So Mayer
@suchmayer.bsky.social
They/them. Overthinker. Reads things, writes things. BAD LANGUAGE out now with Peninsula Press 🐉 THE WORD FOR WORLD (co-ed) out now with @silver-press.bsky.social 🌳 Website & newsletter: somayer.net. Won't age-verify so no DMs.
Pinned
So Mayer
@suchmayer.bsky.social
· Sep 16
It's here.
BAD LANGUAGE
13/11/25
"made with love and horror, & a guidebook for our time" — @adamzmith.bsky.social
"Mayer's words & a gift and a gateway" — @elizabethlovatt.bsky.social
"incantation & spell distil a complex argument" — Lola Olufemi
Pre-order: peninsulapress.co.uk/products/bad...
BAD LANGUAGE
13/11/25
"made with love and horror, & a guidebook for our time" — @adamzmith.bsky.social
"Mayer's words & a gift and a gateway" — @elizabethlovatt.bsky.social
"incantation & spell distil a complex argument" — Lola Olufemi
Pre-order: peninsulapress.co.uk/products/bad...
Reposted by So Mayer
SIGN OUR PETITION: Uyghur writer #YalqunRozi has spent 9 years behind bars in China for
expressing his cultural identity. Sentenced to 15 years, his only “crime” was helping preserve the
Uyghur language. You can set him free. #DayoftheImprisonedWriter
expressing his cultural identity. Sentenced to 15 years, his only “crime” was helping preserve the
Uyghur language. You can set him free. #DayoftheImprisonedWriter
November 25, 2025 at 12:11 AM
SIGN OUR PETITION: Uyghur writer #YalqunRozi has spent 9 years behind bars in China for
expressing his cultural identity. Sentenced to 15 years, his only “crime” was helping preserve the
Uyghur language. You can set him free. #DayoftheImprisonedWriter
expressing his cultural identity. Sentenced to 15 years, his only “crime” was helping preserve the
Uyghur language. You can set him free. #DayoftheImprisonedWriter
Reposted by So Mayer
Toshi Reagon's rock opera (co-written with her mother) is based on "Parable of the Sower" and "Parable of the Talents". The show was phenomenal.
So excited that a cast album is in the works. I especially love the song based on the Earthseed philosophy about change.
youtu.be/Yc-9lO5c4pE?...
So excited that a cast album is in the works. I especially love the song based on the Earthseed philosophy about change.
youtu.be/Yc-9lO5c4pE?...
Parable of the Sower soundcheck LINCOLN CENTER Octavia E Butler by Toshi Reagon
youtu.be
February 25, 2024 at 8:29 PM
Toshi Reagon's rock opera (co-written with her mother) is based on "Parable of the Sower" and "Parable of the Talents". The show was phenomenal.
So excited that a cast album is in the works. I especially love the song based on the Earthseed philosophy about change.
youtu.be/Yc-9lO5c4pE?...
So excited that a cast album is in the works. I especially love the song based on the Earthseed philosophy about change.
youtu.be/Yc-9lO5c4pE?...
Reposted by So Mayer
Twitter accounts are based in Russia. BlueSky accounts are based in homes with, frankly, too many books, plants, obsolete cables, and pieces of rustic pottery, that could do with a bit of a tidying up, to be honest.
November 23, 2025 at 8:29 PM
Twitter accounts are based in Russia. BlueSky accounts are based in homes with, frankly, too many books, plants, obsolete cables, and pieces of rustic pottery, that could do with a bit of a tidying up, to be honest.
Reposted by So Mayer
Doing this very soon! Arrghh!
Don't miss the opportunity to hear our Professor of #poetry, A.E. Stallings @aestallings.bsky.social, talk in Oxford this week.
Rhyme as Experiment/ #Rhyme as Alchemy
26 November 2025, 5.30pm
Examination Schools, High St, Oxford
FREE! No booking required. ALL WELCOME!
#Oxfordevents #PoetrySky
Rhyme as Experiment/ #Rhyme as Alchemy
26 November 2025, 5.30pm
Examination Schools, High St, Oxford
FREE! No booking required. ALL WELCOME!
#Oxfordevents #PoetrySky
November 24, 2025 at 10:49 PM
Doing this very soon! Arrghh!
