Samantha Garner
@samanthakgarner.bsky.social
SFF inspired by Filipino & Finnish history, folklore, identity 🜃 Small rebellion, subtle magic, soft ritual ☾ Author of The Quiet is Loud. She/her. Neutral good 🇨🇦🇵🇭🇫🇮
https://msha.ke/samanthakgarner
https://msha.ke/samanthakgarner
In January, my Patreon will shift. I'll share monthly Chronicles: reflections on folklore, history & ritual from Filipino & Finnish culture. They're paired with a Field Note of complementary personal history or ritual. It’s part cultural storytelling, part meditation on belonging in the in-between.
November 6, 2025 at 10:28 PM
In January, my Patreon will shift. I'll share monthly Chronicles: reflections on folklore, history & ritual from Filipino & Finnish culture. They're paired with a Field Note of complementary personal history or ritual. It’s part cultural storytelling, part meditation on belonging in the in-between.
Reposted by Samantha Garner
Columnist Samantha Garner (@samanthakgarner.bsky.social) talks about the best ways to create a space where you can write and flex all of your best artistic muscles. Check it out right here on Open Book!
#AmReading #CanLit #WritingLife #WritingTips
open-book.ca/Columnists/C...
#AmReading #CanLit #WritingLife #WritingTips
open-book.ca/Columnists/C...
Creating a Writing Space That Inspires Your Imagination
I’m not one for a set writing routine, but finding other ways to be consistent has helped me feel more connected to my practice and my creativity. My ...
open-book.ca
November 5, 2025 at 6:28 PM
Columnist Samantha Garner (@samanthakgarner.bsky.social) talks about the best ways to create a space where you can write and flex all of your best artistic muscles. Check it out right here on Open Book!
#AmReading #CanLit #WritingLife #WritingTips
open-book.ca/Columnists/C...
#AmReading #CanLit #WritingLife #WritingTips
open-book.ca/Columnists/C...
I have a short story in Ginger & Smoke, a genre-blending publication reclaiming Filipino folklore & myth! “Learn the New Light” is a science-fantasy story about a nuno sa punso on a tidally-locked planet, grappling with guilt over his failure to protect his land.
www.gingersmoke.ca/issue-one/le...
www.gingersmoke.ca/issue-one/le...
Learn the New Light — ginger & smoke
by Samantha Garner | From Issue One (Fall 2025) “Tabi tabo po, nuno.” The ancient voice speaks a new name. The name they gave me, strange names from Strangers come down from cold stars. Cold...
www.gingersmoke.ca
October 31, 2025 at 4:40 PM
I have a short story in Ginger & Smoke, a genre-blending publication reclaiming Filipino folklore & myth! “Learn the New Light” is a science-fantasy story about a nuno sa punso on a tidally-locked planet, grappling with guilt over his failure to protect his land.
www.gingersmoke.ca/issue-one/le...
www.gingersmoke.ca/issue-one/le...
In Finland & Karelia, Kekri was a pre-Halloween harvest festival celebrated when the veil was thin. Ancestors moved freely. There were feasts w/the living & the dead. There was divination. Visitors dressed in masks and furs - the "kekripukki." If you didn't feed them they might break your stove.
October 21, 2025 at 5:16 PM
In Finland & Karelia, Kekri was a pre-Halloween harvest festival celebrated when the veil was thin. Ancestors moved freely. There were feasts w/the living & the dead. There was divination. Visitors dressed in masks and furs - the "kekripukki." If you didn't feed them they might break your stove.
Reposted by Samantha Garner
In her latest column, acclaimed author @samanthakgarner.bsky.social discusses how to write unlikeable protagonists, and still make these characters jump off the page. Check it out right here on Open Book! #AmReading #Columns #AmWriting #WritingTips open-book.ca/Columnists/W...
Writing Protagonists Who Don’t Care If You Like Them
As writers, we want our readers to connect with our protagonists, to root for them and relate to them. It makes sense – human connection is at the heart ...
open-book.ca
October 20, 2025 at 6:35 PM
In her latest column, acclaimed author @samanthakgarner.bsky.social discusses how to write unlikeable protagonists, and still make these characters jump off the page. Check it out right here on Open Book! #AmReading #Columns #AmWriting #WritingTips open-book.ca/Columnists/W...
