John Waddy Bullion
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johnwaddy.bsky.social
John Waddy Bullion
@johnwaddy.bsky.social
290 followers 270 following 380 posts
Restrooms are upstairs. Pay phone's upstairs. Pool table's upstairs. Foosball's upstairs. Cigarette machine's upstairs.
www.johnwaddybullion.com
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johnwaddy.bsky.social
perhaps it was a bad idea to tell my coworkers about my book pt. 72
A copilot meeting summary that reads: [name redacted] asked you about your recent book reading, showing interest in your activities outside of the meeting. This mention was part of a lighthearted exchange before the main discussion
February 4, 2026 at 11:26 PM
johnwaddy.bsky.social
TODAY 2:30pm

I’m bringing the bacon-fat chocolate chip cookies from Swiss Pastry Shop to this, but here are the ground rules:

NO BOOKIE, NO COOKIE
Monkey and Dog Books with John Waddy Bullion Saturday, January 31st at 2:30 pm. Plan to join us in store for an afternoon with Texas author John Waddy Bullion!
January 31, 2026 at 3:46 PM
johnwaddy.bsky.social
Ringo reading a book
January 30, 2026 at 12:30 AM
johnwaddy.bsky.social
Next week!
Monkey and Dog Books with John Waddy Bullion Saturday, January 31st at 2:30 pm. Plan to join us in store for an afternoon with Texas author John Waddy Bullion!
January 24, 2026 at 5:40 PM
johnwaddy.bsky.social
a likely name for a historian of the largest city in the state of Maryland to have
A man standing in front of a monument. The caption reads Johns Hopkins Baltimore Heritage
January 22, 2026 at 12:36 PM
johnwaddy.bsky.social
“I love me some glory hole.” -Jerry Jones
January 20, 2026 at 11:08 PM
johnwaddy.bsky.social
Harrison Mevis saluting at the 2021 Armed Forces Bowl
January 19, 2026 at 3:17 AM
johnwaddy.bsky.social
about to read some Nü-American lit here
The indoor water park at Great Wolf Lodge, Grapevine, TX
January 18, 2026 at 10:04 PM
johnwaddy.bsky.social
I’ll be at AWP March 6th and 7th, so hit me up if you’d like to participate in a literary reading at the Texas Roadhouse in Dundalk, Maryland, either one of those days
The exterior of a Texas Roadhouse restaurant
January 11, 2026 at 2:34 AM
johnwaddy.bsky.social
me writing my little stories
Indiana coach Curt Cignetti taking notes while his team leads by four touchdowns
January 10, 2026 at 2:27 AM
johnwaddy.bsky.social
Hey DFW folks: I’ll be reading from TWWNROOS at Monkey & Dog Books in Fort Worth later this month! Come thru!
Monkey and Dog Books with John Waddy Bullion Saturday, January 31st at 2:30 pm. Plan to join us in store for an afternoon with Texas author John Waddy Bullion! THIS WORLD WILL NEVER RUN OUT OF STRANGERS STORIES by JOHN WADDY BULLION
January 7, 2026 at 2:46 PM
johnwaddy.bsky.social
feeling snug and evil
4 light ales at mcsorleys ale house
January 5, 2026 at 6:01 PM
johnwaddy.bsky.social
The Giants fans around us are furious that they’re screwing up their high draft pick. The shockingly high amount of New Jersey-based Cowboys fans are the best people on earth. Everyone here is winning
A shot of the crowd at MetLife Stadium
January 4, 2026 at 8:32 PM
johnwaddy.bsky.social
oh wow check out what they’re renaming Greenwich Village
A giant graffiti on the side of a red brick building reading “TEXAS”
January 3, 2026 at 12:13 AM
johnwaddy.bsky.social
Dennis Burkley in Tin Cup
December 31, 2025 at 5:46 AM
johnwaddy.bsky.social
Thrilled to be on this list with some buds! Thanks @aaronburch.bsky.social for putting this together and thanks @keersteemack.bsky.social for the kind words!
Short Story, Long's fave story collections of 2025! Some fave short story collections, chosen by our contributors, some released this year, some just read and appreciated this year. AARON BURCH DEC 30, 2025 I've been hyped about John Waddy Bullion's Strangers since he dropped the preorder. I was lucky enough to read an ARC because XRAY asked me to interview him. I was mostly familiar with his brilliant flash fiction, but Strangers is John at his best— longer form short stories in a linked collection, all exposing the tender, cruel, sometimes hilarious underbelly of masculinity and midwestern life. He's got this thread of pop culture and memory woven through his work, and it's often deeply funny and just plain fun to read. Quick read, lasting impression. Just how I like 'em. —Kirsti MacKenzie, "Dipshits" (December 2023)
December 30, 2025 at 4:46 PM
johnwaddy.bsky.social
Cool Dad Raising Daughter On Media That Will Put Her Entirely Out Of Touch With Her Generation
A young girl smiling because her COOL DAD has just gifted her Fleetwood Mac’s “Rumours”
December 25, 2025 at 3:19 PM
johnwaddy.bsky.social
okay fine, I’ll do one of those Top 25 of 2025 thingies

