Zachary Gillan
@megapolisomancy.bsky.social
Nonfiction about weird fiction at Seize the Press, Strange Horizons, Interzone, Los Angeles Review of Books, Nightmare, and Ancillary Review of Books, where I am also an editor. Also jazz, metal, leftism. he/him
https://doomsdayer.wordpress.com/writings/
https://doomsdayer.wordpress.com/writings/
Pinned
Forever in search of a vibe too unsettling for the sf crowd, not transgressive enough for the horror scene, and too avant-garde for either
Reposted by Zachary Gillan
There is a baby in here thinking "Of course McCoy Tyner was left-handed. Makes absolute sense, does that!"
February 2, 2026 at 4:42 PM
There is a baby in here thinking "Of course McCoy Tyner was left-handed. Makes absolute sense, does that!"
Reposted by Zachary Gillan
I'm particularly interested in the suggestion here of genre as something that can be read into a work—like, a set of reading protocols you might apply to the work whether or not that was the original idea; contemporary genre influencing how we read work from before it was codified.
And then the first of our essays: the inestimable @megapolisomancy.bsky.social on (what else?) the weird.
What is really striking about this piece is the way in which it advocates for critical reading as productive practice, for "weird reading as a way of thinking critically about the world."
What is really striking about this piece is the way in which it advocates for critical reading as productive practice, for "weird reading as a way of thinking critically about the world."
The Brackish Pool: Towards a Critical Practice of Reading Weird Fiction
The ideal reader of the weird has to embrace a kind of wilful suspension of foreknowledge or generic expectation.
strangehorizons.com
January 31, 2026 at 12:36 AM
I'm particularly interested in the suggestion here of genre as something that can be read into a work—like, a set of reading protocols you might apply to the work whether or not that was the original idea; contemporary genre influencing how we read work from before it was codified.
Reposted by Zachary Gillan
"Weirding, in this sense, is an active unsettling, expressed both in the reading and the affective poetics that trouble, unsettle, and actively weird its material."
Welcome to the 2026 Criticism Special Issue!
The Brackish Pool: Towards a Critical Practice of Reading Weird Fiction
by Zachary Gillan @megapolisomancy.bsky.social
Link ⬇️
strangehorizons.com/wordpress/no...
The Brackish Pool: Towards a Critical Practice of Reading Weird Fiction
by Zachary Gillan @megapolisomancy.bsky.social
Link ⬇️
strangehorizons.com/wordpress/no...
![NON-FICTION
Quote
the ideal reader of the weird has to embrace a kind of wilful suspension of foreknowledge or generic expectation. This affected tabula rasa perspective requires, in turn, a critical approach, a practice of weird reading [1] hyper-attuned to the weird poetics of a piece as it signals its own weirding and becomes weird fiction.
end Quote
The Brackish Pool: Towards a Critical Practice of Reading Weird Fiction
by Zachary Gillan
26 January 2026
Strange Horizons](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:sxw2th36klmpelvkrux2pa3y/bafkreiddzptg5esulvbs7mnjcyp4mdxt7m6jffkjqncqob4xcrp4sqcqx4@jpeg)
January 27, 2026 at 11:05 PM
"Weirding, in this sense, is an active unsettling, expressed both in the reading and the affective poetics that trouble, unsettle, and actively weird its material."
Reposted by Zachary Gillan
Friends! Our 2026 titles are up for pre-order. And our 2025 print titles are on sale. Pre-orders help us immensely. Take a look at our site for all the details. I hope you'll consider grabbing something, if you're able. Thank you all so much.
undertowpublications.com/shop
undertowpublications.com/shop
February 2, 2026 at 2:56 PM
Friends! Our 2026 titles are up for pre-order. And our 2025 print titles are on sale. Pre-orders help us immensely. Take a look at our site for all the details. I hope you'll consider grabbing something, if you're able. Thank you all so much.
undertowpublications.com/shop
undertowpublications.com/shop
Reposted by Zachary Gillan
Feeling very grumpy about the void here so l've channeled that into a list of weird or weird-ish or weird-adjacent or theoretically-weird collections by Black authors (some of which I’ve read and too many of which I have not)
February 11, 2025 at 12:31 AM
Feeling very grumpy about the void here so l've channeled that into a list of weird or weird-ish or weird-adjacent or theoretically-weird collections by Black authors (some of which I’ve read and too many of which I have not)
Reposted by Zachary Gillan
Thanks for the suggestions, everyone. I’m adding Liliana Colanzi’s WE GLOW IN THE DARK and ‘Pemi Aguda’s GHOSTROOTS as my unsuggested picks
February 1, 2026 at 8:58 PM
Thanks for the suggestions, everyone. I’m adding Liliana Colanzi’s WE GLOW IN THE DARK and ‘Pemi Aguda’s GHOSTROOTS as my unsuggested picks
Reposted by Zachary Gillan
CHOTINER: *undergoes a wild transformation, an opening of borders, a renegotiation of ontologies*
ME:
ME:
February 2, 2026 at 4:32 AM
CHOTINER: *undergoes a wild transformation, an opening of borders, a renegotiation of ontologies*
ME:
ME:
CHOTINER: And you actually think it’s important for writers to provide space for productive ambiguity?
