A. P. Howell
@aphowell.com
SF/F/H writer. Member of Codex. She/her. Stories online and in anthologies.
Web: aphowell.com
Mastodon: https://wandering.shop/@aphowell
Newsletter: sendfox.com/aphowell
Web: aphowell.com
Mastodon: https://wandering.shop/@aphowell
Newsletter: sendfox.com/aphowell
Pinned
A. P. Howell
@aphowell.com
· Nov 12
Award eligibility post (2025)
The days are growing shorter, so it's time for the annual flurry of award eligibility posts. This year was a little different for me. I self-published a lot of reprints and had an audio reprint come out, but only had two original publications. "The Mermaid Who Declined the Sea Witch’s Offer and Is Doing Just Fine, Thanks for Asking" is a flash story published in…
aphowell.com
Award eligibility post (2025)
The days are growing shorter, so it's time for the annual flurry of award eligibility posts. This year was a little different for me. I self-published a lot of reprints and had an audio reprint come out, but only had two original publications. "The Mermaid Who…
The days are growing shorter, so it's time for the annual flurry of award eligibility posts. This year was a little different for me. I self-published a lot of reprints and had an audio reprint come out, but only had two original publications. "The Mermaid Who…
The Front Street Fountain in Media. They had a regular room, but the other spaces were very kid-friendly. Screens with Disney movies, kid-sized tables and chairs as well as full-sized furniture, walls of chalkboards for artwork. Food was good--better than it had to be--hot dogs, grilled cheese, etc.
Sunday night timeline cleanse
please tell me about your favorite lost restaurant (closed for at least 5 years, like I really want you to go back into the vault), why you loved it and what you ate there
please tell me about your favorite lost restaurant (closed for at least 5 years, like I really want you to go back into the vault), why you loved it and what you ate there
January 19, 2026 at 4:29 AM
The Front Street Fountain in Media. They had a regular room, but the other spaces were very kid-friendly. Screens with Disney movies, kid-sized tables and chairs as well as full-sized furniture, walls of chalkboards for artwork. Food was good--better than it had to be--hot dogs, grilled cheese, etc.
Reposted by A. P. Howell
This looks like an indictment. It is. But I see it as a reason for optimism.
We don’t need to be exceptional to transform Americans' lives. We need to become average. The solutions exist. We see them working. We have to choose them. And that means fixing our democracy so that it delivers.
We don’t need to be exceptional to transform Americans' lives. We need to become average. The solutions exist. We see them working. We have to choose them. And that means fixing our democracy so that it delivers.
January 12, 2026 at 9:36 PM
This looks like an indictment. It is. But I see it as a reason for optimism.
We don’t need to be exceptional to transform Americans' lives. We need to become average. The solutions exist. We see them working. We have to choose them. And that means fixing our democracy so that it delivers.
We don’t need to be exceptional to transform Americans' lives. We need to become average. The solutions exist. We see them working. We have to choose them. And that means fixing our democracy so that it delivers.
Reposted by A. P. Howell
You know, many of us said the post 9/11 War on Terror measures were Orwellian bullshit at the time, from DHS to ICE. The Patriot Act was chilling as well.
Some of us objected vociferously. Perhaps we didn't have the mics or the power, but we remember 2001-2005 as a terrible time in this country.
Some of us objected vociferously. Perhaps we didn't have the mics or the power, but we remember 2001-2005 as a terrible time in this country.
January 18, 2026 at 5:31 PM
You know, many of us said the post 9/11 War on Terror measures were Orwellian bullshit at the time, from DHS to ICE. The Patriot Act was chilling as well.
Some of us objected vociferously. Perhaps we didn't have the mics or the power, but we remember 2001-2005 as a terrible time in this country.
Some of us objected vociferously. Perhaps we didn't have the mics or the power, but we remember 2001-2005 as a terrible time in this country.
Sea witch in soft pants.
(I'm mostly about the soft pants.)
(I'm mostly about the soft pants.)
What's your vibe?
1. bookstore vampire
2. discount wizard
3. mossy elder
4. sea witch in soft pants
1. bookstore vampire
2. discount wizard
3. mossy elder
4. sea witch in soft pants
January 18, 2026 at 4:17 AM
Sea witch in soft pants.
(I'm mostly about the soft pants.)
(I'm mostly about the soft pants.)
Reposted by A. P. Howell
So working as designed then.
