Microfiction #11: Soon there will be restaurants
Soon there will be restaurants for single humans and their AI companions, complete with a digital menu. Soon the bees will die and the ice will melt. The...
Happenings: New audiobook! & life on the South Island
Hi friends, This newsletter is mostly fiction, but a couple times a year I’ll write to you as me, generally when I’ve got some news to share. So: I’ve got...
Microfiction #10: The poet is hungry again
The poet is hungry again. Not for lack of food: her cupboards are full, and she knows she’s lucky that the Company pays her so well. But the hunger stirs...
Microfiction #9: First you turned off the notification sounds
First you turned off the notification sounds. Then the apps. Then your phone altogether, why not? You lost touch with most people, but one friend showed up...
Microfiction #8: The boy tells the girl to light the match
The boy tells the girl to light the match. It’s been raining hard, and they’re crouched in the dark next to a barbed-wire fence. Beyond the fence, the...
Microfiction #7: There's a party game
I. There’s a party game called Exquisite Corpse in which everyone take turns adding to a story, one word or phrase or sentence at a time. This is the...
Microfiction #6: After I heard Everything Had Changed
After I heard Everything Had Changed I went to the store. The last time Everything Had Changed I couldn’t get toilet paper. This time the shelves were full...
Microfiction #5: As a resistance tactic, darkfields
“As a resistance tactic, darkfields were considered one of the most effective protections for individuals under surveillance capitalism. Developed by two...
Microfiction #4: It’s Dan’s weekend with the kids
It’s Dan’s weekend with the kids, and he wants something different, so he digs up an old paper tourist map and picks a park he visited once as a child. “It’s...
Microfiction #3: The wind never blows in one direction
The wind never blows in one direction. That’s a lie the weather apps tell. Sure, they can label it with a number and compass bearing. They can display maps...
Microfiction #2: Two historians are guests on a debate show
Two historians are guests on a debate show. They sit under bright lights while photos parade behind them. “Dr. Kilkin,” says the avatar host, “you claim...
Microfiction #1: After your wife dies, you find her dreams
After your wife dies, you find her dreams in a box in the garage. You were looking for an Allen wrench. The silver tokens are the size of pennies with a tiny...
Introducing Certain Impossible Things, a newsletter in microfictions
Hello! I’m so glad you’re here. This is the intro of a newsletter that isn’t really a newsletter. I won’t be analyzing the news or providing useful advice....