no fee to enter, and on top of the winning publication, EIGHT authors will receive $100 each. THAT'S $2,300 of community-raised funds! See inkfoundry.net/the-inkmark/ for more details!

This genuinely made me cry. You never know who you’ve reassured today 🏳️‍🌈💜

Ed Davey and I have written to the Minister for Women & Equalities, asking her to withdraw the EHRC Code of Practice. The Government have repeatedly assured trans people that they have protection from discrimination, yet this guidance does the opposite, breaking decades of precedent.

The Fire Brigades Union has made a statement on the proposed EHRC Code of Practice on Services. Our message is clear. Equality matters, solidarity is essential, and we will continue to fight for both.

the universe is woke and wishes you a happy pride month 🏳️‍🌈🌌

Could be worse, could be a— Never mind. Let’s not start that again.

Happy Pride month, listeners! Have a spooky one!

Gods this is horrific. “The three letters – "FOH" – that she had written on a whiteboard next to names of heavily pregnant women were not there to alert colleagues to women having a specific medical condition … The "F", a swear word. The "O", standing for "OFF". The "H", short for "HOME".”

“Introducing the panel, Cadwalladr said: ‘I think this might be a Hay first, in which we have an author in a hostage situation. Blink once if you can hear us, Sarah, twice if [Mark] Zuckerberg is an asshole.’”

Publishers: “Short stories don’t sell and are impossible to market so we are not going to take the risk of publishing them.” Also publishers: “What can we publish to fit this era of reduced attention spans when people are reading fewer novels?”

Well… I suppose… they are known for their love of peckers…

It's June, which means it's time to post one of my favourite poems... 🧵 June, gentle June, of whom the crooners croon, Sweet month of silk, of salmon, and the swoon; June, what a chance you had—to be your best, The fighting friend of Freedom in the West!

Just generally so much of my writing advice boils down to: Befriend other writers - and all sorts of other artists. Not simply to network, but to chat, to bitch & moan, to get & share practical advice (usually about HMRC), to bounce ideas, escape the lonely activity that writing can be.

You can’t crush ideas by suppressing them. You can only crush them by ignoring them. By refusing to think, refusing to change.

Featuring a mention of my story, Never Enough Pockets, which you can read here (thanks, Oxford Clarion!) thefictionphial.wordpress.com/2025/12/13/n...

Ex Partum is on the Oxford Clarion’s ‘Dark Reads for Bright Days’ reading list. That makes it newsworthy. Also ft. @chronicleflask.katday.com, Sarah Mughal, Lucy Atkins, Eve Smith, Susanna Clarke

There is magic in the air. There are phantoms in the fog. There are spirits in trees, mountains, and rivers. There are mysteries in mossy forests and misty moors. There are secrets everywhere, waiting to be found.

Perfect. No notes 😆

I published May's #FlashFiction early this month, but since it is still May, and it's a Sunday, and the English weather hasn't broken quite yet (don't worry, rain tomorrow), here's one last reminder of The Afternoon Off thefictionphial.wordpress.com/2026/05/19/t...

How men feared women! she thought, walking among the late-flowering roses. Not as individuals, but women when they talked together, worked together, spoke up for one another - then men saw plots, cabals, constraints, traps being laid.

Anyway, look, in lieu of touching grass, here’re some nice photos of the healthy low-calorie* salad I had for lunch (*I know, I know)

But why does it matter? Well, apart from the IP issue, Dr Jamie Gallagher has raised £35k for homeless LGBTQ+ people by selling his pins. The knockoff ones... have not.

Love this bit on Ai from the Royal Society. A classic case of the probability engine getting itself in a mess and revealing its complete lack of understanding

I published May's #FlashFiction early this month, but since it is still May, and it's a Sunday, and the English weather hasn't broken quite yet (don't worry, rain tomorrow), here's one last reminder of The Afternoon Off thefictionphial.wordpress.com/2026/05/19/t...

"I just want to say this, no matter what some people would have us believe, solar panels, heat pumps and EVs are not 'woke'. They are common sense." That's top UK gov't official Ed Miliband. I'm trying to imagine a cabinet-level US official saying the same.

Why choose between success and happiness when you can have neither