Reposted by So Mayer
For the past few months, I've been corresponding with the brilliant Elizabeth Bryer about translation, AI, remuneration & the 2025 NSW translation prize, which Bryer won. You can now read our entire conversation at the Sydney Review Of Books:
sydneyreviewofbooks.com/interviews/t... 📚✨️
sydneyreviewofbooks.com/interviews/t... 📚✨️
November 21, 2025 at 3:15 PM
Reposted by So Mayer
Got a Queer Disabled Duo package up for auction here! With Etzali Hernández. 4 wee books + audio!
app.galabid.com/creatives4su...
app.galabid.com/creatives4su...
The #Creatives4Sudan Auction is Live ❣️
From Now till Sat 6 Dec: You can Bid on work by creatives {Art - Some Custom, Books, Workshops, etc} !
Funds go towards providing life-saving funds to those escaping Genocide in El-Fasher!💖
app.galabid.com/creatives4su...
I also offered some Art! 👀
{1/3}
From Now till Sat 6 Dec: You can Bid on work by creatives {Art - Some Custom, Books, Workshops, etc} !
Funds go towards providing life-saving funds to those escaping Genocide in El-Fasher!💖
app.galabid.com/creatives4su...
I also offered some Art! 👀
{1/3}
November 24, 2025 at 10:55 PM
Got a Queer Disabled Duo package up for auction here! With Etzali Hernández. 4 wee books + audio!
app.galabid.com/creatives4su...
app.galabid.com/creatives4su...
Reposted by So Mayer
i was thinking about all the ways to get to and from betwen here and there and by far my favorite and most useful is mass transit buses
all infrastructure should be built around the bus being supreme
all infrastructure should be built around the bus being supreme
November 24, 2025 at 10:58 PM
i was thinking about all the ways to get to and from betwen here and there and by far my favorite and most useful is mass transit buses
all infrastructure should be built around the bus being supreme
all infrastructure should be built around the bus being supreme
Reposted by So Mayer
Reposted by So Mayer
“Peace is not the absence of war, it is a virtue, a state of mind, a disposition of benevolence, confidence, justice.”
Baruch Spinoza, born on this day in 1632
Baruch Spinoza, born on this day in 1632
November 24, 2025 at 11:17 AM
“Peace is not the absence of war, it is a virtue, a state of mind, a disposition of benevolence, confidence, justice.”
Baruch Spinoza, born on this day in 1632
Baruch Spinoza, born on this day in 1632
Reposted by So Mayer
November 22 - Clara Lemlich
On this day in Labor History the year was 1909. That was the day that a young garment worker by the name of Clara Lemlich made a speech that would have a resounding impact on the labor movement in New York City. Lemlich was at a union meeting, where she sat listening t
On this day in Labor History the year was 1909. That was the day that a young garment worker by the name of Clara Lemlich made a speech that would have a resounding impact on the labor movement in New York City. Lemlich was at a union meeting, where she sat listening t
November 22 - Clara Lemlich
On this day in Labor History the year was 1909. That was the day that a young garment worker by the name of Clara Lemlich made a speech that would have a resounding impact on the labor movement in New York City. Lemlich was at a union meeting, where she sat listening to men discuss whether garment workers should call a general strike. Finally she asked to speak.
laborhistoryin2.podbean.com
November 23, 2025 at 4:30 AM
November 22 - Clara Lemlich
On this day in Labor History the year was 1909. That was the day that a young garment worker by the name of Clara Lemlich made a speech that would have a resounding impact on the labor movement in New York City. Lemlich was at a union meeting, where she sat listening t
On this day in Labor History the year was 1909. That was the day that a young garment worker by the name of Clara Lemlich made a speech that would have a resounding impact on the labor movement in New York City. Lemlich was at a union meeting, where she sat listening t
Reposted by So Mayer
Say what you want about 90s kids, but No Blood For Oil and Don't Sell Out are pretty good advice to live by.
November 24, 2025 at 10:15 PM
Say what you want about 90s kids, but No Blood For Oil and Don't Sell Out are pretty good advice to live by.
Reposted by So Mayer
🎨✨ Did you know? This year’s NYT / NYPL Best Illustrated Children’s Books include five translated titles! @nytimes.com 📕 A beautiful reminder that picture-book art truly has no borders. #WorldKidLit #kidlit #picturebooks
worldkidlit.org/2025/11/24/n...
worldkidlit.org/2025/11/24/n...