The fall colours are slower this year, more subdued overall, but just as life-affirming as ever. I feel like I'm returning to myself. 🍁
October 19, 2025 at 2:56 PM
The fall colours are slower this year, more subdued overall, but just as life-affirming as ever. I feel like I'm returning to myself. 🍁
Reposted by Samantha Garner
Canadians: The federal government is seeking public input on how AI should be developed and used in business, research, and the military.
If this scares the shit out of you, please let them know:
If this scares the shit out of you, please let them know:
Help define the next chapter of Canada's AI leadership
Current status: Open from October 1 to October 31, 2025
Canada helped invent modern AI. To stay a leader—and protect our digital sovereignty—we're running a 30-day national sprint to shape a renewed...
ised-isde.canada.ca
October 8, 2025 at 4:15 PM
Canadians: The federal government is seeking public input on how AI should be developed and used in business, research, and the military.
If this scares the shit out of you, please let them know:
If this scares the shit out of you, please let them know:
Being mixed-race, I often feel between worlds. Maybe this is why I'm drawn to nuno sa punso, haltija, tikbalang and Ajatar - guardians of liminality from Filipino & Finnish folklore.
Meet them and more in Boundary Keepers & Path Shifters, my free folklore guide!
samanthagarner.ca/newsletter/
Meet them and more in Boundary Keepers & Path Shifters, my free folklore guide!
samanthagarner.ca/newsletter/
Subscribe to Samantha Garner's Newsletter
Join Samantha Garner's newsletter Deadmedia and get a free folklore guide, writing updates, myth & history notes, and exclusive content.
samanthagarner.ca
October 6, 2025 at 12:43 PM
Being mixed-race, I often feel between worlds. Maybe this is why I'm drawn to nuno sa punso, haltija, tikbalang and Ajatar - guardians of liminality from Filipino & Finnish folklore.
Meet them and more in Boundary Keepers & Path Shifters, my free folklore guide!
samanthagarner.ca/newsletter/
Meet them and more in Boundary Keepers & Path Shifters, my free folklore guide!
samanthagarner.ca/newsletter/
In Finnish paganism, the bear’s name was too sacred to speak aloud lest you attract it. I wrote about the sacred status of the bear in Finno-Ugric pagan belief, its appearance in the Kalevala, and the ritual of peijaiset: samanthagarner.ca/sacred-bear-...
The bear spirit in Finnish paganism | Samantha Garner
Explore the bear spirit in Finnish paganism: Otso, Kalevala myths, euphemistic names, and the ritual of peijaiset.
samanthagarner.ca
October 1, 2025 at 5:53 PM
In Finnish paganism, the bear’s name was too sacred to speak aloud lest you attract it. I wrote about the sacred status of the bear in Finno-Ugric pagan belief, its appearance in the Kalevala, and the ritual of peijaiset: samanthagarner.ca/sacred-bear-...
I wanted to set an alarm to "start dinner," but I guess my phone's autosuggest thinks that's boring?
September 11, 2025 at 12:55 PM
I wanted to set an alarm to "start dinner," but I guess my phone's autosuggest thinks that's boring?
Reposted by Samantha Garner
Periplus, a mentorship collective serving US-based early-career writers of color, is now accepting applications for our 2026 class of fellows! Apply by 9/20: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
You can learn more about Periplus (including fellowship eligibility requirements) here: bit.ly/periplusfaq
You can learn more about Periplus (including fellowship eligibility requirements) here: bit.ly/periplusfaq
PERIPLUS: An FAQ
PERIPLUS: AN FAQ Updated August 2025 Hi! Thanks for your interest in Periplus, a mentorship collective serving U.S. writers who are Black, Indigenous, and people of color. We're glad you’re here. Rea...
bit.ly
August 21, 2025 at 1:02 PM
Periplus, a mentorship collective serving US-based early-career writers of color, is now accepting applications for our 2026 class of fellows! Apply by 9/20: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
You can learn more about Periplus (including fellowship eligibility requirements) here: bit.ly/periplusfaq
You can learn more about Periplus (including fellowship eligibility requirements) here: bit.ly/periplusfaq
MINERVA. www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...
The cat mayoral race: meet 11 runners and riders in the US’s most furious – and furriest – election
It has been the talk of Somerville, Massachusetts this summer, with the winner announced later today. Will it be the candidate who promises free kibble or the one who speaks gnomically of ‘CRIME’?
www.theguardian.com
September 5, 2025 at 1:21 PM
MINERVA. www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...
