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Sadie Maskery

@saccharinequeen.bsky.social

1.6K followers 1.1K following 820 posts

Functions adequately. New poetry published by Red Ogre, 'The Usual Apologies ' (https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0DYVL2PZC ) Short story collection coming with Acid Bath Press later in the year. May contain smut.

www.amazon.co.uk

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Sadie Maskery @saccharinequeen.bsky.social · Nov 13

Btw - I write poetry, used to sing (jazz mainly, if you ask I will email you SO many wavs), and attempt to sketch. I have a book of stories coming out next year, but don't have a brain that can write long stuff. I've lived in Scotland with family for 30 years, still sound like Mary Poppins.

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Sadie Maskery @saccharinequeen.bsky.social · 1h

News, news! Overwhelmed to have made the Dithering Chaps shortlist with 'Have You Tried Turning Off And On Again?' What an amazing group of poets. Imposter Sydrome kicking off in three, two.....

#Poetry #BookSky 📚 💙 #SpokenWord #ScottishPoetry

www.ditheringchaps.com

Dithering Chaps website pretty field

https://www.ditheringchaps.com/

And here’s our shortlist …
Wednesday 15th October, 2025 - we’re proud to announce our April-September reading window shortlist.

Ceri Morgan - Unstuck

Gabriel May - Trumpet on a Clear Day

Beth McDonough – Los Caprichos and the Agency of Blue Collar Angels

Eloise Unerman - a skeleton, finally

Sadie Maskery - Have You Tried Turning Off And On Again?

We couldn’t be happier at the prospect of reading each of these original and poetically stunning collections in full. It’s going to be a very tough call for us to choose just one. Stay tuned for our winner announcement in late November! https://www.ditheringchaps.com/

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Dithering Chaps - submissions open @ditheringchaps.bsky.social · 1h

We’re proud to announce our April-Sep reading window shortlist. We couldn't be happier at the prospect of reading each of these original and poetically-stunning collections in full.
It’ll be a very tough call to choose just one...
#DitheringChaps @saccharinequeen.bsky.social @cerimair.bsky.social

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Sadie Maskery @saccharinequeen.bsky.social · 1h

Thank you so much, I am having a little moment of panic and chocolate inhumation.

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Mike O’Brien @zoomburst.substack.com · 6h

It's less than a fortnight until Poetry and Palaver 3 (The madness of Poetry and Palaver). If you can make it by plane, train, automobile, e-bike, or shanks's pony, do come along.

A seated King George III, with Mike O'Brien peeping over his arm, with a snail, a fish a giraffe a pair of spectacles and the sixty odd flower publicising an event in Mexborough, Town of Culture.

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bleary @bleary.off-the-records.com · 1d

If anyone needs me I will be in the museum, lying down next to the bog bodies.

Did people really memorize phone numbers before cell phones, or is that just a movie thing?
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I was watching some old shows from the 90s and noticed people would just dial numbers from memory - like they'd call their friends or family without looking anything up.
Made me wonder if that was actually normal back then? Did people genuinely have all their important numbers memorized, or did most folks keep a little address book or written list nearby?

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Ursula K. Le Guin @ursulakleguin.com · 4d

Today, The Word for World: The Maps of Ursula K. Le Guin opens at AA Gallery in London! Curated by Sarah Shin and Harriet Jennings, the exhibition presents a selection of Ursula's maps, including some that have never been exhibited before.

A photo of the entrance to The Word for World exhibition, with two banners hanging vertically down outside the doorway to a brick building with white-paned windows. A row of bicycles are parked in front. The banners are purple and white and say the name of the exhibition and Ursula K. Le Guin's name.

A cord-wrapped rock rests on a vivid blue background next to a map of and program for The Word for World exhibition.

A stack of copies of The Word for World book, which shows the title in vivid blue against a black cloth cover.

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Sadie Maskery @saccharinequeen.bsky.social · 1d

When are you back towards Edinburgh, Robin?

Sadie Maskery @saccharinequeen.bsky.social · 1d

All the love to @ogre.red @dreich.bsky.social @iambapoet.com @feversof.bsky.social @alienbuddhapress.bsky.social @acidbathpublishing.bsky.social and other independent publishers who have patiently helped me work out that it is ok, I can write things worth sharing. #LiftToTheSky #Poetry

DrNaturegirl @drnaturegirl.debbiemross.co.uk · 1d

Today for #LiftToTheSky we should give a boost to our lovely wee indie presses who are often run by solo enthusiasts wanting to give a voice to lesser known poets. They put in a lot of hard graft to curate anthologies, run social media accounts and workshops and support poets in untold ways. 1/2

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Matthew Parkinson-Bennett @matthewpb.bsky.social · 2d

Returns from a chain bookshop have reduced our sales to a minus figure in the most important sales month of the year.