I don’t think people quite understand that the occupation by ICE in the Twin Cities has more or less erased non-white people from public life. They cannot safely exist in any space accessible to the public and moving between private places leaves folks vulnerable to kidnapping by armed masked goons.
January 16, 2026 at 10:19 PM
So working as designed then.
An update from Must Read Magazines, plus a quite vague quote from SFWA's president.
I have heard this-is-fine-I-guess chatter regarding recent contracts, but I'm still deeply skeptical of the publisher. 1/5
I have heard this-is-fine-I-guess chatter regarding recent contracts, but I'm still deeply skeptical of the publisher. 1/5
Must Read Changes Contract Language
Must Read Magazines has announced in a press release that it has revised the boilerplate language in writers’ contracts for Analog, Asimov’s, and F&SF. They say that the new changes…
locusmag.com
January 15, 2026 at 2:38 PM
An update from Must Read Magazines, plus a quite vague quote from SFWA's president.
I have heard this-is-fine-I-guess chatter regarding recent contracts, but I'm still deeply skeptical of the publisher. 1/5
I have heard this-is-fine-I-guess chatter regarding recent contracts, but I'm still deeply skeptical of the publisher. 1/5
Given that the first season was explicitly focused on Covid and nobody ever wore a mask (except the one lady in the waiting room who was depicted as shrill and unreasonable), I'm unsurprised that the show's politics are going downhill.
Last reskeets. This is the article from that Reddit thread on everyone (else's) favorite medical drama. Date is day after Renee Good was murdered.
Don't be fooled by the showrunners when they try to walk back their "being fair to both sides."
Unless the interview was done 20 yrs ago, he knew.
Don't be fooled by the showrunners when they try to walk back their "being fair to both sides."
Unless the interview was done 20 yrs ago, he knew.
‘The Pitt’ creator on Season 2’s storylines about doctors using AI and healthcare costs
R. Scott Gemmill, the creator and showrunner of HBO Max's "The Pitt," spoke about the show's breakout success, what he has planned for Season 2 and why it's set during July 4.
web.archive.org
January 14, 2026 at 6:48 PM
Given that the first season was explicitly focused on Covid and nobody ever wore a mask (except the one lady in the waiting room who was depicted as shrill and unreasonable), I'm unsurprised that the show's politics are going downhill.
Reposted by A. P. Howell
living in a world where the only two jobs are “gambling” and “murder” isn’t nearly as cool as Cowboy Bebop made it out to be
January 12, 2026 at 3:47 PM
living in a world where the only two jobs are “gambling” and “murder” isn’t nearly as cool as Cowboy Bebop made it out to be
Today was Session Zero of a new D&D campaign, and I had my shit very together because I stayed up last night with the PHB and D&D Beyond. So today I was just chatting, swapping in a better Feat, and writing unnecessary amounts of backstory to share in the server.
January 11, 2026 at 7:43 PM
Today was Session Zero of a new D&D campaign, and I had my shit very together because I stayed up last night with the PHB and D&D Beyond. So today I was just chatting, swapping in a better Feat, and writing unnecessary amounts of backstory to share in the server.
Reposted by A. P. Howell
Feeling very distracted this morning, but I still (finally) managed to set up a Fourthwall shop. Folks can now order physical zines!
(I think. Haven't finished kicking the tires yet.)
(I think. Haven't finished kicking the tires yet.)
Scope Creep Press
Virtual slinging of physical zines.
scopecreeppress-shop.fourthwall.com
January 9, 2026 at 4:27 PM
Feeling very distracted this morning, but I still (finally) managed to set up a Fourthwall shop. Folks can now order physical zines!
(I think. Haven't finished kicking the tires yet.)
(I think. Haven't finished kicking the tires yet.)
Americans have been doing this, too.
Canadians are being warned to treat any medical information we see from the US as misinformation and although this is obvious to me, maybe some moots should know this too
January 8, 2026 at 10:42 PM
Americans have been doing this, too.
I have profound respect for all the people in Minneapolis who have continued to turn out to protect their community. "Abolish ICE" is the moderate position.
January 7, 2026 at 7:07 PM
I have profound respect for all the people in Minneapolis who have continued to turn out to protect their community. "Abolish ICE" is the moderate position.
Reposted by A. P. Howell
This could actually be a golden age of radical public history. So many people are looking to better understand the antecedents to our current moment. We have good scholarship that can be shared with the public in myriad ways. Revive freedom schooling across the land.
