Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Kiera Lesley

@kieralesley.bsky.social

1.1K followers 1.4K following 410 posts

SFFH writer, reader, tea drinker. Aurealis award winner. AHWA. Codex. Words in: Nightmare, Andromeda Spaceways, Factor Four etc. Naarm/Melbourne https://linktr.ee/kieralesley

linktr.ee

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Pinned

Kiera Lesley @kieralesley.bsky.social · Mar 22

New fiction day!
One of my fave pieces featuring messy friendship, weird monsters & bittersweet feelings. Longer form, free to read at @daikaijuzine.bsky.social
and no content warnings! Perfect intro to my work for anyone who hasn’t yet gotten around to it…

www.daikaijuzine.org/kieralesley/...

Catch and Release | Daikaijuzine

www.daikaijuzine.org

2 3 7

Reposted by Kiera Lesley

Aurealis Magazine @aurealisfsf.bsky.social · 10d

Aurealis has unearthed and reanimated a series of forgotten Australian classic speculative fiction. Ranging from the 1880s to the 1930s, this selection shows the vital contribution that speculative fiction plays in Australia’s literary history.
aurealis.com.au/store/classi...

6 21

Kiera Lesley @kieralesley.bsky.social · 10d

That’s the one! There’s a distinct toffee note to it

Kiera Lesley @kieralesley.bsky.social · 10d

Dainton. I think it’s one of their monthly taps!

1 1

Kiera Lesley @kieralesley.bsky.social · 10d

Sunday pub write in with violet crumble stout ❤️

A half drunk pot of stout on a wooden table

1 7

Kiera Lesley @kieralesley.bsky.social · 17d

Fave short fiction read this week was The Water Dragons of Harney County by @bmorrisallen.com in Trollbreath. Whimsical, both modern and folkloric, and incredibly compelling

magazine.trollbreath.com/the-water-dr...

1 4 8

Kiera Lesley @kieralesley.bsky.social · 18d

They do have some solid genre picks, credit where credit’s due

1 1

Kiera Lesley @kieralesley.bsky.social · 18d

S A M E

1 1

Reposted by Kiera Lesley

John Delmenico @thebigjohnnyd.bsky.social · Sep 7

Shitposters around the country getting what they asked for after years of “why isn’t there a hottest 100 of books?” posts

ABC Radio National launches epic Top 100 books countdown

5 4 38

Reposted by Kiera Lesley

A.J. Ponder @ponderbooks.com · 20d

Calling All New Zealand Speculative Authors!

Have you published a speculative work in 2025?
Then this is your time to shine!

tepaetawhitiawards.nz/calling-all-...

🐉🚀🧌

10 13

Kiera Lesley @kieralesley.bsky.social · 24d

I know everyone’s had a hell of a week and mine personally was extra spicy but may I recommend a combo of Frieren and Expedition 33 as high quality soul balm

Kiera Lesley @kieralesley.bsky.social · 24d

Fave short fiction read this week was this banger of a poignant ghost story from @champwongs.bsky.social in Nightmare. Layered motifs, strong characterisation and a deft ending. Well worth your time

www.nightmare-magazine.com/fiction/auto...

3 8

Kiera Lesley @kieralesley.bsky.social · Sep 7

My fave short fiction read this week was from @kaunvijaya.bsky.social in BCS about how war is a complex hell for the heart. Loads more story depth, setting detail and emotion than I thought possible at this length and with inexorable pacing.

www.beneath-ceaseless-skies.com/stories/post...

1 5 13

Reposted by Kiera Lesley

Small Wonders @smallwondersmag.com · Sep 7

Small Wonders will be open to original flash fiction submissions this Friday, September 12th. We'll be open through October 31st!

We'll also be closing to reprint flash fiction on Friday, September 12th.

Send us your weird, wild, wonderful little stories with big emotions!

93 140

Kiera Lesley @kieralesley.bsky.social · Sep 7

I do not know why more people aren’t talking about this YA series by Caroline O’Donoghue. It’s contemporary Irish witchy fantasy with lots of tarot, queer as all get out and the main antagonists are terfy religious assholes getting their due. Audio narration is delicious, too.

A screenshot of the Libby audiobook player displaying the cover for The Gifts That Bind Us by Caroline O’Donoghue

Kiera Lesley @kieralesley.bsky.social · Aug 31

Every word is carefully placed in this horrifically fresh feminist retelling by Lilia Zhang, my fave short fiction read of the week:

www.diabolicalplots.com/dp-fiction-1...

Kiera Lesley @kieralesley.bsky.social · Aug 31

It is honestly the best

Kiera Lesley @kieralesley.bsky.social · Aug 31

Frustrated to announce doing an “executive function” with a buddy and beer results in an incredibly productive writing session. I see more of these in my future

Kiera Lesley @kieralesley.bsky.social · Aug 31

Writing scifi at the pub. In this instance scifi is defined by: has lots of spaceships

The back of a closed MacBook with various stickers on a brown wooden table next to a pint of beer

1 7

Reposted by Kiera Lesley

Speculative Insight journal @speculativeinsight.bsky.social · Aug 26

Congrats to everyone on the Ditmar finalist list - and of course especially to @joanneanderton.bsky.social and Rjurik Davidson, whose essays for SI are up for the William Atheling Jr Award for criticism!

www.conflux.org.au/2025-ditmar-...

2025 Ditmar Awards

CONFLUX INC.

www.conflux.org.au

1 10 15

Kiera Lesley @kieralesley.bsky.social · Aug 28

I am actually so keen for this anthology and want to see it get over the line!

Stars and Sabers @starsandsabers.bsky.social · Aug 27

News: we are postponing the horror anthology OF DREAD, DECAY, AND DOOM to June 2026 to explore other funding opportunities. We do have one available, via Ko-fi. Learn more about the book and find that link on its book page: www.starsandsabers.com/books/of-dre...
#books #horror #horrorbooks

Of Dread, Decay, and Doom – Stars and Sabers

Of Dread, Decay, and Doom: a horror-themed anthology edited by Jendia Gammon and Gareth L. Powell featuring masters of horror fiction.

www.starsandsabers.com

2 5

Kiera Lesley @kieralesley.bsky.social · Aug 28

Well , shit.

Matthew Claxton @matthewclaxton.bsky.social · Aug 27

Just FYI, if you have had a short story in an anthology in the last decade, and you are searching this tool to see if your story was scraped up as part of the LibGen data by Anthropic, searching your name may not be enough.

Search by the name of the editor of the anthology.

Search LibGen, the Pirated-Books Database That Meta Used to Train AI

Millions of books and scientific papers are captured in the collection’s current iteration.

www.theatlantic.com

Kiera Lesley @kieralesley.bsky.social · Aug 27

Incidentally send me your faves from this year, the list is currently ✨empty ✨)

Kiera Lesley @kieralesley.bsky.social · Aug 27

Instapaper finally rolled out to Kobo to replace pocket. Welcome back short fiction reading on my commute!

Kiera Lesley @kieralesley.bsky.social · Aug 24

@cornellwriter.bsky.social has my heart this week with her latest in Trollbreath showing different ways care can manifest: overtly, covertly and communally.

magazine.trollbreath.com/so-many-thin...

1 2 5

Kiera Lesley @kieralesley.bsky.social · Aug 24

I’ve spent the weekend hanging out and watching three different shows (Twisted metal, K-pop demon hunters & Frieren) with three different sets of friends and I highly recommend this as a way to spend a few days