ICYM the ICYMI

House cancels votes next week, including vote on Epstein files.

Even winning this year’s Halloween costume prize couldn’t ease Carol’s existential ennui. “Another October, another ghost, another shiny prize. Maybe a pig’s ear would cheer me. Ah nuts, who am I kidding.”

who am i to argue with The Southern Review of Books' placing The Shoes of the Fisherman's Wife as a Best Southern Book for October 2025? 😊 southernreviewofbooks.com/2025/10/24/b...

This past year, I have been reading gobs of novels and short story collections published by small presses. I nominated three for inclusion in 100 Notable Small Press Books of 2025. If you shared your novel with me, thanks! I enjoyed reading all of them. #100SmallPress

Gus has joined the resistance.

thinking about knitting her some leg warmers next

Today is the day! My Gothic & sapphic historical fantasy novel is available everywhere ebooks are sold! #Fantasy #Booksky

The old typewriter must be here somewhere…

If anyone is interested in typewriter history, I will share more later.

I wrote a little scene today. It includes a typewriter, so I researched which ones were popular in the US in 1900 and how they worked. Then I remembered I have my great grandmother’s typewriter. Solid possibility it is similar. Will dig it out tomorrow! #HistoricalFiction #Writing

This is SUPER COOL

This is the future of Windows. Microsoft wants to rewrite Windows to turn computers into AI PCs that you talk to. It's now bringing AI features to all Windows 11 PCs today, in a bid to convince you to talk to your PC and let AI control it. Full details 👇 www.theverge.com/news/799768/...

As a historian, I can certify that we are in the bad times. But bad times eventually end. In the meantime: • Figure out a small way to help someone • Figure out a small way to fight back • Figure out a small place to find joy • Figure out a small way to grow and thrive And do it often.

Good Intentions Aren’t Enough in Publishing Deals: How Creators Can Protect Themselves

If you're at SFO and you stop by Green Apple Books, you'll find signed copies of Redshirts, Kaiju and Moon. Go get them!

My first draft writing process is like playing Tetris but I'm slamming the blocks down as fast as possible.

colleen j. mcelroy PAINT ME VISIBLE from her collection, Blood Memory

I heard "there's artificial intelligence, and there's actual intelligence" and almost choked to death on this cough drop

Writing #HistoricalFiction involves getting choked up over people who have been dead for six hundred years, risking life and limb in library compact stores to access obscure journal articles, and repeatedly asking yourself why close to 25% of your characters are technically named John. #amwriting

i love randall horton... AND @jdpaden.bsky.social - theyve each blurbed or shown early support for at least two of my four collections. i wasnt even aware of this new blurb from him for Fisherman's Wife... both he & jeremy are excellent writers (poets or essays) - please check for their works.

Not really an overstatement to say that the test of a free society is whether or not comedians can make fun of the country's leader on TV without repurcussions.

nothing like a really good opening line break to pull a reader into the poem

Okay, Matt Kendrick compiling where you can find excellent flash fiction classes is the gift we didn't know we needed.

At a concert…

Feeling very dark about this world & then I saw this little pretty thing & I was reminded the world is imbued with meaning & goodness. It’s all around us even if the evil is too.

Hashbrowns trending on Threads. Hashbrowns. Logging off of everything for the day.

My TBR to start the month…

To help out public radio & television

Good news: every clumsy embarrassing fumble forward counts towards writing

I have an article in this issue! Big thanks to Greg Michalson, @crystalwilki.bsky.social, and @davidjoy.bsky.social for sharing their advice on writing difficult scenes.

First bean pod of the year! I forget what I planted where. This is either black bean or red. I have been tending to my garden every day. Sunlight is so good for the mood!

These are bad days. If you have anything that will help us through them, please send it along. gonelawn.net/journal/glj_...

The fact that these cuts mainly start after the 2026 elections shows they know exactly how cruel it all is.

Oh hey @gabino.bsky.social - you gave me a ride with this one. Whew! Didn't expect it to travel where it did.

I almost forgot I have an article in the new print issue of Writer’s Digest!! #writing #writers #WritingCraft

Baby bunny loose in the suburbs wandered onto our lawn today. The owner says the bunny *wants* to roam free. So this was not an escape or a mistake or an accident. I am so upset. (Also, I am very allergic to bunnies.) We are in the process of finding a home for this cutie…

Posted a review for Miriam Gershow's novel, Closer. I'd love to hear your thoughts if you read the book.

If you haven't been online much lately (we understand) & you've missed this, we're open for submissions until July 3. Send us your tiny stories centered around self-care. Fiction & nonfiction under 500 words. Sub here: literarynamjooning.wixsite.com/litnam/submit #namjooning #namjooningbutliterary

Hey, I'm accepting book pitches for @barrelhouse.bsky.social for our new nonfiction series, For What It's Worth. Book-length essays (25-30K words) on a pop cultural obsession, ideally with a personal angle that makes the book something only you could write.

I made a pact with friends to write daily for 30 mins minimum through the end of the month. Did 90 mins today. Fleshed out a scene. Feeling great. Join us if you’d like. A little creativity every day is what I needed. #writing

“If the building is a body, it is an elderly one, full of coughs and gargles.” I love lines like this - from The Whalebone Theatre by Joanna Quinn. ♥️♥️♥️ #BookSky #Writers #HistoricalFiction #HistFic

Writing for at least 30 minutes again today. Setting a timer. Join at any time today if you’d like! Solidarity. #Writing

I made a pact with a friend to work on our novels daily for 30 mins minimum through the end of June. Open invitation for writers here to do the same. If you say you did it today, I will check in later and say Good Job. Working on mine now, but the time of day doesn't matter. Let's do this! #Writing

Alright because of @writesloud.bsky.social I'm thinking of running a new generative horror writing class in the next few months. Is there interest? Would try to keep costs low (maybe 50$ for the class and $100 if you want in-depth feedback on what you write in it?)

Just been updating the **FREE** resources section on my website. Hopefully lots of useful stuff here on everything from body language to collective nouns, sensory inspiration to proverbs & sayings. PLUS lots of lists of example stories including a list of lists... www.mattkendrick.co.uk/resources

Peaceful protest in my red state - red town - red city. 1500 turned out (and as many cicadas).

I believe we're going to see a major escalation in government-sponsored violence in the coming weeks. I'm not sure what we do to prepare ourselves, but I do know we must be courageous & stand up for our beliefs & for the marginalized anywhere we can as loudly as we can.

If anyone thinks they might be interested in reviewing please DM, and I am happy to send along a copy of Ethan Hawke & Me. Good for your love of memoir or movies :)