Extremely concerned with the number of people saying they can't vote for the Hugo Awards because they're not going to Worldcon this year. 😅

Yeah, like the Mariana Trench.

Dozens of purple Camas lilies with yellow pollen sacs, with four to six flowers per stem growing in tall green grass.

We're getting closer to peak Camas lily time here in the Willamette Valley. They are my favorite wildflower, and their bulbs are an important First Food for local Indigenous people. I usually catch them in ones and twos in a wet meadow, so it's great to see dense patches like this. #oregon

2nd Annual North Portland Book Crawl to celebrate independent bookstores - North Peninsula Review Share thisBy Danielle Alexander Thirteen bookstores. Two days. One incredible prize package. A free book for every participant! The 2nd Annual North Portland Book Crawl is back and expected to draw hu...

2nd Annual North Portland Book Crawl to celebrate independent bookstores northpeninsulareview.com/2nd-annual-n... #PDX #Portland

This novel is the sum and summit of who Vonda was and what her work was about: all of us, imperfect, and doing our best. It’s an alt-history that feels like the beginning of the world. A world we could still have, if we’re lucky.

An assortment of colorful beaded necklaces in various colors, many with star, crescent moon, or natural science-inspired pendants.

Time for my annual offer! If you're attending the #HugoAwards as a nominee & want a pretty custom necklace for the event for FREE, DM me! I specialize in celestial, nerdy, & witchy themes but love new challenges! I'm size & gender inclusive, & just want you to feel special on your big day!

Here Are the Finalists for the 2026 Hugo Awards - Reactor Congratulations to all!

Congratulations to the Hugo finalists!!!

But also, and in all sincerity, congratulations to everyone who has a book out today!!!! It's TUESDAY and that is NEW BOOK DAY and I don't want everyone's book news to get lost in all the Hugo excitement!!!

reactormag.com/2026-hugo-aw...

So one of her dresses from her specially crafted wardrobe for the Memnoch the Devil tour (where she was transported about in a coffin) is on display in Downtown Milwaukie, OR, surrounded by handmade rosaries. It's at B-Side Records and Vintage.

⏰ The May 19, 2026 Primary Election is right around the corner! ⏰ If you need to register to vote or change your party affiliation, you have until Tuesday, April 28, 2026 to do so. More at: link.multco.us/voter-registration-deadline-April28

rhubarb snacking cake Halfway between a buckle-y streusel cake and a crumb bar, this rhubarb snacking cake is to be eaten in small squares straight off a napkin.

I often make this one. smittenkitchen.com/2012/05/rhub...

EVERYTHING FOR EVERYONE: an Oral History of the New York Commune 2032-2072 by ME O'Brien and Eman Abdelhadi with map in dark shapes with white lines on top Margaret Killjoy A COUNTRY OF GHOSTS with a ominous cityscape on a hill as cover art

Walked into Always Here bookstore on Williams here in Portland, for the first time! Really great selection, superbly curated and arranged. Bought a couple of books. Would've bought more, but on long walks I can only buy two that fit perfectly balanced in my jacket pockets.

Hey Portland Oregon! New convention in Hillsboro May 23. Weekend ticket is $25. I’ll have a booth!
www.westsidecomiccon...

#comiccon #westsidecomiccon #westside_comic_con

Farah's Reading Sweepstake, Closing date to enter: 26th May 2026 I have 33 unread books on my kindle. Every single one of them is a book I want to read. About 25 of them have been there for ages.A few were added for the trip. There are two books in hard copy (indic...

I am travelling to AU/NZ with 33 books on my e-reader, a mix of non fiction and fiction.
I am running a Sweepstake on 'How many books will Farah read during GUFF?" All proceeds to GUFF.
If you want to play, go here: forms.gle/KvTUTuwnFVJS...

My copy of Action Comics #1 went live on Heritage Auctions yesterday and it's already at $675k! Ends May 9th! Proceeds from the final sale are being donated to ComicsPro, The Hero Initiative, and BINC! The first ever sale of an Action Comics #1 to benefit the industry!
comics.ha.com/itm/golden-a...

"Unboxing" video of a special project I am soooo happy & honored to be part of.

