Ted Morrissey
@tedmorrissey.bsky.social
Novelist, story writer, poet, scholar, translator, theorist, librarian, publisher, podcaster, educator
Pinned
When I first read #Frankenstein in the mid-80s - in a lit course at University of Iowa - I of course had no clue how influential that novel and Mary Shelley herself would be on my #writing life - and I certainly never envisioned a trilogy of books inspired by her and her work ... yet here we are.
December 14, 2025 at 5:03 PM
When I first read #Frankenstein in the mid-80s - in a lit course at University of Iowa - I of course had no clue how influential that novel and Mary Shelley herself would be on my #writing life - and I certainly never envisioned a trilogy of books inspired by her and her work ... yet here we are.
Just a couple of weeks until the release of Aspiring Child - the #book is appearing at more and more sites for presale - if you prefer, check your fav indie bookstore's website #reading #poetry #biography tedmorrissey.com/aspiring-chi...
December 14, 2025 at 12:52 AM
Just a couple of weeks until the release of Aspiring Child - the #book is appearing at more and more sites for presale - if you prefer, check your fav indie bookstore's website #reading #poetry #biography tedmorrissey.com/aspiring-chi...
Many thanks to the speculative fiction journal Hell Itself for publishing "The Unbearable Sweetness" and also nominating it for a #PushcartPrize - as you can see from the content warning it may not be everyone's cup of tea. hellitself.com/the-unbearab...
December 13, 2025 at 4:26 PM
Many thanks to the speculative fiction journal Hell Itself for publishing "The Unbearable Sweetness" and also nominating it for a #PushcartPrize - as you can see from the content warning it may not be everyone's cup of tea. hellitself.com/the-unbearab...
Masterclass this morning with legendary medievalist Stephen Pollington. It's gonna be great!
December 13, 2025 at 12:51 PM
Masterclass this morning with legendary medievalist Stephen Pollington. It's gonna be great!
Reposted by Ted Morrissey
New from Hell Itself, a haunting dystopia by @tedmorrissey.bsky.social, "The Unbearable Sweetness"
hellitself.com/the-unbearab...
hellitself.com/the-unbearab...
The Unbearable Sweetness – Hell Itself
hellitself.com
December 12, 2025 at 6:15 PM
New from Hell Itself, a haunting dystopia by @tedmorrissey.bsky.social, "The Unbearable Sweetness"
hellitself.com/the-unbearab...
hellitself.com/the-unbearab...
What precisely is Grendel in #Beowulf? Just as modern filmmakers of horror will leave the threat somewhat out of focus, the Beowulf poet uses a variety of nouns and adjectives to refer to Grendel: ogre, troll, giant ... and his mother is described as a wolf.
December 12, 2025 at 1:51 PM
What precisely is Grendel in #Beowulf? Just as modern filmmakers of horror will leave the threat somewhat out of focus, the Beowulf poet uses a variety of nouns and adjectives to refer to Grendel: ogre, troll, giant ... and his mother is described as a wolf.
I was delighted to accept the invitation to sit on the advisory board of the newly re-established literary journal Short Story. My primary job is to promote the journal and its newly re-established "The Short Story Prize." Here, dear reader, is my inaugural promotion. scholarworks.uni.edu/shortstory
December 12, 2025 at 1:10 AM
I was delighted to accept the invitation to sit on the advisory board of the newly re-established literary journal Short Story. My primary job is to promote the journal and its newly re-established "The Short Story Prize." Here, dear reader, is my inaugural promotion. scholarworks.uni.edu/shortstory
What an honor. Thank you Poetries in English Magazine for publishing this odd story - written in both English and Spanish - and for the unexpected nomination.
December 11, 2025 at 4:40 PM
What an honor. Thank you Poetries in English Magazine for publishing this odd story - written in both English and Spanish - and for the unexpected nomination.
If you can relate to this quote, you're a #writer - it's why nearly all of us (99.999%) keep writing even in the absence of more than a handful of #readers: the act of writing itself makes the effort worthwhile. The joy is in the writing, not in the being read. #writingcommunity
December 11, 2025 at 4:37 PM
If you can relate to this quote, you're a #writer - it's why nearly all of us (99.999%) keep writing even in the absence of more than a handful of #readers: the act of writing itself makes the effort worthwhile. The joy is in the writing, not in the being read. #writingcommunity
There are few things journal editors love more than publishing a writer for the first time - Twelve Winters Journal is proud to introduce Colleen Hummel and her debut publication, a piece of #CNF, Inventing Stephanie twelvewinters.com/hummel-inven...
December 11, 2025 at 4:03 AM
There are few things journal editors love more than publishing a writer for the first time - Twelve Winters Journal is proud to introduce Colleen Hummel and her debut publication, a piece of #CNF, Inventing Stephanie twelvewinters.com/hummel-inven...
2025 has been the year of Mary Shelley for me. The first six months I wrote sonnets to her. The next three months I revised them and assembled them into a collection of 100 sonnets. They're now available for preorder in a lovingly prepared hardcover edition. #readers #poetry #biography #frankenstein
December 10, 2025 at 5:11 PM
2025 has been the year of Mary Shelley for me. The first six months I wrote sonnets to her. The next three months I revised them and assembled them into a collection of 100 sonnets. They're now available for preorder in a lovingly prepared hardcover edition. #readers #poetry #biography #frankenstein
I've updated the webpage for Aspiring Child: A Biography of Mary W. Shelley with the Amazon link as well as links to several well-known independent bookstores where the book is available for presale. tedmorrissey.com/aspiring-chi... #readingcommunity #poetrylovers #BiographyLovers #Frankenstein
December 10, 2025 at 1:37 AM
I've updated the webpage for Aspiring Child: A Biography of Mary W. Shelley with the Amazon link as well as links to several well-known independent bookstores where the book is available for presale. tedmorrissey.com/aspiring-chi... #readingcommunity #poetrylovers #BiographyLovers #Frankenstein
I'm honored to report that one of the first places my new #book, Aspiring Child: A Biography of Mary W. Shelley in Sonnets, has appeared for pre-sale is the iconic Left Bank Books in St. Louis. Aspiring Child will be officially released on January 1st. www.left-bank.com/book/9798993...
