Anthony Etherin
@anthonyetherin.bsky.social
Poetry and music born from rules and rebellion.
Host of the Fate of the Arts podcast
KNIT INK (AND OTHER POEMS): https://store.deepvellum.org/products/knitink
AnthonyEtherin.com
Host of the Fate of the Arts podcast
KNIT INK (AND OTHER POEMS): https://store.deepvellum.org/products/knitink
AnthonyEtherin.com
Pinned
KNIT INK, my exploration of the possibilities and limits of formal poetry and literary constraint, is available now from @deepvellum.bsky.social! Get yours here: store.deepvellum.org/products/kni...
Reposted by Anthony Etherin
TIME GROWS OLD (Palindrome)
Sun up, still....
A sun I saw.
Time grew old.
A sad, lower gem,
it was in us all —
It spun us.
Sun up, still....
A sun I saw.
Time grew old.
A sad, lower gem,
it was in us all —
It spun us.
January 20, 2026 at 9:52 AM
TIME GROWS OLD (Palindrome)
Sun up, still....
A sun I saw.
Time grew old.
A sad, lower gem,
it was in us all —
It spun us.
Sun up, still....
A sun I saw.
Time grew old.
A sad, lower gem,
it was in us all —
It spun us.
Reposted by Anthony Etherin
TIME GROWS OLD (Palindrome)
Sun up, still....
A sun I saw.
Time grew old.
A sad, lower gem,
it was in us all —
It spun us.
Sun up, still....
A sun I saw.
Time grew old.
A sad, lower gem,
it was in us all —
It spun us.
January 20, 2026 at 9:52 AM
TIME GROWS OLD (Palindrome)
Sun up, still....
A sun I saw.
Time grew old.
A sad, lower gem,
it was in us all —
It spun us.
Sun up, still....
A sun I saw.
Time grew old.
A sad, lower gem,
it was in us all —
It spun us.
Reposted by Anthony Etherin
ARROW OF TIME (Sonnet)
January 19, 2026 at 10:02 AM
ARROW OF TIME (Sonnet)
Reposted by Anthony Etherin
WORD FACT
Calling humans “man” & “mankind” isn’t as patriarchal as it seems.
In Old English, mann = “person”/“human”, regardless of gender.
A female mann was a wīfmann, from which we get the words woman & wife.
A male mann was a werman—the “wer” element surviving only in “werewolf”.
Calling humans “man” & “mankind” isn’t as patriarchal as it seems.
In Old English, mann = “person”/“human”, regardless of gender.
A female mann was a wīfmann, from which we get the words woman & wife.
A male mann was a werman—the “wer” element surviving only in “werewolf”.
January 19, 2026 at 10:01 AM
WORD FACT
Calling humans “man” & “mankind” isn’t as patriarchal as it seems.
In Old English, mann = “person”/“human”, regardless of gender.
A female mann was a wīfmann, from which we get the words woman & wife.
A male mann was a werman—the “wer” element surviving only in “werewolf”.
Calling humans “man” & “mankind” isn’t as patriarchal as it seems.
In Old English, mann = “person”/“human”, regardless of gender.
A female mann was a wīfmann, from which we get the words woman & wife.
A male mann was a werman—the “wer” element surviving only in “werewolf”.
ARROW OF TIME (Sonnet)
January 19, 2026 at 10:02 AM
ARROW OF TIME (Sonnet)
WORD FACT
Calling humans “man” & “mankind” isn’t as patriarchal as it seems.
In Old English, mann = “person”/“human”, regardless of gender.
A female mann was a wīfmann, from which we get the words woman & wife.
A male mann was a werman—the “wer” element surviving only in “werewolf”.
Calling humans “man” & “mankind” isn’t as patriarchal as it seems.
In Old English, mann = “person”/“human”, regardless of gender.
A female mann was a wīfmann, from which we get the words woman & wife.
A male mann was a werman—the “wer” element surviving only in “werewolf”.
January 19, 2026 at 10:01 AM
WORD FACT
Calling humans “man” & “mankind” isn’t as patriarchal as it seems.
In Old English, mann = “person”/“human”, regardless of gender.
A female mann was a wīfmann, from which we get the words woman & wife.
A male mann was a werman—the “wer” element surviving only in “werewolf”.
Calling humans “man” & “mankind” isn’t as patriarchal as it seems.
In Old English, mann = “person”/“human”, regardless of gender.
A female mann was a wīfmann, from which we get the words woman & wife.
A male mann was a werman—the “wer” element surviving only in “werewolf”.
