Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Erin Barbeau (ze/zir)

@erintomologist.bsky.social

150 followers 410 following 34 posts

Nonbinary science fiction writer & egl enthusiast. Nonpracticing entomologist. Lover of Imperial Radch & queer sff. Published in F&SF.

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Pinned

Erin Barbeau (ze/zir) @erintomologist.bsky.social · Nov 22

Obligatory Intro Post: Hi I'm Erin. Ze/Zir. I'm a science fiction writer and lolita fashion lover. I'm an entomologist by training, but I currently toil away selling bologna. Cringe is dead, I will not partition my interests and hobbies. Nice 2 meet ya'll.

2 19

Reposted by Erin Barbeau (ze/zir)

The Octopus Gallery @octopusgallery.bsky.social · 3d

Good news for sewists: the paper pattern company feared lost to bankruptcy has been saved as an independent company.

craftindustryalliance.org/sewing-patte...

Sewing Patterns Rise from DGA Bankruptcy Ashes - Craft Industry Alliance

The “Big 4” sewing patterns are saved. Simplicity, McCall’s, Vogue & Butterick get new life under Rubelmann Capital.

craftindustryalliance.org

20 570 1.1K

Erin Barbeau (ze/zir) @erintomologist.bsky.social · 3d

5:45am "you shouldn't draw attention to yourself" talking at is a great start to the day. This time triggered by teaching a cosplay workshop to teens about animal ears. It's a rather boring way to live to actually not draw attention and counterproductive too imo.

Reposted by Erin Barbeau (ze/zir)

Chaucer Doth Tweet @levostregc.bsky.social · 3d

Heere ys the booke of the humoral and elemental values of the Teenaged Mutante Turtles Who Are Ninjas:

Michelangelo - Ayre - Sanguine - Springtyme
Raphael - Fyre - Choleric - Somer
Donatello - Earthe - Melancholic - Autumn
Leonardo - Watir - Phlegmatic - Wynter

4 39 150

Reposted by Erin Barbeau (ze/zir)

Locus Magazine @locusmag.bsky.social · 5d

2025 Lambda Literary Awards and Special Awards Winners

The Lambda Literary Foundation has announced the winners for the 37th Annual Lambda Literary Awards (the “Lammys”), celebrating “the best lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender b…

locusmag.com

5 9

Erin Barbeau (ze/zir) @erintomologist.bsky.social · 5d

i have no more excuses for not having a copy of nana like a good little jfashion enthusiast.

MangaAlerts @mangaalerts.com · 5d

Viz Media announced a "Ai Yazawa x Vivienne Westwood" Collaboration Cover for the upcoming NANA 25th Anniversary Edition Vol. 1

• $25.00 MSRP

• Scheduled to release in the Oct 21st, 2025 in the US and Nov 20th in the UK.

• You can get an early copy if you go to New York Comic Con

#Manga

Erin Barbeau (ze/zir) @erintomologist.bsky.social · 5d

Did you miss @spacemagiccon.bsky.social ? The 2025 panels are all up on youtube for viewing pleasure including the one I was on, Defining Genres: Do We Need To! youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwiLg-RonFvaDdTJwMN6avZaNjKn6Jr_S&si=aNGPhtQTjElChGy6

I also really enjoyed the Queer Desire panel <3

RSM 2025 - YouTube

Rainbow Space Magic 6.0 took place October 4-5 2025

youtube.com

Reposted by Erin Barbeau (ze/zir)

Bogi Takács / SONG OF SPORES coming Nov 2025! @bogiperson.bsky.social · 5d

REVIEWERS: I have e-ARC copies of SONG OF SPORES, my weird trans, intersex space opera book coming Nov 4 from Broken Eye Books!

You can request a copy here:

forms.gle/XZamWpmBUGwH...

I will be offline soon for Sukkot, so tell your friends in the meanwhile & I'll respond on Wed night (G-d willing)

Get an e-ARC of SONG OF SPORES!

