Alex Penland, Academia Native
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alexpenname.bsky.social
Alex Penland, Academia Native
@alexpenname.bsky.social
610 followers 660 following 750 posts
he/they.

Conlanger, former boy adventurer, Smithsonian alum, PhD at U of Edinburgh (MVAMO). ANDRION was published in 2023.

BSFA, BFS, SFWA; BSFA longlisted and Pushcart nominated. Interzone pubbed, etc.
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alexpenname.bsky.social
#Glutenfree baking adventures. I am DETERMINED to bake a good GF bread—one that looks like bread itself. Getting a proper dough feels like a good first step?

(It’s sitting on my hot water bottle so the yeast doesn’t get cold.)
A glass bowl covered with a paper towel. Inside the glass bowl is a lump of gluten free dough. The whole mess is sitting on a blue hot water bottle, which in turn is on my kitchen counter.
October 28, 2025 at 6:57 PM
alexpenname.bsky.social
Sometimes when you're constructing a language you work out a couple pet peeves.

(Screenshot is from my PhD dissertation, which includes language learning lessons on the #conlang Tybewana after each chapter of the associated novel.)

#conlanging #academicsky #tybewana
A list of vocabulary from the constructed language Tybewana, which is created by Alex Penland. Text is in Courier New font and the screen is in dark mode. Text reads as follows. lawa - “small laws”; simple rules such as those often given to a child (“look both ways before crossing the street”); simple rules made for safety or basic social interaction (“wear headphones while listening to music in public”). lawana - rule or law as made by a human authority, such as a judge or king. lawati - an ethical rule or law; one’s own moral code or rule of conduct; commandments given by a god.
October 22, 2025 at 12:34 PM
alexpenname.bsky.social
Reminds me of this picture I took in Oxford.
A display of Boris Johnson’s autobiography. In front of the display someone has placed a packet of toilet paper, upon which they have written “use this, it’s cheaper”
October 16, 2025 at 12:17 PM
alexpenname.bsky.social
So ready for the Hallozine fair in Edinburgh next week. I’ve got three zines for sale (two poetry, one autobiographical) and I’ll be leading an afternoon workshop on making poetry zines.

Plus lots of lino prints. Not sure I’ll be able to get my etchings together in time yet.
A promotional poster for the Hallozine fair listing Alex Penland as a tabler. A cute ghost reading a zine floats next to an image of the author, who is walking in a green wood. The promotion states that the event will happen on the 18th of October from 11:00-16:00 at the National Library of Scotland. A promotional poster for the Hallozine fair listing Alex Penland as a workshop host. A cute ghost reading a zine floats next to an image of a one-page zine with poetry written on the golden pages. The promotion states that the event will happen on the 18th of October from 11:00-16:00 at the National Library of Scotland. It also states that tickets are free and can be booked through the Hallozine eventbrite.
October 9, 2025 at 3:18 PM
alexpenname.bsky.social
Love a good fungi season!! And I saw a ton of other great mushrooms while out and about too!
September 21, 2025 at 6:47 PM
alexpenname.bsky.social
Just a weekend for the books, honestly. Four days with two of my favorite people, exploring, eating good food, and marveling at the odd things one finds on castle grounds…
The front of Blair Athol Distillery; the building is stone and covered with reddening Virginia Creeper vine. Two jars of jam from the Blair Castle estate: raspberry and strawberry. The strawberry is empty. The author returns from the greenery of the Faskally Woods. His head is turned down, watching where he walks; his hands are in the pockets of his long woolen coat. The single tusk of a narwhal, mounted on the ornamented walls of an interiore stair in Blair Castle. A plaque reads: The single tusk of a narwhal or arctic whale. These were often sold to the public by the early explorers and travelers as unicorn’s horns, which were believed to have magical properties.
September 21, 2025 at 3:56 PM
alexpenname.bsky.social
The morning update: it’s nearly gone!
September 21, 2025 at 8:10 AM
alexpenname.bsky.social
UNREASONABLY excited to have caught this inky cap mushroom as it bloomed
A variety of inky cap mushroom before it begins to spore. The mushroom is cream white with some browning on its crown. The mushroom has begun to spore and the mushroom on the left of the pair is beginning to digest itself, creating its signature ink in a curl at the bell’s edge. The mushrooms at night! The long white bells have peeled upwards and are threads with black goo. A nighttime close up of the older mushroom, which is peeling into itself and degrading into black goo.
September 20, 2025 at 10:17 PM
alexpenname.bsky.social
Things I have seen on top of bus stations: just a whole bunch of headphones???
The roof of an Edinburgh bus station. Five pairs of orange headphones are on top of the roof. All are bunched up and tangled.
September 18, 2025 at 11:17 AM
alexpenname.bsky.social
New (first) post in the paid-tier Writing Blog!

Today I took a look at some of the fundamentals of storytelling: stakes and tension. Specifically, I look at what stakes and tension *are*, and different ways to use them.

Big discount and link in thread.