Here’s my Top 25 Remaining Copies of This World Will Never Run Out of Strangers Which May Be Ordered Directly From Me For $15 (Shipping and Handling Included, DM Me For Details)
Overhead view of an open cardboard box containing a dwindling number of TWWNROOS copies, perhaps you should order yours before they run out
December 24, 2025 at 5:20 PM
johnwaddy.bsky.social
had to break the misprinted Philip Rivers jersey out of storage for today’s special occasion
A man in a misprinted Philip Rivers Chargers jersey that reads “111”
December 14, 2025 at 9:43 PM
johnwaddy.bsky.social
I’m working on getting some more copies into other bookstores soon, but if you want a copy of TWWNROOS, you can go through Amazon ($12.99 print, $9.99 ebook) or order directly through me ($15 via PayPal/Venmo, shipping and free Elvis Grbac bookmark included!)
Copies of TWWNROOS fanned out on a hardwood surface surrounded by five Elvis Grbac trading cards
December 14, 2025 at 9:07 PM
johnwaddy.bsky.social
This World Will Never Run Out of Strangers…but this bookstore might! Had to re-up the supply at the hometown shop because Fort Worth bought up every copy!
Copies of TWWNROOS fanned out in front of a sign reading “book shop”
December 14, 2025 at 9:07 PM
johnwaddy.bsky.social
What a fantastic book launch for TWWNROOS last night! Special thanks to @misternagel.bsky.social for driving all the way to Fort Worth and to James and Josie at Recluse Books for hosting. Extra special thanks to my kids for doing robot voices with the karaoke machine
Me reading the story “Two Bibson Geefeaters” from my collection This World Will Never Run Out of Strangers James from Recluse Books introducing me and Mike Nagel My kids goofing with the karaoke machine
December 13, 2025 at 7:38 PM
johnwaddy.bsky.social
WHOA FRIDAY NIGHT (aka TONIGHT)
A flyer announcing a reading at Recluse Books in Fort Worth, Texas tonight (December 12th) from 6-7pm. Featuring readings and conversation from Mike Nagel and John Waddy Bullion.
December 12, 2025 at 7:53 PM
johnwaddy.bsky.social
In honor of the triumphant return of Philip Rivers to the NFL, here’s the full text of my micro “Star Quarterback Addresses Media after Fiction Workshop” (which also appears in my collection!). I freely admit that I wrote this with his exact voice in mind.
STAR QUARTERBACK ADDRESSES MEDIA AFTER FICTION WORKSHOP Here's your headline: we stunk. The readers came in with a disruptive game plan and they executed it to perfection. We just weren't prepared for some of the exotic looks they showed. We wilted under the harsh glare of the Tuesday night lights. As signal caller and captain, a lot of the blame for our performance falls on my shoulders. My transitions were shaky, my metaphors were wounded ducks, and my story didn't actually begin until around page 5 - by then we were in such a deep hole that it was too late to claw our way back. I was playing hero-ball, trying to do too much, and the more pressure the readers put on me, the more losses I took. I even blew my cool a couple times, which I admit wasn't sportsmanlike. It's a game of emotion, but you don't want to get emotional. You gotta execute with precision, be coachable, and follow your script. If something's not working, you make a change at the line. And if things continue to break down, there's nothing wrong with throwing it away. Sometimes you gotta take your carefully diagrammed X's and O's, crumple them up into a ball, and fling them toward the sidelines if you wanna to stay in the game. 91 There were some positives we can build on. My o-line did a great job of giving me space and time to create. Thanks, big uglies-I had all day back there. I'm just sorry so many of my attempts went sailing over everybody's heads. I also wanna tip my hat to my skill positions guys-the whole cast of characters-for adjusting on the fly when I started scrambling around trying to make something happen, even though most of the time I ended up losing the plot. Once we figure out how to stay on the same page, nothing's gonna stop us, and pretty soon we'll be stringing together W after W after W. Till then, we're gonna grind tape on all the greats-I'm talking about Hemingway, Munro, Chekhov —until we learn their tendencies, inside and out. This won't be the last time we face the readers this season, so we need to be ready. Well lick our wounds, correct our mistakes, and treat tonight like it never happened. Sports-shrinks call this "motivated forgetting.". It's a little like amnesia. Some come by it naturally, while others may require a few blows to the head for it to take effect. Bottom line, if you wanna get better, you gotta learn how to forget. Readers knocked you around? They do that to everybody-pick yourself up off the turf and move on. Writer's block? Suck it up and play through it. Personalized rejection from a dream journal? Hey, it's all part of the game. To perform consistently at a high level, you need a short memory. Build it up the same way you would a muscle. Just don't ever forget about all the people who cleared a path for you, the folks who opened up nothing but daylight between you and a dream. 92
December 9, 2025 at 10:41 PM
johnwaddy.bsky.social
Don’t want to order your copy of TWWNROOS through the evil empire? Well, you’re in luck, because author copies are in and they’re only $10! (PayPal/Venmo) DM if interested. Act fast and you’ll also get a free Elvis Grbac trading card to use as a bookmark!
Three copies of John Waddy Bullion’s THIS WORLD WILL NEVER RUN OUT OF STRANGERS fanned out on a hardwood table, surrounded by vintage Elvis Grbac trading cards
December 2, 2025 at 10:43 PM