Reposted by Samantha Garner
Our fantastic columnist Samantha Garner is back with a savvy piece on how to receive useful writing feedback! Check out some thoughtful writing advice from this acclaimed novelist!
#AmReading #Columns #WritingTips #AmWriting
open-book.ca/Columnists/H...
#AmReading #Columns #WritingTips #AmWriting
open-book.ca/Columnists/H...
How to Receive Useful Writing Feedback
For many writers, giving and receiving feedback can feel like the most difficult part. It engages a part of our writerly brains that exists a bit outside ...
open-book.ca
September 4, 2025 at 6:07 PM
Our fantastic columnist Samantha Garner is back with a savvy piece on how to receive useful writing feedback! Check out some thoughtful writing advice from this acclaimed novelist!
#AmReading #Columns #WritingTips #AmWriting
open-book.ca/Columnists/H...
#AmReading #Columns #WritingTips #AmWriting
open-book.ca/Columnists/H...
I made one of my recent Patreon posts public, sharing some thoughts on the end of summer and the things inspiring the season's literary mixtape (anger but the good kind, loudness but the good kind, Peter Gabriel but the Genesis kind).
The gradual easing | Samantha Garner
Get more from Samantha Garner on Patreon
www.patreon.com
August 29, 2025 at 10:52 PM
I made one of my recent Patreon posts public, sharing some thoughts on the end of summer and the things inspiring the season's literary mixtape (anger but the good kind, loudness but the good kind, Peter Gabriel but the Genesis kind).
The way I just adore Phil Collins' drumming in Peter-Gabriel-era Genesis is really making me confront how much his post-Gabriel & solo career irritates me down to my very soul and I don't know how I feel about that! Ugh. Just let me enjoy his drums and sometime background vocals, brain, OKAY?
August 29, 2025 at 3:30 PM
The way I just adore Phil Collins' drumming in Peter-Gabriel-era Genesis is really making me confront how much his post-Gabriel & solo career irritates me down to my very soul and I don't know how I feel about that! Ugh. Just let me enjoy his drums and sometime background vocals, brain, OKAY?
Draft complete (please read that as a Warcraft II orc). Say hello to The Other Air. The science-fantasy novella that was supposed to be a quick project became a trilogy rooted in Finnish & Filipino myth, examining what we sacrifice to find belonging and how we're changed by the natural world.
August 14, 2025 at 7:13 PM
Draft complete (please read that as a Warcraft II orc). Say hello to The Other Air. The science-fantasy novella that was supposed to be a quick project became a trilogy rooted in Finnish & Filipino myth, examining what we sacrifice to find belonging and how we're changed by the natural world.
I've had the song "Hounds of Love" in my head for a couple of days, but at the part where she sings "I've always been a coward," my brain decides the line should be "I've always been a FLOWER," and honestly I'm okay with that.
August 12, 2025 at 4:35 PM
I've had the song "Hounds of Love" in my head for a couple of days, but at the part where she sings "I've always been a coward," my brain decides the line should be "I've always been a FLOWER," and honestly I'm okay with that.
So far the oddest part of being north of 40 is that I keep inadvertently activating little sleeper cells of forgotten nostalgia. Today's example: a rewatch of High Fidelity in which I realized I'd watched it so often in my early 20s that it informed certain things I say AND the way I say them 🤷🏻♀️.
August 10, 2025 at 1:16 AM
So far the oddest part of being north of 40 is that I keep inadvertently activating little sleeper cells of forgotten nostalgia. Today's example: a rewatch of High Fidelity in which I realized I'd watched it so often in my early 20s that it informed certain things I say AND the way I say them 🤷🏻♀️.
This is SO GOOD!
I made a thing! 💫 The Quiet Creative Roadmap is a free workbook for creatives who are burnt out, blocked, or just done with hustle culture. It's your creative fucking reckoning!
Get it: kristygardner.com/quiet-creative-roadmap/
Tag someone who would enjoy this. 💜✨️
#writingcommunity #creativity
Get it: kristygardner.com/quiet-creative-roadmap/
Tag someone who would enjoy this. 💜✨️
#writingcommunity #creativity
August 8, 2025 at 5:43 PM
This is SO GOOD!
