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Jasmine Shea Townsend

@authorjasmineshea.bsky.social

140 followers 90 following 290 posts

Writer of character-driven fantasy, sci-fi, magical realism, and literary fiction. 📚 I also run the page Black Girls Belong in Fantasy and Sci-Fi: bgbfs.bsky.social

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Jasmine Shea Townsend @authorjasmineshea.bsky.social · Nov 21

Welcome to my little corner of Bluesky! ☺️

Writing is my greatest passion.

My most recent publications include:

"Midnight in the Elder Woods" in Dream of Rust and Glass Vol. II (2024)
a.co/d/4DLlS0F

"Laments of a Time Witch" in Made of Rust and Glass Vol. II (2022)
a.co/d/0Si1Uis

Jasmine sits in her office on campus. Behind her is a bookshelf.

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Jasmine Shea Townsend @authorjasmineshea.bsky.social · Jun 30

It truly is! I'm so bad at it. I'm hounded by imposter syndrome the whole time.

Jasmine Shea Townsend @authorjasmineshea.bsky.social · Feb 10

I taught two George Saunders pieces ("Puppy" and "Sea Oak"), and now half my students are writing kind of like him.

It's cute and kind of funny.

Jasmine Shea Townsend @authorjasmineshea.bsky.social · Jan 31

The artist of this doll maker is Kinibee, by the way!

Jasmine Shea Townsend @authorjasmineshea.bsky.social · Jan 31

To pull myself out of this funk, I started writing down some ideas for magical girls.

Then I started making them on a doll maker, and oh my god I love them so much.

Left to right, their names are Indirah, Maylis, Jade, and Aleksandra. 🥹

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Jasmine Shea Townsend @authorjasmineshea.bsky.social · Jan 30

Both, really...

I think I will take a break.
But damn this shit sucks.

I don't know how I'll even come back.

Jasmine Shea Townsend @authorjasmineshea.bsky.social · Jan 30

Knowing I'm a good writer, but my stories are never "a good fit."
It's really affecting my psyche.

Like, writing is the most essential part of my identify.

I've never not been a writer. I was telling stories when I was still writing in crayon..

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Jasmine Shea Townsend @authorjasmineshea.bsky.social · Jan 18

The main characters here are Jamal and Malika, both children of Black Panthers.

The setting is that Obama has just won his first term.

Malika is very miliant, pro-black, and thinks Obama is just a figurehead.

(Will come back later. DnD session is about to start 😂)

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Jasmine Shea Townsend @authorjasmineshea.bsky.social · Jan 18

So in Imarisha's response, the aliens instead appeal to our sense of solidarity -- help free all scarred peoples of the galaxy in exchange for advancex technology, *only* to be used by the marginalized. +

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Jasmine Shea Townsend @authorjasmineshea.bsky.social · Jan 18

In the 90s one, the aliens offer gold and riches and tech beyond all imagination, in exchange for the U.S. selling its black population as slaves.
The U.S. sells them off in a heartbeat.

The one black conservative figures out, then, that his loyalty to the party all those years couldn't save him +

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Jasmine Shea Townsend @authorjasmineshea.bsky.social · Jan 18

It's called "Space Traitors" (2019) by Walidah Imarisha! It's written in response to "Space Traders" (1992) by Derrick Bell.

In both, aliens come to earth. In the 90s version, they ask for all the black people. In the 2019 version, they ask for all the "scarred peoples," so any people of color +

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Jasmine Shea Townsend @authorjasmineshea.bsky.social · Jan 18

I teach the kiddos about the Black Panthers every chance I get. 🥹
There's a specific sci-fi short story I teach that mentions them.

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Jasmine Shea Townsend @authorjasmineshea.bsky.social · Jan 18

Like, I like Jodie Whittaker and I loved her as the Doctor, but like... Chris Chibnall could never.

Jasmine Shea Townsend @authorjasmineshea.bsky.social · Jan 18

Dr. Who was one of the best things about living on this Earth, until Steven Moffat left.

Jasmine Shea Townsend @authorjasmineshea.bsky.social · Jan 17

Translating my WIP into French -- one paragraph a week -- is a good language exercise and helps me rethink the material when I have writer's block. 🥰
#writingcommunity

French translation of the first paragraph of my fantasy novel in progress.

Jasmine Shea Townsend @authorjasmineshea.bsky.social · Jan 17

That's fair!

I'm certainly doing my best! Teaching gets harder every semester, especially with A.I. creeping into everything. But I'm happy to be teaching creative writing again!

Gonna try to finish writing a novel this year.

And also I'm in a band. We're recording today 😃

Jasmine Shea Townsend @authorjasmineshea.bsky.social · Jan 17

Thanks, friend!

Gosh, I never see your posts -- how ARE you? 🥹

Jasmine Shea Townsend @authorjasmineshea.bsky.social · Jan 16

I added "Jesus Shaves" by David Sedaris to my syllabus this semester -- I'm so excited. 🥹

It's been a while since I've added a new short piece.

And anyway, the students tend not to enjoy "Puppy" by George Saunders as much as the others.

Honestly? Fair 😂

Jasmine Shea Townsend @authorjasmineshea.bsky.social · Jan 16

First office selfie of the semester!

My creative writing class is finally getting into the swing of things.

We had excellent discussions about "Wildwood" by Junot Diaz and "Model's Assistant" by Alissa Nutting

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Jasmine Shea Townsend @authorjasmineshea.bsky.social · Jan 14

So this thread covers some gaps in my knowledge 🥰

Jasmine Shea Townsend @authorjasmineshea.bsky.social · Jan 14

Thank you for this thread! 💕
I can't wait to check out the links when I get home.

As an amature historian, my knowledge includes Rococo era, mid-19th C to present day, but also the Viking age and all the stuff about Anglo-Saxons I learned studying old English +

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Jasmine Shea Townsend @authorjasmineshea.bsky.social · Jan 14

🥹💕

Jasmine Shea Townsend @authorjasmineshea.bsky.social · Jan 14

People who don't read and don't know what good writing look like think that A.I. writing is indistinguishable from good human writing.

Jasmine Shea Townsend @authorjasmineshea.bsky.social · Jan 14

The best of the OG four 😌

kenny from south park is standing in front of a computer monitor

Alt: kenny from south park is standing, looking angry, and talking; the subtitles say "[muffled]."

media.tenor.com

Jasmine Shea Townsend @authorjasmineshea.bsky.social · Jan 13

I must know more expeditiously

a woman in a blue scrub top is standing in front of a door with #schittscreek written on it

ALT: a woman in a blue scrub top is standing in front of a door with #schittscreek written on it

media.tenor.com

Jasmine Shea Townsend @authorjasmineshea.bsky.social · Jan 13

Right? Like, it's hard to get one's book noticed, it truly is.
But maybe try making actual connections with people first, and build an interesting feed.

Dude didn't even mention his book's title or what it was about.