Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Maegan Poland @maeganpoland.bsky.social · 2h

It seems I have missed a story. I guess I'm not online enough.

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Maegan Poland @maeganpoland.bsky.social · 3h

Kelly Link?

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Maegan Poland @maeganpoland.bsky.social · 3h

Today my class read "The Happiest Day of Your Life" by Katherine Damm and the conversation was so insightful and so many students loved it and I want this energy forever. Big takeaways: Amazing characterization. We love Wyatt, we want more Wyatt. His love of leg stubble made him real.

Maegan Poland @maeganpoland.bsky.social · 2d

Playing with my toddler is, I imagine, a bit like being directed by David O. Russell. My performance as a tow truck continues to disappoint.

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Matt Novak @paleofuture.bsky.social · 3d

AI could never

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John Wiswell @wiswell.bsky.social · 3d

The voice. Which is really their perspective conveyed into prose.

A good main character lies at an odd angle against the plane of the world.

Quintessa Knight @quietblkgrl.blacksky.app · 3d

Q3: What’s one quality you NEED your main character to have when you’re writing fantasy, dystopian, sci fi?

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Heartland Signal @heartlandsignal.bsky.social · 4d

BREAKING: Masked Border Patrol agents aggressively arrested WGN video producer Debbie Brockman in Lincoln Square Friday morning, supposedly for "obstructing justice." (Video via Josh Thomas on Facebook)

Follow @heartlandsignal for more.

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Maegan Poland @maeganpoland.bsky.social · 4d

Can you watch Coco with a three year old? I want to watch it. I've never seen it. But the kid is just turning three

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Maegan Poland @maeganpoland.bsky.social · 5d

Just got locked into staying put for the holidays instead of visiting family thanks to a last-minute rescheduling (by the doctor) of a medical procedure.

Yet another Christmas without any extended family. 😭

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Juan Martinez @fulmerford.com · 6d

Hi, everyone! I‘ll be teaching Novel-in-a-Year with @storystudiochicago.bsky.social in 2026. This will be my third iteration of the class, with first drafts as the focus this time around. Registration is now open and will close November 7:

www.storystudiochicago.org/advanced-wri...

Novel in a Year: First Draft with Juan Martinez - StoryStudio Chicago

This is the year to write your novel Novel in a Year: First Draft is a unique opportunity to join a writing cohort, study novel craft, workshop key scenes, measure your progress, meet deadlines, and g...

www.storystudiochicago.org

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Maegan Poland @maeganpoland.bsky.social · 6d

I love this analysis of the omniscient narrator in Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House.
@thelincoln.bsky.social writes how in some passages, "I can’t help but think it is Hill House itself speaking to the reader, hinting at, yet still keeping hidden, its many mysteries."

Lincoln Michel @thelincoln.bsky.social · 6d

Starting my October horror posting...

countercraft.substack.com/p/shirley-ja...

Shirley Jackson and the Eerie Omniscient Narrator

Some thoughts on the horror classic The Haunting of Hill House

countercraft.substack.com

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K.C. Mead-Brewer @kcmeadbrewer.com · 7d

I've been working on two different long-form projects this year, but just know that if you're ever interested in bringing on a genre reader or class speaker etc, I am HERE & super game to discuss short stories forever!

if you've read my work, this is probably the big one:

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Maegan Poland @maeganpoland.bsky.social · 7d

My husband, mumbling in the kitchen, after trying to return moldy gnocchi to the grocery, "Have just one kid and YOU see what a ruined meal prep feels like."

Maegan Poland @maeganpoland.bsky.social · 7d

This flash is so delightfully odd and beautiful.

"Earlier, when the plane had departed Arizona, the only things below us had been a giant planet of tan sand and a tiny pale grid of a town and a magical skid of snow that I later learned were dunes of gypsum. What appeared cold had actually not been"

hex @hexliterary.bsky.social · 7d

"I was once on a plane that suffered a monumental loss."

