Chris Willrich

Beneath Ceaseless Skies - The Crow’s Second Tale by Marissa Lingen So Kiris knew, even at the age of five: no one should only know one story. Not even a crow, like in the song. And if she was the only one who had spotted the problem, she felt down to her five-year-ol...

New story this morning! The Crow's Second Tale in @bcsmagazine.bsky.social ! www.beneath-ceaseless-skies.com/stories/the-... This is one of my stories that is 100% not autobiographical except the part that is, which is that I tell stories to crows too, just in case.

RE starbucks picket line--the relevant detail is "picket line, do not cross." Pass that along. Proclaiming that you are in no danger of doing so because you are too aesthetically pure to let Starbucks coffee pass your lips is...unhelpful and does not give the impression you perhaps imagine it does.

The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2025 edited by Nnedi Okorafor & John Joseph Adams: Review by Gary K. Wolfe The Best American Science Fiction and Fanta­sy 2025, Nnedi Okorafor & John Joseph Adams, eds. (Mariner 978-0-06344-147-7, $19.99, 416pp, tp) October 2025 Despite what some writers might suspect…

Check out as @garykwolfe reviews THE BEST AMERICAN SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY 2025 edited by @nnedi.bsky.social & @johnjosephadams.com

The cover letter to my first submission: August 12, 1971 1381 East 72nd Street Brooklyn NY 11234 Edward L. Ferman The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fistion 347 East 53rd Street New York, NY 10022 Dear Mr. Ferman, I am submitting for possible publication the enclosed story, "Gem of the Gods". Too long has Sword and sorcery been dead. I hope this may help revive it. A stamped self-addressed envelope is enclosed in case of rejection. Sincerely yours, Scott Edelman

On August 12, 1971, 16-year-old me mailed the first story I ever wrote off on its first submission to my dream market, F&SF. My tale was quickly rejected. On July 17th, 2025, I finally sold a story to that magazine. Here's why I felt I had to withdraw that story. www.scottedelman.com/wordpress/20...

I'll take a look!🙂

Rhys Davies:

www.rhysspieces.com

I usually donate to the USO on Veterans Day; this time it seemed appropriate to split the money with a local food bank too (whose clients very likely include veterans.) Thanks to all who've served.

I admire the framers of the U.S. Constitution but I'm thinking they left us a time bomb in the form of the president's pardon power. The potential to create presidential goon squads was always there. It's down the list, but we need an amendment to put limits on this open door to corruption.

Thanks very much for trying! I guess my own calls/emails were too late to affect anything, though at least I could register an opinion.

St Louis River

St Louis River #photography

It continues to be time to donate to support food banks.

I will not support a deal that does nothing to make health care more affordable.

We are in a health care emergency. A simple one-year extension of these tax credits would cost less than Donald Trump’s $40 billion bailout for Argentina.

A vote for this bill is a mistake.

And I realize that the stakes for many are much higher than air travel, but even so, the Democrats are not going to help anyone by capitulating and getting nothing concrete.

I was able to leave a phone message at Senator Padilla's San Francisco office (the D.C. office line wasn't taking messages.) I could only send email to Senator Schiff and minority leader Schumer. My basic message was "The stakes are much higher than my Thanksgiving air travel; hold the line."

This is part of the tragedy of a surrender now. It invites more pain and suffering by emboldening the regime. Why should they listen to a weak opposition?

My message to Chuck Schumer via web form since nobody is answering phones on a Sunday:

“I am hearing news of a weekend deal where Demcrats offer up enough votes to pass a CR with no conditions for ACA in exchange for a bag of magic beans (or the equivalent in terms of GOP promises)…

Following up on this. This remains a ‘cave is minutes or hours away’ situation. If you want to impact how this plays out you need to contact senators literally now. I want to add additional points of context. What I’m relaying is what I’ve picked up from highly reliable sources.

Hey! Sort of a surprise new story day. @undertow.bsky.social is making my novelette, "Uncertain Sons," (original to the collection) available online for a short time for folks catching up on end-of-year reading. Eligible for most novelette/long fiction categories. Online until end of November!

I swear there’s an amendment about this…don’t tell me, it’s on the tip of my tongue…

Yeah. The article states "The food program serves about 1 in 8 Americans, mostly with lower incomes." This is playing games with the lives of over 40 million people.

The voices of SNAP Recipients have become political pawns. They explained, in their own words, what Trump withholding funds has been like.

New — While some states have received SNAP benefits for November and USDA is supposedly pushing through all federal payments soon, that doesn’t erase the psychological terror of the last few weeks.

I spoke with 20+ SNAP recipients in 16 states about preparing for a possible future with no food:

Sharing this heartbreaking news about Celeste Rita Baker (CW '19). Her warmth and voice, love and mentorship will be greatly missed.

Meanwhile local food banks can use our help. Here's a matching challenge if you live in Silicon Valley:

Stop Playing Politics With Food Assistance Programs USDA must use the SNAP contingency fund to keep food assistance programs funded during the government shutdown as is required by law and has been done in every other government shutdown in modern hist...

A petition via Moveon.org to tell USDA to use the SNAP contingency fund to keep food assistance programs funded during the government shutdown: sign.moveon.org/petitions/st...

If you subscribe to BCS, you get to read my crow story TODAY!

Be brave. Work hard. Win big.
All gas. No breaks to 2026.

Nov. 3, 2021 OPINION Republicans Schooled the Left in Virginia Democrats probably need a new way to talk about race and education. By Ross Douthat Nov. 3, 2021 OPINION Why Democrats Are in Trouble The election in Virginia is more than just a reflection on Biden's failures. By Bret Stephens PRINT EDITION Youngkin's Victory Shows Why Democrats Are in Trouble | November 4, 2021, Page A23

In 2021, a 2-point victory (50.6%–48.6%) by a Republican in the Virginia gov race meant Republicans had “schooled the left” and “Democrats [were] in trouble.”

Last night, a Democrat trounced the Republican in the VA gov race by 15 points (57.5%–42.3%). Any comment on that from Douthat or Stephens?

Thanks, John!🙂

Bolts Bolts is a digital publication that covers the nuts and bolts of power and political change, from the local up.

I recently learned about boltsmag.org via @digby56.bsky.social , and it's a great source for news about yesterday's election. They are also on Bluesky: @boltsmag.org

The Odyssey Problem by Chris Willrich (audio) Clarkesworld Science Fiction and Fantasy Magazine and Podcast.

I'd also like to give a shoutout for the fantastic Kate Baker's narration of "The Odyssey Problem" for @clarkesworldmagazine.com back in 2022. Audio here: clarkesworldmagazine.com/audio_06_22c/