As someone whose brain is 75% Simpsons quotes, I'm shocked that it's Paddy Considine's delivery of "that's a lintel" in The World's End that actually lives rent-free in my head. Kind of annoying though when I have lentils for dinner. The ultimate "don't say it don't say it don't say it" losing game.
August 8, 2025 at 1:09 AM
As someone whose brain is 75% Simpsons quotes, I'm shocked that it's Paddy Considine's delivery of "that's a lintel" in The World's End that actually lives rent-free in my head. Kind of annoying though when I have lentils for dinner. The ultimate "don't say it don't say it don't say it" losing game.
“Woe to you Väinämöinen:
you have come unslain to Death
still alive to Tuonela!”
- The Kalevala, Rune XVI
A small miracle: returning to a novella draft I’d put aside, descending into the other air of the Kalevala. It feels good to be in this liminal place where reality shifts & the story opens up.
you have come unslain to Death
still alive to Tuonela!”
- The Kalevala, Rune XVI
A small miracle: returning to a novella draft I’d put aside, descending into the other air of the Kalevala. It feels good to be in this liminal place where reality shifts & the story opens up.
August 7, 2025 at 6:17 PM
“Woe to you Väinämöinen:
you have come unslain to Death
still alive to Tuonela!”
- The Kalevala, Rune XVI
A small miracle: returning to a novella draft I’d put aside, descending into the other air of the Kalevala. It feels good to be in this liminal place where reality shifts & the story opens up.
you have come unslain to Death
still alive to Tuonela!”
- The Kalevala, Rune XVI
A small miracle: returning to a novella draft I’d put aside, descending into the other air of the Kalevala. It feels good to be in this liminal place where reality shifts & the story opens up.
Reposted by Samantha Garner
Our excellent columnist Samantha Garner (@samanthakgarner.bsky.social) is back with some more amazing writing tips, this time on how to give useful feedback to your peers and fellow authors!
#AmReading #WritingTips #Columnists #CanLit
open-book.ca/Columnists/H...
#AmReading #WritingTips #Columnists #CanLit
open-book.ca/Columnists/H...
How to Give Useful Writing Feedback
Many writers have friends who are also writers, and sometimes those friends ask us to give feedback on their work. Yay! We get to help our friends succeed! ...
open-book.ca
July 31, 2025 at 7:27 PM
Our excellent columnist Samantha Garner (@samanthakgarner.bsky.social) is back with some more amazing writing tips, this time on how to give useful feedback to your peers and fellow authors!
#AmReading #WritingTips #Columnists #CanLit
open-book.ca/Columnists/H...
#AmReading #WritingTips #Columnists #CanLit
open-book.ca/Columnists/H...
Reposted by Samantha Garner
With limited stock now replenished, we’re preparing around 60,000 meals daily—less than half our previous output. Every plate is reaching the most vulnerable, including displaced families and patients in hospitals. Read more: wck.org/news/gaza-update-7-25 #ChefsForGaza (3/3
July 25, 2025 at 3:16 PM
With limited stock now replenished, we’re preparing around 60,000 meals daily—less than half our previous output. Every plate is reaching the most vulnerable, including displaced families and patients in hospitals. Read more: wck.org/news/gaza-update-7-25 #ChefsForGaza (3/3
Sure, I could be writing. I could also be thinking, as I do annoyingly often, how the POV and titular characters in the song Sk8er Boi are the true villains, punching down at a woman who's grown since high school and spent money to support him now that she's free of petty teenage standards 🤷🏻♀️
July 22, 2025 at 2:21 PM
Sure, I could be writing. I could also be thinking, as I do annoyingly often, how the POV and titular characters in the song Sk8er Boi are the true villains, punching down at a woman who's grown since high school and spent money to support him now that she's free of petty teenage standards 🤷🏻♀️
Working on a piece about my relationship with "being punk" over the years, and I wrote in my notebook in italic caps HOW CAN ONE BE PUNK WITH ANXIETY but my brain hiccuped over the T in anxiety and so I squeezed it in afterwards and it's so un-punk of me but I hate how gross it looks now ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.
July 8, 2025 at 10:46 PM
Working on a piece about my relationship with "being punk" over the years, and I wrote in my notebook in italic caps HOW CAN ONE BE PUNK WITH ANXIETY but my brain hiccuped over the T in anxiety and so I squeezed it in afterwards and it's so un-punk of me but I hate how gross it looks now ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.