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Steven D. Brewer

@stevendbrewer.com

2K followers 2.7K following 1.7K posts

Author of #LGBTQIA+ #ScienceFiction & #Fantasy #Books. Teacher of scientific writing. Lover of natural history. Faculty at UMass Amherst. Presiding Officer of the Faculty Senate. SFWA Secretary. Straw Dog Writers' Guild. Ekskabeinto. #WesternMass (he/him)

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Steven D. Brewer @stevendbrewer.com · 1d

maturaj fruktoj… sed la birdoj atendos, ĝis fermentitaj / ripe fruits… but the birds will wait, until fermented #hajko #haiku #esperanto #writeout

hawthorne berries

Steven D. Brewer @stevendbrewer.com · 1d

"There are bot flies that lay eggs on people. The maggots burrow into your skin and live in your flesh. They stick a bristle up through your skin to breathe, and…" She suddenly realized that he was horror struck with revulsion.
"That's awesome!" the girl said. "Where can I get one!" (3/3) #wss366

Steven D. Brewer @stevendbrewer.com · 1d

"Ah!" Totemo said. "Good eye! That's a leaf miner. Insect larvae eat a path through the leaf. See how it gets wider as they grow? There are even #stem, twig, and needle miners!"
"I'm glad there's nothing like that in people!" a boy said.
"Actually," Totemo said, warming to the subject. (2/3) #wss366

Steven D. Brewer @stevendbrewer.com · 1d

Totemo Isogashii and Lambda led a crowd of school children on a field trip. Lambda led them while Totemo pointed out features of plants and animals they encountered.
"What's this?" a little girl said, pointing at a leaf. A winding circuitous path was visible through the leaf's surface. (1/3) #wss366

Steven D. Brewer @stevendbrewer.com · 1d

Watching people who use commercial operating systems (or social media services) is like watching frogs in the water as it gets hotter and hotter.

Steven D. Brewer @stevendbrewer.com · 2d

"It's not an umbrella: It's a parasol," he said, bandying semantics like a pro.
"But why do you have it?" she pressed.
"To #shield me from the deadly actinic rays of the sun."
"It makes you look like a fop," she said, brightly.
"I prefer the more technical term 'flâneur,'" he said. (2/2) #wss366

Steven D. Brewer @stevendbrewer.com · 2d

The elderly gentleman strolled through the park. He was elegantly dressed for the hot, sunny weather, wearing a light-colored linen shirt and multi-colored vest. He carried a parasol with little pompoms around the edge.
"Why do you have an umbrella?" asked a little girl in the park. (1/2) #wss366

Steven D. Brewer @stevendbrewer.com · 3d

#WIPSnips "push" from The Ground Never Lies

They arrived at the building site. Mr. Gall waved his hand at Veronica vaguely. She pushed her awareness down into the soil and began to sketch out a map. Then she stopped.

"Huh. What's that?"

"What's what?"

"Look over here," she said, walking over to a bare patch of ground, near the edge of the building site.

"What is…" he started to say. "Oh. Oh. Just ignore that."

"But… Shouldn't we tell someone?"

He invaded her personal space and loomed over here.

"Look here, stupid," he hissed. "There are some things you don't want to get involved in. It's not a problem with the geology. It's not near where they'll build anything. Just keep your mouth shut."

Steven D. Brewer @stevendbrewer.com · 3d

Once the water finished draining through, Zsazsa removed the cone and handed the cup to Booboo who accepted it.
She inspected it suspiciously. "It looks like coffee." Then she tasted it. "It tastes like coffee! It's good! But I still want my cream and sugar."
"How barbaric, Darling!" (4/4) #wss366

Steven D. Brewer @stevendbrewer.com · 3d

Zsazsa took a pot off the stove and poured boiling water in circular patterns over the grounds. The scent of fresh coffee filled the air.
"It really does smell like coffee!" Booboo said.
"There are lots of ways to make coffee," Zsazsa confided. "But this one is supposed to be best." (3/4) #wss366

Steven D. Brewer @stevendbrewer.com · 3d

She walked over where Zsazsa had an object that looked like an inverted cone of glass and set it over a cup. She set a piece of #filter paper in it, and measured out 2 scoops of dark granules of something.
"Ew," said Booboo. "What's that?"
"That's what ground coffee beans look like." (2/4) #wss366

Steven D. Brewer @stevendbrewer.com · 3d

Booboo came downstairs at Mama-san's Izakaya, yawning. She walked over to the replicator to make herself coffee.
"Would like a cup of coffee?" Zsazsa asked.
"I can just punch it in myself," Booboo replied.
"No, Darling! Let me make you one!"
"Make one?" Booboo said, curiosity piqued. (1/4) #wss366

Steven D. Brewer @stevendbrewer.com · 3d

#WIPSnips "hope" from A Familiar Problem, coming soon from Water Dragon Publishing!

