Genevieve Valentine (@glvalentine) — Bluesky Profile

2 months ago

The cover of TWO GRAVES Vol. 1: Wish You Were Here. Busts of Emilia, lit by neon (drawn by Annie Wu), and Death, his face wreathed in smoke (drawn by Ming Doyle), stand back-to-back, surrounded by elements of their road trip: motel signs, aspens, Cally the Whale, a serpent, the Three Hunters, irrigation circles, a pomegranate, and a burst of flowers.

A cool thing this year: TWO GRAVES made @bookriot.bsky.social Best Horror Comics of the 2020s, in fantastic company. bookriot.com/horror-comic... Delighted the book left an impression; very proud of what we made. @anniewu.bsky.social @mingdoyle.bsky.social @adityab.net @jenmargretsmith.bsky.social

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1 year ago

I can not even count how many sex workers and sex worker rights people I’ve seen say exactly this- the play book is to ban porn which will then lay the groundwork to ban and criminalize lgbtq spaces, content and eventually people.

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1 year ago

An Open Letter to Our Publishers from Authors Against Book Bans
With the election of the Trump administration and its policies as embodied in Project 2025, we authors have deep concerns about how our publishers will be operating and how publishers will advocate for and protect authors. Trump's agenda explicitly calls for the criminalization of authors, teachers, librarians, and publishing professionals with consequences including, "imprison[ment)," and being "classed as registered offenders" (Pg 4, Project 2025). For authors who are not citizens, this could also result in deportation. This promises to be a pro-censorship, pro-book-banning administration, and the successful implementation of its policies will require willing compliance of America's institutions, including its corporations. The freedom to write is as important as the freedom to read. We have been heartened by many publishers' willingness to engage in legal and legislative pathways to fight book banning, and want to be sure that you will double-down on your fight during this consequential time. This past week, AABB held open forums with authors from all genres and age levels to better understand author concerns and needs. While this may not be a complete list due to the rapid turnaround, we know we have a short time before January to prepare for what is to come, and we want to start this conversation sooner rather than later

As authors, we need you to:
Continue to acquire and promote books by LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC voices. We a concerned that these voices under particular attack will be silenced or discouraged, directly and/or indirectly. . Be unequivocal in your support of LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC authors. We need to know that no author will be asked to "tone down" or erase elements in their books to please potential censors or to avoid being targeted by unjust laws in certain states. Authors need to know that we can continue to speak our truths in our works and remarks. . Guarantee the safety and confidentiality of all personal information that exists in your portals, or that has been shared for book promotion. We need publishers refuse to provide lists of: Authors or staff they know to be immigrants, Muslims, individuals with backgrounds from Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Yemen, Gaza et al (targeted under Trump's promise to expand the "Muslim ban") - All books by queer or trans authors, or that include queer or trans characters or content Authors and their citizenship, birthplace, and/or other personal information Books that reference diversity, equity, inclusion, sexual orientation, gender identity, racism, privilege, or "critical race theory" etc as defined or listed on page 4 of Project 2025

Refuse to provide "ratings" of books that goes beyond the current industry standard categorization of books by age group. . Resist requests for authors to sign contractual language for appearances that impinges upon our free speech in ways including but not limited to: written or spoken language, personal expenditures, personal advocacy. Provide security in states or locations . where an author may be under threat or has received threats. If an author is arrested for discussing their book in a public space, we need you to promise to provide legal aid. We need clear industry standards regarding author security and direct contact information for security and legal needs. . Stand against the blanket weaponization of "pornography," "obscenity," "triggering," and "inappropriate" as they have been used in widespread book bans to target anything with queer content, sex, or references to racism, bigotry, misogyny, abortion, etc. Project 2025 states that people who produce or distribute anything deemed "pornographic" should be jailed, though it does not define pornographic, nor does it seem to adhere to the SCOTUS standard of pornography

