Blair Hurley
@bhurley.bsky.social
Writer. THE DEVOTED 2018, MINOR PROPHETS 2023. Book lover, tea nerd, host of the Writerly Bites podcast.
Reposted by Blair Hurley
My favourite year for oppressed literary masculinity was 2023 when the number of women on the Booker shortlist was smaller than the number of men named Paul
Exactly one woman has won the Booker in the past six years www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
November 16, 2025 at 3:14 PM
My favourite year for oppressed literary masculinity was 2023 when the number of women on the Booker shortlist was smaller than the number of men named Paul
Thrilled to have a short story, "Hairwork", in the new issue of @redividermag.bsky.social. It's about postpartum life and loss, Victorian hair art, grief and madness: redivider.emerson.edu/hairwork/
Hairwork – Redivider
redivider.emerson.edu
November 15, 2025 at 8:19 PM
Thrilled to have a short story, "Hairwork", in the new issue of @redividermag.bsky.social. It's about postpartum life and loss, Victorian hair art, grief and madness: redivider.emerson.edu/hairwork/
Why I’m sitting in a parking lot of a Trader Joe’s: I tried to take the kids with me to get snacks but everyone fell asleep in the car, help
November 6, 2025 at 9:50 PM
Why I’m sitting in a parking lot of a Trader Joe’s: I tried to take the kids with me to get snacks but everyone fell asleep in the car, help
Toddler is home sick, I'm trying to manage my expectations for what I can get done today. Sometimes the day is just thinking about your novel while a kid eats a muffin on your lap.
October 29, 2025 at 3:30 PM
Toddler is home sick, I'm trying to manage my expectations for what I can get done today. Sometimes the day is just thinking about your novel while a kid eats a muffin on your lap.
Hosted a Halloween cookie decorating play date, everyone had a great time but I’m still recovering from having a house full of running five year olds. Fell asleep on the couch at 9pm
October 26, 2025 at 12:02 PM
Hosted a Halloween cookie decorating play date, everyone had a great time but I’m still recovering from having a house full of running five year olds. Fell asleep on the couch at 9pm
I'm taking on more editorial clients this fall! If you're looking for an overhaul of your novel, an edit of your short stories, or in-depth content editing, I'm your gal: blairhurley.com/editorial
October 16, 2025 at 5:20 PM
I'm taking on more editorial clients this fall! If you're looking for an overhaul of your novel, an edit of your short stories, or in-depth content editing, I'm your gal: blairhurley.com/editorial
Reposted by Blair Hurley
To become dependent on ChapGPT is to evacuate yourself from your own life.
YIKES, no thanks. I’m gonna be alive inside every damn thing I do, even and especially the ish I don’t wanna do.
YIKES, no thanks. I’m gonna be alive inside every damn thing I do, even and especially the ish I don’t wanna do.
October 15, 2025 at 8:35 PM
To become dependent on ChapGPT is to evacuate yourself from your own life.
YIKES, no thanks. I’m gonna be alive inside every damn thing I do, even and especially the ish I don’t wanna do.
YIKES, no thanks. I’m gonna be alive inside every damn thing I do, even and especially the ish I don’t wanna do.
I was shocked when I finally read Rip Van Winkle and learned he only goes to sleep for 20 years. Through cultural osmosis I thought he went to sleep for 100 years - did anyone else think this?
October 4, 2025 at 2:58 AM
I was shocked when I finally read Rip Van Winkle and learned he only goes to sleep for 20 years. Through cultural osmosis I thought he went to sleep for 100 years - did anyone else think this?
Delighted to announce that the Writerly Bites podcast is back! Look out for new episodes each week on how to make your writing better, one small step at a time. This week's episode is about re-connecting with old work: redcircle.com/shows/1fb3ce...
112: Re-connect with Your Writing
Listen to The Writerly Bites Podcast on RedCircle
redcircle.com
September 29, 2025 at 3:29 PM
Delighted to announce that the Writerly Bites podcast is back! Look out for new episodes each week on how to make your writing better, one small step at a time. This week's episode is about re-connecting with old work: redcircle.com/shows/1fb3ce...
My two year old just poured his miso soup into his milk and Cheerios and is happily eating it. Should I be…horrified or just pleased that he’s an adventurous eater?
September 26, 2025 at 4:48 PM
My two year old just poured his miso soup into his milk and Cheerios and is happily eating it. Should I be…horrified or just pleased that he’s an adventurous eater?
You know you're onto something when an idea just won't leave you alone. You find you have more and more questions about it that must be answered. It's a sign that you're writing something you need to write.
September 26, 2025 at 2:21 PM
You know you're onto something when an idea just won't leave you alone. You find you have more and more questions about it that must be answered. It's a sign that you're writing something you need to write.
So true- language has meaning, and adopting the language the tech companies want us to is lazy journalism and writing.
This is not a romance. Nobody is "in love" with apps. There are no A.I. boyfriends. You cannot "date" a chatbot. Accepting this framing and treating it as real is tech-industry propaganda. slate.com/technology/2...
She Broke Off Two Engagements. She Couldn’t Commit. Now She’s Dating Chatbots Instead.
As chatbot romance grows more common, women are redefining what they want from a partner—even if they are just ones and zeros.
slate.com
September 25, 2025 at 12:15 PM
So true- language has meaning, and adopting the language the tech companies want us to is lazy journalism and writing.
Reposted by Blair Hurley
Earlier this year, ProPublica found that the sepsis rate in second-trimester pregnancy loss hospitalizations increased by more than 50% under Texas’ abortion ban.
