M L Clark
@mlclark.bsky.social
Writer (SFWA), translator, humanist, general odd duck • 🇨🇦n in 🇨🇴 • avoids pronouns, they/them if key 🌈🌌
First time out for a predawn run in many, many weeks. My body has been so tired, and so full of pain, these last few months from overwork. The despair has pretty darned real.
But the end is in sight!
Now to slowly rebuild stamina and strength training.
Poco a poco. Día a día. 💪🏻
But the end is in sight!
Now to slowly rebuild stamina and strength training.
Poco a poco. Día a día. 💪🏻
November 25, 2025 at 9:41 AM
First time out for a predawn run in many, many weeks. My body has been so tired, and so full of pain, these last few months from overwork. The despair has pretty darned real.
But the end is in sight!
Now to slowly rebuild stamina and strength training.
Poco a poco. Día a día. 💪🏻
But the end is in sight!
Now to slowly rebuild stamina and strength training.
Poco a poco. Día a día. 💪🏻
#ArtBreak with Max Ernst. A German surrealist tied to Dadaism, Ernst used techniques that pulled from surfaces under the canvas. He also had a bird character, Loplop, to represent himself in his work. As with many surrealists, what "sells" the work is that he could also do realism--but why would he?
November 22, 2025 at 1:22 PM
#ArtBreak with Max Ernst. A German surrealist tied to Dadaism, Ernst used techniques that pulled from surfaces under the canvas. He also had a bird character, Loplop, to represent himself in his work. As with many surrealists, what "sells" the work is that he could also do realism--but why would he?
This is the first morning in a long time that I've woken with a sense of rest.
I still have plenty to do this week, but a deep anxiety I've been working with since September, when hopping on a project in need of urgent help, has finally passed.
I look forward to enjoying the Outside again soon. :)
I still have plenty to do this week, but a deep anxiety I've been working with since September, when hopping on a project in need of urgent help, has finally passed.
I look forward to enjoying the Outside again soon. :)
November 18, 2025 at 12:51 PM
This is the first morning in a long time that I've woken with a sense of rest.
I still have plenty to do this week, but a deep anxiety I've been working with since September, when hopping on a project in need of urgent help, has finally passed.
I look forward to enjoying the Outside again soon. :)
I still have plenty to do this week, but a deep anxiety I've been working with since September, when hopping on a project in need of urgent help, has finally passed.
I look forward to enjoying the Outside again soon. :)
It's been ages since an #ArtBreak.
Kay Nielsen (1886-1957) was a Danish illustrator who haunted our dreams in Fantasia. His Art Deco style graced fairy tale collections, where he highlighted the strangeness of fantasy realms, and sat with their grimmest edges: realms to be approached with caution.
Kay Nielsen (1886-1957) was a Danish illustrator who haunted our dreams in Fantasia. His Art Deco style graced fairy tale collections, where he highlighted the strangeness of fantasy realms, and sat with their grimmest edges: realms to be approached with caution.
November 17, 2025 at 11:41 AM
It's been ages since an #ArtBreak.
Kay Nielsen (1886-1957) was a Danish illustrator who haunted our dreams in Fantasia. His Art Deco style graced fairy tale collections, where he highlighted the strangeness of fantasy realms, and sat with their grimmest edges: realms to be approached with caution.
Kay Nielsen (1886-1957) was a Danish illustrator who haunted our dreams in Fantasia. His Art Deco style graced fairy tale collections, where he highlighted the strangeness of fantasy realms, and sat with their grimmest edges: realms to be approached with caution.
It's been a tough few weeks, but I see now why people lean into holidays. Having a kid in my care means we'll have Xmas this year, & she's super excited as we budget out gifts for low-income people in her circles. Her excitement at being able to share care in turn is my one bright note on hard days.
November 8, 2025 at 12:59 PM
It's been a tough few weeks, but I see now why people lean into holidays. Having a kid in my care means we'll have Xmas this year, & she's super excited as we budget out gifts for low-income people in her circles. Her excitement at being able to share care in turn is my one bright note on hard days.
