Arwen Spicer
@arwenspicer.bsky.social
Science fiction fan & writer. Advocate for degrowth, frugal abundance, & ethical coalition building. Scholarly background in utopia studies. Fannish rambles at labingi.dreamwidth.org. Book rec's at bookshop.org/shop/arwenspicer
12 FREE lectures on writing from Authors Publish:
authorspublish.thinkific.com/courses/2025...
authorspublish.thinkific.com/courses/2025...
The 2025 Lecture Series Archives from The Writer's Workshop at Authors Publish
authorspublish.thinkific.com
December 23, 2025 at 4:52 PM
12 FREE lectures on writing from Authors Publish:
authorspublish.thinkific.com/courses/2025...
authorspublish.thinkific.com/courses/2025...
Couldn't have said it better...
I hope you find a chance to be kind to someone today and I hope you receive kindness as well. See also: giving/receiving candy.
December 20, 2025 at 6:23 PM
Couldn't have said it better...
My low-tech, social SF novel, A Soldier in the Borderlands is now out in print! A child soldier from a colonized people must face his wrongdoing and try to right it. Cover art by Xavier Aguirre. bookshop.org/p/books/a-so...
A Soldier in the Borderlands
Check out A Soldier in the Borderlands - <p>On a planet racked by drought, fourteen-year-old soldier Tánashen has done terrible things to serve the Citadel. Guilt is a price he's willing to pay for th...
bookshop.org
December 20, 2025 at 6:08 PM
My low-tech, social SF novel, A Soldier in the Borderlands is now out in print! A child soldier from a colonized people must face his wrongdoing and try to right it. Cover art by Xavier Aguirre. bookshop.org/p/books/a-so...
Craig Franson, via Facebook: "Market demands change & generational cultures shift, but a school that cannot interest even a tiny fraction of its students in devoting themselves to a "love for wisdom" (philo + sophia) is a school whose leadership has failed." Revive the humanities.
December 19, 2025 at 2:58 AM
Craig Franson, via Facebook: "Market demands change & generational cultures shift, but a school that cannot interest even a tiny fraction of its students in devoting themselves to a "love for wisdom" (philo + sophia) is a school whose leadership has failed." Revive the humanities.
Hudson helps my sore neck...?
December 19, 2025 at 12:08 AM
Hudson helps my sore neck...?
Good critique of the irresponsible & misleading @theguardian.com article on decoupling open.substack.com/pub/degrowth...
Decoupling
Don't get your hopes up.
open.substack.com
December 19, 2025 at 12:01 AM
Good critique of the irresponsible & misleading @theguardian.com article on decoupling open.substack.com/pub/degrowth...
Reposted by Arwen Spicer
Rob Reiner was a good guy. He made a lot of movies about good guys, in worlds where not everyone was good and you didn’t have to be good. He made movies about people trying. He was angry, as many hopeful people are. He knew the world could be better and he wanted it to be. His death is devastating.
December 15, 2025 at 3:52 AM
Rob Reiner was a good guy. He made a lot of movies about good guys, in worlds where not everyone was good and you didn’t have to be good. He made movies about people trying. He was angry, as many hopeful people are. He knew the world could be better and he wanted it to be. His death is devastating.
This pretty much says it all.
December 15, 2025 at 5:27 AM
This pretty much says it all.
Hudson helps organize the pantry.
December 15, 2025 at 5:25 AM
Hudson helps organize the pantry.
A good essay on the moral quagmire of being American. First, do no harm…if you can avoid it. open.substack.com/pub/sufficie...
First, do no harm…if you can avoid it.
I’m not a doctor, and I likely never will be because I’m not sure I believe it’s possible to follow the maxim “do no harm” in today’s world.
open.substack.com
December 12, 2025 at 5:13 PM
A good essay on the moral quagmire of being American. First, do no harm…if you can avoid it. open.substack.com/pub/sufficie...
Reposted by Arwen Spicer
Polling: "Do you think the rich have too much political power in the U.S.?"
Yes: 80%
No: 8%
Independent voters are 81%/6% on this; even Trump voters are 68%/18%.
Maybe a political party could lead on this issue.
d3nkl3psvxxpe9.cloudfront.net/documents/ec...