January 7, 2026 at 12:06 AM
This could actually be a golden age of radical public history. So many people are looking to better understand the antecedents to our current moment. We have good scholarship that can be shared with the public in myriad ways. Revive freedom schooling across the land.
Things I enjoyed in 2025 (Part 7)
Short Stories "Mary Marrow" by Margaret Killjoy (2025): A nicely creepy tale dancing the line between magic and obsession. Novellas Novels The Crooked Medium's Guide to Murder by Stephen Cox (2025): A mystery with supernatural elements that feel entirely natural,…
Short Stories "Mary Marrow" by Margaret Killjoy (2025): A nicely creepy tale dancing the line between magic and obsession. Novellas Novels The Crooked Medium's Guide to Murder by Stephen Cox (2025): A mystery with supernatural elements that feel entirely natural,…
Things I enjoyed in 2025 (Part 7)
Short Stories "Mary Marrow" by Margaret Killjoy (2025): A nicely creepy tale dancing the line between magic and obsession. Novellas Novels The Crooked Medium's Guide to Murder by Stephen Cox (2025): A mystery with supernatural elements that feel entirely natural, as lived-in as the central relationship between Mrs. Ashton and Mrs. Bradshaw, con artist and radical, respectively. The Reformatory by Tananarive Due (2023): Excellent Jim Crow horror.
aphowell.com
January 5, 2026 at 6:06 PM
Things I enjoyed in 2025 (Part 7)
Short Stories "Mary Marrow" by Margaret Killjoy (2025): A nicely creepy tale dancing the line between magic and obsession. Novellas Novels The Crooked Medium's Guide to Murder by Stephen Cox (2025): A mystery with supernatural elements that feel entirely natural,…
Short Stories "Mary Marrow" by Margaret Killjoy (2025): A nicely creepy tale dancing the line between magic and obsession. Novellas Novels The Crooked Medium's Guide to Murder by Stephen Cox (2025): A mystery with supernatural elements that feel entirely natural,…
In other news, on January 2nd I had to write the date on a form, and I correctly wrote 1/2/26.
(Yes, I am aware that it would be incorrect in many places in the world for a different reason.)
(Yes, I am aware that it would be incorrect in many places in the world for a different reason.)
January 4, 2026 at 8:51 PM
In other news, on January 2nd I had to write the date on a form, and I correctly wrote 1/2/26.
(Yes, I am aware that it would be incorrect in many places in the world for a different reason.)
(Yes, I am aware that it would be incorrect in many places in the world for a different reason.)
I forgot to announce I made my first short story submission of the year yesterday. (I think I was distracted from posting by the illegal war breaking out.) So hey, that's some administrivia; I have not been totally useless this year.
January 4, 2026 at 8:48 PM
I forgot to announce I made my first short story submission of the year yesterday. (I think I was distracted from posting by the illegal war breaking out.) So hey, that's some administrivia; I have not been totally useless this year.
Reposted by A. P. Howell
The moderate position is indeed The Hague
January 3, 2026 at 6:45 AM
The moderate position is indeed The Hague
2025 by the numbers
I had a bit more activity on the short fiction front this year than last. I didn't have a lot of new fiction going out on the market, but I still have some older stories in circulation. 2026 may see more short fiction, but I'm going to be paying more attention to a couple…
I had a bit more activity on the short fiction front this year than last. I didn't have a lot of new fiction going out on the market, but I still have some older stories in circulation. 2026 may see more short fiction, but I'm going to be paying more attention to a couple…
2025 by the numbers
I had a bit more activity on the short fiction front this year than last. I didn't have a lot of new fiction going out on the market, but I still have some older stories in circulation. 2026 may see more short fiction, but I'm going to be paying more attention to a couple novel-length projects. So if next year ends up being all long stuff, I won't be too disappointed if I don't get to the short stuff.
aphowell.com
January 1, 2026 at 6:03 PM
2025 by the numbers
I had a bit more activity on the short fiction front this year than last. I didn't have a lot of new fiction going out on the market, but I still have some older stories in circulation. 2026 may see more short fiction, but I'm going to be paying more attention to a couple…
I had a bit more activity on the short fiction front this year than last. I didn't have a lot of new fiction going out on the market, but I still have some older stories in circulation. 2026 may see more short fiction, but I'm going to be paying more attention to a couple…
I can hear fireworks, saw some from the front yard, and can now report that my office window is the best place to view a couple local displays without having to venture out.