ME:
CHOTINER:
ME:
CHOTINER:
ME:
ME:
CHOTINER:
ME:
CHOTINER:
ME:
February 2, 2026 at 3:42 AM
CHOTINER: And you actually think it’s important for writers to provide space for productive ambiguity?
ME:
CHOTINER:
ME:
CHOTINER:
ME:
ME:
CHOTINER:
ME:
CHOTINER:
ME:
Reposted by Zachary Gillan
Read THE BEST WEIRD FICTION OF THE YEAR, VOL. 1, people (I also think you should read UNCERTAIN SONS, but, well, you know, I’m biased there)
February 1, 2026 at 6:03 PM
Read THE BEST WEIRD FICTION OF THE YEAR, VOL. 1, people (I also think you should read UNCERTAIN SONS, but, well, you know, I’m biased there)
Reposted by Zachary Gillan
On January 24th, my parents home burned down. They and my disabled brother escaped with only minor burns but they lost everything they've ever had.
I'm running a GoFundMe to help them recover and rebuild. I would be deeply grateful for any donations but also for any shares!
I'm running a GoFundMe to help them recover and rebuild. I would be deeply grateful for any donations but also for any shares!
Donate to We Lost Everything to a Fire. Help My Family Rebuild., organized by Chloe Clark
On January 24th, our childhood home burned down. Our parents lost 50… Chloe Clark needs your support for We Lost Everything to a Fire. Help My Family Rebuild.
gofund.me
February 1, 2026 at 11:17 PM
On January 24th, my parents home burned down. They and my disabled brother escaped with only minor burns but they lost everything they've ever had.
I'm running a GoFundMe to help them recover and rebuild. I would be deeply grateful for any donations but also for any shares!
I'm running a GoFundMe to help them recover and rebuild. I would be deeply grateful for any donations but also for any shares!
Reposted by Zachary Gillan
Renee Gladman is famous to me, but I also feel like a lot more people should still be reading for her! You could try Theory for Moving Houses: www.wavepoetry.com/products/the...
Theory for Moving Houses by Renee Gladman
You are asking me where I live and it’s making me think all these things about space, where I start and end in space and where space starts and ends in me and when, in space, I am a body and when I’m ...
www.wavepoetry.com
February 1, 2026 at 11:51 PM
Renee Gladman is famous to me, but I also feel like a lot more people should still be reading for her! You could try Theory for Moving Houses: www.wavepoetry.com/products/the...
Reposted by Zachary Gillan
Read The Works of Vermin, people
February 1, 2026 at 6:00 PM
Read The Works of Vermin, people
Reposted by Zachary Gillan
My first 5 star book of the year is THE WORKS OF VERMIN by Hiron Ennes. I'm LOVING these strange, surreal fantasies we're getting more of now. Genuinely creative and weird, with nuanced complex plots and characters that feel like people, not archetypes. Give me MORE.
February 1, 2026 at 11:06 PM
My first 5 star book of the year is THE WORKS OF VERMIN by Hiron Ennes. I'm LOVING these strange, surreal fantasies we're getting more of now. Genuinely creative and weird, with nuanced complex plots and characters that feel like people, not archetypes. Give me MORE.
Reposted by Zachary Gillan
I kicked off Black History Month in Corona at the home of Louis Armstrong, who lived in our city for more than 30 years. Walking through his house and hearing how much New York meant to him was a powerful reminder of what this city owes to Black artists and culture.
February 1, 2026 at 10:17 PM
I kicked off Black History Month in Corona at the home of Louis Armstrong, who lived in our city for more than 30 years. Walking through his house and hearing how much New York meant to him was a powerful reminder of what this city owes to Black artists and culture.
Thanks for the suggestions, everyone. I’m adding Liliana Colanzi’s WE GLOW IN THE DARK and ‘Pemi Aguda’s GHOSTROOTS as my unsuggested picks
February 1, 2026 at 8:58 PM
Thanks for the suggestions, everyone. I’m adding Liliana Colanzi’s WE GLOW IN THE DARK and ‘Pemi Aguda’s GHOSTROOTS as my unsuggested picks
Reposted by Zachary Gillan
Marie NDiyae's The Witch (Black, French, witch book about a mediocre witch escaping from an oppressive life): bookshop.org/p/books/the-...
The Witch: A Novel
A Novel
bookshop.org
February 1, 2026 at 7:13 PM
Marie NDiyae's The Witch (Black, French, witch book about a mediocre witch escaping from an oppressive life): bookshop.org/p/books/the-...
Reposted by Zachary Gillan
Leila Renee's SOFT SPOTS, a debut novel about family and the ways we do and do not see each other (also funny): bookshop.org/p/books/soft...
