Liz Bourke
@hawkwinglb.bsky.social
Ph.D Classics. Reviews @ Reactor Magazine (ex. Tor.com) and Locus Magazine.
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/hawkwing_lb
Wordpress: https://lizbourke.wordpress.com
Mastodon: https://mastodon.social/@hawkwing_lb
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/hawkwing_lb
Wordpress: https://lizbourke.wordpress.com
Mastodon: https://mastodon.social/@hawkwing_lb
Pinned
Liz Bourke
@hawkwinglb.bsky.social
· Nov 9
κῆπος τῶν βιβλιοθηκῶν | a garden from the libraries
Liz Bourke: books, history, writing, and culture.
lizbourke.wordpress.com
Hello, new followers! I write reviews of science fiction and fantasy novels for @locusmag.bsky.social and for @reactorsff.bsky.social. On my blog lizbourke.wordpress.com/news-and-upd..., I write about the nonfiction I've been reading lately, and the occasional deeper dive on some aspect of SFF.
All right. @katalicedunn.bsky.social's BITTERTHORN. Why did no one tell me about this book? It is a fantastic meditation on loneliness wrapped in a gothic-esque romance that draws from Bluebeard, Sleeping Beauty, and Beauty and the Beast.
February 17, 2026 at 5:37 PM
All right. @katalicedunn.bsky.social's BITTERTHORN. Why did no one tell me about this book? It is a fantastic meditation on loneliness wrapped in a gothic-esque romance that draws from Bluebeard, Sleeping Beauty, and Beauty and the Beast.
Reposted by Liz Bourke
Reposted by Liz Bourke
How green is The Irish Times? Why does it side with nimbys so much? Can I put any question in a headline and not bother answering it? irishcycle.com/2026/02/04/h...
How green is The Irish Times? Why does it side with nimbys so much? Can I put any question in a headline and not bother answering it?
Comment & Analysis: Ok, so that headline is clearly being provocative. I should clarify it’s not for clicks, but to make a point. For the avoidance of doubt, this is an article about the …
irishcycle.com
February 17, 2026 at 5:11 PM
How green is The Irish Times? Why does it side with nimbys so much? Can I put any question in a headline and not bother answering it? irishcycle.com/2026/02/04/h...
Reposted by Liz Bourke
"Eh, it's probably ants," he says, kindly excusing my lack of coffee offer. "Just a sec."
So this nice man heads out to the gate, takes one look at it, and says "yeah, the ants ate your Linky".
THE ANTS ATE MY LINKY
So this nice man heads out to the gate, takes one look at it, and says "yeah, the ants ate your Linky".
THE ANTS ATE MY LINKY
April 22, 2025 at 2:40 PM
"Eh, it's probably ants," he says, kindly excusing my lack of coffee offer. "Just a sec."
So this nice man heads out to the gate, takes one look at it, and says "yeah, the ants ate your Linky".
THE ANTS ATE MY LINKY
So this nice man heads out to the gate, takes one look at it, and says "yeah, the ants ate your Linky".
THE ANTS ATE MY LINKY
Reposted by Liz Bourke
February 17, 2026 at 3:46 PM
Reposted by Liz Bourke
I've heard several stories of profs and students quitting or dropping out because of long COVID or the risk of contracting COVID in a space that hasn't done anything to improve ventilation or make any changes to precautions to protect people.
How many staff and teachers contracted COVID, died, or became disabled because universities and schools decided they feared irate students and parents and politicians more than they did the systematic debilitation of their workforce?
Unis also had obligations to protect staff. But, I mean, should I get compensation for having to shield at home for 5 years? I have, after all, missed out on years of life "experience". Or should I just realise that life is not fair, pandemics happen, and we need goodwill towards each other.
February 17, 2026 at 2:04 PM
I've heard several stories of profs and students quitting or dropping out because of long COVID or the risk of contracting COVID in a space that hasn't done anything to improve ventilation or make any changes to precautions to protect people.