With thanks to Desiree Cooper and Wayne State University Press.

wsupress.wayne.edu/9780814352243/

#BlackSummers

Cats out of the bag! I wrote a new thing! Announcement things TK later!

Dear BlindLady is the natural successor to Being Seen. So you believe in ableism and now you see how fucked we are?

There’s a handbook for that!

Anyways…help me reach tier two of small donors so I can keep winning on city council for the people ✨🫡

secure.actblue.com/donate/angel...

Brisbane in 28 congratulates all the folks on the Ditmar Awards ballot - Australia's popularly voted awards are always a showcase of people doing fine things! Have a look at some of what was created by Australians in 2025...

file770.com/2026-ditmar-...

5...4...3...2...1...IGNITION! Hugo Finalist announcement launches April 21 10 a.m. PT

Tune in right here on April 21 at 10 a.m. Pacific Time to find out who the finalists are for the 2026 Hugo Awards for Science Fiction.

Looks like the M5.5 Nevada quake was widely felt in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada.

earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/...

Email with subject "Invitation to Participate in Stratford Literary Festival 2026" from "Annie Ashworth <annie.ashworth.litfest@gmail.com>" which praises my book and offers "flexible ticket fee options for contributors." It is not legitimate.

Please be aware that the "Invitation to Participate in Stratford Literary Festival 2026" below is a spam/scam. I contacted the actual Annie Ashworth at Stratford Literary Festival (www.stratfordliteraryfestival.co.uk) and she confirmed that the email is not legit. Blocked and reported.

a cartoon of a man giving a speech next to a woman with the words taxes baby below him Alt: a cartoon of a man giving a speech next to a woman with the words taxes baby below him

Gentle reminder: if you live in the US and you pay taxes, they're due in 2 days. If you don't have time to file right now, you can request an extension and avoid penalties. TaxAct and @freetaxusa.bsky.social both offer free filings to lots of folks (as do several other companies). #taxseason #IRS

‘Everyone is Replaceable’: Death Rattles Oregon Amazon Facility A worker died at Amazon’s Troutdale warehouse last week. Employees were told to look away.

For more than a week, Amazon has managed to keep a death at its Troutdale, Oregon, facility out of public view.

Workers I spoke to are pissed.

A cardboard box, with three rows of brass type matrices. Each piece can produce one letter or one character, in a specific typeface, in one size. Each matrix is a slice of metal about an inch wide, an inch & a half tall, and just thick enough for the character.

Sorting of two boxes full of matrices, from one type face, completed. I sorted into wooden racks. The left rack holds all the capital letters; the right holds the lower-case letters plus numbers, punctuation, and some decorative pieces. "Lower case" is actually a printing term. Capital letters were kept in an upper rack or case; what we call lower case were stored in a lower rack.

A Linotype machine, invented by Mergenthaler. The operator touches keys and the matrices for the letters, spaces, punctuation and other characters drop down into a line. Then the machine casts the type, and then the matrices move back up to the top of the machine and get automatically sorted back into place. Amazing. Then the type gets put together, line by line, put in a page frame, and then it goes off to the printing press.

I found a secret message in the order of the matrices I was sorting. Mostly there were batches of capital Ws, for example, with some random items mixed in. Suddenly, a batch read "DUES PAID."

Spent the day at the C. C. Stern Type Foundry, sorting & inventorying type matrices. They have Monotype & Linotype, so can cast type one character at a time, or a line at a time. Brilliant technology.

A fan table showcase of fan clubs around the world from Worldcon 1996.

If you have a fan table and you want to appear at LAcon V, don't forget to submit your sign-up form: www.lacon.org/fantables

Contact exhibits@lacon.org with any questions not answered in the form.

You didn't turn off your cloaking device.

Great news from the wonderful Pat Cadigan:
“In case you couldn’t hear me partying here in London, I beat terminal cancer. I kicked its ass down the stairs, took its lunch money, and threw rocks at it as it ran away crying. I don’t have cancer any more.”

An in-progress mural on the side of HA brown school. Nick stands on a ladder adding white lines, a locust borer beetle is zigzagged in yellow

It’s a beautiful day to paint some bugs

For an easy recovery and best possible outcomes.