Richard Leis
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richardleis.com
Richard Leis
@richardleis.com
540 followers 700 following 300 posts
Poet. Writer. Martian. (he/him)

The Deadlands, F&SF, Nightmare, Weird Fiction Quarterly, the Timberline Review, anthologies, & more.

HWA, HWA Oregon Secretary, SFWA, SFPA, Willamette Writers Board and Secretary.

richardleis.com
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I'm so proud of our team at @uahirise.bsky.social. We were able to capture images of Exocomet 3I/ATLAS with the HiRISE camera! A lot of work went into this effort, and a lot of work continues to refine and analyze these data. Congratulations everyone!

www.uahirise.org/releases/3i-...
On 2 October 2025, MRO turned away from Mars to image 3I/ATLAS, only the third interstellar object ever observed passing through our solar system! In this 3.2 second exposure, HiRISE successfully detected 3I/ATLAS at a scale of 30 km/pixel and a spacecraft distance of roughly 30 million kilometers (19 million miles). However, MRO is not well-suited to exposures of this length. The nucleus, estimated from Hubble Space Telescope images to be at most a few kilometers across, cannot be resolved in our HiRISE image. Additionally, due to spacecraft jitter during the observation period, 3I/ATLAS is smeared by several pixels. Refinement of the data continues, but we can clearly see the coma. In fact, the full coma spans our entire HiRISE image, but only the brightest inner region is detected given the exposure time used. (See an annotated version here). Throughout October, 3I/ATLAS was too close to the Sun in Earth’s sky to be visible from most telescopes, giving MRO a unique view of the coma. While the comet will pass no closer than 270 million kilometers from Earth, it came within 30 million kilometers of Mars.
November 19, 2025 at 9:11 PM
richardleis.com
With perfect artwork by Alison Flannery, POISONED SOUP from editors Wendy Dalrymple and Grace R. Reynolds and publisher @brigidsgatepress.bsky.social has a book cover! I have a poem in the anthology, which will published in December. 🥣
Book cover of Poisoned Soup, curated by Wendy Dalrymple and Grace R. Reynolds and published by Brigids Gate Press floating against a black-and-white background of trees, with the publisher logo and name in the upper left and "December 2025" in the lower right. The book cover includes the title and "CURATED BY Wendy Dalrymple and Grace R. Reynolds." The title is in big illustrated text in smoke rising from a bubbling cauldron of, well, poisoned green soup. The cauldron is sitting on a burning logs. In the background, hexagons depict eerie illustrated scenes like ghosts rising from holes in the ground, symbols, and other forms.
November 2, 2025 at 6:19 PM
richardleis.com
The Timberline Review is opening for submissions this Saturday, November 1, 2025, and there are no longer submission fees for submitters. Previously, Willamette Writers members were able to submit for free, but now everyone can!

www.timberlinereview.com
Website banner for the Timberline Review, a literary magazine from Willamette Writers. The magazine title and subtitle are centered in in the graphic with an illustrated mountain scape behind the title. Behind this block is an illustration of a forest and mountain scene.
October 27, 2025 at 10:01 PM
richardleis.com
Speaking of props: hungry monster in a metal box, Tootsie Rolls, and a feeding orientation with reader @jbkish.bsky.social! Our talented performers had our audience engrossed and laughing. No audience members were eaten by the monster during the orientation.
J.B. Kish provides a monster feeding orientation at the Horror Authors Book Party at the Beaverton City Library while audience members look on. Behind him, a green metal box holding the monster sits on a table decorated for the Halloween event.
October 26, 2025 at 1:58 AM
richardleis.com
Writer @niyyahwrites.bsky.social brought fantastic performances, costumes, & props (her daughter behind a box with a potato and other head props for a headless horseman tale!) to two well-attended Halloween readings in Portland and Beaverton, OR this weekend. This is from Beaverton City Library.
Niyyah Ruscher-Haqq in costume reading a headless horseman tale in front of an audience while her daughter crouched behind a box prop holds up a potato and other prop heads.
October 26, 2025 at 1:53 AM
richardleis.com
Not my usual genre, but I enjoyed @rebeccamzornow.bsky.social's new romantasy novella "Landsome Roads" a lot! It's meta, it's funny, it's surprisingly tense, and it includes great moments like the heroine explaining cosmology in a magical, medieval setting.

