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Vanessa MacLaren-Wray @cometarytales.com · Sep 8

Ah, the subtext: "I have all the money in the world. New clothes, shoes, on spur of the moment in a strange city? Here's my black Amex, give me whatever looks cool with this jewelry. Oh, and take this dirty underwear and those boots I had to buy yesterday and airmail it all to my house."

Vanessa MacLaren-Wray @cometarytales.com · Sep 8

Do you need a connection to goodness? Here you go.

Free. Accessible anywhere with internet. Awesome people to meet.

Technically, it's a writers' conference, but you can choose to listen to people read you stories while you chat with new friends.
#writing #friendship #publishing #craft #reading

Dream Foundry @dreamfoundry.bsky.social · Sep 1

It's finally September! Do you know what that means???

Flights of Foundry is THIS MONTH.

Register: flights-of-foundry.o...

Let's gooooo! 🪽🪽🪽

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Vanessa MacLaren-Wray @cometarytales.com · Sep 8

Could someone with a bigger following than mine repost this? It seems to me that most people are less than aware of the depths and consequences of the ongoing cuts at NASA. If you are in the DC area, now is your chance to speak up for #science

#space #budget

Feds Work For You @fedsworkforyou.bsky.social · Sep 8

Rally to #SaveNASA next Monday! 🌏🌙🔭📡

While the full event will last 5 hours, the best time to come will likely be between 11 and 1. We'll keep you posted on timing.

Follow @nasa-needs-help.bsky.social

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Vanessa MacLaren-Wray @cometarytales.com · Aug 21

With conflicts Saturday evening, we couldn't watch the livestream. Finally watching the recording.
That ramp is The Best Thing Ever.
Smooth walks up and along to the podium let recipients gather their thoughts. No stumbles, dropped notes, or wandering backstage. No net effect on time. Maybe faster.

Vanessa MacLaren-Wray @cometarytales.com · Jun 8

Quiz.
Did 3 things after the Nebulas: said fond goodnight to new and old friends online, walked out to the kitchen for a late dinner, turned on the news.

Which thing should I not have done if I meant to sleep tonight?

Vanessa MacLaren-Wray @cometarytales.com · Jun 7

When you put poetic people in a room together, magic happens. So many memorable words...poetry is invocation and evocation....poetry is like food: it has mouth feel...read everything aloud, sometimes you write a narrative poem and think "is this flash fiction?" But, no, it's a poem.

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Vanessa MacLaren-Wray @cometarytales.com · May 24

Fellow #scifi #fantasy #horror #writer?
Just so y'all know:
💻 the Nebula Conference is also online (AND year-long)
🎟️ it does NOT require SFWA membership
✒️ it IS your genre's writers conference--building craft and working connections

You can register anytime. events.sfwa.org/our-2025-con...

The 2025 Nebula Awards Conference schedule - Nebula Awards Conference Online

The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA) is looking forward to marking this year’s diamond-year 60th Annual Nebula Awards Conference with you in Kansas City, Missouri. From June 5 to...

events.sfwa.org

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Vanessa MacLaren-Wray @cometarytales.com · May 14

Readers and writers. Please support the Authors Guild and add your voice to stand up for responsible, knowledgeable copyright administration and protection.. authorsguild.org/petition-to-...

Petition to Reinstate Shira Perlmutter as Register of Copyrights - The Authors Guild

Last Saturday, the White House abruptly fired Register of Copyrights Shira Perlmutter, a renowned expert with deep knowledge of the importance of copyright for authors’ livelihoods. In her place, the ...

authorsguild.org

Vanessa MacLaren-Wray @cometarytales.com · Mar 23

For more on the shenanigans behind silencing this project, see Keith Cowling's frustrated postings on the topic, recently updated. In fact, if you want to know what's going on at NASA, follow NASA Watch.
nasawatch.com/education/yo...

You Can Still Read NASA's Deleted "First Woman" Graphic Novels (Update)

in 2021 NASA issued the first of two interactive comic books/graphic novels] depicting young women dreaming of - and then training for - a future that would comprise the so-called "Artemis Generation....

nasawatch.com

Vanessa MacLaren-Wray @cometarytales.com · Mar 23

upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/co...

per true comic-book style, the story continues!

upload.wikimedia.org

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Vanessa MacLaren-Wray @cometarytales.com · Mar 23

upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/co...