Reposted by Liz Bourke
Recent CBS News news:
1. Anderson Cooper leaves 60 Minutes after two decades
2. Stephen Colbert reveals network won’t let him air interview with Dem
3. Producer says politics dictating what airs
4. Owner’s bid for CNN parent back on the table.
5. Not firing Epstein pal.
1. Anderson Cooper leaves 60 Minutes after two decades
2. Stephen Colbert reveals network won’t let him air interview with Dem
3. Producer says politics dictating what airs
4. Owner’s bid for CNN parent back on the table.
5. Not firing Epstein pal.
February 17, 2026 at 12:27 PM
Recent CBS News news:
1. Anderson Cooper leaves 60 Minutes after two decades
2. Stephen Colbert reveals network won’t let him air interview with Dem
3. Producer says politics dictating what airs
4. Owner’s bid for CNN parent back on the table.
5. Not firing Epstein pal.
1. Anderson Cooper leaves 60 Minutes after two decades
2. Stephen Colbert reveals network won’t let him air interview with Dem
3. Producer says politics dictating what airs
4. Owner’s bid for CNN parent back on the table.
5. Not firing Epstein pal.
Reposted by Liz Bourke
Next time you see a dramatic news article "revealing" a left activist or politician objected to housing, check if they were objecting to it being built on a flood plain. It's pretty frequent and for some reason that kind of news article tends to leave that bit out
The next time you hear some politician blaming pearl mussels or the Habitats Directive for flooding disasters, might be a good time to point this out to to them.
February 17, 2026 at 11:10 AM
Next time you see a dramatic news article "revealing" a left activist or politician objected to housing, check if they were objecting to it being built on a flood plain. It's pretty frequent and for some reason that kind of news article tends to leave that bit out
Reposted by Liz Bourke
A spokesperson for the regulator stressed the importance of observing flood risk planning guidelines as extreme weather increased.
www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2026...
www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2026...
Councillors tried to zone 288 flood-prone sites for development in past six years
Planning regulator intervened 93 times to stop zoning on sites in nine counties, with more interventions still under way
www.irishtimes.com
February 17, 2026 at 9:15 AM
A spokesperson for the regulator stressed the importance of observing flood risk planning guidelines as extreme weather increased.
www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2026...
www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2026...
Reposted by Liz Bourke
The headline doesn't even begin to describe how wildly unethical the background of this story is, which is that the survivor only shared the story with one person- her psychiatrist- who is Kamel Doud's wife
His novel was praised for giving a voice to the victims of Algeria’s brutal civil war. But one woman has accused Kamel Daoud of having stolen her story – and the ensuing legal battle has become about much more than literary ethics.
‘I felt betrayed, naked’: did a prize-winning novelist steal a woman’s life story?
The long read: His novel was praised for giving a voice to the victims of Algeria’s brutal civil war. But one woman has accused Kamel Daoud of having stolen her story – and the ensuing legal battle ha...
www.theguardian.com
February 17, 2026 at 11:21 AM
The headline doesn't even begin to describe how wildly unethical the background of this story is, which is that the survivor only shared the story with one person- her psychiatrist- who is Kamel Doud's wife
Reposted by Liz Bourke
Happy new year everyone!
Chúc mừng năm mới! Sức khỏe dồi dào!
Chúc mừng năm mới! Sức khỏe dồi dào!
a blue penguin is riding on the back of a red horse with the year 2015 behind it
Alt: a blue penguin is riding on the back of a red horse with the year 2026 behind it
media.tenor.com
February 17, 2026 at 8:04 AM
Happy new year everyone!
Chúc mừng năm mới! Sức khỏe dồi dào!
Chúc mừng năm mới! Sức khỏe dồi dào!
Reposted by Liz Bourke
If anyone who applied for the basic income for the arts trial and DIDN'T get it would like to talk to me for a feature please DM me or email [email protected]
February 17, 2026 at 11:40 AM
If anyone who applied for the basic income for the arts trial and DIDN'T get it would like to talk to me for a feature please DM me or email [email protected]
Reposted by Liz Bourke
So when thousands of women (and children) were being duplicated--including in non-consensual AI porn--it was no big deal. But it took "only a 15-sec clip" of these two famous white men to draw outrage and fear. Gotcha. Cool cool.
It took only a 15-second clip of Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt duking it out on a crumbling rooftop — made by A.I. with a two-sentence prompt and the click of a button — to draw swift outrage, and sizable fear, from Hollywood.
"It’s nothing short of terrifying," one scriptwriter said.
"It’s nothing short of terrifying," one scriptwriter said.
