@swingingstorm.bsky.social guest-hosts the Mohanraj and Rosenbaum are Humans podcast!

@maryannemohanraj.bsky.social

(Noticed while re-listening: I say ~"the big 2023 protests in Israel were why Netanyahu needed a war." To clarify, I'm not a "Bibi did 10/7" truther; his unpopularity just became a good reason for him to drag it out & refuse to ever present a plan for the day after. Apologies for sloppy phrasing!)

We're back!

This episode is a throwback -- our February discussion of then-current politics. A lot of what we have to say is still relevant! As for the rest, you can listen to find out what we called correctly and what we were wrong about. :-D

From @vajra.me via
@amalelmohtar.com's latest newsletter, this link

www.gofundme.com/f/Hot-meals-...

from this excerpt

from this essay
amalelmohtar.com/r/928d43e7?m...

about refusing the bad bargains of demons

We need a word for fiction which is dystopian, but not MORE dystopian than the historical moment it's being written in.

Like, I wanna warn critiquers that the story is dystopian SF, but the dystopian parts aren't the SF parts, the dystopian parts are already here.

idiodystopian? mimetic dystopia?

This story is terrific, and I'm so excited @meghanmccarron.bsky.social is publishing fiction!

hmm, say more. Am I guilty of this?

It's one thing to object to some specific implementation detail of some specific algorithm; it's another to take stock of the cumulative effect of automating so many of our interactions via opaque rules decided by robber barons. I think the latter is also valid?

🚨 SAVE THE DATE: OCTOBER 18.

Millions of Americans took to the streets in June to drown out Trump’s birthday parade.

As Trump’s regime escalates his authoritarian power grab, we’re gathering again on 10/18 for a nationwide day of peaceful protests to say NO KINGS: www.nokings.org?SQF_SOURCE=i...

...1 slice of Swiss cheese, 1 slice of salami, 1 lollipop, 1 piece of cherry pie, 1 sausage, 1 cupcake, & 1 slice of watermelon. He was so pleased he almost laughed (he was even hungrier than he had been that morning) & immediately began to eat. But he soon drew his head back again in disappointment

It was only when he had reached the door that he realised what it actually was that had drawn him over to it; it was the smell of something to eat. By the door there was a dish containing 1 apple, 2 pears, 3 plums, 4 strawberries, 5 oranges, 1 piece of chocolate cake, 1 ice-cream cone, 1 pickle...

love me some Elm :-)

@maryannemohanraj.bsky.social and I just finished teaching our (by which I mean, @speclit.bsky.social's) week-long Chicago intermediate SF/F workshop with a bunch of terrific students. We miss 'em already.

Episode 260 of my Eating the Fantastic podcast is now live with guest @benjaminrosenbaum.com! Join us for lunch as we discuss how he gamified the submission/rejection process to get into Clarion, why he believes "I am very much a child of Chip Delany" — and more. www.scottedelman.com/wordpress/20...

ICYMI — a new episode of Eating the Fantastic went live this morning with @benjaminrosenbaum.com. Join us and learn why the story he found the most difficult to sell became his most-read work, the reason he couldn’t write for a while after his first Nebula nomination — and more. pod.link/1083737796

thank you! were the playthroughs very different?

It is undisputed that the previous, widely scattered, ventilation system, was unacceptably providing air to terrorists.

We therefore ask inhabitants of the rebel sector to visit any of the four newly-installed authorized air hoses safely located in the vicinity of our automated death-ray systems.

THANK YOU, THANK YOU! You & @benjaminrosenbaum.com & Liz & Carlos have the RECORD-SETTING 9 hour that no other game of NI has ever approached. Give 4 novelists/LARPers a role-playing game…

Today is the last day to sign up for the SLF's Writing SFF Workshop!

Join @maryannemohanraj.bsky.social and @benjaminrosenbaum.com for a 5-day workshop to improve your writing and meet other members of the community.

Learn more at speclit.org

@benjaminrosenbaum.com talking about recognizing the victory that is having bland queer romance books, while also wishing for interesting ones. And then talking about queerness as social action

Two panels in a row, @benjaminrosenbaum.com with some great quotes

More from @benjaminrosenbaum.com

Starting it off strong with a like from @benjaminrosenbaum.com at the @readercon.org fantastical shtetls panel

The deadline of July 21st is fast approaching to join @maryannemohanraj.bsky.social and @benjaminrosenbaum.com in August for the Writing SF&F Workshop.

We still have 5 slots remaining for our workshop and 9 slots for our retreat!

Learn more at speclit.org

Readercon this coming weekend!

My schedule:

Fri 11:00 - The Fantastical Shtetl, and Other Wanderings

Fri 12:00 - Unexpectedly Relevant SF

Sat 10:00 - Reading: Benjamin Rosenbaum

Sat 12:00 - Queer Romance in Speculative Fiction

Who's coming?