Sarah McPherson
LightNews LightNews
banner
summermoth.bsky.social
Sarah McPherson
@summermoth.bsky.social
460 followers 550 following 360 posts
HE manager by day. Writer, crafter, LARPer, runner. Procrastinator extraordinaire. Lover of the fantastic. Definitely not a grown up. She/her.

Find me here: https://linktr.ee/summer_moth
Posts Replies Media Videos
Pinned
summermoth.bsky.social
Sarah McPherson @summermoth.bsky.social · Jul 25
My story 'Poison', shortlisted in the WestWord Folktale Flash competition @retreatwest.bsky.social, is now available to read! 🍎 westword.substack.com/p/poison

Congratulations to the winners and to my fellow shortlistees 🎉
#flashfiction
Poison
A Flash Fiction by Sarah McPherson
westword.substack.com
summermoth.bsky.social
Thank you so much to @bulbculture.bsky.social for putting this piece of mine back out in the world (originally published by Reflex Fiction) ❤️
#FlashFiction
bulbculture.bsky.social Bulb Culture Collective @bulbculture.bsky.social · 3h
The light is on for Sarah McPherson! @summermoth.bsky.social💡

“Primordial” is a beautiful and beguiling flash fiction that’ll bring you face to face with the ancient past.

Check out Sarah’s incredible writing over at the site!
Primordial - Sarah McPherson — Bulb Culture Collective
Bull leads, cow follows.
www.bulbculturecollective.com
November 28, 2025 at 3:42 PM
Reposted by Sarah McPherson
gretchenmcc.bsky.social
Higgledy piggledy
Timothée Chalamet
Has a name meriting
Endless design

Much like his forerunner
Benedict Cumberbatch:
Hexasyllabically,
Easy to rhyme
tweet from childish branzino @absflora: timothée chalamet is the new benedict cumberbatch in the sense that you can say ANYTHING and we know who you mean. tiffany chevrolet. timpanogos charlemagne. symphony cabernet. jiminy castaway.
October 9, 2025 at 6:57 PM
Reposted by Sarah McPherson
levostregc.bsky.social
Peacehammer 40K: Paintinge litel miniatures of gardeneres, sculptors, academics. Trimminge hedges. Makinge friendes.
October 4, 2025 at 2:57 AM
Reposted by Sarah McPherson
britfantasysoc.bsky.social
Big news from BFS members (and leaders) @shonak.bsky.social and @davidgreenwriter.bsky.social: A new independent non-profit organisation designed to help creatives thrive in publishing. Here's @divergent-paths.bsky.social

britishfantasysociety.org/divergent-pa...
The main image shows four arrows; three are pointing up, and coloured white, while the fourth is coloured yellow and pointing to the side
September 30, 2025 at 1:38 PM
summermoth.bsky.social
Still time to sign up for next Thursday's session if you want to read and discuss some fab flashes by @timcraig.bsky.social with us!
#BtesizedBookClub #FlashFiction
summermoth.bsky.social Sarah McPherson @summermoth.bsky.social · Sep 14
The next block of the #BitesizedBookClub is open for bookings! We'll be meeting on the following Thursdays, 19:15-20:30 (UK time):
25 Sept - Stories by Tim Craig
23 Oct - Fairy Tale/Myth Retellings
27 Nov - Ekphrastic Stories

Link to book: theleadedwindow.blogspot.com/p/bite-sized...

#FlashFiction
Bite-sized Book Club
The Bite-sized Book Club is a monthly online book club dedicated to reading flash fiction. Everyone is welcome, whether you normally read fl...
theleadedwindow.blogspot.com
September 19, 2025 at 4:58 PM
summermoth.bsky.social
The next block of the #BitesizedBookClub is open for bookings! We'll be meeting on the following Thursdays, 19:15-20:30 (UK time):
25 Sept - Stories by Tim Craig
23 Oct - Fairy Tale/Myth Retellings
27 Nov - Ekphrastic Stories

Link to book: theleadedwindow.blogspot.com/p/bite-sized...