Ensure the freedom of every author to use the terms targeted on pages 4-5 of Project 2025 (which include but are not limited to: sexual orientation and gender identity, diversity, equity, and inclusion, gender, gender equality, gender equity, gender awareness, gender-sensitive, abortion, reproductive health, reproductive rights, etc) freely in their works. We need to know you will continue to send LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC authors to schools, libraries, and festivals funded in whole or in part by federal grants. . Provide training on author safety and emergency contacts for situations when an author feels unsafe. . Be more aggressive and more public in fighting book bans and censorship at local, state, and the national level. We approach all these needs with the assumption of your support, and we will be vigilant to make sure that any divergence on these crucial points will be noted and protested. It's imperative that publishers, like authors, do not obey in advance. We must be aligned against policies that promote censorship, book bans, and the criminalization of storytelling. We look forward to working together with you and with all the other organizations fighting for our fundamental freedoms to read and to write. Sincerely, Authors Against Book Bans

this is an open letter to publishers from @authorsabb.bsky.social. it should give you an idea of what authors are currently up against in the united states, especially those who are making books that contain marginalized characters (even and especially if those "characters" are ourselves).

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1 year ago

And I'm delighted that "Other Kelly" is in @reactorsff.bsky.social Some of The Best From Reactor: 2024 Edition! bsky.app/profile/reac...

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1 year ago

Kyle was the one who got really obsessed, at first—not even when Other Kelly was there, just random moments where Marshall and I would be getting McDonald’s with Kyle at four a.m. and he’d look up from his fries like a meerkat and say “Fuck, I bet it’s killed Kelly already” and start typing so loud nobody could even talk until he was finished. He had a phone full of photos of people posing with their doubles.

“Those doubles are people, asshole,” said Marshall once, a warning to shut up about it, but if Kyle was smart enough to take a warning he’d have stopped being a musician already, and he said, “How would you know—they show up on camera, doesn’t mean they’re a person,” and kept typing until Kelly texted back.

(cont.)

Marshall rolled his eyes, but it was true. In the group photo at New Year’s, Other Kelly was there, in the same thing Kelly was wearing (it fit her better), looking right into the lens. She wasn’t smiling, but still she seemed perfectly normal until you saw Kelly with her arm outstretched to take the picture, dress pulling at her shoulders, grinning like her skull was about to make a run for it, and realized that one of them was very wrong.

(Eventually Kyle stopped texting Kelly. She was never dead. It was fine.)

*

Illustration by Mary Pelc: A young woman in a black bob is removing a night-sky-patterned mask from her face; beneath it, fire has consumed the woman's face. Pink smoke curls through the holes in the mask and billows out behind her.

"Other Kelly," published in Reactor, is a story about a Friend Group trying to determine whether to save their friend Kelly from her doppelganger, who's less of a mess. reactormag.com/other-kelly-...

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1 year ago

A woman stands alone in a 1950s kitchen, wearing a dress and heels, as far as possible from an array of questionable food preparation on the counter. She is consulting a cookbook.

This year was...a year, but I published two stories!

"Future Perfect" was published in Asimov's in June; it's about slow collapse, the limits of art, and Ring Around the Tuna.

www.asimovs.com/more-stuff/a...

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1 year ago

My story "Other Kelly," in which a Friend Group tries to decide if game night might be better if they just let Kelly's doppelganger eat her and take over, is in Some of the Best from Reactor: 2024!

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1 year ago

My story "Other Kelly," in which a Friend Group tries to decide if game night might be better if they just let Kelly's doppelganger eat her and take over, is in Some of the Best from Reactor: 2024!

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1 year ago

I know we're all tired as hell, but please get back on the phones and in your emails to write your senators and congresspeople to make sure KOSA fucking tanks as permanently as possible.

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1 year ago

A collage of covers: Novels Mechanique, Persona, Icon, and The Girls at the Kingfisher Club; graphic novels Catwoman and Two Graves; short story cover for "Other Kelly"

For new followers: I write! Novels, short fiction, comics, scripts, and occasional nonfiction.

Recent stuff:

TWO GRAVES, Image Comics: imagecomics.com/comics/relea...

"Other Kelly," Reactor: reactormag.com/other-kelly-...