This is for reviewers to request a copy (epub, pdf) of the weird trans, intersex space opera book Song of Spores by Bogi Takács, Broken Eye Books (upcoming Nov 4 2025). Please do not self-reject :) I ...

forms.gle

1 33 38

Erin Barbeau (ze/zir) @erintomologist.bsky.social · 5d

working at the deli requires a REALLY BIG BUBBLE WAND just saying, maybe even a BUBBLE MACHINE.

Cynthia 🐈 @cynthia.dev · 17d

Reposted by Erin Barbeau (ze/zir)

Annalee Newitz @annaleen.bsky.social · 11d

And now for today's good news ... a wonderful librarian now has a full time job getting people excited about books. All kinds of books. Even the diverse ones that the government doesn't want you to read.

Steve Mullis @stevemullis.net · 12d

OMG! Mychal did it. Anyone who first caught this wonderful human gaining an audience on TikTok knew there was something special happening. What an incredible journey and story. Promoting reading and libraries is so damn important right now, and I can't think of a better ambassador.

Reading Rainbow Returns With New Host and Celebrity Guest Stars

Reading Rainbow is back after almost 20 years! The beloved children's TV program — which ran for 26 years before wrapping in 2006 — is celebrated for fostering childhood reading and literacy.

people.com

7 360 1.4K

Reposted by Erin Barbeau (ze/zir)

OTHERSIDE - Kickstarter is LIVE! @othersidespec.bsky.social · 11d

UM WHAT our campaign is officially a Kickstarter "Project We Love"! Now more than ever supporting queer speculative art, poetry, and stories is so important—it means a lot that our want to create space for queer artists, poets, and writers resonates so strongly!

www.kickstarter.com/projects/hyb...

OTHERSIDE 2026: A New Magazine of Queer SFF!

A new queer-led literary magazine devoted to speculative fiction, poetry, and art by 2SLGBTQIA+ authors and artists.

www.kickstarter.com

2 28 56

Erin Barbeau (ze/zir) @erintomologist.bsky.social · 11d

*slaps roof of car* this bad boy can fit so much fucking gay words in it.

Have you backed @othersidespec.bsky.social on kickstarter yet? They have 1.5 years of queer spec fic funded with each issue at a 15k words. Let's fill that bad boy UP.
www.kickstarter.com/projects/hyb...

4 12

Reposted by Erin Barbeau (ze/zir)

Translunar Travelers Lounge @translunartl.bsky.social · 14d

Translunar Traveler's Lounge is open for speculative fiction, 5000 words and under. Please check the guidelines before submitting, but other than that, don't self-reject. translunartravelerslounge.com/submissions/

Submissions

Broadly defined, the type of fiction we are looking for is “fun”. [Go to Submissions]

translunartravelerslounge.com

19 27

Reposted by Erin Barbeau (ze/zir)

SplashTOMATO @repede.bsky.social · 13d

OP: Maxicimam
Blouse, headdress, bloomers: BTSSB
Actually my comfiest MAM piece thus far but MAM has a lot of comfy pieces i love them ahhhhhh

#jfashion #eglcomm #ロリィタ #ロリータファッション #ロリータ #lolitafashion

4 28

Erin Barbeau (ze/zir) @erintomologist.bsky.social · 13d

get in the otherside kickstarter launch shinji

OTHERSIDE - Kickstarter is LIVE! @othersidespec.bsky.social · 14d

Tomorrow is Kickstarter launch daaaay! Tomorrow!! TOMORROW!!! We appreciate everyone who has signed up for the pre-launch campaign—there are 248 of you! Could we get to 250 in the next 24 hours? 👀

www.kickstarter.com/projects/hyb...

The dawn of the final day - 24 hours remain - Legend of Zelda meme text over the OTHERSIDE banner art, with purple shattered sword and hand in the background on a floating pink and purple backdrop.

