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@100onbooks.bsky.social

Reader. Writer. Library lover. 📚 Anonymized Person of the Global South 🌍 Support ✨ https://paypal.me/cmutanyi ✉ PO Box 102439, Jamia Posta 00101, Nairobi, Kenya • more: https://linktr.ee/100onbooks No means to donate currently 💔

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Vajra Chandrasekera@vajra.me · 10h ago

Simba Kundizeza's statement on his Caine Prize-winning story "The Blue Fighter" is also worth reading—keep in mind, the evidence-free article slandering him was published in The Atlantic to a mass readership and his defense is a tweet to his eight hundred followers

Simba Kundizeza @S_S_Kundizeza Statement on The Atlantic article concerning “The Blue Fighter” I would like to say at the outset that this statement is not in any way a proffer of an explanation or a defense against the allegations levelled against me in the article published by The Atlantic, because I don’t believe the article warrants either. I am however writing because of the level of public interest generated in its aftermath, and out of respect for the people who have supported and championed my writing, as well as my fellow shortlisted writers for the Caine Prize. I want to set the record straight. For the avoidance of doubt, I wrote "The Blue Fighter." I did not use generative AI to write it. It is entirely my own work. This story did not appear out of nowhere; it has a concrete, documented history. Its genesis was during my LOATAD Black Atlantic Residency in Ghana. While there‚ I read a poem by vangile gantsho titled “my father's hands․” I was inspired by this poem to write a story about my family's experiences in Zimbabwe‚ including my father leaving his accounting profession and the hardships my family faced as a result․ Other aspects of the story‚ including characters and the setting‚ are drawn from events in my own life․There is also a clear chronology to the story's development. I sent the completed first draft of the story to vangile for feedback on May 15‚ 2025․ I then submitted the story to The Shallow Tales Review on May 27‚ 2025․ Fiction editor Nzube Nlebedim accepted the story on June 10‚ 2025‚ and it went through the standard editorial process. vangile then provided her feedback to me on June 25‚ 2025․ On the same day Nzube also provided editorial feedback to me․ In an email dated June 27‚ 2025‚ I sent the final draft and requested that the editor preserve the formatting of an epigraph in the story as originally submitted by vangile as a courtesy to her․ The story was published on June 30‚ 2025․ The Atlantic article seems to question the story's authorship by comparing its style to my other writing. As writers we develop recurring interests, but we don’t produce work from a single fixed template. My debut novel, “Freelance”, and the story titled "The Whistleblower" published in Transition Magazine in 2021 which is referenced by Ms. Vara, are thrillers dealing with political intrigue. "The Blue Fighter," however, is a deeply personal story about economic collapse and familial relationships. The voice shifts because the subject matter demands it. To suggest that a writer cannot write in different styles or genres, or improve his writing substantially after five or more years fundamentally misunderstands the craft of writing.The motive for my supposedly using AI to generate the story is equally difficult to understand. I was under no obligation to write “The Blue Fighter”. I was not commissioned to produce it, nor was I paid a fee for its publication. The decision to submit the piece for consideration for the Caine Prize was made by the editor of The Shallow Tales Review months after its publication. I therefore didn’t write the story with any guarantee that it would be submitted, let alone win anything. The idea that I would have somehow written the story with the express intention of entering and winning the Caine Prize, despite the inherently competitive and uncertain nature of the prize, conjures up a motive that simply did not exist. "The Blue Fighter" is my work, and I stand by it completely. I'm grateful to vangile for her inspiration, to The Shallow Tales Review for giving the story a home, and to the Caine Prize judges for recognizing the work on its merits. I’m also heartened by the numerous messages of solidarity from fellow writers and readers, and to Adrienne Ingrum and Regina Brooks at Serendipity Literary Agency for their support throughout. I look forward to continuing to work with the Caine Prize team, and to celebrating this recognition with the people who helped bring this story into the world. Most importantly, I will continue to write.
Vajra Chandrasekera@vajra.me · 2d ago

Yeah. And if you don't care what Pangram says—it's just another AI company, and I don't care how good they are at hyping themselves—I also don't see what's so "AI" about this story at all. I don't think "trust me, it's bad" is meaningful (and that is quite literally what the article says.)

Yanncé ✨@uhnopenottoday.blacksky.app · 11h ago

My depression mitigation thought right now is that I think the not-depressed version of me is SO cool and she deserves to experience everything she wants to experience. So I have to keep my life together for her. I don’t want things to be harder for her because that’s my baby. I’m my baby.

Please send job links (see pinned post) 🌎 Thanks!@100onbooks.bsky.social · 22h ago

the way so many of my friends have picked this up with their money or via the library has been a delight to see* such a vital read!

s. e. smith@sesmith.lol · 22h ago

It is so delightful to see word of mouth building as people read and recommend to friends, and if you read and enjoyed it's super-helpful for you to do the same. And in this economy books budgets are tight so PLEASE request at your library so comrades on a budget can read too 💚🐈‍⬛

Gennifer Hutchison@gennhutchison.bsky.social · 22h ago

Divest from Harry Potter and JKR, y'all. It's okay to feel sad about no longer engaging with something that meant a lot to you, but a fictional world that funds a very real assault on trans rights will never be more meaningful than caring about the safety of trans folks.

🎃 Killy Witches 👻@tillybridges.bsky.social · yesterday

Welcome to #TransTuesday! There is NO ethical consumption of Harry Potter Not the books, movies, or tv show. Not licensed games or merch. Not fanfic. Not even pirated. EVERY bit keeps the franchise alive and enables JKR's transphobia If you truly care about trans people, you need to let it die

Greg Pak@gregpak.net · 2d ago

Got my flu and COVID vax shots today, finally. Should have done it BEFORE the NYCC, but better late than never. Highly recommended, friends. Do it for yourself and your family and friends and community.

Ronan Farrow@ronanfarrow.bsky.social · 22h ago

Grindr is training its AI on your photos, your age, and your taps by default, without asking. This video shows where the app buried the off switch. The stakes are high on an app like Grindr. Numerous countries criminalize same-sex relations, so being outed through your data can be dangerous.

SXSW@sxsw.com · 22h ago

The first Keynote for #SXSW2027 announced is @timnitgebru.blacksky.app discussing her forthcoming book, Deep Unlearning: The Rise of AI and the Radicalization of a Tech Idealist. Following the success of her 2026 session, we couldn’t be more thrilled to welcome her back to the stage!

Gillian Brockell@gillianbrockell.com · 2d ago

Three ICE charters are currently staging for Africa removals over the next 24 hours. A small jet at Mesa, AZ, a small jet at Harlingen, TX, and a large jet at Alexandria, LA. All could include third-country removals, particularly the last one. Gonna be a bad week.