José Pablo Iriarte
@labyrinthrat.bsky.social
Spec fic author and middle grade novelist. Cuban-American ceterosexual enby. They/them.
Debut MG novel BENNY RAMÍREZ AND THE NEARLY DEPARTED is a Norton, BSFA, Ignyte, and Florida SSYRA finalist!!!
https://linktr.ee/labyrinthrat
Debut MG novel BENNY RAMÍREZ AND THE NEARLY DEPARTED is a Norton, BSFA, Ignyte, and Florida SSYRA finalist!!!
https://linktr.ee/labyrinthrat
Pinned
Just a reminder, if you've got young-at-heart readers in your life who love funny ghost stories. 😊
Reposted by José Pablo Iriarte
To be honest the first half of this palindrome is much better than naht retteb hcum si emordnilap siht fo flah tsrif eht tsenoh eb ot.
November 26, 2025 at 10:49 PM
To be honest the first half of this palindrome is much better than naht retteb hcum si emordnilap siht fo flah tsrif eht tsenoh eb ot.
Reposted by José Pablo Iriarte
![Comic. Panels up to the 10-year point are grayed out. New panels since the Ten Years comic, which chronicles the first ten years of PERSON 1's journey with cancer: (1) [two people in bed] PERSON 1 (woman): One more chapter? PERSON 2 (man): Don’t we both have to get up early? PERSON 1: Nnnnnggggh PERSON 2: Sure, good point. (2) [many people wearing masks, walking while looking at graphs on their phones] (3) [birds landing on people] PERSON 2 in beanie and scarf: Hah! They like *my* seeds best. PERSON 1 in scarf holding phone with a bird sitting on it: Wait, how do I take a picture of this one? (4) [two people rowing boats with tree landscape] (5) [Person 1 carries overflowing stack of things to Person 2 in bed] PERSON 1: I brought you honey lemon tea, more pillows, a cinnamon roll, Tylenol, another blanket, a– PERSON 2: It was just Appendicitis, I’m really– PERSON 1: *It is my turn to take care of you and I am going to do it right!* (6) [Two people in car] (7) [still in car) PERSON 1: Oh my god. PERSON 2: Oh my god. (8) [car driving] PERSON 1: Pull over! PERSON 2: I am! (9) [both people get out of car] (10) [Large colored panel of aurora borealis over water with both people looking on] (11) [Person 1 sits against tree while Person 2 lies on the ground] PERSON 1: Fifteen years. No sign of the cancer. (12) I *am* having some weird symptoms. Joint pain. Fatigue. I think I’m losing my close-up vision. PERSON 2: Yeah. Me too. (13) PERSON 2: I think we’re getting old. (14) PERSON 1: I guess that’s okay. PERSON 2: It’s all I wanted.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:cz73r7iyiqn26upot4jtjdhk/bafkreihwhjblp5lyiwp63ouar7ocfea7evmckytoeo7rkfuoo4gw5rnrra@jpeg)
November 26, 2025 at 10:32 PM
Just a fairly constant state of grief when I think of all the generational damage this administration has already done in such a short period of time, and is in a position to keep doing for years.
November 26, 2025 at 10:52 PM
Just a fairly constant state of grief when I think of all the generational damage this administration has already done in such a short period of time, and is in a position to keep doing for years.
We don't usually watch television, but when we travel we tend to watch a bunch, and an incredible percentage of the ads I see are for Medicare Part C. Do pretty much only senior citizens watch broadcast television?
(Or is it more about the shows I watch when I travel?)
(Or is it more about the shows I watch when I travel?)
November 26, 2025 at 10:47 PM
We don't usually watch television, but when we travel we tend to watch a bunch, and an incredible percentage of the ads I see are for Medicare Part C. Do pretty much only senior citizens watch broadcast television?
(Or is it more about the shows I watch when I travel?)
(Or is it more about the shows I watch when I travel?)
A month or so back a former student of mine who grew up to be an "enlightenment through hallucinogenics" kind of hippie lit up a facebook post of mine over LLMs, saying I should adapt as an artist or become obsolete*, which . . . is so at odds with his professed values it still makes my head spin.
November 26, 2025 at 8:21 PM
A month or so back a former student of mine who grew up to be an "enlightenment through hallucinogenics" kind of hippie lit up a facebook post of mine over LLMs, saying I should adapt as an artist or become obsolete*, which . . . is so at odds with his professed values it still makes my head spin.
Reposted by José Pablo Iriarte
Anybody who is like “Piracy is activism!”—trust me, supporting your local library is about 1000% more effective activism, and it’s still free for you and authors still get paid!
November 26, 2025 at 8:02 PM
Anybody who is like “Piracy is activism!”—trust me, supporting your local library is about 1000% more effective activism, and it’s still free for you and authors still get paid!
There's like a 12% discount on the Kobo I covet, but my cruddy old one works just fine and I can't justify spending a couple hundred dollars on something I don't need, even with a discount. Meh.