Soft Spots: A Novel
A Novel
bookshop.org
February 1, 2026 at 7:13 PM
Leila Renee's SOFT SPOTS, a debut novel about family and the ways we do and do not see each other (also funny): bookshop.org/p/books/soft...
Reposted by Zachary Gillan
T Clark's ALL THIS WANT (AND I CAN'T GET NONE). This is a debut short story collection that is hilarious and cutting about issues of sex and class and gender: bookshop.org/p/books/all-...
All This Want (and I Can't Get None)
Check out All This Want (and I Can't Get None) - <b>A piercing short story collection that explores the feverish hunger and dizzying pleasure of girlhood and queer coming-of-age in a small town, ...
bookshop.org
February 1, 2026 at 7:13 PM
T Clark's ALL THIS WANT (AND I CAN'T GET NONE). This is a debut short story collection that is hilarious and cutting about issues of sex and class and gender: bookshop.org/p/books/all-...
Reposted by Zachary Gillan
'Pemi Aguda's One Leg on Earth: bookshop.org/p/books/one-... (I blurbed this one and it is deeply uncomfortable and weird and beautifully written)
One Leg on Earth
Check out One Leg on Earth - <p>The lonely daughter of a distant mother, Yosoye arrives in Lagos ready to change her life. Weeks after she begins an internship at a fancy architectural firm, she disco...
bookshop.org
February 1, 2026 at 7:13 PM
'Pemi Aguda's One Leg on Earth: bookshop.org/p/books/one-... (I blurbed this one and it is deeply uncomfortable and weird and beautifully written)
Reposted by Zachary Gillan
one of my standing complaints is every february 1st a lot of you are like read Black writers! and then name the same five people to read. Some writers who could use your pre-orders:
The Great Wherever by @shanders.bsky.social: bookshop.org/p/books/the-...
The Great Wherever by @shanders.bsky.social: bookshop.org/p/books/the-...
The Great Wherever: A Novel
A Novel
bookshop.org
February 1, 2026 at 7:13 PM
one of my standing complaints is every february 1st a lot of you are like read Black writers! and then name the same five people to read. Some writers who could use your pre-orders:
The Great Wherever by @shanders.bsky.social: bookshop.org/p/books/the-...
The Great Wherever by @shanders.bsky.social: bookshop.org/p/books/the-...
Read THE BEST WEIRD FICTION OF THE YEAR, VOL. 1, people (I also think you should read UNCERTAIN SONS, but, well, you know, I’m biased there)
February 1, 2026 at 6:03 PM
Read THE BEST WEIRD FICTION OF THE YEAR, VOL. 1, people (I also think you should read UNCERTAIN SONS, but, well, you know, I’m biased there)
Read The Works of Vermin, people
February 1, 2026 at 6:00 PM
Read The Works of Vermin, people
Reposted by Zachary Gillan
Halfway through the decade, what are your favorite short story collections by nonwhite authors of the 2020s?
January 30, 2026 at 9:50 PM
Halfway through the decade, what are your favorite short story collections by nonwhite authors of the 2020s?
Reposted by Zachary Gillan
Oh wow. UNCERTAIN SONS AND OTHER STORIES (Collection), "Uncertain Sons" (Novelette), and "In My Country" (Short Story), recommended by Locus. A lot of great works and authors here. Like half the collection category, colleagues/friends I recognize. My thanks to folks who enjoyed these stories.
2025 Recommended Reading List
Welcome to the Locus Recommended Reading List… We saw some fabulous books come out last year and are so pleased to let you know about them! Our recommendations are compiled annually by the Locus re…
locusmag.com
February 1, 2026 at 2:29 PM
Oh wow. UNCERTAIN SONS AND OTHER STORIES (Collection), "Uncertain Sons" (Novelette), and "In My Country" (Short Story), recommended by Locus. A lot of great works and authors here. Like half the collection category, colleagues/friends I recognize. My thanks to folks who enjoyed these stories.
Reposted by Zachary Gillan
For the @strangehorizons.bsky.social 2026 Criticism Special, I wrote about weird fiction being constituted by weird reading, vis a vis Sederholm and Woofter’s The Weird and @undertow.bsky.social’s The Best Weird Fiction of the Year, Vol. 1., in tribute to Maureen Kincaid Speller. It’s a long one.
The Brackish Pool: Towards a Critical Practice of Reading Weird Fiction
The ideal reader of the weird has to embrace a kind of wilful suspension of foreknowledge or generic expectation.
strangehorizons.com
January 26, 2026 at 1:42 PM
For the @strangehorizons.bsky.social 2026 Criticism Special, I wrote about weird fiction being constituted by weird reading, vis a vis Sederholm and Woofter’s The Weird and @undertow.bsky.social’s The Best Weird Fiction of the Year, Vol. 1., in tribute to Maureen Kincaid Speller. It’s a long one.