Reposted by Anthony Etherin
THE COMET, AT MIDNIGHT (Sonnet)
January 16, 2026 at 7:37 AM
THE COMET, AT MIDNIGHT (Sonnet)
Reposted by Anthony Etherin
FATE OF THE ARTS, Episode 2
As promised in Episode 1, this is a reupload of my 2022 conversation with @janeespenson.bsky.social.
Topics include: wordplay, metaphor, sound symbolism, literary constraints, ‘Buffy speak’, and more Buffy....
Listen here:
anthonyetherin.substack.com/p/fate-of-th...
As promised in Episode 1, this is a reupload of my 2022 conversation with @janeespenson.bsky.social.
Topics include: wordplay, metaphor, sound symbolism, literary constraints, ‘Buffy speak’, and more Buffy....
Listen here:
anthonyetherin.substack.com/p/fate-of-th...
Fate of the Arts, with Anthony Etherin. Episode 2: Jane Espenson (2022 Reupload)
On Language and Wordplay
anthonyetherin.substack.com
January 17, 2026 at 10:45 AM
FATE OF THE ARTS, Episode 2
As promised in Episode 1, this is a reupload of my 2022 conversation with @janeespenson.bsky.social.
Topics include: wordplay, metaphor, sound symbolism, literary constraints, ‘Buffy speak’, and more Buffy....
Listen here:
anthonyetherin.substack.com/p/fate-of-th...
As promised in Episode 1, this is a reupload of my 2022 conversation with @janeespenson.bsky.social.
Topics include: wordplay, metaphor, sound symbolism, literary constraints, ‘Buffy speak’, and more Buffy....
Listen here:
anthonyetherin.substack.com/p/fate-of-th...
Reposted by Anthony Etherin
I have not left, nor have I stayed.
The Otherworld has taken me.
I’ve slipped between the cracks we made;
I have not left, nor have I stayed.
Someday, you’ll find me in the glade—
we'll meet beneath the knotted tree.
I have not left nor have I stayed.
The Otherworld has taken me.
The Otherworld has taken me.
I’ve slipped between the cracks we made;
I have not left, nor have I stayed.
Someday, you’ll find me in the glade—
we'll meet beneath the knotted tree.
I have not left nor have I stayed.
The Otherworld has taken me.
January 17, 2026 at 9:16 AM
I have not left, nor have I stayed.
The Otherworld has taken me.
I’ve slipped between the cracks we made;
I have not left, nor have I stayed.
Someday, you’ll find me in the glade—
we'll meet beneath the knotted tree.
I have not left nor have I stayed.
The Otherworld has taken me.
The Otherworld has taken me.
I’ve slipped between the cracks we made;
I have not left, nor have I stayed.
Someday, you’ll find me in the glade—
we'll meet beneath the knotted tree.
I have not left nor have I stayed.
The Otherworld has taken me.
Reposted by Anthony Etherin
WORD FACT
Muscles are little mice — Latin "musculus" (the diminutive of "mūs", meaning “mouse”).
The idea was that muscles looked like small mice wriggling under the skin.
Muscles are little mice — Latin "musculus" (the diminutive of "mūs", meaning “mouse”).
The idea was that muscles looked like small mice wriggling under the skin.
January 17, 2026 at 9:32 AM
WORD FACT
Muscles are little mice — Latin "musculus" (the diminutive of "mūs", meaning “mouse”).
The idea was that muscles looked like small mice wriggling under the skin.
Muscles are little mice — Latin "musculus" (the diminutive of "mūs", meaning “mouse”).
The idea was that muscles looked like small mice wriggling under the skin.
FATE OF THE ARTS, Episode 2
As promised in Episode 1, this is a reupload of my 2022 conversation with @janeespenson.bsky.social.
Topics include: wordplay, metaphor, sound symbolism, literary constraints, ‘Buffy speak’, and more Buffy....
Listen here:
anthonyetherin.substack.com/p/fate-of-th...
As promised in Episode 1, this is a reupload of my 2022 conversation with @janeespenson.bsky.social.
Topics include: wordplay, metaphor, sound symbolism, literary constraints, ‘Buffy speak’, and more Buffy....
Listen here:
anthonyetherin.substack.com/p/fate-of-th...
Fate of the Arts, with Anthony Etherin. Episode 2: Jane Espenson (2022 Reupload)
On Language and Wordplay
anthonyetherin.substack.com
January 17, 2026 at 10:45 AM
FATE OF THE ARTS, Episode 2
As promised in Episode 1, this is a reupload of my 2022 conversation with @janeespenson.bsky.social.