2 6

Reposted by Erin Barbeau (ze/zir)

Allison F @ablington.bsky.social · Mar 30

yes

160 8.6K 33K

Reposted by Erin Barbeau (ze/zir)

Shiv Ramdas Mens Rice Activist @nameshiv.bsky.social · 18d

researching a maritime disaster in 2025:

Option A: 350 word article by someone from politics beat

Option B: 60 min netflix docu with 45 min of unsubstantiated vibes

Option C: some rando YTer called Brick Immortar who has a 4 hr breakdown with all court docs & interviews with every survivor

81 380 2.6K

Erin Barbeau (ze/zir) @erintomologist.bsky.social · 17d

I am currently reading the Extinction of Irena Rey and it's so unhinged. The first chapter is like I am a beautiful horrible translator do not sue me. Second chapter is fungi evil. It just goes to 100 and does not stop

Erin Barbeau (ze/zir) @erintomologist.bsky.social · 17d

I'll be yapping about genre as a tool and the post cyberpunk genres in October at Rainbow Space Magic! Hope to see you there

Rainbow Space Magic @spacemagiccon.bsky.social · Sep 10

Defining Genres: Do We Need to? with @klnoone.bsky.social @erintomologist.bsky.social Heather Flournoy @elleeire.bsky.social @lynnemeyer.bsky.social & @nycwritercomposer.bsky.social

Reposted by Erin Barbeau (ze/zir)

OTHERSIDE - Kickstarter is LIVE! @othersidespec.bsky.social · 23d

Our Kickstarter launches in TEN DAYS! September 29 is in fact SOMEHOW ten days away!!! We’re nervous and excited and SO ready. We're only screaming intermittently.

Sign up to be notified when it launches. We have a lot of fun rewards and goals planned… you won’t want to miss this 👀

www.kickstarter.com

20 26

Reposted by Erin Barbeau (ze/zir)

Fusion Fragment @fusionfragment.bsky.social · Sep 3

FF is at FoF! I'll be hosting a limited-seating chill-n-chat on Saturday the 27th at 9 AM Eastern. Join me to chat about anything short fiction related!

Enter the lottery to get a seat! flights-of-foundry.org/lottery/

And if you haven't heard of FoF, it's only the greatest virtual con going!

Dream Foundry @dreamfoundry.bsky.social · Sep 1

It's finally September! Do you know what that means???

Flights of Foundry is THIS MONTH.

Register: flights-of-foundry.o...

Let's gooooo! 🪽🪽🪽

1 6 9

Reposted by Erin Barbeau (ze/zir)

M. R. Robinson @mruthrobinson.bsky.social · Sep 2

Come hang out with us! Ask us your burning magazine questions, learn more about our vision for the first issue of OTHERSIDE, or just yell excitedly with us about all our favorite queer SFF. See you there!

OTHERSIDE - Kickstarter is LIVE! @othersidespec.bsky.social · Sep 2

The OTHERSIDE co-founders have a Chill-n-Chat during Flights of Foundry! We're number 45 on the list linked below at hour 24—which is Saturday, September 27 @ 12pm Eastern Time 👀

We can't wait to hang out! Sign up here (note that it's a lottery system): flights-of-foundry.org/lottery/

Dream Foundry @dreamfoundry.bsky.social · Sep 2

FoF Update:

Everyone registered will be emailed a link to request lottery sessions starting today. The lottery is open until Sept 15. Results will be emailed Sept 17, even if you didn’t win any seats.

After the lottery closes, everyone can directly sign up for remaining seats.

7 12

Erin Barbeau (ze/zir) @erintomologist.bsky.social · Sep 1

As I toil away in the meat mines on this labor day, what are some of your favorite labor related sf? Mine are Metal From Heaven, Ancillary Mercy, & Going Postal.

Erin Barbeau (ze/zir) @erintomologist.bsky.social · Aug 29

the reconstructions are really good too! as a long time cambrian fan i have seen some things ahahah

Reposted by Erin Barbeau (ze/zir)

Jed Hartman @elysdir.bsky.social · Aug 28

I got curious about Hugo-finalist ages over time (specifically ages of authors whose works were finalists in the Novel/Novella/Novelette/Short Story categories), so I extracted some data from ISFDB and created some charts.

www.kith.org/jed/2025/08/...

» Hugo finalist ages

www.kith.org

3 7

Reposted by Erin Barbeau (ze/zir)

Kyle Clark @kylec.bsky.social · Aug 28

Mate-seeking spiders looking to smash are getting smushed by cars in Southern Colorado. So the state is building tarantula crossings.

26 61 340