J. L. Long

Nothing will cure you of a fear of the paranormal like a house full of cats.

Hear a strange creak from a distant room? Must be the cats.

Find a book fallen off the shelf onto the floor? Must be the cats.

See an ominous trail of blood that spells out the words "Get Out"? Must be the cats.

Not Afraid to Fail Fest Date & Time: October 24th  Doors at 6:30 PM | Show starts at 7:00 PM  Location: BNH Stage, 16 S Main Street, Concord, NH  Tickets: $18 in advance | $21 at the door plus fees Tickets go on sale on Aug…

ANNOUNCING NOT AFRAID TO FAIL FEST!
On October 24, join Queerlective for a variety show featuring YOU!

To learn more about Not Afraid to Fail Fest, including how to sign up as a performer or purchase tickets, visit: go.queerlective.com/notafraid (or visit the link in our bio)

Never stop when the words are flowing.
If you discover some problem in your manuscript while you’re in writing mode, make a quick note to yourself to fix it later and keep going. It’s easy to get distracted and stop actually writing. Don’t get sucked in. Keep going.

THE WORDS MUST FLOW.

Lol, thanks. 🙂

Rochester Pride. What does Pride mean to you? Poetry Contest.

“I’ll Give You Something to Be Afraid Of” J. L. Long You think I can't tell That you make gay jokes When I'm not in the room You think that your smile Weak and thin like gruel Is enough to fool me You don't realize That the condescension Rolls off you like the stink Of wet garbage rotting Under the roiling heat Of a midday sun in late June

One of your friends Laughs with you and says, "I'm not homophobic I'm not afraid of gays They're just so Well, you know" And you do know And so do I We all know what he means But what you don't know Is that Stonewall was a riot And let me tell you, baby, so am I.

I'm very pleased to share that my poem "I'll Give You Something to Be Afraid Of" won Rochester Pride's poetry contest this year! You can read a slightly different (read: more profanity-laden) version of this poem in my chapbook FIREWORKS ARE JUST PRETTY BOMBS, available at a.co/d/2HRjg2y. #poetry

Have they discovered "Trading Spaces"? I hope they've discovered "Trading Spaces."

The cover of a resource, featuring "Criminalizing Librarians: Threats and Realities" in black text on a pale grey background and a black-and-white line drawing of three people holding signs that together read "The People & the Library." In the bottom right corner is the logo for Interrupting Criminalization, and the URL bit.ly/CriminalizingLibrarians

Collage featuring stylized type-writer text, a yellow library book check-out slip, and a black-and white photo of a group of Black women (and one man) around a table at a library, surrounded by books that have been tinted green. The text on the library slip reads: "Title: Arrested at the Library. Policing the Stacks. Author: By Mariame Kaba, Interrupting Criminalization (2025)."

As attacks on libraries, books, and library patrons and workers continue to rise, here are two free resources from our co-founder @prisonculture.bsky.social about criminalization of and in libraries, that we hope can offer context and inspiration for protecting and defending our public libraries:

The knitwear is fun!

Rainbow hearts and rainbow text on a white background. Text reads: "Rochester Pride. Saturday August 2nd, 12 - 3pm, Hanson Street. All are welcome! Come join the fun! Speakers, vendors, music. Poetry, friendship, fun."

Rochester (NH) Pride is TOMORROW, and I'll have a table there selling my books and zines. Come hang out if you're in or near southern New Hampshire! #indiewriter #books #zines #pride #queerwriter #rochesternh #newhampshire

flow chart asking if you’re in a flow chart (does it show steps in a process? can you see arrows visualizing a sequence? baby you’re in a flowchart)

flow chart guide for figuring out if you’re in a flow chart

Cricket is great. It's less boring baseball.

I was watching a YouTube video that featured a trans woman who likes wearing chokers, and the whole thing burst fully formed into my mind, like Athena from Zeus.

Modern update/riff on the woman with the green ribbon story where, when she finally takes it off, it turns out she's just a trans woman dysphoric about her neck, and her husband is thrilled she's not a zombie or other undead.

Coaching for Writers Want to troubleshoot a sticky project? Level up your work or learn to tell stories in a new medium? Bring joy back to your writing practice, push past a block, or come back from burnout? Establish …

Want to troubleshoot a sticky project? Level up your work or learn to tell stories in a new medium? Bring joy back to your writing practice, push past a block, or come back from burnout? Establish better habits?

I'm accepting a limited # of coaching clients. More info at link.

Working with a Developmental Editor And what to do if you can’t afford one

Ever wondered what a developmental editor does? What it’s like to work with one? Or how to go it alone if you can’t afford the services of someone like me?

Check out this week’s free Substack post to find out!

open.substack.com/pub/pagewake...

#writingcommunity #skywriters

Friendship goals 🥹

Listen to our latest episode on Hallowe’en Party now wherever you get your podcasts. linktr.ee/labourshercule

Hope is no longer an emotion I feel but a practice I deliberately and consciously engage in, for better and for worse.

ATTENTION SERIAL WRITERS: I am looking to do a marketing group chat or a Zoom call for serial writers because I know a lot of us have been scrambling after Kindle Vella and Radish shutting down. And I just want a chat or a Zoom call in which we come together and discuss marketing for serials.

Pic of author Eden Royce  with her morning coffee. She is wearing eyeglasses with dark tortoiseshell frames and her hair is tied up in a white bandanna with read and blur flowers. She is looking at the camera and sipping out of a white coffee mug with the iconic Shirley Jackson Awards logo: black cat-eye glasses over the red lettering.

Cover art of the novella Hollow Tongue. Brown background with a beige center covered in variously patterned butterflies perched in a skull pattern.

I won a Shirley Jackson Award!!

What incredible news to wake up to. Thank you to the @sjacksonawards.bsky.social & this year's judges. Thank you to @rjacksonjoseph.bsky.social & @rdspress.bsky.social for selecting my Southern Gothic novella Hollow Tongue and showing it lots of love.

#booksky

Come by my table! Rochester Pride. Saturday, August 2nd, 12-3pm. Downtown - Hanson Street.

Rochester, NH Pride is August 2nd, and I'll be tabling this year! Come drop by to buy some books or just chat! #pride #lgbt #gay #rochesternh #indieauthor

I did! I might switch to kombucha from my NA beers.

Tried kombucha for the first time tonight, and I regret to report that I am a total millennial stereotype and loved it.

A fan art pic based on the 2023 animated series "My Adventures With Superman" showing Superman flying towards the viewer wearing civilian clothing but opening up his coat-shirt to reveal his costume.

My Weekly Pic Theme for July is #superheroes, and in case the reason why isn't already obvious, I'm starting with the Man of Steel himself!
#gojiart #superman #dc #dccomics #clarkkent #maws #myadventureswithsuperman #fanart

Colorado’s Poet Laureate has died Poet Andrea Gibson passed away from cancer at their home in Boulder early Sunday morning.

We are mourning the death and celebrating the life of Colorado’s poet laureate, Andrea Gibson. Gibson's work sought to connect people & bring LGBTQ issues to the spotlight. Gibson accepted the post to open doors for other chronically ill & disabled poets.
www.cpr.org/2025/07/14/c...

Well, associate member status, but I can get back to full active status by the time the Court expansion goes through.

Nooooo. It really doesn't feel that long ago!

I support your candidacy. Hell, put me on there too.

Just came back from my daily walk. Passed by a house with little kids playing in the driveway, and as I went by, they called out "Do you want some fake ice cream?" Delightful.

ZOMBUNNIES!

チーターとチーター

#BeastWarsINJapariPark 🐆

#Transformers #けものフレンズ