Cover for Issue 62 of Uncanny Magazine, art by Maxine Vee titled "Mermay - Golden Hour." In a forest of brown, orange, and golden leaves, a mermaid with orange/gold hair sits on a rock in a small light blue pond. She stares at her open palms, illuminated by a beam of sunlight. Purple flowers in shade lie scattered on the ground in the foreground. The words "January/February 2025" and "Issue Sixty-Two" are at top. The list of credits is on the bottom

Fabulous news, Space Unicorns! "Five Uncanny Stories, Two Uncanny Poems, Uncanny Magazine, and Michael Damian Thomas Are 2026 Hugo Award Finalists!" buff.ly/1K10weZ

LAcon V Announces 2026 Hugo Awards Finalists LAcon V, the 84th World Science Fiction Convention, announced the finalists for the 2026 Hugo Awards, the most prestigious honors for excellence in science fiction and fantasy, on April 21. First p…

Congratulations to all the Hugo finalists!

Automatic Noodle Audiobook on Libro.fm A cozy near-future novella about a crew of leftover robots opening their very own noodle shop, from acclaimed sci-fi author Annalee Newitz.“Without ignoring the metallic constraints of their robotic b...

As a special treat for Indie Bookstore Day, the wonderful folks at @libro.fm are running a sale, and the AUTOMATIC NOODLE audiobook is available for just $4.99 until 4/26. This sale is only on Libro.FM, Nook, and Chirp. Lots of other books are on sale too! Rejoice! libro.fm/audiobooks/9...

The Photonic Effect is out today in print, ebook, and audiobook! Tonight, join me and @annaleen.bsky.social at @booksinc.bsky.social to celebrate! Free RSVP and preorder signed books here: www.eventbrite.com/e/mike-chen-...

And check out this big thread of behind-the-scenes nuggets below!

Anything from the cookbook “Be Bold with Bananas.”

So many red flags it’s a parade.

If that’s obscure, call me Jude! 😂 It also has one of my most favorite lines ever: “The time to make up your mind about people is never.”

The Philadelphia Story!

I think I’d pick “What’s Up, Doc?” I loved that film as a kid, watched it endlessly on HBO, and would love that experience again. Also, Madeline Kahn!

After reading, “We don’t need another Fetterman,” I found myself muttering, “We don’t need to know the way home, either,” and now I’m belting out Tina Turner.

I wrote an entire story on the bus on my phone during grad school. The small screen helped immensely.

Fun fact: When @nathanburgoine.bsky.social sent me a pregame brief for this episode, details included how phasers and hand-to-hand combat are impaired underwater. My response: “Why does it sound like we’re going to be fighting Flipper?"

I think Coyote era Ethan is our fictional three-way except we don’t have the attention span for a three-way.

My husband and I are very into the Coyote era of Ethan.

Also, Anthony LaPaglia could get it.

That’s like me with Auntie Mame or Steel Magnolias or Star Trek: First Contact.

@betarayben.bsky.social You’ll be pleased to hear I’m watching Empire Records, finally, for the first time.

Maybe! “Sauna” was catchy but required a second listen for me. The one I liked right off the bat was “16 Summers,” which felt more like a “Glasshouse”-era, slow-dance, never-let-me-go kind of feel.

😬🙄

Same here. It wasn’t bad, but it didn’t leave a lasting impression on me. I’ll listen to it again, though. It may grow on me over time, but we’ll see.

Boom. Ordered the first one!

I'm looking for CONTEMPORARY (i.e. set in last 10 years) NOVELS (i.e. fiction) set in the UNITED STATES that feature political and/or cultural resistance. Thank you for suggestions!

Okay, say you had six @libro.fm credits burning a hole in your phone. What would you recommend that’s 🏳️‍🌈 and probably a little (or a lot) 🌶️? Asking for a friend.

It’s me, hi. I’m the friend.

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In Hollywood in 1946, there were clearly a lot of people in need of corrective lenses.

This is one of the (vanishingly few) things I love about air travel, getting to try local beers while waiting for flights.

I see she’s reached the “find out” portion of the exercise.

What’s your favorite Bible verse? (Wrong answers only.)

Mine’s “DON’T FUCK WITH ME, FELLAS!”

We watched “Arrival” in class this week, and every semester, when Dr. Banks walks into her house while on the phone with her mother, I have to point out to students, “That is not the kind of house a professor’s salary buys.”

If only.