rebeccamzornow.com/landsome-roa...
Landsome Roads by Rebecca M. Zornow, a romantasy hardcover with the heroine on the cover glancing over her shoulder and heading toward a massive castle in a gorgeous fantasy setting. The book was photographed on an end table with autumn decorations, including orange candles and faux orange and yellow leaves and flowers.
October 15, 2025 at 9:32 PM
richardleis.com
I'll be with @hwaoregon.bsky.social at Salem Pride in the Park tomorrow! We'll be selling horror books and talking about the HWA (@horrorwritersassoc.bsky.social), including our local chapter. Come find us!

salemcapitalpride.org/pride/
HWA Oregon logo with an illustration of a slug typing on a typewriter. The text on the sheet of paper in the typewriter is Horroregonians. In the background there is a circle like blood or a slug slime trail around the typewriter with Horror Writers Association in rainbow and transgender flag colors, with similar colored text in an arc above the circle and Oregon Chapter in the same colored text in an arc below the circle.
September 19, 2025 at 9:32 PM
richardleis.com
My choices for first and second place were relatively easy to make, but it was tough choosing a third-place poem for this year's Dwarf Stars Award, because there are so many strong contenders. I ended up going with brevity and strong imagery over other considerations. sfpoetry.org/wp/dwarf-sta...
Cover image: Running Man by Pam Gordimer, featuring reds, blues, and black in a space scape of nebulas and a vague running figure (I also see a skull fleeing through the universe!)
August 28, 2025 at 5:25 PM
richardleis.com
One of my first tasks when I started my job @uahirise.bsky.social was... attending the launch of Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, since it was carrying our camera. 🚀

We continue to take images of the surface of Mars with the HiRISE camera 20 years later.
Launch of Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter on August 12, 2005 taken from viewing area across water. Billowing smoke and engine flames as launch vehicle containing MRO clears the ground and rises quickly into the sky.
August 12, 2025 at 10:48 PM
richardleis.com
SFWA is raising money to support the professional science fiction, fantasy, and horror organization with its annual silent auction. There are pages of old journals, signed books, meetings with editors, and much more up for auction here:

www.biddingforgood.com/wbi
Orange-bordered yellow square social media graphic with the following stylized text in a purple text box at the top: "SFWA 2025 Silent Auction!" Text below this in the rest of the yellow square: "Support writer advocacy & uplift! And nab great swag while doing it! May 29 - June 12." Below are two logos: the one on the left is SFWA "Advocating for SFF since 1965," and the one on the right begins with "in partnership with" with the Worldbuilders logo.
June 5, 2025 at 1:49 AM
richardleis.com
One episode to go. I'm still waiting.
Anakin-Padme Meme. In the upper left corner, Anakin sitting in the grass and says "Great guest stars on the latest Daredevil: Born Again episodes." Padme on the upper right with a big smile says "She-Hulk, right?" Anakin on the lower left does not respond. Padme with a worried look on the lower right repeats "She-Hulk, right?"
April 15, 2025 at 4:11 AM
richardleis.com
9 days left to support "Claw Machine: The Anthology" and meanwhile I found these claw machines installed in my local Albertsons this weekend!

www.kickstarter.com/projects/jus...
Claw Machines installed at a local Albertsons, with two levels of machines for short and taller people, and machines on either side of the vending machine-like payment console. The items inside appear to be mostly plush creatures.
March 24, 2025 at 9:15 PM
richardleis.com
If you're looking for a fantastic online writing conference, or you're nearby or can travel to Portland, Oregon this summer for the incredible in-person experience, I recommend the Willamette Writers Conference, happening July 30 - August 3, 2025.

