<totters out onto porch> <settles into rocker> <thumps cane a few times> Let's talk about what the process of submitting short fiction used to look like, shall we? And about what it looks like now.

We have been on the shortlist for the Ignytes every year since they started and I did not think we would ever actually win an Ignyte but we just won an Ignyte??? Huge if true!!!

Aaaaahhhhhhh this is such an honour!! Thank you to everyone who voted for us! 😭🎉🎉🎉😭

People took all the wrong lessons from Tolkien (fantasy race determinism, long-prophesied return of the king, lore coming out your ears) and none of the right ones (subversive heroes who succeed through failure, overwhelming grief at the passing of an enchanted world).

I understand that ChatGPT is down and fortunately this is not a problem for me as I have spent considerable time developing a local language model that I am able to run autonomously, fueled by Coke Zero and snacks

I am currently in a place of personal optimism I've not felt in a long time. I have also been avoiding social media and the news as much as possible. Half an hour scrolling on Bluesky for the first time in two months and I can feel that optimism starting to dial down.

I'm very excited to announce that I'll be guest editing a special call for @podcastle.org: Disability Pride & Magic! Submissions open tomorrow. Full announcement here: podcastle.org/2025/01/06/s...

THIS TINY STORY IS INCREDIBLE 😨😱😨 An utterly perfect piece of flash fiction.

existence pushes towards love community and freedom, because CREATION is what we were built to do and creation thrives with these things as fuel. IT GETS BETTER. LOVE IS REAL. however this change comes in up and down waves. its not a straight line and should not be expected to be

General subs call, so: fantasy stories <6k, originals or reprints. You can send one of each at a time, and submit as soon as you're rejected, so get sending!

It was an honour to guest host this episode for our tentacled sister! This is a powerful, important story... do go give it a listen.

RIP Greg Hildebrandt (January 23, 1939 – October 31, 2024)

This is a great interview but this answer just made me miss the ‘90s so bad

I have to be honest, it's such a shock to see Handala's face. I'm so honoured that this is one of the rare depictions like that. If you know, you know why its so powerful. @deltahead.bsky.social is doing such great work!

The @societyofauthors.bsky.social “encourages our fellow creatives to sign the AI training statement. This is a simple statement rejecting unlicenced training of generative AI models on creative work. There is no deadline, only the need for every voice.” www.aitrainingstatement.org

Here's my report on the allegations raised against Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki. I'm pissed and angry about what I've learned. Many thanks to Erin Cairns and the other people in the genre who are bringing attention to what happened. www.patreon.com/posts/114826...

This feels like a good time to share a thread of stories by African authors featured at @podcastle.org since Shingai and I took the helm. Read on for five powerful, vibrant, wonderful pieces of fantasy fiction. 🧵

We don't want support withdrawn from BIPOC writers, particularly other writers from the same demographic as retribution and punishment. Please uplift and support writers from African countries. There are many writers living there who are doing incredible work! That's all I got.

Agree and I also think it's important not to stigmatize or shun writers who do end up in WotF without knowledge of the cult—some folks don't find out until later, sadly, but I've heard horror stories of finalists/winners getting horrible treatment for something *they didn't know about beforehand* :\

For example, it's good practice to make a frequent habit of warning newer writers away from the predatory cult of the Church of Scientology/Writers of the Future. That's an easy one.

No listen this is correct. Nobody who has 20 stories or is an editor and had no previous contact with a writer with O or 2 stories should slide into any new writer's dm and say: yo you wanna write a story with me?? I could change your career *TM.

Well, first up, my solidarity with Erin, and with all other people affected — and in hope of accountability. But also, while this is about the actions of one individual, it’s also not *just* about that: it’s also about an industry climate that has enabled this. I want to talk a bit about that. 🧵

You may be inclined to skepticism or defense particularly if he is a person in whom you've invested energy. But I say this, with a visible career that will back up that I do not relish falling on this side of discourse about a Black man: Leave it. There is too much.