Maybe next year we'll go out and do Something, but that was not on the table for this year and that's fine.
Maybe next year we'll go out and do Something, but that was not on the table for this year and that's fine.
January 1, 2026 at 5:45 AM
I can hear fireworks, saw some from the front yard, and can now report that my office window is the best place to view a couple local displays without having to venture out.
Maybe next year we'll go out and do Something, but that was not on the table for this year and that's fine.
Maybe next year we'll go out and do Something, but that was not on the table for this year and that's fine.
Reposted by A. P. Howell
REMINDER to send your 2025 original publications of queer speculative short stories (science fiction, fantasy, horror, anything odd and unusual) to We're Here 2025 for consideration - I am the guest editor this year, with the always awesome @cypayseur.bsky.social!!
www.neonhemlock.com/were-here
www.neonhemlock.com/were-here
we're here — neon hemlock
www.neonhemlock.com
December 31, 2025 at 9:25 PM
REMINDER to send your 2025 original publications of queer speculative short stories (science fiction, fantasy, horror, anything odd and unusual) to We're Here 2025 for consideration - I am the guest editor this year, with the always awesome @cypayseur.bsky.social!!
www.neonhemlock.com/were-here
www.neonhemlock.com/were-here
Reposted by A. P. Howell
Timezones are so weird. Australia is in 2026, Canada is in 2025, and the United States is in 1939.
December 31, 2025 at 6:12 PM
Timezones are so weird. Australia is in 2026, Canada is in 2025, and the United States is in 1939.
2025 in review
Well, that was a year, wasn't it? Lots of political bullshit in the United States; I knew it was going to be bad, but the degree of badness still managed to surprise me. (And here I thought I was cynical!) Lots of institutional industry bullshit (I don't have much remaining faith in…
Well, that was a year, wasn't it? Lots of political bullshit in the United States; I knew it was going to be bad, but the degree of badness still managed to surprise me. (And here I thought I was cynical!) Lots of institutional industry bullshit (I don't have much remaining faith in…
2025 in review
Well, that was a year, wasn't it? Lots of political bullshit in the United States; I knew it was going to be bad, but the degree of badness still managed to surprise me. (And here I thought I was cynical!) Lots of institutional industry bullshit (I don't have much remaining faith in SFWA, I hate IP farms masquerading as magazines, and I am getting…
aphowell.com
December 31, 2025 at 5:40 PM
2025 in review
Well, that was a year, wasn't it? Lots of political bullshit in the United States; I knew it was going to be bad, but the degree of badness still managed to surprise me. (And here I thought I was cynical!) Lots of institutional industry bullshit (I don't have much remaining faith in…
Well, that was a year, wasn't it? Lots of political bullshit in the United States; I knew it was going to be bad, but the degree of badness still managed to surprise me. (And here I thought I was cynical!) Lots of institutional industry bullshit (I don't have much remaining faith in…
“Matches”
My short story "Matches" appears in the first issue of Ashton House Magazine. The print publication aims to include many genres of pulp. My near-future P.I. story aims to hit at least a couple of those genres and sits alongside some recognizable names from last century. "Matches" is my…
My short story "Matches" appears in the first issue of Ashton House Magazine. The print publication aims to include many genres of pulp. My near-future P.I. story aims to hit at least a couple of those genres and sits alongside some recognizable names from last century. "Matches" is my…
“Matches”
My short story "Matches" appears in the first issue of Ashton House Magazine. The print publication aims to include many genres of pulp. My near-future P.I. story aims to hit at least a couple of those genres and sits alongside some recognizable names from last century. "Matches" is my angry-at-the-adoption-industry story. Angry at plenty of other things, too, but for this one adoption was at the core.
aphowell.com
December 31, 2025 at 2:09 PM
“Matches”
My short story "Matches" appears in the first issue of Ashton House Magazine. The print publication aims to include many genres of pulp. My near-future P.I. story aims to hit at least a couple of those genres and sits alongside some recognizable names from last century. "Matches" is my…
My short story "Matches" appears in the first issue of Ashton House Magazine. The print publication aims to include many genres of pulp. My near-future P.I. story aims to hit at least a couple of those genres and sits alongside some recognizable names from last century. "Matches" is my…
Reposted by A. P. Howell
At midnight today, it will have been 2016 for the past decade.
December 31, 2025 at 5:20 AM
At midnight today, it will have been 2016 for the past decade.