Here’s how we did our analysis.
(Published Feb. 2025)
Here’s how we did our analysis.
(Published Feb. 2025)
Texas Won’t Study How Its Abortion Ban Impacts Women, So We Did
Since Texas banned abortion, no one has studied the statewide effects on pregnant women experiencing complications. Here’s how we sifted through data on millions of pregnancy hospitalizations and anal...
www.propublica.org
September 21, 2025 at 1:00 AM
Earlier this year, ProPublica found that the sepsis rate in second-trimester pregnancy loss hospitalizations increased by more than 50% under Texas’ abortion ban.
Here’s how we did our analysis.
(Published Feb. 2025)
Here’s how we did our analysis.
(Published Feb. 2025)
Back to a writing routine that feels really great - a ten minute yoga routine in the morning followed by some handwriting in my notebook. It’s exciting to be working on new projects and putting my writing first in the mornings.
September 15, 2025 at 9:44 PM
Back to a writing routine that feels really great - a ten minute yoga routine in the morning followed by some handwriting in my notebook. It’s exciting to be working on new projects and putting my writing first in the mornings.
Reposted by Blair Hurley
After 8 years of buying the fiction for libraries, I’ve decided the most sellable title, based on trends, for a book has to be The Woman’s Daughter’s Girl. I will write this and make millions.
September 2, 2025 at 11:52 PM
After 8 years of buying the fiction for libraries, I’ve decided the most sellable title, based on trends, for a book has to be The Woman’s Daughter’s Girl. I will write this and make millions.
Just got back from a big family trip to Australia. Had a wonderful time seeing the animals and the sights and family members; and now it's back to normal life and writing. I love traveling but I love the first days back almost as much.
September 1, 2025 at 11:45 AM
Just got back from a big family trip to Australia. Had a wonderful time seeing the animals and the sights and family members; and now it's back to normal life and writing. I love traveling but I love the first days back almost as much.
I love how toddlers learn the simplest aspects of language simultaneously with imitation of more complex language style. My toddler is just learning to say "vacuum cleaner" but when his Legos come apart he will rest his chin in his hand and say "Oh, dear."
August 29, 2025 at 5:48 PM
I love how toddlers learn the simplest aspects of language simultaneously with imitation of more complex language style. My toddler is just learning to say "vacuum cleaner" but when his Legos come apart he will rest his chin in his hand and say "Oh, dear."
Interesting article on pragmatics in linguistics and how they convey the thinking mind behind expressed language: www.nytimes.com/2025/08/28/o...
Opinion | The Single Word That Explains Why Chatbots Sound So Human
www.nytimes.com
August 29, 2025 at 5:47 PM
Interesting article on pragmatics in linguistics and how they convey the thinking mind behind expressed language: www.nytimes.com/2025/08/28/o...
In Melbourne for a day longer than I planned thanks to my flight being canceled- but we’re making the most of it with additional trips to Brunetti’s for pastries and lattes
August 23, 2025 at 11:55 PM
In Melbourne for a day longer than I planned thanks to my flight being canceled- but we’re making the most of it with additional trips to Brunetti’s for pastries and lattes
Newly Discovered Origami Patterns Put the Bloom on the Fold www.nytimes.com/2025/08/19/s...
Newly Discovered Origami Patterns Put the Bloom on the Fold
www.nytimes.com
August 20, 2025 at 6:31 AM
Newly Discovered Origami Patterns Put the Bloom on the Fold www.nytimes.com/2025/08/19/s...
Just finished Yael van der Wouden's THE SAFEKEEP and found it riveting. A tightly coiled, restrained novel that explodes into eroticism and then historical horror — both somehow not overblown or maudlin. Such tight characterization. #amreading
August 13, 2025 at 11:13 PM
Just finished Yael van der Wouden's THE SAFEKEEP and found it riveting. A tightly coiled, restrained novel that explodes into eroticism and then historical horror — both somehow not overblown or maudlin. Such tight characterization. #amreading
I'm in Melbourne, Australia for a couple of weeks, visiting family. Happily between the biggest work obligations so I'm committing to just experiencing the trip: taking pictures, writing in my notebook, eating interesting food.
August 12, 2025 at 11:53 PM
I'm in Melbourne, Australia for a couple of weeks, visiting family. Happily between the biggest work obligations so I'm committing to just experiencing the trip: taking pictures, writing in my notebook, eating interesting food.
Currently reading a novel that makes me wonder if the author has a true contempt for their own characters — or perhaps they're just seeing the characters with such clear-eyed honesty that it can feel contemptuous. Do we need to love everyone we write? I think empathetic understanding is enough.
August 5, 2025 at 9:15 PM
Currently reading a novel that makes me wonder if the author has a true contempt for their own characters — or perhaps they're just seeing the characters with such clear-eyed honesty that it can feel contemptuous. Do we need to love everyone we write? I think empathetic understanding is enough.
Great class with a bunch of talented novelists last night. We talked among other things about rest and productivity — how living life for a while can enrich our writing.
August 5, 2025 at 9:13 PM
Great class with a bunch of talented novelists last night. We talked among other things about rest and productivity — how living life for a while can enrich our writing.
Reading Susan Choi's FLASHLIGHT and it's a pleasure to sink into her sentences — sometimes like teasing out a knot but always worth it to discover the layers and folds of meaning within every moment.
July 26, 2025 at 3:00 AM
Reading Susan Choi's FLASHLIGHT and it's a pleasure to sink into her sentences — sometimes like teasing out a knot but always worth it to discover the layers and folds of meaning within every moment.