Crap, it’s the Fourth of July, do I have to write about that?! Hell no, it’s still a free country…for everyone who hasn’t (checks news) moved a box of zines.…Ok then, let’s skip straight to dinosaurs.

“Jurassic Perk” is published and free to read!

I’m so psyched to finally share this short story with you. It’s about the baristas on the office park side of a dinosaur theme park island, and also how companies treat people when they think they can get away with it. Loosely inspired by a job I had in college downstairs from LucasArts on the ILM campus. It was on submission for TWO YEARS and in the queue at Kaleidotrope after acceptance for another TWO YEARS so I have been waiting about SIXTY-FIVE MILLION YEARS for this moment and it’s finally here! Read “Jurassic Perk” now on Kaleidotrope.

Solar Punk Farms event July 19 in Guerneville

I have a bunch of stuff happening this month, but this might be the coolest one?! Come spend a day in Guerneville with me at Solar Punk Farms! Guerneville is wine-and-redwoods country, an hour and half north of San Francisco, and absolutely gorgeous this time of year. The event is a $30 suggested donation, but pay what you can, see the farm, enjoy some local bites and listen to five solarpunk-ish writers tell stories about having an actual future. Eventbrite registration not required but greatly appreciated for headcount.

Free Clarion Masterclass July 21 at UCSD

For those of you in the southern half of California — or at least attending Comic Con — I’m teaching a masterclass at UCSD as part of the Clarion Foundation’s Science of Story Experience. Here’s the class description:

Science in Science Fiction & Fantasy
You read that right. From N. K. Jemisin’s geophysics-inspired magic system in The Broken Earth trilogy, to the dinosaurs that so often roam sword and sorcery tales, scientific concepts are all over the fantasy genre. In science fiction, they often amount to magic, or the concepts are outdated, or the latest popular-science fad has become a blunt plot instrument (eg. “quantum” everything). In an era where science is getting defunded and attacked at every turn, let’s learn how to wield it effectively in our stories, avoid tired tropes and misinformation, and write more convincing worlds — magical and otherwise.

It’s free and open to the public! Register here.

Recommended read: Krackle’s Last Movie by Chelsea Sutton

I’ve been reading Chelsea Sutton’s short stories for awhile and if I was in Southern California I’d be attending her theatrical productions as well (she’s primarily a playwright!) because her characters are so complex and real, her prose is so easy to fall into, and her themes always pluck at just the right heartstring while making me laugh at off-the-wall surprises on the way. Her first novella, Krackle’s Last Movie, is no exception, and weird as hell in all the right ways. The apprentice of a missing documentary filmmaker revisits the past to finish her mentor’s final film, uncovering the secrets of a series of painfully-human monsters on the way. Hard to put down, but why bother when it’s short enough to read in a day. You can order it now from Bookshop.org or your local independent bookstore.

That’s all for now! Keep looking out for each other, and each other’s freedom.

♡

T. K.