Open letter on the future of small press publishing in the UK The industry must work together to ensure the longevity of the UK’s independent presses.

It's been tough going for small publishers for a while, but they continue to publish a lot of the most exciting new work, and are the main supporters of the short story as a form. Support indie publishing when you can!
www.thebookseller.com/comment/open...

The AI age is the "age of no consent" "Inevitability" means design decisions are no longer informed by user needs; now they are unilaterally imposed. The users are the ones being designed.

This post needs an updated re-issue because AI companies have truly come up with some incredibly novel ways to push this technology that no one wants onto people.

The AI Bubble's Impossible Promises Readers: I’ve done a very generous “free” portion of this newsletter, but I do recommend paying for premium to get the in-depth analysis underpinning the intro. That being said, I want as many people ...

Premium: The AI Bubble's promises are impossible. NVIDIA's customers are running out of money, GPUs die in 3-5 years, most 1GW data centers will never get built, and OpenAI's Abilene data center doesn't won't have the power it needs before 2028 - if it ever does.
www.wheresyoured.at/the-ai-bubbl...

Fall Registration for Race, Media & International Affairs with Karen Attiah — Resistance Study Series A virtual, seven week beginner and intermediate course on the history of race, mass media, and the modern world order.

On top of everything going on--- I still have a Resistance School to run!

My classes for Race, Media and International Affairs 101 begin Monday, October 6th!

We are expanding the class size (but not by much!)

So you still have a chance to enroll! www.resistancesummerschool.com/fall-2025-re...

Opinion | Ta-Nehisi Coates on Bridging Gaps vs. Drawing Lines (Gift Article) The writer Ta-Nehisi Coates joins Ezra Klein on the show to discuss how the left should think about the work of politics and persuasion in this moment.

Terrific back and forth, this:

Re-visited a roadside site earlier this year ( as suggested by @sylvatica2024.bsky.social . Thanks Dave !) to re-aquaint myself with the very attractive and scarce Bastard Balm (Melittis Mellisophyllum) loads of different Colour variants ....Good to see them again. #FavouritePlant#wildflowerhour

A small ceramic mayan warrior. He comes with a helmet that fits over his head and is removable

mayan figure from 1600 yrs ago, with accessories. earliest lego guy

YAY! on so many fronts. @gilduran's call to republish a key work on techbro authoritarianism has raised >$10K for the author

@flaminghydra.com has been helping on the EPUB side. SO looking forward to reading 'Cyberselfish' by Paulina Boorsook, 25th Anniversary Edition

bsky.app/profile/gild...

The Royal Society for Blind Children (RSBC) urgent appealing to children’s authors, writers and publishers to donate stories to its new bedtime stories app.

The charity relies on stories in the public domain but are running out of books.

Anyone willing to donate should contact media@rsbc.org.

One of many @zackpolanski.bsky.social conversations that have made me hopeful recently.

What are Nigel Farage’s immigration plans – and do his sums add up? Reform UK leader’s hardline plans were lauded by rightwing press. But are they coherent and will they save money?

Let me save you some time: No, they don’t.

Reform UK’s plan is economically devastating and unconscionably cruel.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/sep/22/what-are-nigel-farages-immigration-plans-and-do-his-sums-add-up

Picture of diverse cast of writers meeting together at a literary event

London Writers Award now open, great prizes, lovely people and different categories. Also details available in different formats.

Details in link below.

Please share :)

www.spreadtheword.org.uk

Farage plan to save £234bn from migrant benefit cuts 'falling apart' True size of savings under Reform's immigration policy in doubt as it emerges 4.2m EU nationals would be exempt from

A poorly thought out, vindictive and completely unworkable policy by Reform UK fell apart the moment it brushed up against reality?

I am shocked. Shocked I tell you.

It’s almost as though they have, yet again, proven they are not in any way or form a serious party.

101 was (is!) an amazing course and I know 102 will be too. So relevant and needed to help navigate the crazy world we’re in. The tiers & options to join make it super accessible wherever you are, with bursaries that you can support if you want to pay it forward for someone else. Join in! We Move :)

Am I sharing this because I believe Reform are a genuine threat to U.K. democracy (despite being fairly incompetent) who are stoking hate and promoting lies? Yes. Does it help that I get to reference a headline calling a significant number of them wankers? It does a bit, yes.