Yes: 80%
No: 8%
Independent voters are 81%/6% on this; even Trump voters are 68%/18%.
Maybe a political party could lead on this issue.
d3nkl3psvxxpe9.cloudfront.net/documents/ec...
December 11, 2025 at 9:02 PM
Polling: "Do you think the rich have too much political power in the U.S.?"
Yes: 80%
No: 8%
Independent voters are 81%/6% on this; even Trump voters are 68%/18%.
Maybe a political party could lead on this issue.
d3nkl3psvxxpe9.cloudfront.net/documents/ec...
Yes: 80%
No: 8%
Independent voters are 81%/6% on this; even Trump voters are 68%/18%.
Maybe a political party could lead on this issue.
d3nkl3psvxxpe9.cloudfront.net/documents/ec...
Reposted by Arwen Spicer
Mark your calendars. On the 13th I'm participating in a charity reading of A Christmas Carol to benefit the Palestine Children's Relief Fund. I'll be playing Kermit the Frog... I mean Bob Cratchit.
www.youtube.com/live/cpRdA9T...
www.youtube.com/live/cpRdA9T...
A Christmas Carol Livereading Fundraiser for PCRF
YouTube video by The Fat Culture Critic
www.youtube.com
December 12, 2025 at 3:31 AM
Mark your calendars. On the 13th I'm participating in a charity reading of A Christmas Carol to benefit the Palestine Children's Relief Fund. I'll be playing Kermit the Frog... I mean Bob Cratchit.
www.youtube.com/live/cpRdA9T...
www.youtube.com/live/cpRdA9T...
A good reminder that many of our legislators are trying to do good work.
Democrats know this and are trying.
Robert Reich's list of 10 things Dems must pledge:
*Eliminate Trump tariffs
*Break up monopolies
*Fight for unions
*$20 minimum wage
*Affordable housing
*Medicare for all
*Help with child care
* Paid family leave
*Universal basic income
*Tax the rich
Robert Reich's list of 10 things Dems must pledge:
*Eliminate Trump tariffs
*Break up monopolies
*Fight for unions
*$20 minimum wage
*Affordable housing
*Medicare for all
*Help with child care
* Paid family leave
*Universal basic income
*Tax the rich
December 12, 2025 at 5:53 AM
A good reminder that many of our legislators are trying to do good work.
Good, evidence-based explanation of SCOTUS's recent rulings; tldr: emergency cases result in more partisan rulings; time to deliberate moderates partisan bias. youtube.com/shorts/iT4Sx...
Why Trump Had So Many Supreme Court Wins
YouTube video by The New York Times
youtube.com
December 10, 2025 at 1:46 AM
Good, evidence-based explanation of SCOTUS's recent rulings; tldr: emergency cases result in more partisan rulings; time to deliberate moderates partisan bias. youtube.com/shorts/iT4Sx...
Got the proof copy of my social sci-fi novel, A Soldier in the Borderlands. This photo makes it look like I'm strangling Tan. Poor guy, the story strangles him enough. Thanks to @celestewakefield.bsky.social for editing this book, Xavier Aguirre for amazing cover art!
December 9, 2025 at 10:57 PM
Got the proof copy of my social sci-fi novel, A Soldier in the Borderlands. This photo makes it look like I'm strangling Tan. Poor guy, the story strangles him enough. Thanks to @celestewakefield.bsky.social for editing this book, Xavier Aguirre for amazing cover art!
Reposted by Arwen Spicer
🌱 "The trees are our lungs, the rivers our circulation, the air our breath, and the Earth our body." —Deepak Chopra
December 9, 2025 at 1:00 AM
🌱 "The trees are our lungs, the rivers our circulation, the air our breath, and the Earth our body." —Deepak Chopra
As a sometime fanfic writer & reader, as well as original fiction writer & English professor, I enjoyed Hilary Layne's "Fanfiction Has Destroyed Writing," & have thinky thoughts at my blog: labingi.dreamwidth.org/215103.html
youtu.be/x3NPxraALq0?...
youtu.be/x3NPxraALq0?...