willamettewritersconference.org
Text over a blurred background of particles like rain or beach sand: "July 30th through August 3rd, Willamette Writers Conference."
March 1, 2025 at 7:57 PM
richardleis.com
Leaving Soon (and Staying Here!)
Leaving Soon I'm so sorry: I'll be leaving the Meta properties. This A.I. slop, misinformation, lies, algorithmic order, refusal to prioritize friends, family, groups to which I belong, any sense of “social” a pipe dream, long gone. I hate it here— not your fault, to be clear. This is all Meta and its ridiculous CEO’s fault. Bigots and bots, angry tech bros, MAGA and sycophants… it’s all too much. I just want to try again elsewhere, Bluesky or fair -er weather, writing blogs, a return to analog, meeting friends for lunch… anywhere is better, without Zuck (or Musk.)
January 11, 2025 at 10:25 PM
richardleis.com
For writers of any genre at any level, any age, and any location:

Writer and writing teacher Reneé Bibby hosts a free online Rejection Competition every year:

reneebibby.com/rejectioncom...
Silhouettes of a victor and camels led by a cameleer against a dark pink sky. The text reads: Rejection Competition 2025. Submit. Get rejected. Rack up points. Open to all writers of all levels, all genres, all ages, all over the world. reneebibby.com/rejectioncompetition."
December 30, 2024 at 8:36 PM
richardleis.com
Here's an updated author list for this Saturday's "Meet a Horror Author Halloween Party" at Beaverton City Library, taking place between 1-3 PM.
Flyer for "Meet a Horror Author Halloween Party" on Saturday, October 26 from 1 to 3 p.m at Beaverton City Library, Meeting Room B. Graphic of a cute pumpkin walking with candy and a thumb up, along with a bat, stars, leaves, and dots. Background is wrinkled paper or cloth. All Ages Welcome. Books, treats, candy, stories. Featuring host Frances Ippolito and Wendy Wagner, Andrew Fuller, Katherine Quevedo, Richard Leis, J.B. Kish, Sarah Walker, Eric Grove, Niyyah Ruscher-Haqq
October 22, 2024 at 6:02 PM
richardleis.com
I'll be reading a second time next week!

Saturday, October 26, several local horror writers will read at the Beaverton City Library's "Meet a Horror Author Halloween Party." We'll be reading between 1-3 PM, and there will be treats, decorations, and books for sale!
Flyer for Beaverton City Library's "Meet a Horror Author Halloween Party" on Saturday, October 26 from 1 to 3 p.m. Graphic of a cute walking pumpkin with candy, a thumb up, and a bat, along with stars, leaves, and dots. Background is wrinkles paper or cloth. Meeting Room B. All Ages Welcome. Books, treats, candy, stories. Featuring Wendy Wagner, Andrew Fuller, Katherine Quevedo, Richard Leis, J.B. Kish, Sarah Walker, Frances Ippolito.
October 19, 2024 at 7:06 PM
richardleis.com
I'll be reading spooky stories with other Oregon HWA members on Friday, October 25, 2024 at 7:00 p.m. PT at BOLD Coffee & Books in Portland.
Flyer for October 25th reading at BOLD Coffee & Books at 7:00 to 7:30 p.m. PT in Portland, Oregon, featuring Oregon HWA writers. Graphic includes a spooky tree with no leaves, bats, and the full moon behind clouds. Text: "A Halloween Reading. You're Invited to Hear Spooky Stories! October 25th @ 7-8:30 pm at the new BOLD Coffee & Books 1755 SW Jefferson St., Portland, OR." The Oregon HWA logo with a bloody slug on a typewriter with paper with the text "Horroregonians" on it.
October 17, 2024 at 9:14 PM
richardleis.com
Bluesky now has over 10 million users, and I was #3,134,342!
September 16, 2024 at 10:32 PM
richardleis.com
"City as Fairy Tale," the second of my poems in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, is now available in the Summer 2024 issue on @weightlessbooks.bsky.social.