But if you're looking for a Kobo, hey, FYI.
But if you're looking for a Kobo, hey, FYI.
November 26, 2025 at 8:03 PM
There's like a 12% discount on the Kobo I covet, but my cruddy old one works just fine and I can't justify spending a couple hundred dollars on something I don't need, even with a discount. Meh.
But if you're looking for a Kobo, hey, FYI.
But if you're looking for a Kobo, hey, FYI.
Wireless sideloading ought to be standard with e-readers, and it's mind-boggling to me that it's not.
November 26, 2025 at 8:01 PM
Wireless sideloading ought to be standard with e-readers, and it's mind-boggling to me that it's not.
Reposted by José Pablo Iriarte
Things to be thankful for: an upcoming workshop with @labyrinthrat.bsky.social & @elleeire.bsky.social!
Regaining and Maintaining Writing Motivation
Dec 6, 1-3pm EDT
Virtual via GoogleMeet
Register: regaining-and-maintaining-writing-motivation.eventbrite.com
Regaining and Maintaining Writing Motivation
Dec 6, 1-3pm EDT
Virtual via GoogleMeet
Register: regaining-and-maintaining-writing-motivation.eventbrite.com
November 26, 2025 at 7:25 PM
Things to be thankful for: an upcoming workshop with @labyrinthrat.bsky.social & @elleeire.bsky.social!
Regaining and Maintaining Writing Motivation
Dec 6, 1-3pm EDT
Virtual via GoogleMeet
Register: regaining-and-maintaining-writing-motivation.eventbrite.com
Regaining and Maintaining Writing Motivation
Dec 6, 1-3pm EDT
Virtual via GoogleMeet
Register: regaining-and-maintaining-writing-motivation.eventbrite.com
When I learn lessons as a writer, they don't always *stay* learned. Every few years I'll have an epiphany and realize that I already had this very epiphany years ago, and then got so focused on other lessons that I simply . . . forgot.
November 26, 2025 at 4:57 PM
When I learn lessons as a writer, they don't always *stay* learned. Every few years I'll have an epiphany and realize that I already had this very epiphany years ago, and then got so focused on other lessons that I simply . . . forgot.
Reposted by José Pablo Iriarte
I want this moment for us
Good morning to Brazilian reporter Manuela Borges, who’s been waiting eleven years for this petty moment. ❤️ 🇧🇷
November 26, 2025 at 3:27 PM
I want this moment for us
"Unfinished Architectures of the Human-Fae War," by @carolinemyoachim.bsky.social is a neat blend of fantasy and science fiction and found fiction--time bubbles and stasis fields and generation ships, Oh my!
www.uncannymagazine.com/article/unfi...
#labyrinthratreads2025
www.uncannymagazine.com/article/unfi...
#labyrinthratreads2025
November 26, 2025 at 2:35 PM
"Unfinished Architectures of the Human-Fae War," by @carolinemyoachim.bsky.social is a neat blend of fantasy and science fiction and found fiction--time bubbles and stasis fields and generation ships, Oh my!
www.uncannymagazine.com/article/unfi...
#labyrinthratreads2025
www.uncannymagazine.com/article/unfi...
#labyrinthratreads2025
"The Millay Illusion," by @sarahpinsker.bsky.social.
This was a magical story, and I would have happily spent way more time with Lottie and Susanna.
#labyrinthratreads2025
www.uncannymagazine.com/article/the-...
This was a magical story, and I would have happily spent way more time with Lottie and Susanna.
#labyrinthratreads2025
www.uncannymagazine.com/article/the-...
The Millay Illusion - Uncanny Magazine
For the whole of the year that I now look back on as the best of my life, Susanna Miller’s act began twenty-three minutes after mine ended. I went first, to warm up the crowd, followed by the dog trai...
www.uncannymagazine.com
November 25, 2025 at 3:04 PM
"The Millay Illusion," by @sarahpinsker.bsky.social.
This was a magical story, and I would have happily spent way more time with Lottie and Susanna.
#labyrinthratreads2025
www.uncannymagazine.com/article/the-...
This was a magical story, and I would have happily spent way more time with Lottie and Susanna.
#labyrinthratreads2025
www.uncannymagazine.com/article/the-...
This tells you how often I go see a movie in a theater: I just got listings for something called "D-Box"? Is this for real? What in the Hunger Games is this??
Has anybody ever seen a movie this way? Is this cool, a ripoff, or excessively jerky?
Has anybody ever seen a movie this way? Is this cool, a ripoff, or excessively jerky?
November 25, 2025 at 2:00 PM
This tells you how often I go see a movie in a theater: I just got listings for something called "D-Box"? Is this for real? What in the Hunger Games is this??
Has anybody ever seen a movie this way? Is this cool, a ripoff, or excessively jerky?
Has anybody ever seen a movie this way? Is this cool, a ripoff, or excessively jerky?
