Eric J. Francis (he/him)

John Irving is one of my favorite writers. "A Prayer for Owen Meany" is a forever book for me. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/03/s...

YouTube video by Fera The Hive Architect | Saving Britain's Wild Bees

#Beekeeping goals. youtu.be/1h6K_cS0m_w?...

People! PEOPLE! @marthawells.com new book Queen Demon comes out tomorrow and I've got the audiobook on preorder and I am SO FREAKIN' EXCITED!!1!

If you haven't read Witch King and love smart fantasy adventure with incredible worldbuilding (and a great narrator if you like audiobooks), try it!

GAMA RFP Web Developer 8.22.25.pdf Shared with Dropbox

Are you a #webdeveloper? Interested in the #boardgame space? GAMA (the Game Manufacturers Association) has issued an RFP for a web developer to revamp our site. Download the PDF for details. Proposals due Sept. 22. Hope to hear from you! bit.ly/41iLKYI

$2 million project to honor Arkansas music history announced in North Little Rock's Argenta Plaza | Arkansas Democrat Gazette A $2 million project dedicated to honoring the legacy of Arkansas' music history was announced Tuesday in downtown North Little Rock's Argenta Historic District.

Great news from my hometown of #NorthLittleRock, #Arkansas! www.arkansasonline.com/news/2025/au...

Stealing text from books written by PhDs and using probability-based algorithms to scramble that text up to make answers that *sound* *like* a person with a PhD answered them is not in fact PhD-level intelligence or expertise. It does tell us something about the people selling and using this slop

When I was very little, we had a (poorly trained and socialized) poodle that terrorized us until it ran away. That left a deep dislike of the breed for me until, as an adult, I made friends with a couple who had poodles and they were... wonderful. Just stupendous dogs.

Who is responsible for us living in the worst timeline? I'd like to lodge a complaint.

2024 Nebula Awards Winners The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA) has announced the winners for the 2024 Nebula Awards in Kansas City and via YouTube. The Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master Award was pres…

Reading list: locusmag.com/2025/06/2024...
#scifi #books #Nebula

Congrats @wiswell.bsky.social on your Nebula Award for Best Novel! :) #scifi #reading #books #authors

Notes from a Hired Pen: On that guy who used AI to 'write' book reviews - Jen A. Miller Readers! I said on Linkedin that I probably had thoughts on a recent freelancer-related news story. In case you missed it, a freelancer writer used AI to “write” book reviews (and some other things) f...

I love @byjenamiller.bsky.social's newsletter, and this weeks is especially good. Not only for the great take on the AI book review scandal, but her love for two awesome shows: Call the Midwife and Miss Austen. :) jenamiller.com/notes-from-a...

Some Republicans Push to Put School Desegregation Officially in the Past

Are. You. Fucking. Kidding. Me. www.nytimes.com/2025/05/16/u...

I am privileged to have known @jordanphickey.bsky.social as a journalism colleague and a friend. He's a great writer and a great human being, and this @longreads.com story is a shining example of both.

YouTube video by Forbes Breaking News BREAKING: Rand Paul Decries Congressional 'Cowardice' As He Explains Vote To End Trump's Tariffs

Rand Paul doesn't come close to being someone I admire, but he is 100% right here: Congress must stop the never-ending "emergency" and the Trump Administration's rule by fiat, and Republicans that refuse to do so are cowards. youtu.be/aOK2NW7Va6E?...

Good journalism will always be relevant. Here's a reading list. www.pulitzer.org/prize-winner...

YouTube video by Elle Cordova The Errorist strikes again!

This middle-aged English major word nerd cannot overstate his love for the good works of @ellecordova.bsky.social. youtu.be/ib7jyxfUNMo?...

A Coastal New England Town’s ‘Ornery’ Vandal: A Woodpecker (Gift Article) More than 20 vehicles in a town on Cape Ann, Mass., have been damaged by a woodpecker in mating season. “You still see him out here,” one resident said. “Peck, peck, peck, peck.”

"The woodpecker could not be reached for comment." #NatureIsMetal www.nytimes.com/2025/04/23/u...

I am going on the record as a native white Southerner that "Confederate heritage" is glorifying slavery, Jim Crow, racism, and defiance of the rule of law. Dissenters should examine the articles of succession Southern states passed, which pretty much all state they're seceding to keep slavery.

Great essay!

Opinion | Watching ‘Andor’ Is No Substitute for Actual Resistance (Gift Article) I have always found the praise for the show’s revolutionary politics to be at odds with the means of its production.

An excellent op-ed about #Andor and #resistance www.nytimes.com/2025/04/22/o...

What Lies and Threats — Speculative Insight Abby Roberts examines the use of national myth-making in JRR Tolkien's Lord of the Rings.

For $0.00 you can read what Bret Devereaux (of ACOUP fame) called an "absolute banger of a Tolkien essay" and what my mom (of giving birth to me fame) called "very timely and relevant": "What Lies and Threats: Nationalist Myth-Making in The Lord of the Rings" on @speculativeinsight.bsky.social!

pictures of physician Sara Josephine Baker dressed in tweed suit & tie in 1922

Dr. Josephine Baker fought for milk testing in lower Manhattan over a century ago, where babies were 7 times more likely to die than WWI US soldiers in the trenches. Milk was often adulterated with chalk and germ-y water. Today the FDA stopped testing milk due to lack of staff. Shame on you, Trump.

The Market Is Discovering Trump May Be Crazy It’s not just the tariffs Wall Street hates—it’s the impulsiveness of the president behind them.

Markets seem to be slowly discovering what close Trump watchers have known for years. Better late than never.

Today's Morning Shots, from @eggerdc.bsky.social and @cathyyoung63.bsky.social:

We Are Suing the President We are joining a lawsuit that will challenge the unchecked authority of the executive branch to impose tariffs. We will not stand idly by while our livelihoods–and the livelihoods of thousand…

Bravo to Stonemaier Games and all the other #boardgame publishers pushing back with legal action against the #tariffs. stonemaiergames.com/we-are-suing...

YouTube video by Apple TV Murderbot — Official Trailer | Apple TV+

I cannot overstate how excited I am about this. #Murderbot @marthawells.com #FFSRatthi youtu.be/vEioDeOiqEs?...

What the actual fuck. This is amoral, unconstitutional, and evil.

As a native Southerner, I approve this anniversary.

Fake job seekers are flooding U.S. companies that are hiring for remote positions, tech CEOs say Companies have long faced external attacks from hackers. Now, thanks to generative AI, another threat has emerged: Employees who aren't who they say they are.

*sigh* www.cnbc.com/2025/04/08/f...

The Gen X Career Meltdown (Gift Article) Just when they should be at their peak, experienced workers in creative fields find that their skills are all but obsolete.

They are singing my song.... *sigh* www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

Dachshund Lost on Australian Island Is Still Alive, but Elusive (Gift Article) A year after getting loose on Kangaroo Island, Valerie is still out there.

Meet Queen Valerie of Karta Pintingga. For anyone who's lived with a dachshund before, this is hardly a surprise. www.nytimes.com/2025/03/28/w...