weightlessbooks.com/the-magazine...
Cover of The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Summer 2024, by Mondolithic Studios, with an image of a ruined arch at the edge of a cliff overlooking a lake surrounded by mountains, with three silver UFOs hovering in the blue cloudy sky above. In addition to the magazine banner, authors and stories are listed: "Phoenix Alexander: Slickerthin," "Another Such Victory, Albert Chu," "Esther M. Friesner, Nina Kiriki Hoffman, Xinwei Kong, Marie Vibbert." Barcode with pricing and "Display Until Oct 29."
September 10, 2024 at 4:51 PM
richardleis.com
Book review: WE ARE HERE TO HURT EACH OTHER by Paula D. Ashe.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

richardleis.com/2024/09/06/w...
Book cover for We Are Here to Hurt Each Other by Paula D. Ashe, with a face made of teeth in front of a city and a black-winged person, with splatters of blood, in a grim, desolate, and faded style
September 6, 2024 at 10:35 PM
richardleis.com
I am amazed and honored that my poem “After ‘Wave, North Shore of Oahu’ Photograph” was recognized as runner-up for The Paulann Petersen Award for Poetry, part of the Willamette Writers and The Timberline Review's annual Kay Snow Awards.

My heartfelt thank you. Congratulations to all the winners!
Announcement of Kay Snow Winners, including first place and runner-up in nonfiction, fiction, scriptwriting, and The Paulann Petersen Award for Poetry.
July 17, 2024 at 8:36 PM
richardleis.com
Another great bundle of recent anthologies from @joshuapalmatier.bsky.social/Zombies Need Brains has arrived, and ZNB will be Kickstarting their next anthologies soon.

Now to read, read, read, and read.
New anthologies from Zombies Need Brains on a bookshelf, including Ampyrium, Last-Ditch, Familiars, and ZNB Presents: Year Two. The Ampyrium cover depicts a radial city of portals from above. The Last-Ditch cover is a person with a futuristic headset on with wires vanishing above them. The Familiars cover has several mythical animals standing looking forward at the viewer, against a backdrop of a forest. And ZNB Presents: Year Two has a cover with a person standing before a round portal that leads to a futuristic looking city in twilight.
July 16, 2024 at 8:50 PM
richardleis.com
My poem "We Carry Our Ghosts to the Stars" arrives today in the latest issue of Star*Line from the Science Fiction and Fantasy Poetry Association.

sfpoetry.com/starline.html

The amazing cover features "Staring at the Night Sky" by Denny E. Marshall.
Cover of Star*Line issue 47.3 (Summer 2024) with artwork "Staring at the Night Sky" by Denny E. Marshall. In this stylized illustration, a robot shaped from colorful geometric shapes that suggest cities, buttons, technology, and space travel gazes at the stars with a green landscape in the background below a black sky and stars.
July 2, 2024 at 5:41 PM
richardleis.com
"Phantom Taste of Apricot on My Tongue" is available now in the latest issue of @nightmare-magazine.com! Purchase issue for $3.99 or annual subscription for $33.52.

On July 24 you can read my poem online for free.

www.nightmare-magazine.com/issues/july-...

Cover by Kitoumi / Adobe Shutterstock
Cover for Nightmare Magazine, Issue 142, July 2024. A large octopus-like creature with many tentacles stands in the ocean against a background of thick clouds. Title of magazine is "Nightmare," subtitle is "Horror and Dark Fantasy". Fiction and poetry authors are listed: Thomas Ha, Sara S. Messenger, Megan Chee, Richard Leis. Cover text continues with issue 142, July 2024, Editor Wendy N. Wagner at the bottom. Cover by Kitoumi / Adobe Shutterstock
July 1, 2024 at 3:55 PM