I love it when I'm looking for a branch of a business near me, and I tell their website where I'm located, but they're like, no, no, we know where you are, and give me all the locations in Illinois.
November 25, 2025 at 1:56 PM
I love it when I'm looking for a branch of a business near me, and I tell their website where I'm located, but they're like, no, no, we know where you are, and give me all the locations in Illinois.
Reposted by José Pablo Iriarte
Can I slip mine in before the deadlines?
I'm gonna do an eligibility post because I don't expect any other publications this year.
Writing in 2025:
1. The Flaming Embusen (short story) available in text and audio:
1/4
Writing in 2025:
1. The Flaming Embusen (short story) available in text and audio:
1/4
The Flaming Embusen - Uncanny Magazine
Jero cleared his throat before he continued speaking into the phone. “Up to this moment it could not positively have been asserted that the man, in spite of his tantalizing declaration, was really in ...
www.uncannymagazine.com
November 24, 2025 at 8:24 PM
Can I slip mine in before the deadlines?
Reposted by José Pablo Iriarte
My Persephone story is out today! Check out Flower and Root at @morningtransport.bsky.social !
The Sunday Morning Transport descends again today with a story from J.R. Dawson (@jrdawson.bsky.social) about how the public narrative can miss the real truth. Read a sample or subscribe for the whole story!
Flower and Root
J.R. Dawson brings us this week a bouquet of mythical proportions.
www.sundaymorningtransport.com
November 23, 2025 at 7:33 PM
My Persephone story is out today! Check out Flower and Root at @morningtransport.bsky.social !
Reposted by José Pablo Iriarte
latest sham investigation just dropped
November 24, 2025 at 4:53 PM
latest sham investigation just dropped
My love language is sitting next to you in bed, texting you memes.
November 24, 2025 at 7:42 PM
My love language is sitting next to you in bed, texting you memes.
Reposted by José Pablo Iriarte
I think by now we have to accept the fact that Waldo is probably dead.
November 24, 2025 at 2:29 AM
I think by now we have to accept the fact that Waldo is probably dead.
Reposted by José Pablo Iriarte
DOGE was created for data theft and infrastructure dismantling and it wildly succeeded on both counts within the first few weeks of its existence. It will take a generation to rebuild what it destroyed and the breach of data is unprecedented.
Bye bye, “DOGE”.
It no longer exists as a “centralized entity”, according to the Office of Personnel Management.
@reuters.com
www.reuters.com/world/us/dog...
It no longer exists as a “centralized entity”, according to the Office of Personnel Management.
@reuters.com
www.reuters.com/world/us/dog...
November 23, 2025 at 3:01 PM
DOGE was created for data theft and infrastructure dismantling and it wildly succeeded on both counts within the first few weeks of its existence. It will take a generation to rebuild what it destroyed and the breach of data is unprecedented.
Dear my tenth grade biology teacher: Maybe you were right, and maybe I wasn't working up to my potential. But you know what? I think YOU WERE.
-o-
Took me forty years to come up with that response, but it's satisfying nonetheless.
-o-
Took me forty years to come up with that response, but it's satisfying nonetheless.
November 23, 2025 at 5:04 PM
Dear my tenth grade biology teacher: Maybe you were right, and maybe I wasn't working up to my potential. But you know what? I think YOU WERE.
-o-
Took me forty years to come up with that response, but it's satisfying nonetheless.
-o-
Took me forty years to come up with that response, but it's satisfying nonetheless.
not gonna subskeet not gonna subskeet not gonna subskeet not gonna subskeet not gonna subskeet not gonna subskeet not gonna subskeet
November 23, 2025 at 4:57 PM
not gonna subskeet not gonna subskeet not gonna subskeet not gonna subskeet not gonna subskeet not gonna subskeet not gonna subskeet
I'm a slower reader than most of my reader friends, but I've been intrigued to note that when I pull up a story in an online venue and switch into my browser's Reader View, which gives an estimate of how long it will take to read, I am faster than whatever they are basing that estimate on.
November 23, 2025 at 3:33 PM
I'm a slower reader than most of my reader friends, but I've been intrigued to note that when I pull up a story in an online venue and switch into my browser's Reader View, which gives an estimate of how long it will take to read, I am faster than whatever they are basing that estimate on.
"Six People To Revise You," by @jrdawson.bsky.social: www.uncannymagazine.com/article/six-...
Sometimes it feels like Dawson is writing specifically what I need to read. But maybe you do too.
#labyrinthratreads2025
Sometimes it feels like Dawson is writing specifically what I need to read. But maybe you do too.
#labyrinthratreads2025
November 23, 2025 at 2:38 PM
"Six People To Revise You," by @jrdawson.bsky.social: www.uncannymagazine.com/article/six-...
Sometimes it feels like Dawson is writing specifically what I need to read. But maybe you do too.
#labyrinthratreads2025
Sometimes it feels like Dawson is writing specifically what I need to read. But maybe you do too.
#labyrinthratreads2025