#ArtBreak
Victorians get a misguided rap. They were as dramatic as any other generation.
Queen has a song about one of these, painted during Richard Dadd's institutionalization after murdering his father.
Real prudishness is allowing ourselves to believe any culture is anything less than complex.
Victorians get a misguided rap. They were as dramatic as any other generation.
Queen has a song about one of these, painted during Richard Dadd's institutionalization after murdering his father.
Real prudishness is allowing ourselves to believe any culture is anything less than complex.
November 2, 2025 at 12:30 PM
#ArtBreak
Victorians get a misguided rap. They were as dramatic as any other generation.
Queen has a song about one of these, painted during Richard Dadd's institutionalization after murdering his father.
Real prudishness is allowing ourselves to believe any culture is anything less than complex.
Victorians get a misguided rap. They were as dramatic as any other generation.
Queen has a song about one of these, painted during Richard Dadd's institutionalization after murdering his father.
Real prudishness is allowing ourselves to believe any culture is anything less than complex.
I feel hopelessly behind, and today is another such day with Too Much to Do, but here's a #PoetryBreak first.
The world is so awful.
The lies we tell ourselves about ourselves, about our kindness and courage and pursuit of real justice, so often heartbreakingly wrong.
But sometimes...
#Poetry
The world is so awful.
The lies we tell ourselves about ourselves, about our kindness and courage and pursuit of real justice, so often heartbreakingly wrong.
But sometimes...
#Poetry
October 29, 2025 at 11:33 AM
I feel hopelessly behind, and today is another such day with Too Much to Do, but here's a #PoetryBreak first.
The world is so awful.
The lies we tell ourselves about ourselves, about our kindness and courage and pursuit of real justice, so often heartbreakingly wrong.
But sometimes...
#Poetry
The world is so awful.
The lies we tell ourselves about ourselves, about our kindness and courage and pursuit of real justice, so often heartbreakingly wrong.
But sometimes...
#Poetry
Long overdue for an #ArtBreak.
These are by the Belgian artist Eddy Stevens (eddy.stevens65 on Instagram). He has a long-running series that blends classic symbolic portraiture (e.g. objects beside royalty) with surrealist animal and object fusions, invoking the many complex sides of our lives.
These are by the Belgian artist Eddy Stevens (eddy.stevens65 on Instagram). He has a long-running series that blends classic symbolic portraiture (e.g. objects beside royalty) with surrealist animal and object fusions, invoking the many complex sides of our lives.
October 28, 2025 at 12:24 PM
Long overdue for an #ArtBreak.
These are by the Belgian artist Eddy Stevens (eddy.stevens65 on Instagram). He has a long-running series that blends classic symbolic portraiture (e.g. objects beside royalty) with surrealist animal and object fusions, invoking the many complex sides of our lives.
These are by the Belgian artist Eddy Stevens (eddy.stevens65 on Instagram). He has a long-running series that blends classic symbolic portraiture (e.g. objects beside royalty) with surrealist animal and object fusions, invoking the many complex sides of our lives.
Just found out that Robert R. Chase died on Oct 20. I'd read & loved his last story, "Lost Recall", in the Asimov's Sept/Oct 2024 issue. Thank you to @asimovssfmag.bsky.social's for connecting so many bright voices with readers. We live on in the way our work makes others feel. Chase's gave me hope.
October 25, 2025 at 5:43 PM
Just found out that Robert R. Chase died on Oct 20. I'd read & loved his last story, "Lost Recall", in the Asimov's Sept/Oct 2024 issue. Thank you to @asimovssfmag.bsky.social's for connecting so many bright voices with readers. We live on in the way our work makes others feel. Chase's gave me hope.
#ArtBreak
I saw this the other day and instantly recognized it as Toronto. Many of Lauren Mercer-Smail's paintings capture back-alley views that instantly invoke my childhood. It's not nostalgia so much as remembering other ways I used to move through the world. What art has that effect for you?