OMG Tunnocks Caramel Wafer Henge!! also the realisation that I am not the only one who makes henges out of random items at any given opportunity

The wonderful @podcastle.org has reprinted/narrated my 2015 flash "What Wags the World" along with two other dog stories. Bring a tissue. podcastle.org

Here is my report on my experience with unethical behavior and bad faith dealings of Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki. ethicsreport.tiiny.site

Wishing everyone a happy and peaceful weekend!✨ UK followers, keep looking out for the northern lights . . . www.theguardian.com/science/2024...

Oh my goodness Firstly, this is a fabulous story from Charlie Sorrenson, with a pitch-perfect narration from Rebecca Wei Hsieh. Secondly, it really is a marvellous rant from Matt. “Boys will be boys […] four simple words that are at once acceptance, and permission, and a warning not to challenge”

GO LISTEN TO THIS RIGHT NOW do it just do it... you won't regret a second of its gorgeousness

We are so thrilled to be honoured at the Hugos like this and cannot thank you all enough for your support! This is a really special one for our entire team so thank you so much ❤️

There once was a man From Rabu, whose lim'ricks all Looked like haiku. He Said with a laugh, "I Cut them in half. The pay is Much better for two!"

It's been amazing hanging out with my EA fam this weekend!! 🐉🏰🎙(Also Flying Castle crew not pictured: @mattdovey.com, Kaitlyn Zivanovich, and @quitevague.bsky.social)

Incredible finalist list! Especially delighted for @castofwonders.org and @podcastle.org !

Ignyte voting is now open through Aug 31 and it's free to participate! No membership required. We encourage you to read/engage with the work of these finalists to inform your vote. ignyteawards.fiyahlitmag.com/vote/

Hey. How's it going? Can we interest you in some Ignyte Award finalists? 👀

Delighted to announce that PodCastle is an Ignyte finalist again!! 🎉🔥🎉🔥🎉 Huge congrats to our fellow nominees, especially our little sis @castofwonders.org!

Wow. @mattdovey.com positively sucker-punching me in the feels with his outtro commentary, which is by turns powerful, incisive, righteously angry, and damning. Made me cry in the car. Send this speech to Congress and give Matt an award already 🔥

If there is too much politics on your feed, take a break and marvel at Telly's tongue

Wow, looks like I picked a helluva day to poke my head over the social media parapet for the first time in months...

My shtetl fairy tale, "The Golem Lover" is out today on @podcastle.org! Thank you so much @erwrites.bsky.social and Shingai for taking a chance on this story. podcastle.org/2024/07/09/p...

The nominations for the Hugo, Lodestar, and Astounding Awards close today so don’t forget to get your nominations in! For full information about the nomination process please see our webpages glasgow2024.org/hugo... 1/2

...think of PodCastle? Please? I am very proud of all the work everyone else puts in so tirelessly, every week, to keep that astonishingly intricate enterprise running, to gently put out the kind of stories we think can reshape the way the world thinks in the hopes it's better for everyone

#PC 824: The Portal Keeper by @lavietidhar.bsky.social  narrated by @erwrites.bsky.social. Rated PG. Previously published in Uncanny. podcastle.org/2024/01/30/p...

Breaking my Bluesky silence to say hey, cyclists - PLEASE STOP USING FLASHING LIGHTS ON YOUR BIKES. You might think they're making you safer, but in fact the opposite is true. For motorists like myself and the millions of other migraine sufferers who drive, flashing lights put both of us at risk.

Cyclamen season is the best season.

I have made liver cake. My house smells awful, but the dogs are Very Interested.

We are still assessing the financial damage caused by Amazon closing its magazine subscription program. We know we've lost hundreds of subscribers in the process. If you were one of them, or were thinking of subscribing, here are your options: clarkesworldmagazine.com/subscribe/

I’m doing a fundraiser for Purrs of Point Cook (the cat rescue I got Maze and Pan from!) Send me a donation receipt of any amount and I’ll crit a short story up to $6k! ✨✨✨ www.purrsofpointcook.com.au/donate

My flash piece, "Variations on Heisenberg's Third Concerto", which first appeared in Nature: Futures, is now available in Spanish audio!