#writingcommunity #booksky 🔱 #sffauthor
August 3, 2025 at 3:50 PM
alexpenname.bsky.social
I, uh, think I need to go grocery shopping.
The author’s shelf in their shared fridge. It holds one packet of blueberries, one packet of sugar snap peas, and a covered pot which ostensibly contains rice.
August 3, 2025 at 12:41 PM
alexpenname.bsky.social
First-ever Substack post!

Fourteen years ago today, my dad and I got the chance to shoot the final launch of a US Space Shuttle down in Cape Canaveral.

He was up on top of the VAB; I was on the fire escape outside Launch Control.

alexpenland.substack.com/p/flashback-...
image of the smoke rising off the launch pad after the final launch of a US space shuttle. The smoke column is huge and stretches from the horizon into the sky, where it is lost in the clouds. The view is partially obscured by scaffolding. Text reads as follows: The Personal Blog. Last Shuttle Out Of America.
July 9, 2025 at 4:02 PM
alexpenname.bsky.social
In the face of rising conservatism, the continuation of an endless war, and the general rising tide of hatred in this world, let us remember:

Existing without shame is an act of resistance.

Happy Pride from Edinburgh.
The author raises a homemade crochet progress pride flag over his head at a Pride parade. The author is wearing a black and white flannel, a black crop top, and suspenders over black jeans. He is covered in glitter and also sports a crochet green carnation. The flag consists of the trans and POC chevron in a butterfly stitch and seven ribbons in Pride colors, each with patterns corresponding to their meanings. Behind the author is a classic Edinburgh old town street and a crowd preparing for the parade. Image of the Pride parade in Edinburgh on June 21, 2025 on High Street. St. Giles cathedral is in the distance. In the foreground people wearing flags, raising signs, and cheering march forward in the hundreds.
June 22, 2025 at 9:55 AM
alexpenname.bsky.social
Ten thousand words over my PhD dissertation limit, but I can officially say I am DONE with the rough draft of the creative portion of my PhD.

("Mykewa" means "end of a long story" in the relevant conlang. It's used on gravestones as well as at the end of novels. The Tybe are storytellers.)
White text on a blue background which reads: Yes, Arthur would reply. Yes, he said, yes, every single time. MYKEWA 84,980 words
June 16, 2025 at 11:53 PM
alexpenname.bsky.social
Don’t worry. It’s decaf.

#madrushtotheend #phdlife #phddissertation #writersky #academicsky
A laptop on the table of a cafe with an iced latte sitting next to it.
June 13, 2025 at 10:42 AM
alexpenname.bsky.social
Notes from the dissertation no. 3. Creative dissertation is due MONDAY and fuck it keeps being longer than intended. I'm at my word count what do you mean the book isn't done yet.

We're fine. We're cool. We're relaxing and questioning our American perspectives.
June 12, 2025 at 11:46 AM
alexpenname.bsky.social
In case anyone was wondering where this print ended up, I put it in the Gay Corner.
June 2, 2025 at 8:21 PM
alexpenname.bsky.social
Happy Pride.
An intaglio printing of a breaching whale. The printing is not properly aligned to the page. In medieval-style handwriting is a quote from Moby Dick which reads: “see how elastic our stiff prejudices grow when love once comes to bend them”. Below the misaligned print is a dripping rainbow band in watercolor, which is aligned with edge the page (and gravity) but connects to the bottom of the misaligned print. It is watermarked with the artist’s name (Alex Penland) and user tag (@alexpenname).
June 1, 2025 at 4:14 PM
alexpenname.bsky.social
I guess this city’s okay sometimes. ❤️
May 23, 2025 at 11:32 AM
alexpenname.bsky.social
I got this lovely Victorian bone shuttle at an antique shop a couple months ago. I like to imagine that it was used by some lovely little Victorian girl who was just learning fiber arts…

…And that she immediately got her thread stuck, never to be removed. Damn you, little Victorian girl.
A Victorian bone shuttle, photographed in soft light against a messy desk. The same shuttle, with the artist tugging hopelessly at thread that’s been embedded in the shuttle for who knows how long.
May 19, 2025 at 10:01 PM
alexpenname.bsky.social
It's my birthday!

Wrote this on the hour; the word midnight was written at midnight. I should probably go to bed.

Here's to 34, darlings.
May 16, 2025 at 11:16 PM
alexpenname.bsky.social
Out-of-context dissertation note number two

I'm TRYING

#academicsky #phdlife #amwriting
Text which reads: CHAPTER TWELVE - Tidy up with above. - Make it like… actually good.
May 14, 2025 at 10:23 AM
alexpenname.bsky.social
Update: gave him too much credit.

#amwriting
May 3, 2025 at 11:11 AM
alexpenname.bsky.social
Had to get my library card updated so the self-scanner doesn’t work and I have to check my book out at reception and it’s a good thing I’m not an anxious person because
The title of the book held in the picture is SODOMY in all caps
May 2, 2025 at 10:49 AM
alexpenname.bsky.social
Out-of-context dissertation note number one.

#academicsky #academia #phdlife
white text in courier new font on a dark background which reads, in all capital letters, "Papa admits to his crimes".
May 1, 2025 at 11:29 PM