Hurrah for Wikimedia Commons preserving these public domain treasures. Note that the "interactive" elements use apps that exist but that access NASA site materials that have been purged.

upload.wikimedia.org

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Vanessa MacLaren-Wray @cometarytales.com · Mar 23

While NASA has disavowed this inspiring project, you can still access the funny, colorful, and accurate First Woman graphic novels. Download them and share with aspiring future astronauts. This time of silencing will end one day. Links in comments, + more on the purge. Image via NASA Watch.

Two book covers featuring young women of color wearing space suits and accompanied by a friendly little robot with stars, the Earth, and the moon in the background. First Woman: Issue 1: Dream to Reality and First Woman: Issue 2 Expanding our Universe.

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Vanessa MacLaren-Wray @cometarytales.com · Mar 17

A long time ago, in a galaxy not far away, I used to post about books. Nowadays, I'm reading more ... widely, because it's getting hard to keep a firm grasp on the truth.
amikokelly.substack.com/p/the-only-t...

The Only Thing Abandoned is the Truth

Preserving NASA’s Legacy Amidst a Vortex of Misinformation

amikokelly.substack.com

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Vanessa MacLaren-Wray @cometarytales.com · Mar 12

Sorry, dogs and dog lovers, hashtag typo thanks to autocorrect.
#DOGE

Vanessa MacLaren-Wray @cometarytales.com · Mar 12

If you are or someone you know is a doge-fired federal employee who works (worked) in a science-related field, the people really in charge of allocating federal funds to science would like to hear about it.

democrats-science.house.gov/sciencefirings

#DOGS #firings #science

Were you fired by President Trump? | House Committee on Science, Space and Technology

The House Committee on Science, Space and Technology

democrats-science.house.gov

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Vanessa MacLaren-Wray @cometarytales.com · Mar 9

Science is at risk. Here is a startup guide on taking action against recent and imminent attacks on science. aas.org/advocacy/get...

This is fom the American Astronomical Society, but they're not just talking about astronomy.

Action Center
Take action today - use the resources below to learn who your elected officials are, what opportunities we have to advocate from the comfort of your own home, federal and state legislation, and more! For a mobile friendly experience, please download the VoterVoice app

Vanessa MacLaren-Wray @cometarytales.com · Feb 19

NASA management: "We're just following orders."

Where have we heard that one before?
www.flyingmag.com/nasa-fires-1...

NASA Fires 1,000 Probationary Employees

Mass firings of probationary workers could be the start of larger force reductions at the world’s largest space agency.

www.flyingmag.com

Vanessa MacLaren-Wray @cometarytales.com · Feb 18

The one thing billionaires want is money. That's how they get to be billionaires.

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Vanessa MacLaren-Wray @cometarytales.com · Jan 29

Yay, our family got that "quit or we gonna fire ya" email from the Orange One yesterday.

Confess I don't usually listen to Neil Young that much, but this one fits so well, right down to the title track of the email.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=W61o...

Neil Young - Fork In The Road

YouTube video by neilyoungchannel

www.youtube.com

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Vanessa MacLaren-Wray @cometarytales.com · Jan 8

Irish and Scots crows can keep the grudge alive over so many (crow) generations they almost match the power of humans to nurse anger beyond all reason.

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Vanessa MacLaren-Wray @cometarytales.com · Dec 16

Just asked for help from friends in Australia and Japan. They are either having me on or it's Monday. This seems like a good reason to go take a nap until Tuesday turns up.

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Vanessa MacLaren-Wray @cometarytales.com · Dec 15

Noooooooooooo!

Kit de Waal @kitdewaal.com · Dec 14

What she said

Lou Morgan @lmorgan.bsky.social · Dec 14

Please, for the love of god, stop. remaking. everything.

www.theguardian.com/film/2024/de...

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Reposted by Vanessa MacLaren-Wray

Andrew D Thaler @drandrewthaler.bsky.social · Dec 14

Larry Hogan freaking out because he saw Orion is exactly what I expected.

A bunch of people who don't usually look up at the night sky discovering stars.

Historically, a ton of UFO reports are just people seeing Venus.

BNO News @bnonews.com · Dec 14

Some of the "drones" in former Maryland Governor Larry Hogan's video were found to be stars in the constellation Orion - NYT

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Vanessa MacLaren-Wray @cometarytales.com · Dec 8

As soon as you see the phrase 'venture capital' you know you're dealing with scavengers. They are in it for nothing more than the money.

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Vanessa MacLaren-Wray @cometarytales.com · Dec 8

The link:s in the alt text, or you can go right to Eventbrite here: www.eventbrite.com/o/strong-wom...

Strong Women - Strange Worlds

www.eventbrite.com