#FlashFiction
Bite-sized Book Club
The Bite-sized Book Club is a monthly online book club dedicated to reading flash fiction. Everyone is welcome, whether you normally read fl...
theleadedwindow.blogspot.com
September 14, 2025 at 10:38 AM
summermoth.bsky.social
August read (just the one!) 💙📚:
1. It Felt Like Everything by K.S. Dyal (novella-in-flash)

#books #reading #amreading #booklover #novellainflash #2025reads
The book 'It Felt Like Everything' by K.S. Dyal lying on a red satin throw. The cover is grey, with black and grey text, and has a drawing of two people's legs in the top right, one wearing a short black skirt, white socks, and black and white trainers, and the other wearing skinny-fit black trousers, black socks, and white trainers.
September 10, 2025 at 5:57 PM
summermoth.bsky.social
Come and read lovely NiFs with us! 📚 (I'm in the Sunday group)
laurabesley.bsky.social Laura Besley @laurabesley.bsky.social · Aug 29
The new block of The NIFTY Book Club is open for sign ups!
📚 Sept '25 - Jan '26
📚 Sundays 10-11.30am OR Mondays 19.30-21.00 BST/GMT
📚 Live author Q&As
📚 Worksheets in advance, meetings on zoom
📚 Full details in link below
#fiction #flashfiction #writingcommunity
www.laurabesley.com/nifty-book-c...
NIFTY Book Club | My Site
Book club for lovers of the novella-in-flash. Monthly meetings online.
www.laurabesley.com
September 6, 2025 at 9:01 PM
Reposted by Sarah McPherson
kitdewaal.com
Free online attendance at The Fantasy Summer School 2025, organised by the University of Oxford, and Bloomsbury Publishing, that brings together the expertise of scholars, publishers working with fantasy authors.

Link here www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/oxford-blo...

Please share :)
Oxford-Bloomsbury Fantasy Summer School 2025 Online
Offering an insight into the past, present and future of the fantasy genre from leading scholars, writers and publishing team in the field.
www.eventbrite.co.uk
August 31, 2025 at 7:44 PM
Reposted by Sarah McPherson
levostregc.bsky.social
"Kathy, Ich am lost," Ich seyde, thogh methoughte she was sleepinge,
"Ich am hollowe and hurtinge and knowe not wherfor"
Countinge the cars on the Newe Jersey Turnpyke
Thei have all come to looke for America
August 17, 2025 at 8:45 PM
Reposted by Sarah McPherson
scooterwriter.bsky.social
My NIF ‘William Prichard & Co’ is a year old today! To celebrate I am giving away a free copy. To be in with a chance of winning, please retweet & DM me with your name. I will pick a name out of the hat on Wed 20th. Sorry, UK only.
August 15, 2025 at 5:17 AM
summermoth.bsky.social
I'm so glad WHQ retreats have restarted in a place I can easily attend (Leeds) - they are the MOST productive days! ⭐️
writershq.bsky.social Writers’ HQ @writershq.bsky.social · Aug 15
We have a 100% success rate at getting writers at our retreats to sit tf down and write. Here's how 🧵
August 15, 2025 at 12:55 PM
summermoth.bsky.social
July reads 💙📚:
1. Aerth by Deborah Tomkins (novella-in-flash)
2. Mrs Caliban by Rachel Ingalls (novella)

#books #reading #amreading #booklover #novella #novellainflash #2025reads
Two books roughly stacked on a black table: 'Aerth' by Deborah Tomkins, and 'Mrs Caliban' by Rachel Ingalls. 'Aerth' (on the bottom) has a black and cream spine. 'Mrs Caliban' (on the top) has a pink spine and a white cover with handwritten stye lettering in black, pink, and green, and two sketched figures swimming in a circle. The male figure is green and the female figure is pink. It has a green 'Faber Editions' banner down one side.
August 14, 2025 at 5:00 PM
Reposted by Sarah McPherson
tomgauld.bsky.social
A cartoon for @theguardian.com books.
Image Edgar Allen Poe sits with his head in his hands, his sad face lit by the glow of a laptop. On his desk are piles of books, a guttering candle and a bust. Atop the bust sits a raven who is animatedly talking to Poe. Caption The Raven, having seen the general state of the world, realised that quothing "Nevermore." was only going to add to the gloom, and instead tried to cheer things up with a few bawdy limericks and an amusing anecdote about two badgers and a turnip.
March 17, 2025 at 1:03 PM
summermoth.bsky.social
Catching up on the latest winning stories from @flash500.bsky.social and they're all great - well worth a read!
August 13, 2025 at 11:19 AM
summermoth.bsky.social
The next #BitesizedBookClub session is coming up in a couple of weeks, on Thursday 28 August, and you can still book to come and read some teeny-tiny micro fiction with us! More info and booking details here: theleadedwindow.blogspot.com/p/bite-sized...

#flashfiction #microfiction #reading
Bite-sized Book Club
The Bite-sized Book Club is a monthly online book club dedicated to reading flash fiction. Everyone is welcome, whether you normally read fl...
theleadedwindow.blogspot.com
August 12, 2025 at 4:45 PM
summermoth.bsky.social
I did read (& largely enjoy) a lot of 'classic/canon' SF as a teen in the 90s, trawling through my parents' bookcases, & even then, naïve little me saw some of the dated/problematic aspects. But I also read a lot of more recent/contemporary SFF that was just as influential to me, if not more so!
scalzi.com John Scalzi @scalzi.com · Aug 11
Bah. Demanding people read half-century-old work as a purity test for genre membership is a fine way to kill the genre dead.