Please support independent bookshops this Christmas.

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Tom Cox @dj-acid-reflux.bsky.social · Sep 7

Yes it could be argued that keeping up with world events is important but alternatively can I interest you in hugging an ancient mossy boulder that looks like a face and quietly listening while it tells you stories from centuries cloaked in mist.

A lovely mossy boulder with a face. I walked past this venerable stone gentleman on Dartmoor when I was beginning to write my first novel, Villager, and it whispered all 104,000 words of the book to me. So now I have to pay it all of my royalties. Unfortunately my ex-publisher stopped paying me royalties last year. Understandable, the boulder was not happy. But now I have a new publisher and the book is being republished this Thursday. So remember if you purchase a copy you will be helping a boulder to eat, pay the rent on his riverside moss garden, and feed his boulder family.

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Martin Nutbeem @martinnutbeem.bsky.social · 3d

Where. Is. His. Poppy?

Bevis Musson @bevismusson.bsky.social · 3d

Mr England is setting the tone here for Europe which is very much What The Actual Fuck. The only thing impressive about this is that it's not actually the worst that Europe has to offer.

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Tom Cox @dj-acid-reflux.bsky.social · 3d

When you write a book, you actually write several books. There's the one you know you wrote. Then there's the one your readers bring their experiences to. Suddenly your book becomes lots of different books, all equally valid.

But the book someone part-reads or presumes you wrote? That can fuck off.

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Sadie Maskery @saccharinequeen.bsky.social · 3d

Imogen Stirling was staggered by my poem! I'm thrilled to have made second place behind the lyrical Glasgow Waltz by Don J Taylor. #ScottishAssociationofWriters #SAW #JamesMuirPoetryCompetition #Poetry #ScottishPoetry

www.scottishassociationofwriters.com/summer-compe...

Summer Competition Results 2025 – Scottish Association of Writers

www.scottishassociationofwriters.com

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Sadie Maskery @saccharinequeen.bsky.social · 3d

Action shot #Cat

Blurred but graphic photograph of elderly tabby cat whopping a smaller annoying black cat.

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Jonathan Edward Durham @thisone0verhere.bsky.social · 3d

A haunted house but every room is just somebody googling something inefficiently and you’re not allowed to help

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derek guy @dieworkwear.bsky.social · 4d

a friend of mine in antifa told me that antifa's headquarters is SHEIN and if the company fell the whole network would fall

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The Whimsical Muse @whimsicalmuse.bsky.social · 3d

I cannot stress this strongly enough: Support your local theatre, café, bookstore, bakery, and library. We breathe life into these places when we support them. They need us, and more importantly, we need them.

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Lev Parikian @levparikian.bsky.social · 4d

Anyway, today is World Migratory Bird Day, so I invite you to spend a minute contemplating those extraordinary journeys, perhaps by looking at the European Migration Atlas. migrationatlas.org

Bird Migration Atlas

This online Migration Atlas covers the huge geographical area represented by two continents, encompassing the flyways between Eurasia and Africa. Movements in time and space of 300 bird species are ma...

migrationatlas.org

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Keith W. Dickinson @keithwdickinson.bsky.social · 7d

Today is a day when arts degrees are worthless, but the product of those degrees is so valuable it would kill an entire industry if they were made to pay for it.

The Verge @theverge.com · May 26

Nick Clegg says asking artists for use permission would ‘kill’ the AI industry

Paul McCartne, Elton John and others signed an open letter.

buff.ly

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Sadie Maskery @saccharinequeen.bsky.social · 6d

Thanks my lovely x

Sadie Maskery @saccharinequeen.bsky.social · 6d

This translation reads very well, but obviously my brain sees and hears only the actors from the TV series.

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Sadie Maskery @saccharinequeen.bsky.social · 6d

Hurray, on this magnificent longlist. (A couple of the submitted poems are to be published by @dreich.bsky.social I think, so double hurray.) Please please cross fingers for me, I really like Dithering Chaps (and any excuse to travel to the south coast). #Poetry #BookSky 📚 💙

Dithering Chaps - submissions open @ditheringchaps.bsky.social · 6d

We’re pleased to announce our longlist of poets under consideration for publication in May 2026!
The full list of longlisted poets is on our website: www.ditheringchaps.com/news
Our shortlist will be announced on 15th October.
Thank you to everyone who submitted - your work matters!

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Sadie Maskery @saccharinequeen.bsky.social · 6d

youtu.be/J-SUoHmpRdM?...

Sadie Maskery @saccharinequeen.bsky.social · 7d

Treasures from the St Columbas bookshop in Canonmills! #Books #BookSky

Pile of old books including Monkey (yay!)

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Sadie Maskery @saccharinequeen.bsky.social · 8d

AAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!