"You said you can transform yourself to look like pretty much anything, right?"
Tseluna nodded.
"Can you teach me how to transform?" he asked hopefully.
"Sorry," she said, patting his face. "I can transform because I'm a magical creature — I exist separately from the body I construct. You're a biological creature so it doesn't work for you: you *are* your body. You could learn body modification and, say, grow horns. But you'd still have to grow them the old-fashioned way." Rory was crushed.

Steven D. Brewer @stevendbrewer.com · 4d

"Oak galls! I'm going to make iron #gall ink!"
"We have ink," his mom said.
He gave her a silent stare.
"Are you going to make paper too?"
"You can do that too?" Ink forgotten, his excitement was palpable.
"Sure. Let me show you. We can find that other stuff later."
"You're the best!" (2/2) #wss366

Steven D. Brewer @stevendbrewer.com · 4d

"Do we have any iron sulfate?" the boy asked his mom.
"Say what now?"
"Iron sulfate!" he said excitedly. "I need some gum arabic too."
"I can't say as we have either of those things. What do you need them for?"
"Look!" he held up some round objects.
"Ew. What are those?" (1/2) #wss366

Steven D. Brewer @stevendbrewer.com · 4d

inter folioj, nur duone falintaj… malhelaj nuboj / between leaves, only half fallen… dark clouds #hajko #haiku #esperanto #writeout

dark clouds

Steven D. Brewer @stevendbrewer.com · 4d

I got some beautiful Jinhao fountain pens several years ago and liked them a lot. Eventually, the black lacquer began to peel off the cap, so I decided to replace them. This morning, I inked them and am now writing a letter. Perhaps later, weather permitting, I'll take them and go #writeout.

Two pretty jinhao fountain pens in a wooden box with steampunky googles in the background.

Steven D. Brewer @stevendbrewer.com · 4d

#WIPSnips "welcome" from The Better Angels and the Complex Cuddletum Conundrum.

When the buzzer sounded at the hatch of Angels' Wings, Bebe screamed, "Bebe will get it!"
When the hatch opened and Bebe saw who it was, she just said, "Oh. It's you." She turned her back and walked away.
"That's not much of a welcome," Racy harrumphed to David when she arrived on the bridge.
"Ever since Bebe found a package there," he explained, "she always hopes it will be a delivery."
He paused for a moment, waiting for Racy to say something, then finally prompted, "So what brings you to Angels' Wings?"
"Can't a friend just come to visit?" she purred.

Reposted by Steven D. Brewer

Philip Brewer @philipbrewer.net · 4d

Lots of pictures from the Zine-Fest and the Fungus-Fest, including stickers, t-shirts, and mushroom paintings on our arms WITH GLITTER. AND a recent Alphistia zine by @alphistia.bsky.social:

www.philipbrewer.net/2025/10/11/z...

Zine-fest and Fungus-fest!

Jackie and I spent an hour or so at the zine-fest at Lincoln Square, and then another hour or so at the fungus-fest at Anita Purvis Nature Center. The highlight of the zine-fest, of course, was Ton...

www.philipbrewer.net

Steven D. Brewer @stevendbrewer.com · 5d

"What are these?" she asked.
The bear looked down and snorted.
"I'll give you a hint. They're called 'owl pellets.'"
"Owl… You mean…" Brunhilde snickered.
Later in the afternoon, she saw Forrest keeping watch.
"Did you have a nice lunch?" she asked, then giggled uncontrollably. (3/3) #wss366

Steven D. Brewer @stevendbrewer.com · 5d

"It's beautiful!" Brunhilde marveled at the cathedral-like space under the canopy.
She picked up the ball, but then saw a some oddly shaped things on the ground composed of hair and bones. Older ones had broken down, leaving little more than piles of skulls, femurs, and other bones. (2/3) #wss366

Steven D. Brewer @stevendbrewer.com · 5d

Brunhilde giggled as she chased the ball, but then it bounced past the briars at the edge of the forest. She stopped, not wanting to get her pretty dress caught on the thorns.
"Let me help," the bear said. He held the thorny bushes back and let her slip through to under the trees. (1/3) #wss366

Reposted by Steven D. Brewer

Rosemary Jones @rosemaryjones.bsky.social · 15d

Looking forward to another online convention. I've been invited to speak at SFWA Quasar in November. The initial list of panels looks intriguing. Really designed for writers at all stages of their careers.

Against a blue clouds background the text says Join me at Quasar, SFWA's Fall Online Nebula Event, Free for Nebula attendees, $50 for new guests, Virtual Panels & Seminars, Grand Master Keynote, Office Hours, and other special guests. sfwa.org/events

Reposted by Steven D. Brewer

Laurence Raphael Brothers @lrb.bsky.social · 6d

I'm very happy to see this story published at last!

Hell Itself Magazine @hellitself.bsky.social · 6d

Today from Hell Itself: A fabulist science fiction ghost story by @lrb.bsky.social!

Munitions Release – Hell Itself

Steven D. Brewer @stevendbrewer.com · 6d

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