New York Times/NYPL Best Illustrated Children’s Books Award Honors 5 Books in Translation
By Gelsey Phaneuf On November 7th, The New York Times and New York Public Library released their list of the ten best illustrated children’s books of 2025. World Kid Lit connoisseurs will immediate…
worldkidlit.org
November 24, 2025 at 8:49 PM
🎨✨ Did you know? This year’s NYT / NYPL Best Illustrated Children’s Books include five translated titles! @nytimes.com 📕 A beautiful reminder that picture-book art truly has no borders. #WorldKidLit #kidlit #picturebooks
worldkidlit.org/2025/11/24/n...
worldkidlit.org/2025/11/24/n...
Reposted by So Mayer
Anyway, strongly preferring tricky/resistant fiction doesn't make me any more sophisticated, this is just the only brain I have. The vet said our dog is a "power chewer" and I was like…oh, yes. Me too.
[I am using the text box to exorcise the sense that I should like to read things I do not.]
[I am using the text box to exorcise the sense that I should like to read things I do not.]
November 24, 2025 at 6:17 PM
Anyway, strongly preferring tricky/resistant fiction doesn't make me any more sophisticated, this is just the only brain I have. The vet said our dog is a "power chewer" and I was like…oh, yes. Me too.
[I am using the text box to exorcise the sense that I should like to read things I do not.]
[I am using the text box to exorcise the sense that I should like to read things I do not.]
Reposted by So Mayer
I see some book piracy discourse, and, to make a positive argument in favor of buying books, your marginal ability to influence what books get published and support the careers of writers you like is massive compared to most other forms of media.
November 24, 2025 at 5:54 PM
I see some book piracy discourse, and, to make a positive argument in favor of buying books, your marginal ability to influence what books get published and support the careers of writers you like is massive compared to most other forms of media.
Reposted by So Mayer
Absolutely. I want to add that if you have had ANY work at all published in the UK, in magazines, journalism, fiction, you should join ALCS. I reliably get £500 - £4000 a year from them for licensing rights and the small time cost on my side of filling in a form listing eligible works. They're great
I’d suspect the numbers here are actually even lower than this. This report is only based on authors who shared details of their income with the Authors’ Licensing and Collecting Society (ALCS). That’s more likely to be the ones who write as part of their living.
A reminder that the median book deal for a debut author in the UK is £7000, paid over 12-18 months. (from 2022 Society of Authors report). Some of your favourite writers are struggling. societyofauthors.org/2022/12/06/a....
November 24, 2025 at 6:11 PM
Absolutely. I want to add that if you have had ANY work at all published in the UK, in magazines, journalism, fiction, you should join ALCS. I reliably get £500 - £4000 a year from them for licensing rights and the small time cost on my side of filling in a form listing eligible works. They're great
Reposted by So Mayer
Finally. My big 2800 word essay about One Battle After Another and its black women characters is live. www.vulture.com/article/blac...
Black Actresses Are Carrying One Battle After Another
Teyana Taylor, Chase Infiniti, and Regina Hall propel the film’s most conflicted ideas, for better and worse.
www.vulture.com
November 24, 2025 at 6:09 PM
Finally. My big 2800 word essay about One Battle After Another and its black women characters is live. www.vulture.com/article/blac...
Reposted by So Mayer
We sit On the In-Universe Dates of DS9's "Past Tense" and one year out from the 30th anniversary of DS9's "Past Tense" (oof), and this would've been a great year to get @roberthewittwolfe.bsky.social Avery Brooks, Siddig el Faddil, & Terry Farrell on a Dragon Con stage to reflect on these episodes.
So. Who's got the pictures of all the people in DS9 era starfleet uniforms in San Francisco, today?
Also: Two Days Remain.
writergeekrhw.tumblr.com/post/7602613...
Also: Two Days Remain.
writergeekrhw.tumblr.com/post/7602613...
August 31, 2024 at 3:39 AM
We sit On the In-Universe Dates of DS9's "Past Tense" and one year out from the 30th anniversary of DS9's "Past Tense" (oof), and this would've been a great year to get @roberthewittwolfe.bsky.social Avery Brooks, Siddig el Faddil, & Terry Farrell on a Dragon Con stage to reflect on these episodes.
Had an absolutely brilliant time at No Alibis in Belfast last week & was able to pick up this @bullaunpress.bsky.social absolute gem, which I am adoring. Gaëlle Bélem is a genius and I would follow her writing anywhere. Can't recommend this book enough.
bullaunpress.com/books/the-ra...
bullaunpress.com/books/the-ra...
