Sex, gender and society in historical queer specfic. April 18 2026 12.30-1.20pm EST. Online. with Kate Heartfield, Lee Mandelo, Disco Barrington and Faye Gabriel
I’m speaking at a [virtual] convention on Saturday!
I’ll be on this panel at Can*Con with the absolutely brilliant authors @kateheartfield.com, @leemandelo.bsky.social and Faye Gabriel.
See my Linktree in my profile for tickets! 📚💙
One prolific author I always make time for no matter how much blurbing/critiquing/research/judging I have to do is Emma Donoghue, and it's not even that every book of hers is a book of my soul, but some sure are, and I always want to see what she's going to try next. I admire her a lot.
Oh man I love Ireland so much. My favourite place. Have a great time!
I've told the whole story behind this one before but I've used "SHOWBIZ" as a margin instruction to myself in writing since 2007 because of a comment on my manuscript I got from Paul Quarrington. Has to be in all caps or it doesn't work
A fun little thing about novel writing is developing your own shorthand with yourself. Just came upon a margin note where I'm telling myself to "john of gaunt this" and first of all, John of Gaunt does not appear in this novel, and second of all, he's not usually a verb, but I know what I mean by it
🖤
Aw dude 🖤. (And Tim Powers was a big influence on me!)
Long story short, I am sending the video to my publisher now, and there is no cat in it, and it was Take 22
Trying to make a book promo video
Black cat tail going back and forth across the screen above my lap, black cat tail quivering alongside my nose
So I say "fine, you want to be in the video, be in the video" and I scoop
No cat has ever been more cruelly detained
Some of my author's notes are long (probably too long) -- my note at the end of Mercutio is basically an essay, including a bibliography. But I am so tired that the one I am about to hand in might just be "About half of these characters are made up; I apologize to the other half."
I gather they're already pretty underfunded. A spokesperson told the CBC that many libraries already operate without a librarian, to suggest this isn't such a big change.
Thread. If it doesn't have a librarian, it's not a library but a warehouse for books.
Of all the things that a budget could cut. That's all I'll say about that. Of all the things.
Given the vast overrepresentation of Indigenous people in Canada's prisons, and thebackgrounds of trauma and abuse that are prevalent in women's prisons, and the need for access to up to date legal resources, programming and maintaining a collection in a prison sure seems like specialized work. 14/
"...Library professionals are key to the prison library mandate including library staff dedicated to managing collections and delivering programs and services."
Key! 13/
Source: cfla-fcab.ca/en/guideline...
"...Collections and programming in prison libraries must also reflect the ethnic and cultural incarcerated population including people with disabilities...." 12/
The Canadian Federation of Library Associations says "Materials should be provided in universally accessible formats, and/or libraries should have access to conversion technology in order to provide universally accessible formats..." 11/
"14. relevant publications produced by CSC regarding programs and services for inmates
15. reports by the Office of the Correctional Investigator."
Ok seems like a lot of things to access, contextualize, develop programming for and keep up to date! 9/
"11. Security Reclassification Scale/Security Reclassification Scale for Women Functional Specifications (scoring matrix)
12. Parole Board of Canada Policy Manual
13. Info Source" 8/
"9. Immigration and Refugee Protection Act
10. Commissioner's Directives and associated Guidelines
the Standing Orders for that institution, except those orders or parts thereof related to security matters" 7/
"3. International Transfer of Offenders Act
4. Criminal Code of Canada
5. Canadian Human Rights Act
6. Access to Information Act and appropriate access request forms
7. Privacy Act and appropriate access request forms
8. Official Languages Act" 6/
"- ensure that the institution's library has available historical and current copies of legal, regulatory and official reference materials including, but not limited to:
1. Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
2. Corrections and Conditional Release Act and Regulations" 5/
"- organize materials and information to reflect library standards for optimum use and access
- determine the needs of library users and match library services and resources to meet those needs and interests when possible and appropriate" 4/
"The Librarian will:
- deliver library management services which support and promote institutional programming, employment, social, ethnic and cultural development, legal research and personal enrichment" 3/
What exactly does a prison librarian do? Well, Correctional Service Canada has Commissioner's Directives that tell us. 2/
I'm seeing people defending this decision by saying things like "this is eliminating prison LIBRARIANS, not LIBRARIES" so let's take a closer look at that. 1/
I WOULD LIKE YOU TO HELP MATTHEW IF YOU CAN PLEASE. We're donating right now.