I wrote about such nonsense here;

whatever.scalzi.com/2020/08/07/o...
August 11, 2025 at 12:39 PM
Reposted by Sarah McPherson
welkinprize.bsky.social
Want some nice news for a Friday?
This is your early warning that the Welkin Writing Prize WILL BE BACK! A long way to go until entries open in December, but I'm committing now so there's no backing out later in the year 😀 Bigger prize fund too!! 🥳
www.mattkendrick.co.uk/welkin-prize...
Welkin Enter
An annual competition for microfiction up to 100 words. It is free to enter and aims to be a welcoming space for all writers. The competition is open to all forms of narrative prose. There is a whole ...
www.mattkendrick.co.uk
August 8, 2025 at 12:08 PM
Reposted by Sarah McPherson
mattkendrick.bsky.social
If you missed this discussion on Tuesday night & would like to catch up with all the wisdom shared by @mynachang.bsky.social & @sharontelfer.bsky.social about historical & speculative fiction, the recorded version is now available for the bargain price of £4:

www.mattkendrick.co.uk/workshop-rec...
August 7, 2025 at 4:03 PM
summermoth.bsky.social
Currently musing on the possibility of teaching some more writing workshops... the ones I've done so far have been well received, but all delivered through an established provider/organiser. I'm not sure I have the reach/clout to strike out on my own without that - worried no-one would sign up!
August 7, 2025 at 12:08 PM
summermoth.bsky.social
As a fantasy nerd with an MA in Landscape Archaeology, I found this a fascinating read!
dimitrafimi.bsky.social Prof. Dimitra Fimi @dimitrafimi.bsky.social · Aug 5
Today’s piece is on “Tolkien, Landscape Archaeology, and the First Age of Middle-earth” - revisiting some of my older research for #TolkienTuesday #TolkienTrewsday
dimitrafimi.substack.com/p/tolkien-tu...
@tolkiensociety.org @tolkienguide.com @uofgfantasy.bsky.social @uofgartshums.bsky.social
August 6, 2025 at 11:38 AM
summermoth.bsky.social
Last chance to help @uncannymagazine.bsky.social hit their stretch goals for this year! If you like speculative fiction, and don't already read/support them, you definitely should!
uncannymagazine.bsky.social Uncanny Magazine @uncannymagazine.bsky.social · Aug 5
This is true. The final Stretch Goals are keeping the Flash Fiction and the novella in Year 12. If these are important to you, please help Uncanny Magazine reach all of the stretch goals. WE CAN DO THIS, SPACE UNICORNS! www.kickstarter.com/projects/unc...
marissalingen.bsky.social Marissa Lingen @marissalingen.bsky.social · Aug 5
Look, friends, I know they're into stretch goals, but when you see what's a stretch goal...it's covers and flash and a novella. It's things that we really do want Uncanny to have. So if you haven't had the chance to back and have been enjoying, oh, say, MY flash in Uncanny, you know what to do.
August 5, 2025 at 8:15 PM
summermoth.bsky.social
Really looking forward to this!
mattkendrick.bsky.social Matt Kendrick @mattkendrick.bsky.social · Aug 1
Last chance to sign up for "Beyond These Shores", a panel discussion on historical / speculative with @mynachang.bsky.social & @sharontelfer.bsky.social that is bound to be full of so much wisdom and gold.

Next Tuesday (5th) at 7pm BST:

www.mattkendrick.co.uk/live-worksho...
Beyond These Shores: Exploring the Historical and the Speculative | MattKendrick.co.uk
www.mattkendrick.co.uk
August 2, 2025 at 5:57 PM
Reposted by Sarah McPherson
drfrancisyoung.bsky.social
In Somerset they know fairies have to be treated with extreme care, at least
August 2, 2025 at 4:06 PM
Reposted by Sarah McPherson
uncannymagazine.bsky.social
KEEP REPOSTING, SPACE UNICORNS! The Uncanny Magazine Year 12: Fly Forever, Space Unicorns! Kickstarter is 90% funded with ONLY 6 DAYS TO GO!! We just need $4544 to have a 12th year of amazing stories, poetry, essays, interviews, podcasts, and art! buff.ly/HPEcU9t
Uncanny Magazine Year 11 Covers: The Duet by Nilah Magruder, Barbershops of the Floating City by Grace P. Fong, and Blessed Universe by Galen Dara
July 31, 2025 at 4:33 PM