The Rarest Fruit - Bullaun Press
1829. Sainte-Suzanne, Bourbon Island. A Black orphan, a slave of only 7 weeks is placed in the arms of Ferréol Beaumont, a passionate botanist.
bullaunpress.com
November 24, 2025 at 6:10 PM
Had an absolutely brilliant time at No Alibis in Belfast last week & was able to pick up this @bullaunpress.bsky.social absolute gem, which I am adoring. Gaëlle Bélem is a genius and I would follow her writing anywhere. Can't recommend this book enough.
bullaunpress.com/books/the-ra...
bullaunpress.com/books/the-ra...
Reposted by So Mayer
If you like an author's work, the best thing you can do is buy it. The second best thing you can do is ask your local library to buy it. Or, do both!
A reminder that the median book deal for a debut author in the UK is £7000, paid over 12-18 months. (from 2022 Society of Authors report). Some of your favourite writers are struggling. societyofauthors.org/2022/12/06/a....
A profession struggling to sustain itself - The Society of Authors
ALCS report on author incomes shows 60% drop in median incomes since 2006
societyofauthors.org
November 24, 2025 at 5:39 PM
If you like an author's work, the best thing you can do is buy it. The second best thing you can do is ask your local library to buy it. Or, do both!
Reposted by So Mayer
The pledge they had to read aloud:
“We trade dopamine for daylight, doom scrolls for detours, pixels for paper maps. Here’s to boredom, to wrong turns, to fruitful friction. To shared growth, spontaneous encounters, and Life beyond the screen.”
free link: archive.ph/2025.11.20-1...
#MonthOffline
“We trade dopamine for daylight, doom scrolls for detours, pixels for paper maps. Here’s to boredom, to wrong turns, to fruitful friction. To shared growth, spontaneous encounters, and Life beyond the screen.”
free link: archive.ph/2025.11.20-1...
#MonthOffline
A group of us ditched our smartphones for a month. It changed us.
The fliers that appeared in our D.C. neighborhoods about the challenge offered few details beyond a toll-free number.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 24, 2025 at 5:39 PM
The pledge they had to read aloud:
“We trade dopamine for daylight, doom scrolls for detours, pixels for paper maps. Here’s to boredom, to wrong turns, to fruitful friction. To shared growth, spontaneous encounters, and Life beyond the screen.”
free link: archive.ph/2025.11.20-1...
#MonthOffline
“We trade dopamine for daylight, doom scrolls for detours, pixels for paper maps. Here’s to boredom, to wrong turns, to fruitful friction. To shared growth, spontaneous encounters, and Life beyond the screen.”
free link: archive.ph/2025.11.20-1...
#MonthOffline
Reposted by So Mayer
Every day, I strive to be fundamentally honest at the level of the sentence.
I can't remember who it was reviewing whom & internet seqrch is broken but the phrase has stuck, calling a supposedly major USian writer "fundamentally dishonest at the level of the sentence." It's been my guiding star since: to be honest at the level of the sentence. And so many writers aren't.
November 24, 2025 at 5:42 PM
Every day, I strive to be fundamentally honest at the level of the sentence.
Reposted by So Mayer
His movies were a staple part of my childhood, including the iconic SHOLAY. RIP Dharmendra. 🖤
November 24, 2025 at 4:40 PM
His movies were a staple part of my childhood, including the iconic SHOLAY. RIP Dharmendra. 🖤
Reposted by So Mayer
keeping this like a note in my pocket for why someone like me, nominally the audience for literary fixtion, doesn't read that much of it
There are certain writers who I adore as people & as public figures, and I get every single one of their novels bc I love the concepts. And every time I get one or two chapters in & their patronising attitude to the reader, expressed through language choices & characterisation, boils my piss.
November 24, 2025 at 5:37 PM
keeping this like a note in my pocket for why someone like me, nominally the audience for literary fixtion, doesn't read that much of it
Reposted by So Mayer
Bingo!
LLM-generated slop gets through undetected & seems viable because a considerable amount of contemporary mainstream writing (literary & other genres) reads like it was algorithmically-pumped anyway. People writing to imitate a marketing machine is the saddest thing.
November 24, 2025 at 5:35 PM
Bingo!
Reposted by So Mayer
Probably my biggest beef with contemporary literature is the condescending and disingenuous characterization.
There are certain writers who I adore as people & as public figures, and I get every single one of their novels bc I love the concepts. And every time I get one or two chapters in & their patronising attitude to the reader, expressed through language choices & characterisation, boils my piss.
November 24, 2025 at 5:32 PM
Probably my biggest beef with contemporary literature is the condescending and disingenuous characterization.