‘I’d shoot Starmer myself’: the bloodthirsty bigotry of yet another Reform UK councillor. Racist, homophobic and violent comments from John Allen, Reform UK councillor in Northumberland

💥 NEW: “I’d shoot Starmer myself.” That’s what Reform UK councillor John Allen said just days ago.

Our investigation revealed his comments and The Guardian has now confirmed he has been suspended by party HQ. ❗

hopenothate.org.uk/2025/09/19/s...

headline: Cutting-Edge AI Was Supposed to Get Cheaper. It’s More Expensive Than Ever. dek: With models doing more ‘thinking,’ the small companies that buy AI from the giants to create apps and services are feeling the pinch

shout out to @edzitron.com who is the whole reason my story this week exists -- he turned me on to the trend!

go read Ed:

www.wheresyoured.at/how-to-argue...

one very real, concrete way to help feed Gaza right now is through donating to World Central Kitchen

Help and support an independant media @bylinetimes.bsky.social news outlet... stand-up against the right wing trash and lies.

Charity behind Valentine's Day cards for asylum seekers reported to watchdog Sir Gavin Williamson calls for investigation after City of Sanctuary encouraged pupils to write heart-shaped messages to migrants

One of the key symbols of support for refugees is the heart. I get that the ghouls who are attacking City of Sanctuary have probably never received a heart, or Valentine's message, but this was about showing love and compassion, nothing more. It's grotesque that people are complaining about this.

Yay! You’re so welcome. 🤗

As the article rightly points out...

"But old emails lingering in cloud servers are a drop in the bucket for a data center compared to processing generative AI requests."

🫠🫠🫠

Of course! I really hope it helps.

@biggreenbooks.bsky.social hello! I got incredibly lucky with a recent #buyastrangerabookday so I’ll pay it forward and buy someone a book, up to £20, your choice or theirs. Thanks!

A book: Kit de Waal - Without Warning & Only Sometimes

Kit de Waal - Without Warning & Only Sometimes (2022)
Fascinating memoir of a childhood lived at the meeting point of different worlds. Painful at times but filled to the brim with courage. Wonderful.
@kitdewaal.com

A literary tribute to Sinéad O'Connor takes her legacy off the back burner In “Nothing Compares to You,” 26 writers emotionally describe how O’Connor’s music made an overlooked impact.

i wrote about the amazing new Sinead O'Connor anthology for Salon. it is absolutely a celebration of life, both Sinead's and each of the writers: www.salon.com/2025/08/05/a...

Top of a Wordpress website with tiled images for various posts

Going to do a new pinned post as I'm changing domain, my domain is now bigbeardedbookseller.uk and everything is going on this domain now.

I'm writing about pretty much anything I'm interested in when I have something to say, so no timetable as such.

#Introduction #PinnedPost

Person in a party hat giving a presentation and it says The greatest research skill you can have is being a nosy bitch who wants to find out

;)

Time has changed slightly. It will be from 5:45pm to 8pm

Hey everyone! Queers for Palestine, Trans Kids Deserve Better, The Dyke Project, London Trans Pride, Fag Revolt and RS21 Are calling the entire queer and trans community to join us outside the vile Wes Streeting's constituency office. We are responding to the Palestinian Youth Movement's call for a 'Siege on Labour' on Monday: When: Monday 4th August at 6 PM Where: 12a Highview Parade, Ilford, IG4 5EP (15 minute walk from Gants Hill central line station) ? Why: Wes Streeting and the vicious 'Labour Party' are accomplices in the zionist-made famine in Gaza. Streeting is also responsible for the deaths of many trans kids past and future. We are taking unified action across the country on Monday with these demands: 1. A full two-way arms embargo on Israel 2. An end to British RAF surveillance flights over Gaza 3. For the British government to use all UN and sanctions levers to force Israel to allow aid into Gaza 4. For David Lammy to resign as foreign minister after lying to the public about arms sales to Israel This government is dripping in the blood of our trans siblings and of the Palestinian people. We must act together to force Labour to meet these demands.

Protest outside Wes Streeting's office on Monday