Topics include: wordplay, metaphor, sound symbolism, literary constraints, ‘Buffy speak’, and more Buffy....
Listen here:
anthonyetherin.substack.com/p/fate-of-th...
As promised in Episode 1, this is a reupload of my 2022 conversation with @janeespenson.bsky.social.
Topics include: wordplay, metaphor, sound symbolism, literary constraints, ‘Buffy speak’, and more Buffy....
Listen here:
anthonyetherin.substack.com/p/fate-of-th...
WORD FACT
Muscles are little mice — Latin "musculus" (the diminutive of "mūs", meaning “mouse”).
The idea was that muscles looked like small mice wriggling under the skin.
Muscles are little mice — Latin "musculus" (the diminutive of "mūs", meaning “mouse”).
The idea was that muscles looked like small mice wriggling under the skin.
January 17, 2026 at 9:32 AM
WORD FACT
Muscles are little mice — Latin "musculus" (the diminutive of "mūs", meaning “mouse”).
The idea was that muscles looked like small mice wriggling under the skin.
Muscles are little mice — Latin "musculus" (the diminutive of "mūs", meaning “mouse”).
The idea was that muscles looked like small mice wriggling under the skin.
I have not left, nor have I stayed.
The Otherworld has taken me.
I’ve slipped between the cracks we made;
I have not left, nor have I stayed.
Someday, you’ll find me in the glade—
we'll meet beneath the knotted tree.
I have not left nor have I stayed.
The Otherworld has taken me.
The Otherworld has taken me.
I’ve slipped between the cracks we made;
I have not left, nor have I stayed.
Someday, you’ll find me in the glade—
we'll meet beneath the knotted tree.
I have not left nor have I stayed.
The Otherworld has taken me.
January 17, 2026 at 9:16 AM
I have not left, nor have I stayed.
The Otherworld has taken me.
I’ve slipped between the cracks we made;
I have not left, nor have I stayed.
Someday, you’ll find me in the glade—
we'll meet beneath the knotted tree.
I have not left nor have I stayed.
The Otherworld has taken me.
The Otherworld has taken me.
I’ve slipped between the cracks we made;
I have not left, nor have I stayed.
Someday, you’ll find me in the glade—
we'll meet beneath the knotted tree.
I have not left nor have I stayed.
The Otherworld has taken me.
Reposted by Anthony Etherin
WORD FACT
"Candidate" ultimately comes from the Latin "candidus"—meaning white, shining, & pure. It shares a root with "candle".
Roman candidates wore bleached togas so that their dazzling white clothing could stand as a symbol of their purity & honesty. Politicians tell similar lies to this day.
"Candidate" ultimately comes from the Latin "candidus"—meaning white, shining, & pure. It shares a root with "candle".
Roman candidates wore bleached togas so that their dazzling white clothing could stand as a symbol of their purity & honesty. Politicians tell similar lies to this day.
January 16, 2026 at 7:59 AM
WORD FACT
"Candidate" ultimately comes from the Latin "candidus"—meaning white, shining, & pure. It shares a root with "candle".
Roman candidates wore bleached togas so that their dazzling white clothing could stand as a symbol of their purity & honesty. Politicians tell similar lies to this day.
"Candidate" ultimately comes from the Latin "candidus"—meaning white, shining, & pure. It shares a root with "candle".
Roman candidates wore bleached togas so that their dazzling white clothing could stand as a symbol of their purity & honesty. Politicians tell similar lies to this day.
WORD FACT
"Candidate" ultimately comes from the Latin "candidus"—meaning white, shining, & pure. It shares a root with "candle".
Roman candidates wore bleached togas so that their dazzling white clothing could stand as a symbol of their purity & honesty. Politicians tell similar lies to this day.
"Candidate" ultimately comes from the Latin "candidus"—meaning white, shining, & pure. It shares a root with "candle".
Roman candidates wore bleached togas so that their dazzling white clothing could stand as a symbol of their purity & honesty. Politicians tell similar lies to this day.
January 16, 2026 at 7:59 AM
WORD FACT
"Candidate" ultimately comes from the Latin "candidus"—meaning white, shining, & pure. It shares a root with "candle".
Roman candidates wore bleached togas so that their dazzling white clothing could stand as a symbol of their purity & honesty. Politicians tell similar lies to this day.
"Candidate" ultimately comes from the Latin "candidus"—meaning white, shining, & pure. It shares a root with "candle".
