Nicole Sune Sbitani

Two interpretations: (1) the demands of modern commercial fiction are too narrow and our attention spans are too short, OR (2) the genres themselves have evolved and classic works, while an important foundation, lack the complexity/diversity/deep research made possible by the Internet to compete.

Tell me your most unhinged literary opinion, as a little treat

Most classic #scifi and #fantasy wouldn't even make it past a slush pile today.

Throw away the first book you write.

Praise for Shoeshine Boy & Cigarette Girl "It's impossible not to fall in love with Shoeshine Boy's earnest hope and Cigarette Girl's scrappy sweetness. A charming retrofuture Toronto is the perfect backdrop for the story of this delightful couple. P.A. Cornell promises us the moon, and she definitely delivers!" - Julia Rios, Hugo and Bram Stoker Award-winning editor

"Shoeshine Boy & Cigarette Girl feels like a classic tale with a delightful sprinkling of retro space dreams. In this zingy and charming story, you can't help but fall in love with Cigarette Girl and Shoeshine Boy and will quickly find yourself rooting for their sweet nature against the harsh realities of the world. The writing is filled with vivid descriptions that make the story pop right off the page." - Jesse Reid, author of Bran Finds His Feathers

It’s Thanksgiving in Canada and one thing I’m thankful for are the people who’ve taken time out of their lives to read my novelette ahead of its release in February. Blurbs are starting to come in and I’m thrilled early readers are enjoying it. Here are a couple of the nice things they’re saying.

I just read your story, and it's amazing. Beautiful story, thought-provoking, and impressive use of the physical page. As a reader and a writer, I loved it!

Crying right now. This is my first ever award, and I am so honored. <3

Nadia from London has an idea that sounds such fun you'll be booking a day out asap. "I've always loved museums," she says, "but they can be overwhelming for children. For decades now, I've done something called 'playing postcards' We do the museum backwards, visiting the gift shop first. Each child gets to choose three postcards. Then they take it in turns to find that particular artwork in the museum and give us a little information about the piece from the details on the postcard, or from any gallery plaque. At the end of this treasure-hunt-style activity, we vote for our favourite in the cafe."

This is such a clever idea on taking kids to museums/galleries
www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...

An illustrator friend did a kid's book where one of the mums wore hijab. Not to make a point, just as part of a normal city school background. Took it to publisher and was asked to remove because it 'wasn't a book about inclusivity'

Okay this is a good headline

This beautiful story by @sarlynh.bsky.social in @gooseberrypielit.bsky.social hit me right in my emotional core. Highly recommend!

The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided to award the 2025 #NobelPeacePrize to Maria Corina Machado for her tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela and for her struggle to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy

List 3 things you can talk about for 3 hours with no prep:
1. U.S. diplomacy
2. Mixed-race identity and cultural issues
3. Internal debates within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints/Mormon community

Great new #scifi drabble from @amulderwrites.bsky.social at @100footcrow.bsky.social! This one will stick with me for a while.

"I'm an author, too!"
"Cool! These cons are my only real chance to #associate with other writers. What do you write?"
"AI scifi."
"Oh, like scifi about AI? Dystopian stuff?"
"No, no... I use AI to write science fiction."
"..."
"First, I start with a #prompt like--wait! Where are you going?"

#vss365

When photographing fall colours don't forget to look down as well as up. The forest floor can be just as colourful. This view is from the Height of Land viewing tower in #PrinceAlbertNationalPark #Saskatchewan #PrinceAlbertNP #ParksCanada #TMACtravel #satw #landscapephotography

I crushed the #pulp by hand.
He asked, "What's that?"
"Blender's broken," I replied.
"Someone should fix that," he mused, pulling out his phone to scroll.
"Someone should." I smashed the back of the spoon into the bowl, sending fruit flecks flying upward.
"...Well, I'll be on the couch!"

#vss365

I was about to joke that my apartment must be a distant nebula because it's a Messier object, but then I realized I already made that joke

I didn't know until we buried my mother, so probably most people here don't know: Jewish cemeteries strongly recommend that you get insurance for the headstone.

Because the cemeteries are so often desecrated, the gravestones smashed.

Post text overlaid on a photo of a low, wide corridor or tunnel with red lighting.

Submissions open now for members of marginalised groups! 🎉

(general submission window 15-31 October)

Seeking speculative stories about our inner lives:

💙 500 - 2,500 words
💚 £0.02 per word, min £20
💛 Sim subs welcome!
🧡 Reprints welcome!

inner-worlds.ghost.io/submission-g...

#SubmissionCall

I read the news from afar, but the moment my composure cracked was when in one police briefing they praised the courage of those churchgoers who shielded the children with their bodies. Our children. God's children. Nobody should ever have to make that sacrifice. I'm praying for them all. 2/2

It's hard to articulate the grief my community, the #LDS / #Mormon community, is experiencing right now. For that act of such hate-fueled violence in Michigan to follow so soon after the death of a prophet who urged all of us to be peacemakers... It's incomprehensible. We are scared and hurting. 1/2

The real generational divide is people who refuse to watch a video if it could be an article versus people who refuse to read an article if it could be a video

"Final offer to #sublimate your sorrow! Transform your trauma! Alter your anger!"

"How?"

"It's a simple operation. Minimally invasive. Just a few zaps to the emotional centers of your brain!"

"...Can you remove joy?"

"What? Why?!"

"Joy feels wrong... without him."

"...Are you sure?"

#vss365

I am obsessed with this guy on Instagram who makes ice cream using different kinds of trees, then he also makes a spoon and bowl out of the same kind of wood, and the whole time he teaches us about that specific kind of tree?? It’s so cool??

x: www.instagram.com/reel/DPHvnfR...

My Husband Said God Wanted Him To Spank Me. Then He Made A Chilling Request That Had Me Gasping For Air. "If this sounds familiar to you, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is part of the same denomination.”

Inspired by: My Husband Said God Wanted Him To Spank Me. Then He Made A Chilling Request That Had Me Gasping For Air. | HuffPost share.google/f7mOrNtS74gQ...

He told me #scrutiny would bring us closer. I was too afraid to ask why it only went one way. Pretty soon, he confiscated my credit and debit cards. "Can't risk overspending like last month," he said with a smile. (It was $2.) After a while, there was nothing left of me for him to take.

#vss365

Hi Internet! I'm Drew and THIS IS MY FACE.

If this GIF has ever brought you joy in the past, I humbly ask you to consider making a donation to the National MS Society. It would mean a lot to me and to those I know affected by the disease!

Donate at blinkingguy.com

I kept checking my phone for a signal: nothing. All the trees started to look alike. Then, on the edge of a sunlit clearing, I saw a small cottage. Hope!

A tendril of smoke curled up from the chimney, and #sonorous chimes beckoned. But before I could knock, the door swung open with a bang.

#vss365

He leaned forward, face almost touching the bronze. "Yup!" he said. "That metal looks cloudy with a chance of rust."

"For the last time, that is NOT what #bellwether means!"

"Are you trying to tell me this bad boy is sunny?" He rapped his knuckles on the bell, which rang out like a gong.

#vss365