Folks, you aren't prepared for this new @whitneycollins.bsky.social story--perfectly written, utterly strange, incredibly compelling. We are so damn excited (and lucky) to share "Truth of Consequences" this week on hex! An absolute wonder! ✈️

Truth or Consequences by Whitney Collins

I was once on a plane that suffered a monumental loss. High above a green and turgid swath of Florida, one of the aircraft’s giant white engines began smoldering like a marshmallow. This mechanical de...

hexliterary.com

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Robbie Maakestad @robbiemaakestad.bsky.social · 7d

FYI, @therumpus.net is still open for essay submissions! If you want to get an idea of what we publish, check out the #RumpusEssays threads below.
therumpus.submittable.com/submit

The Rumpus Submission Manager

We have paused submissions for fiction and poetry, so we can catch up. We'll re-open for these categories on 10/15/2025.The Rumpus publishes original fiction, poetry, literary humor writing, comics, e...

therumpus.submittable.com

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Maegan Poland @maeganpoland.bsky.social · 9d

Parenthood has ruined horror movies for me. I'm crying over the ending of Weapons, which to everyone else I know, was just funny.

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Maegan Poland @maeganpoland.bsky.social · 10d

Stumbled upon a clip from Mermaids and was reminded that many years ago, in another life, I worked on a rewrite of a script with Richard Benjamin and he was so kind. (Script never got made, alas.)

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The Oregonian @oregonian.com · 10d

Federal officer blasts chemical spray into vocal but nonviolent Portland protester, video shows

The interaction illustrates how federal law enforcement officers do use aggressive tactics against protesters who yell and needle officers but don’t appear to present clear physical threats.

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Elizabeth Jacobs, PhD @elizabethjacobs.bsky.social · 10d

A baby has died of whooping cough in Mississippi amidst their worst pertussis outbreak in more than a decade.

If you have a loved one with an infant or are near babies a lot, please consider getting a pertussis booster, as is recommended by legitimate science and healthcare professionals.

Mississippi Baby Dies of Whooping Cough Amid Rising Cases

A baby in Mississippi has died of whooping cough for the first time since 2012. The baby was less than two months old—too young for vaccination.

www.mississippifreepress.org

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Maegan Poland @maeganpoland.bsky.social · 11d

I don't know you personally but I just saw this post and wanted to say I'm so sorry.

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K.C. Mead-Brewer @kcmeadbrewer.com · 12d

gonna include a list of possible flavor combinations in my next email to my agent

Emily C. Hughes @emilyhughes.bsky.social · 12d

no no the publishing industry is doing fine, why do you ask

A screenshot from Publisher's Lunch:
Jennifer L. Armentrout and Hellmann's
In a promotion designed for BookTok enjoyment, Jennifer L. Armentrout’s just-published THE PRIMAL OF BLOOD AND BONE is available in a special, limited-edition "garlic-scented copy, infused with Hellmann’s Garlic Aioli to create a one-of-a-kind, Craven-proof book." They explain: "This exclusive edition is printed with garlic-infused ink, designed to ward off Armentrout’s bloodthirsty monsters, the Craven. While humans may dread garlic breath, Hellmann’s has cleverly transformed this social faux pas into an unexpected – and delicious – form of supernatural protection."

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Maegan Poland @maeganpoland.bsky.social · 14d

If you follow me for creative writing content, I'm sorry, I have Crohn's and make TMI posts semi-regularly.

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Maria Haskins @mariahaskins.com · 14d

Strange Horizons turns 25 this year, which is pretty much an eternity in the world of spec fic zines, and I had the privilege of going through the archives for a special short fiction roundup: 2 x 25 Gems from Strange Horizons’ Archives

strangehorizons.com/wordpress/fi...

A Short Fiction Treasures Special: 2 x 25 Gems from Strange Horizons’ Archives

Going through the archives of Strange Horizons for this special column has been a bit like exploring a treasure chamber. I’ve picked fifty stories. I could have picked hundreds. Meaning: I left a l…

strangehorizons.com

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Maegan Poland @maeganpoland.bsky.social · 14d

The world may be ***gestures wildly*** but I decided to prioritize self care by buying myself the fancy colonoscopy prep pills.

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Mychal Threets @mychal3ts.bsky.social · 15d

🎶 Take a look, it's in a book 🎶

🥹 After nearly 20 years... Reading Rainbow is returning to motivate, help, and encourage kids to become avid readers with new episodes, new friends, new projects, and of course... new books! Make sure to follow the rainbow 📚🌈

#FollowTheRainbow

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