Why an A.I. Video of Tom Cruise Battling Brad Pitt Spooked Hollywood
A 15-second clip created by an artificial intelligence tool owned by the Chinese technology company ByteDance appears more cinematic than anything so far.
nyti.ms
February 16, 2026 at 8:36 PM
So when thousands of women (and children) were being duplicated--including in non-consensual AI porn--it was no big deal. But it took "only a 15-sec clip" of these two famous white men to draw outrage and fear. Gotcha. Cool cool.
Reposted by Liz Bourke
A federal judge on Friday ordered the release of a man who had been in immigration detention due to "objectively unreasonable failures of care that more likely than not resulted in permanent disability, including the loss of his toe and part of his foot."
![While Respondents largely do not address the conditions of Petitioner's confinement in responding to this claim, they argue elsewhere that "the medical care [Petitioner] has received is constitutionally adequate." Dkt. No. 22 at 15. But the record here compels a finding that, on the preponderance of the evidence, Petitioner's medical care, and denial of medical care, included objectively unreasonable failures of care that more likely than not resulted in permanent
disability, including the loss of his toe and part of his foot. The Court bases this finding on the
following facts:](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:36eqtmzysqf7wsslczw4uxcd/bafkreifgw3hkuamuxfvezrwuuwgt43gses572ta3swqhq4ht2ebcbiwpkm@jpeg)
February 16, 2026 at 9:31 PM
A federal judge on Friday ordered the release of a man who had been in immigration detention due to "objectively unreasonable failures of care that more likely than not resulted in permanent disability, including the loss of his toe and part of his foot."
Reposted by Liz Bourke
I know there are irish people who are a disappointment to their ancestors by how they treat the stranger and the laws of hospitality. But honest to god, my opinion of any Irish diaspora who is anti immigrant is so low that Lucifer has to look down to see it
American culture of the 1840’s would have been *very fucking surprised* to see the Irish considered as co-founders.
Elon’s an ahistorical dipshit, but its always worth saying some stuff out loud: if you‘re a fellow Irish-American and you aren’t 100% pro-immigrant, you’re a fucking embarassment.
Elon’s an ahistorical dipshit, but its always worth saying some stuff out loud: if you‘re a fellow Irish-American and you aren’t 100% pro-immigrant, you’re a fucking embarassment.
1/3 What Musk is really referring to here is, of course “race” - that construct that served to define the hierarchies of wealth & power structured by modern colonialism. Like other far right racists though, he uses the word “culture” as a seemingly less pernicious synonym.
February 16, 2026 at 1:23 PM
I know there are irish people who are a disappointment to their ancestors by how they treat the stranger and the laws of hospitality. But honest to god, my opinion of any Irish diaspora who is anti immigrant is so low that Lucifer has to look down to see it
Reposted by Liz Bourke
We're hiring at Birkbeck!
Lecturer in Ancient History and Classics, full-time and open-ended. Closing date March 18th.
Details here: cis7.bbk.ac.uk/vacancy/lect...
Lecturer in Ancient History and Classics, full-time and open-ended. Closing date March 18th.
Details here: cis7.bbk.ac.uk/vacancy/lect...
February 16, 2026 at 2:04 PM
We're hiring at Birkbeck!
Lecturer in Ancient History and Classics, full-time and open-ended. Closing date March 18th.
Details here: cis7.bbk.ac.uk/vacancy/lect...
Lecturer in Ancient History and Classics, full-time and open-ended. Closing date March 18th.
Details here: cis7.bbk.ac.uk/vacancy/lect...
Reposted by Liz Bourke
and I mean obviously
3) children still want to play and they will end up in the non-play-area bit that is still full of broken glass
3) children still want to play and they will end up in the non-play-area bit that is still full of broken glass
February 16, 2026 at 3:28 PM
and I mean obviously
3) children still want to play and they will end up in the non-play-area bit that is still full of broken glass
3) children still want to play and they will end up in the non-play-area bit that is still full of broken glass
Reposted by Liz Bourke
and you won't be able to see that that's what's happening.
the park should not be full of broken glass.
you can't just ban children from the play area and call the problem solved.
1) they now have no play area
2) everyone else is still getting cut to ribbons
the park should not be full of broken glass.
you can't just ban children from the play area and call the problem solved.