I saw this the other day and instantly recognized it as Toronto. Many of Lauren Mercer-Smail's paintings capture back-alley views that instantly invoke my childhood. It's not nostalgia so much as remembering other ways I used to move through the world. What art has that effect for you?
October 23, 2025 at 9:45 AM
#ArtBreak
I saw this the other day and instantly recognized it as Toronto. Many of Lauren Mercer-Smail's paintings capture back-alley views that instantly invoke my childhood. It's not nostalgia so much as remembering other ways I used to move through the world. What art has that effect for you?
I saw this the other day and instantly recognized it as Toronto. Many of Lauren Mercer-Smail's paintings capture back-alley views that instantly invoke my childhood. It's not nostalgia so much as remembering other ways I used to move through the world. What art has that effect for you?
It has been my great honour and privilege to work with @ourmankoto.bsky.social in an editorial capacity at SFWA. This series is his solo project: an anthology that never fails to revel in the full spectrum of Canadian SFF. We *do* have distinct voices--and you can treat yourself to their work here!
RELEASE DAY! Year's Best Canadian F&SF Volume 3 is now available! Grab ebooks at all retailers and print via Amazon, with Ingram to follow shortly for bookstore & library sales. Grab your copy today and pls share WIDELY!
#BookRelease #NewBook #SpecFic #fantasy #sciencefiction #canada #Booksky 💙📚🪐
#BookRelease #NewBook #SpecFic #fantasy #sciencefiction #canada #Booksky 💙📚🪐
October 23, 2025 at 2:10 AM
It has been my great honour and privilege to work with @ourmankoto.bsky.social in an editorial capacity at SFWA. This series is his solo project: an anthology that never fails to revel in the full spectrum of Canadian SFF. We *do* have distinct voices--and you can treat yourself to their work here!
I didn't quite get the "rest" I needed these last five days - lots of sadness, lots of crisis management outside my working life - but I'm out before dawn and got to say hi to the horses, so that's something.
Will catch up when I get back.
And try to remember what I'm fighting for through it all. 🤞🏻
Will catch up when I get back.
And try to remember what I'm fighting for through it all. 🤞🏻
October 14, 2025 at 10:05 AM
I didn't quite get the "rest" I needed these last five days - lots of sadness, lots of crisis management outside my working life - but I'm out before dawn and got to say hi to the horses, so that's something.
Will catch up when I get back.
And try to remember what I'm fighting for through it all. 🤞🏻
Will catch up when I get back.
And try to remember what I'm fighting for through it all. 🤞🏻
This is the last day of my “vacation” (Thurs-Mon), so I can’t guarantee that I’ll be able to write much again for a while, but there was an opportunity to reflect on The Long Walk and the fables we build for our times, so I took it.
May your Thanksgivings and Indigenous Peoples’ Days be bright.
May your Thanksgivings and Indigenous Peoples’ Days be bright.
The Long, Long, Long Walk
Reflecting on Stephen King's 1979 classic, the 2025 remake, and where the fable falls short of reality today
open.substack.com
October 13, 2025 at 6:03 PM
This is the last day of my “vacation” (Thurs-Mon), so I can’t guarantee that I’ll be able to write much again for a while, but there was an opportunity to reflect on The Long Walk and the fables we build for our times, so I took it.
May your Thanksgivings and Indigenous Peoples’ Days be bright.
May your Thanksgivings and Indigenous Peoples’ Days be bright.
#ArtBreak before a writing day.
Richard Sargent illustrated covers for The Saturday Evening Post, Fortune, & Photoplay, among others.
His distinction came from his ability to capture the persistence of quirks even in life at its most idyllic: the "American dream" never without its eccentricities.
Richard Sargent illustrated covers for The Saturday Evening Post, Fortune, & Photoplay, among others.
His distinction came from his ability to capture the persistence of quirks even in life at its most idyllic: the "American dream" never without its eccentricities.
October 12, 2025 at 5:41 PM
#ArtBreak before a writing day.
Richard Sargent illustrated covers for The Saturday Evening Post, Fortune, & Photoplay, among others.