Fanfiction Has Destroyed Writing (And Everything Else)
YouTube video by The Second Story
youtu.be
December 8, 2025 at 6:06 AM
As a sometime fanfic writer & reader, as well as original fiction writer & English professor, I enjoyed Hilary Layne's "Fanfiction Has Destroyed Writing," & have thinky thoughts at my blog: labingi.dreamwidth.org/215103.html
youtu.be/x3NPxraALq0?...
youtu.be/x3NPxraALq0?...
This article makes good points. I'd add that a major benefit of apprenticeship is a long-term mentor-student relationship, and we desperately need to center long-term mentorship in education, not just as job training but to facilitate learning and interpersonal support.
Political discussion regularly returns to the idea that the solution to our education and labour market problems lies in “more apprenticeships”. www.greenleft.org.au/2025/1444/an...
Revamp the antiquated apprenticeship model
The master-apprentice model has been in decline for at least two centuries because the structure of work has changed. John Quiggin argues for a rethink, beyond nostalgia.
www.greenleft.org.au
December 8, 2025 at 6:04 AM
This article makes good points. I'd add that a major benefit of apprenticeship is a long-term mentor-student relationship, and we desperately need to center long-term mentorship in education, not just as job training but to facilitate learning and interpersonal support.
Excellent post on instability in the US, the threat of widespread violence (ex. civil war), & why such violence would make things harder to fix. Happy Thanksigiving! www.sufficiencywellbeing.com/p/just-a-sho...
Just a shot away?: Degrowth, cliodynamics, and violence in the USA
The United States has entered a major social crisis.
www.sufficiencywellbeing.com
November 27, 2025 at 2:39 PM
Excellent post on instability in the US, the threat of widespread violence (ex. civil war), & why such violence would make things harder to fix. Happy Thanksigiving! www.sufficiencywellbeing.com/p/just-a-sho...
Here's my latest Bookshop.org referral code:
refer.bookshop.org/egkfmyy2rdr6
Never a better time to leave Amazon.
refer.bookshop.org/egkfmyy2rdr6
Never a better time to leave Amazon.
November 25, 2025 at 11:33 PM
Here's my latest Bookshop.org referral code:
refer.bookshop.org/egkfmyy2rdr6
Never a better time to leave Amazon.
refer.bookshop.org/egkfmyy2rdr6
Never a better time to leave Amazon.
Hudson helps set the table. (He's in charge of napkins.)
November 24, 2025 at 11:44 PM
Hudson helps set the table. (He's in charge of napkins.)
Reposted by Arwen Spicer
@straczynski.bsky.social Hi Mr Stracynski.
I said this to you a while ago but with recent events I feel it's once again important to state that I really loved Bablyon 5. But I much preferred it when it was conspiratorial and paranoid not prescient to the point of wondering if you had a time machine
I said this to you a while ago but with recent events I feel it's once again important to state that I really loved Bablyon 5. But I much preferred it when it was conspiratorial and paranoid not prescient to the point of wondering if you had a time machine
November 22, 2025 at 5:36 AM
@straczynski.bsky.social Hi Mr Stracynski.
I said this to you a while ago but with recent events I feel it's once again important to state that I really loved Bablyon 5. But I much preferred it when it was conspiratorial and paranoid not prescient to the point of wondering if you had a time machine
I said this to you a while ago but with recent events I feel it's once again important to state that I really loved Bablyon 5. But I much preferred it when it was conspiratorial and paranoid not prescient to the point of wondering if you had a time machine
Reposted by Arwen Spicer
About 100 members of the Sudanese community and supporters rallied at Parliament House to call for an end to the genocide in Sudan. www.greenleft.org.au/2025/1443/ne...
Stop genocide in Sudan!
Members of the Sudanese community and their supporters rallied at Parliament House to call for an end to the genocide in Sudan. Markela Panegyres reports.
www.greenleft.org.au
November 23, 2025 at 3:39 AM
About 100 members of the Sudanese community and supporters rallied at Parliament House to call for an end to the genocide in Sudan. www.greenleft.org.au/2025/1443/ne...
Hudson helps grade papers. (He is in love with this student's paper. He's sought it out to step on at least 3 times.)
November 22, 2025 at 5:32 PM
Hudson helps grade papers. (He is in love with this student's paper. He's sought it out to step on at least 3 times.)