1) they now have no play area
2) everyone else is still getting cut to ribbons
February 16, 2026 at 3:25 PM
and you won't be able to see that that's what's happening.
the park should not be full of broken glass.
you can't just ban children from the play area and call the problem solved.
1) they now have no play area
2) everyone else is still getting cut to ribbons
the park should not be full of broken glass.
you can't just ban children from the play area and call the problem solved.
1) they now have no play area
2) everyone else is still getting cut to ribbons
Reposted by Liz Bourke
yes. the things that would make social media safer for children are almost all just the things that would make social media non-harmful/much less harmful for *all of us*.
if you do it by age verification then nothing will stop a child in a difficult home accessing stuff via parents' accounts
if you do it by age verification then nothing will stop a child in a difficult home accessing stuff via parents' accounts
The under-16 social media (and VPN, and chatbot) ban is part of a broader policy problem IMV, which is that it is politically easier to talk about e.g. 'child poverty', and you can do a lot of good with that approach, but it has hard limits because ultimately you are also just talking about poverty.
February 16, 2026 at 3:23 PM
yes. the things that would make social media safer for children are almost all just the things that would make social media non-harmful/much less harmful for *all of us*.
if you do it by age verification then nothing will stop a child in a difficult home accessing stuff via parents' accounts
if you do it by age verification then nothing will stop a child in a difficult home accessing stuff via parents' accounts
I hate headcolds. Things go reasonably well, personally, and then wham, your head feels like it's gone a round in the tumble dryer.
February 16, 2026 at 3:44 PM
I hate headcolds. Things go reasonably well, personally, and then wham, your head feels like it's gone a round in the tumble dryer.
Reposted by Liz Bourke
My spouse, looking at the neighborhood ICE-watch Signal group after it has crowdsourced finding & returning a lost dog: "It's like a neighborhood watch, but not fascist, because it's made of people mad about fascism."
Me: "NextDoor, woke edition!"
Me: "NextDoor, woke edition!"
Things are fundamentally shifting in this city in ways that truly are amazing and need to be widely adopted. Minneapolis is starting to build the social dictionary for the future and it’s a real view of the historic social and political change happening on the ground. Neighborism is the future.
And these kids decided, on their own, to play a benefit show for families impacted by the surge. At that first show they had hoped to raise a couple thousand dollars. Their families and friends came to Minneapolis and packed the house. They ended up raising over 10 grand. (3/?)
February 16, 2026 at 3:37 PM
My spouse, looking at the neighborhood ICE-watch Signal group after it has crowdsourced finding & returning a lost dog: "It's like a neighborhood watch, but not fascist, because it's made of people mad about fascism."
Me: "NextDoor, woke edition!"
Me: "NextDoor, woke edition!"
Reposted by Liz Bourke
Reposted by Liz Bourke
tfw stealing material history is insufficient
February 16, 2026 at 3:01 PM
tfw stealing material history is insufficient
Reposted by Liz Bourke
from the perspective of someone who might want to be president, the best time to run for the white house is now, not later. so if AOC is thinking about it — if the white house is her ambition — then her best bet is to throw her hat in the ring
You Know What? Maybe the Time Is Right for an AOC Presidential Bid
She’s only 36, and there’s a good argument that she should run for Senate and bide her time. But she also could be a formidable White House candidate.
newrepublic.com
February 16, 2026 at 2:13 PM
from the perspective of someone who might want to be president, the best time to run for the white house is now, not later. so if AOC is thinking about it — if the white house is her ambition — then her best bet is to throw her hat in the ring
Reposted by Liz Bourke
In the same mode: did a cruise-ship #StarTrek con with @peter.petermorwood.com in the 80s. He went down to the bar one night & devised a stacked-rums drink that caught on w/the fans. When we docked in Bermuda, the catering staff had to send ashore for more rum: the fans had drunk the ship rum-dry… 😁
February 16, 2026 at 2:39 PM
In the same mode: did a cruise-ship #StarTrek con with @peter.petermorwood.com in the 80s. He went down to the bar one night & devised a stacked-rums drink that caught on w/the fans. When we docked in Bermuda, the catering staff had to send ashore for more rum: the fans had drunk the ship rum-dry… 😁