His distinction came from his ability to capture the persistence of quirks even in life at its most idyllic: the "American dream" never without its eccentricities.
Richard Sargent illustrated covers for The Saturday Evening Post, Fortune, & Photoplay, among others.
His distinction came from his ability to capture the persistence of quirks even in life at its most idyllic: the "American dream" never without its eccentricities.
Guys! Guys! New* writers' prayer just dropped! 😅
(*Well, "new" when it emerged in the 1940 epigraph for Robert Service's "Collected Poems" 😉)
(*Well, "new" when it emerged in the 1940 epigraph for Robert Service's "Collected Poems" 😉)
October 11, 2025 at 10:17 PM
Guys! Guys! New* writers' prayer just dropped! 😅
(*Well, "new" when it emerged in the 1940 epigraph for Robert Service's "Collected Poems" 😉)
(*Well, "new" when it emerged in the 1940 epigraph for Robert Service's "Collected Poems" 😉)
Reposted by M L Clark
October 6, 2025 at 3:54 PM
Well, I finally posted something: a piece that reflects on deep time, how to cope with deep disappointment in humanity, and random walks with photons / on the streets.
It's been really hard to juggle everything, but making time for #WorldGrief matters.
Hope you're taking care of your noggins, too.
It's been really hard to juggle everything, but making time for #WorldGrief matters.
Hope you're taking care of your noggins, too.
On "Random Walks" in Awful Times
Seven ways of looking at two scattered months amid atrocity
open.substack.com
October 5, 2025 at 7:41 PM
Well, I finally posted something: a piece that reflects on deep time, how to cope with deep disappointment in humanity, and random walks with photons / on the streets.
It's been really hard to juggle everything, but making time for #WorldGrief matters.
Hope you're taking care of your noggins, too.
It's been really hard to juggle everything, but making time for #WorldGrief matters.
Hope you're taking care of your noggins, too.
Just out of the last of four meetings today.
Filled with gratitude for the first especially, where I was privileged to see Sheila Williams of @asimovssfmag.bsky.social show the same care & consideration for early-career SFF writers as she does for so many in our genre.
Good instruction is a gift!
Filled with gratitude for the first especially, where I was privileged to see Sheila Williams of @asimovssfmag.bsky.social show the same care & consideration for early-career SFF writers as she does for so many in our genre.
Good instruction is a gift!
October 4, 2025 at 10:31 PM
Just out of the last of four meetings today.
Filled with gratitude for the first especially, where I was privileged to see Sheila Williams of @asimovssfmag.bsky.social show the same care & consideration for early-career SFF writers as she does for so many in our genre.
Good instruction is a gift!
Filled with gratitude for the first especially, where I was privileged to see Sheila Williams of @asimovssfmag.bsky.social show the same care & consideration for early-career SFF writers as she does for so many in our genre.
Good instruction is a gift!
Been a long while since an #ArtBreak, eh?
But Andrea Kowch's creations have a mood to them that certainly encapsulate how I feel these days. May the ferocious busy-ness of these Neo-Gothic scenes reach you with all the command of inner wildness they also portray.
Go forth and be ungovernable.
But Andrea Kowch's creations have a mood to them that certainly encapsulate how I feel these days. May the ferocious busy-ness of these Neo-Gothic scenes reach you with all the command of inner wildness they also portray.
Go forth and be ungovernable.
October 2, 2025 at 11:19 PM
Been a long while since an #ArtBreak, eh?
But Andrea Kowch's creations have a mood to them that certainly encapsulate how I feel these days. May the ferocious busy-ness of these Neo-Gothic scenes reach you with all the command of inner wildness they also portray.
Go forth and be ungovernable.
But Andrea Kowch's creations have a mood to them that certainly encapsulate how I feel these days. May the ferocious busy-ness of these Neo-Gothic scenes reach you with all the command of inner wildness they also portray.
Go forth and be ungovernable.