Roman candidates wore bleached togas so that their dazzling white clothing could stand as a symbol of their purity & honesty. Politicians tell similar lies to this day.
THE COMET, AT MIDNIGHT (Sonnet)
January 16, 2026 at 7:37 AM
THE COMET, AT MIDNIGHT (Sonnet)
Reposted by Anthony Etherin
EVIL (Palindrome)
Evil:
All its mist
is time gone.
No gem,
it sits...
"I'm still alive!"
Evil:
All its mist
is time gone.
No gem,
it sits...
"I'm still alive!"
January 15, 2026 at 8:21 AM
EVIL (Palindrome)
Evil:
All its mist
is time gone.
No gem,
it sits...
"I'm still alive!"
Evil:
All its mist
is time gone.
No gem,
it sits...
"I'm still alive!"
Reposted by Anthony Etherin
WORD FACT
Why you find “pupils” in the classroom, but also in your eyes:
The Latin word pūpus means “child". One variant of this word is pūpillus — literally an orphaned child or ward. From this we get pupil in the sense of a young student.
[1/2]
Why you find “pupils” in the classroom, but also in your eyes:
The Latin word pūpus means “child". One variant of this word is pūpillus — literally an orphaned child or ward. From this we get pupil in the sense of a young student.
[1/2]
January 15, 2026 at 8:47 AM
WORD FACT
Why you find “pupils” in the classroom, but also in your eyes:
The Latin word pūpus means “child". One variant of this word is pūpillus — literally an orphaned child or ward. From this we get pupil in the sense of a young student.
[1/2]
Why you find “pupils” in the classroom, but also in your eyes:
The Latin word pūpus means “child". One variant of this word is pūpillus — literally an orphaned child or ward. From this we get pupil in the sense of a young student.
[1/2]
WORD FACT
Why you find “pupils” in the classroom, but also in your eyes:
The Latin word pūpus means “child". One variant of this word is pūpillus — literally an orphaned child or ward. From this we get pupil in the sense of a young student.
[1/2]
Why you find “pupils” in the classroom, but also in your eyes:
The Latin word pūpus means “child". One variant of this word is pūpillus — literally an orphaned child or ward. From this we get pupil in the sense of a young student.
[1/2]
January 15, 2026 at 8:47 AM
WORD FACT
Why you find “pupils” in the classroom, but also in your eyes:
The Latin word pūpus means “child". One variant of this word is pūpillus — literally an orphaned child or ward. From this we get pupil in the sense of a young student.
[1/2]
Why you find “pupils” in the classroom, but also in your eyes:
The Latin word pūpus means “child". One variant of this word is pūpillus — literally an orphaned child or ward. From this we get pupil in the sense of a young student.
[1/2]
EVIL (Palindrome)
Evil:
All its mist
is time gone.
No gem,
it sits...
"I'm still alive!"
Evil:
All its mist
is time gone.
No gem,
it sits...
"I'm still alive!"
January 15, 2026 at 8:21 AM
EVIL (Palindrome)
Evil:
All its mist
is time gone.
No gem,
it sits...
"I'm still alive!"
Evil:
All its mist
is time gone.
No gem,
it sits...
"I'm still alive!"
Reposted by Anthony Etherin
THE LITERATURE OF STARS (Villanelle)
January 14, 2026 at 8:19 AM
THE LITERATURE OF STARS (Villanelle)
THE LITERATURE OF STARS (Villanelle)
January 14, 2026 at 8:19 AM
THE LITERATURE OF STARS (Villanelle)
Reposted by Anthony Etherin
WORD FACT
NEITHERLOWERCASELETTERSNORWORDSPACINGWEREUSEDINCLASSICALGREEKANDLATINWRITINGANDREADERSWEREEXPECTEDTOPARSEWORDSUSINGCONTEXTALONE
NEITHERLOWERCASELETTERSNORWORDSPACINGWEREUSEDINCLASSICALGREEKANDLATINWRITINGANDREADERSWEREEXPECTEDTOPARSEWORDSUSINGCONTEXTALONE
January 13, 2026 at 9:48 AM
WORD FACT
NEITHERLOWERCASELETTERSNORWORDSPACINGWEREUSEDINCLASSICALGREEKANDLATINWRITINGANDREADERSWEREEXPECTEDTOPARSEWORDSUSINGCONTEXTALONE
NEITHERLOWERCASELETTERSNORWORDSPACINGWEREUSEDINCLASSICALGREEKANDLATINWRITINGANDREADERSWEREEXPECTEDTOPARSEWORDSUSINGCONTEXTALONE