Why I Go To Conventions
While I was at Worldcon last weekend, Emily Wilson (writer for New Scientist and author of the Sumerians trilogy) asked me why I go to conventions. This...
Another Way To Think About "Conflict" and "Stakes" In Your Fiction
Last week, I was an instructor at the Lambda Literary Workshop, and it was an utter privilege to get to work with some brilliant writers whose bravely...
I Love It When a Plan Doesn't Come Together
This is going to be a short newsletter. I’m afraid things are going to be a bit spotty for the next couple weeks: I'm an instructor at the Lambda Literary...
A Grab Bag of Mini Rants!
Sorry, I just got back from a ton of travel and don’t have the spoons to write a proper newsletter today. Plus it’s my birthday! But here are a bunch of...
Bluestockings Is Reinventing the Radical Bookstore. You Can Help!
I’ve written before about why bookstores are more than just excellent places to discover your new favorite author. They’re also community spaces and key...
Weirdest and Best James Brown Cover Versions
Sorry I haven’t put out a newsletter yet this week! I’m traveling on the East Coast (going to Readercon this weekend) and haven’t had time to write anything...
We Should All Be Archivists
Lately, I keep obsessing about two seemingly opposing but interrelated trends: 1) The past decade has seen an incredible bounty of art and self-expression...
Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About My Breasts
Tom Rulkens/Flickr (CC) The other day, a man in a car pulled over and rolled down his window, waving to get my attention. I stopped walking because I figured...
Let Authors Read Their Work!
One thing that bums me out is my sense that people don't seem to want to listen to authors reading their work in public as much as they used to. (This is a...
What It Means To Be Optimistic About the Future
For a few years, before the pandemic, I got asked the same question at every convention, book festival and conference: “Do you feel optimistic about the...
11 Hot Takes About Doctor Who
Doctor Who is so, so alive. The world’s oldest and arguably greatest science fiction (and occasionally fantasy) series is firing on all cylinders this year,...
"There's No Way You Can Talk Back to a Gun": On Psychological Warfare
For the past few years, my partner Annalee Newitz has been learning all about the history and theory of psychological warfare. The result is a stunning book,...
Three Science Fiction Stories That Reveal the Truth About Meritocracy
Meritocracy is our modern religion. It's a just-so story for the just-world fallacy. We want to believe that wealthy, powerful people deserve all the power...
Shakespeare's King Lear Had a Happy Ending for 140 Years
First, some quick announcements: The latest episode of Our Opinions Are Correct is about America’s proud tradition of psychological warfare. Promises...
Don't Believe the Hype about Young People and "Peer Pressure"
Lately I’ve been thinking about Blind Tom. (Who am I kidding? I’m always thinking about Blind Tom.) I learned about Blind Tom from my mother, who’s a...
What Women Want: Mel Gibson's Creepiest Movie?
First of all, some housekeeping... Voting is now open for the Hugo Awards, which includes the Lodestar Award for young adult fiction. For the third year in a...
Some Like It Even Hotter: An Incomplete Guide to Gender-Flipping Comedies!
I used to have an obsession with films where the main character changes gender, for reasons which might be kinda obvious. There's a huge and somewhat bizarre...
Star Trek: Discovery Is My Favorite 21st Century Star Trek
Hey, before we get started — this is the day! The paperback of Promises Stronger Than Darkness is out today! The legendary Captain Argentian, the galaxy's...
The Incredibly Risky Scheme that Bill Gates Keeps Pushing
Climate change keeps getting worse: 2023 was the hottest year on record, and it's not even close. Despite increasing investments in clean energy and other...
Writing Trans Stories For Fun (and Liberation)
The Trans Rights Readathon is going on right now. Roughly a thousand people are reading trans stories and celebrating trans narratives, while raising money...