September 20, 2025 at 11:53 AM
Here's a chuckle for SF-history-lovers, from @wordsmithfl.bsky.social. Just as mesmerism was all the rage in 1920s SF, so too did our love affair with mind control influence 1960s Trek. When people talk about "hard SF", just remember that every era has its misguided notions of what is within reach.
Dagger of the Mind (Episode 11)
As pressures built on him to deliver an action-adventure show on time and on budget, Gene Roddenberry personally rewrote yet another writer's script.
www.thewrittentrek.com
September 17, 2025 at 1:11 PM
Here's a chuckle for SF-history-lovers, from @wordsmithfl.bsky.social. Just as mesmerism was all the rage in 1920s SF, so too did our love affair with mind control influence 1960s Trek. When people talk about "hard SF", just remember that every era has its misguided notions of what is within reach.
#PoetryBreak before bed.
A simple one, but the kind you tuck away and recite to yourself whenever you need a reminder that the world hasn't necessarily become more cruel - only, regained a level of honesty around the cruelty it always had.
Let us ache and struggle for better all the same. 🕯️
A simple one, but the kind you tuck away and recite to yourself whenever you need a reminder that the world hasn't necessarily become more cruel - only, regained a level of honesty around the cruelty it always had.
Let us ache and struggle for better all the same. 🕯️
September 17, 2025 at 3:43 AM
#PoetryBreak before bed.
A simple one, but the kind you tuck away and recite to yourself whenever you need a reminder that the world hasn't necessarily become more cruel - only, regained a level of honesty around the cruelty it always had.
Let us ache and struggle for better all the same. 🕯️
A simple one, but the kind you tuck away and recite to yourself whenever you need a reminder that the world hasn't necessarily become more cruel - only, regained a level of honesty around the cruelty it always had.
Let us ache and struggle for better all the same. 🕯️
Say hello to my little friend.
This itty bitty member of the gecko committee got lost in my apartment today, and she's been happily chilling in a little sheltered set-up by my desk for a few hours now. We'll see if she wanders away tonight.
Thanks for the emotional support today at least, buddy!
This itty bitty member of the gecko committee got lost in my apartment today, and she's been happily chilling in a little sheltered set-up by my desk for a few hours now. We'll see if she wanders away tonight.
Thanks for the emotional support today at least, buddy!
September 16, 2025 at 12:11 AM
Say hello to my little friend.
This itty bitty member of the gecko committee got lost in my apartment today, and she's been happily chilling in a little sheltered set-up by my desk for a few hours now. We'll see if she wanders away tonight.
Thanks for the emotional support today at least, buddy!
This itty bitty member of the gecko committee got lost in my apartment today, and she's been happily chilling in a little sheltered set-up by my desk for a few hours now. We'll see if she wanders away tonight.
Thanks for the emotional support today at least, buddy!
#ArtBreak before evening web-dev work, after one more day-work task.
Well, #MusicBreak.
This is Hildegard von Blingin's Bardcore cover of "We Didn't Start the Fire".
You're welcome, and be beautiful to one another. I look forward to being post-web-dev and back to other creative practice soon.
🫂💛
Well, #MusicBreak.
This is Hildegard von Blingin's Bardcore cover of "We Didn't Start the Fire".
You're welcome, and be beautiful to one another. I look forward to being post-web-dev and back to other creative practice soon.
🫂💛
We Didn't Start the Fire (Bardcore | Medieval/Renaissance Style Cover)
YouTube video by Hildegard von Blingin'
youtu.be
September 12, 2025 at 9:09 PM
#ArtBreak before evening web-dev work, after one more day-work task.
Well, #MusicBreak.
This is Hildegard von Blingin's Bardcore cover of "We Didn't Start the Fire".
You're welcome, and be beautiful to one another. I look forward to being post-web-dev and back to other creative practice soon.
🫂💛
Well, #MusicBreak.
This is Hildegard von Blingin's Bardcore cover of "We Didn't Start the Fire".
You're welcome, and be beautiful to one another. I look forward to being post-web-dev and back to other creative practice soon.
🫂💛