December 9, 2025 at 8:11 PM
I'm honored to report that one of the first places my new #book, Aspiring Child: A Biography of Mary W. Shelley in Sonnets, has appeared for pre-sale is the iconic Left Bank Books in St. Louis. Aspiring Child will be officially released on January 1st. www.left-bank.com/book/9798993...
Further evidence of our Golden Age of creative #writing: John Paul Jaramillo's award-winning novel Carlos Montoya - this beautiful #book should be sitting on bookshelves and nightstands everywhere. #readingcommunity #latinobookawards
December 9, 2025 at 1:32 AM
Further evidence of our Golden Age of creative #writing: John Paul Jaramillo's award-winning novel Carlos Montoya - this beautiful #book should be sitting on bookshelves and nightstands everywhere. #readingcommunity #latinobookawards
This amazing dual-language book by the Press continues to trickle out to readers - it ought to be part of every major library's collection #chinesepoetry #literarytranslation #librarycollection
December 8, 2025 at 4:09 PM
This amazing dual-language book by the Press continues to trickle out to readers - it ought to be part of every major library's collection #chinesepoetry #literarytranslation #librarycollection
I assert that we are living in a Golden Age of creative writing, and I offer as proof these amazing works of fiction by Brady Harrison. Give the gift of great literature this holiday season. #readingcommunity #giftideas
December 5, 2025 at 1:12 AM
I assert that we are living in a Golden Age of creative writing, and I offer as proof these amazing works of fiction by Brady Harrison. Give the gift of great literature this holiday season. #readingcommunity #giftideas
Add some mystery to your life (specifically some hardboiled gumshoe mystery) -- with Grant Tracey's amazing Hayden Fuller series, set on the mean streets of Toronto in the 60s and 70s. It's terrifically page-turning fun!
December 4, 2025 at 1:58 AM
Add some mystery to your life (specifically some hardboiled gumshoe mystery) -- with Grant Tracey's amazing Hayden Fuller series, set on the mean streets of Toronto in the 60s and 70s. It's terrifically page-turning fun!
We had to say goodbye to Einstein just over a year ago, but he lives on thanks to Melissa's wonderful book and the gorgeous illustrations by the multitalented Miles Wisniewski. It's a heartwarming story about a little guy who suddenly needed a new home through no fault of his own. #childrensbooks
December 3, 2025 at 1:21 AM
We had to say goodbye to Einstein just over a year ago, but he lives on thanks to Melissa's wonderful book and the gorgeous illustrations by the multitalented Miles Wisniewski. It's a heartwarming story about a little guy who suddenly needed a new home through no fault of his own. #childrensbooks
Working on an article, "A Tale of Two Sonnets," about a pair of my Mary Shelley sonnets that sprang from the same idea-kernel yet became distinctly different #poems. They are similar enough, however, that I felt I could select only one for the published collection.
December 1, 2025 at 3:56 PM
Working on an article, "A Tale of Two Sonnets," about a pair of my Mary Shelley sonnets that sprang from the same idea-kernel yet became distinctly different #poems. They are similar enough, however, that I felt I could select only one for the published collection.
I made a video for my students about the importance of persistence when trying to get your creative work published & I turned it into Bonus Episode 9 of our #podcast - Free on YouTube, Spotify and Apple Podcasts. #writingtips #PublishingTips
November 30, 2025 at 7:05 PM
I made a video for my students about the importance of persistence when trying to get your creative work published & I turned it into Bonus Episode 9 of our #podcast - Free on YouTube, Spotify and Apple Podcasts. #writingtips #PublishingTips
When the #podcast crew was recording our episode live in Cedar Falls last month, we were asked "How do you write horror?" I stressed the importance of understatement, but I found this quote by Hoffmann in which he more effectively says what I meant.
November 29, 2025 at 10:11 PM
When the #podcast crew was recording our episode live in Cedar Falls last month, we were asked "How do you write horror?" I stressed the importance of understatement, but I found this quote by Hoffmann in which he more effectively says what I meant.
Retirees don't often get snow days, but I took advantage of mine to complete the #translation of section 9 of #Beowulf - the especially long section has been neglected for most of 2025 while I worked on my sonnets to Mary Shelley. The translation-in-progress is available at tedmorrissey.blog
November 29, 2025 at 4:32 PM
Retirees don't often get snow days, but I took advantage of mine to complete the #translation of section 9 of #Beowulf - the especially long section has been neglected for most of 2025 while I worked on my sonnets to Mary Shelley. The translation-in-progress is available at tedmorrissey.blog
So often sequels to Mary Shelley's #Frankenstein focus on the creature - but I was curious about Margaret Saville, the woman to whom this long, strange letter is addressed. What is *her* story? I was especially honored by BookTrib naming the #novel one of their 25 favorites of 2021.
November 29, 2025 at 1:47 AM
So often sequels to Mary Shelley's #Frankenstein focus on the creature - but I was curious about Margaret Saville, the woman to whom this long, strange letter is addressed. What is *her* story? I was especially honored by BookTrib naming the #novel one of their 25 favorites of 2021.