All work: www.genevievevalentine.com

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1 year ago

A Guide to the Six Ballot Questions New Yorkers Will Vote on in 2024 One ballot proposal would amend New York’s state constitution to add more anti-discrimination protections, while five others would make changes to New York City’s charter.

Am I here? No. Is it time to vote? Yes. Did the mayor slam a bunch of disingenuous ballot measures onto the ballot trying to consolidate power? Of course. Yes on 1, No to 2-6. www.thecity.nyc/2024/10/09/b...

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1 year ago

Tell the Senate: KOSA Will Censor the Internet But Won't Help Kids The Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) would censor the internet and would make government officials the arbiters of what young people can see online. It will likely lead to age verification, handing more ...

Okay, looks like KOSA is going to the floor for a vote this week. Call your Senators and make this their problem! act.eff.org/action/tell-...

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1 year ago

Reign was truly A Show. Until three minutes ago I would have said it's a show you couldn't make today, but apparently you sort of can! I can't wait to check this out.

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1 year ago

!!! Really? Well well well, I'll have to do something about this.

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1 year ago

A woman stands alone in a 1950s kitchen, wearing a dress and heels. Before her stands an array of questionable food preparation. She is consulting a cookbook.

I have a story out in the latest issue of Asimov's! "Future Perfect" is about performance art, isolation, the end times, and Ring Around the Tuna. www.asimovs.com/current-issu...

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1 year ago

I have a story out in the latest issue of Asimov's! "Future Perfect" is about performance art, isolation, the end times, and Ring Around the Tuna. www.asimovs.com/current-issu...

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1 year ago

thank you!!

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1 year ago

A story about being so screwed that the veil wants nothing to do with you, and the power of (terrible) friendship - "Other Kelly" is up at @reactorsff.bsky.social: reactormag.com/other-kelly-...

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1 year ago

Thank you so much!

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1 year ago

Other Kelly - Reactor Kelly's friends were all getting a little sick of Kelly, even before the doppelganger showed up. And sure, it probably wants to kill her; they're just trying to decide if that's worse...or better.

“She hadn’t been surprised when Other Kelly showed up. She’d treated Other Kelly the way she treated tax season.”

Read Genevieve Valentine's wry tale of fraying friend groups and the discontents of doppelgängers, “Other Kelly”!
reactormag.com/other-kelly-...

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1 year ago

Other Kelly - Reactor Kelly's friends were all getting a little sick of Kelly, even before the doppelganger showed up. And sure, it probably wants to kill her; they're just trying to decide if that's worse...or better.

I have a new story out in @reactorsff.bsky.social! Late capitalism, doppelgängers, and game night. Read "Other Kelly": reactormag.com/other-kelly-...

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1 year ago

Hello, @glvalentine.bsky.social...

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2 years ago

I know I am banging this drum very hard, but once it goes silent it will be too late, so. Call. Email. Get your companies to call. (I've spoken to five people in tech jobs who had no idea this was coming; they want this passed before people can start yelling. Yell.) twitter.com/lovingtaeonm...

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2 years ago

There's another push on KOSA, which purports to "protect kids" while actually just enabling surveillance and censorship. "Isn't this the one we yelled about before?" It sure is! Yell again! www.badinternetbills.com

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2 years ago

I’d like to retroactively add ‘Two Graves’ by @glvalentine.bsky.social @anniewu.bsky.social and @mingdoyle.bsky.social to my Top 5 comics of 2023 and apologise for getting to it so late. Wow! Not to mention the back-matter essays, Stephanie Lai’s especially!

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2 years ago

A #8 list position titled "Two Graves Explores Death and Companionship Through Mysterious Characters," with a partial image of Annie Wu's cover of #1. Below it are creator credits for writer Genevieve Valentine, artists Ming Doyle and Annie Wu, colorist Lee Loughridge, and letterer Aditya Bidikar.

TWO GRAVES is on CBR's list of Most Underrated Image Comics of 2023!: "evolves from a simple story of revenge into a metaphysical mystery." www.cbr.com/incredibly-u...

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