Clare O'Brien
@clareobrien.bsky.social
Writer. Music fan. 2025 Poet in Residence, Inverewe Garden, Scottish Highlands. Poetry chapbooks 'Breathing Out Becomes White And Snowfall' & 'Who Am I Supposed To Be Driving?' & novelette 'Airloc' out now. Links: clarevobrien.weebly.com
Thanks to @jenthorne.bsky.social for this week's #PromptCombo. It's a prompt with different possibilities, but mine is about taking a #stand against the status quo. Like many women of my generation, I spent far too long letting others define me. This was in the now-defunct litmag Libre last year.
"Its closure must not be mistaken for a mere calculation: it is a symptom of that same disease that shuts libraries and theatres, and the arts & humanities departments of universities, and that will make us all sick." Brilliant article by Sarah Perry on the proposed closure of the Lovell telescope.
Earth to Whitehall: the wonder and knowledge of Jodrell B...
The threatened closure of the world-famous radio telescope is symptomatic of a drive against learning and inquiry that is making us sicker as a society
observer.co.uk
Total, chilling, evil out of this man's mouth. He is every bit as monstrous as a Nazi murderer. In so many words, he claims "one Jewish life, it's ten million" Palestinian ones "because God chose us [and] because of this you are jealous." How many of them believe this fascist master-race bullshit?
Israeli West Bank settler tells BBC attacks on Palestinians are justified as revenge
Settler violence against Palestinians is on the rise in the West Bank, as settlements and outposts expand.
bbc.co.uk
NEW: Sir Jonathon Porritt, arrested under Terrorism law outside Westminster Magistrates Court. As police escorted him away he said "I am a supporter of Palestine Action, trying to save lives is not terrorism, exposing this Governments complicity in genocide is not terrorism." www.wedonotcomply.org
One of my favourite bits of children's literature, ever.
Rosalind Ahmed@21rosa.bsky.social · last wk.On encountering the horned god Pan his woodland worshippers are awestruck: “Rat,” he [Mole] found breath to whisper, shaking. “Are you afraid?” “Afraid?” murmured the Rat, his eyes shining with unutterable love. “Afraid! Of Him? O, never, never! And yet-and yet-O, Mole, I am afraid!” #WyrdWednesday
Shocked and sad to hear of the death of the wonderful Irish musician Glen Hansard. I first his band The Frames in the aftermath of another tragic death, that of Jeff Buckley. His song 'Neath the Beeches' was written for his friend.
Glen Hansard: Oscar-winning songwriter killed in crash
Hansard, who was 56, won the best song Oscar for the 2007 low-budget musical film Once.
bbc.co.uk
The London Magazine Short Story Prize 2026 is now open for entries. Further details and entry link here: thelondonmagazine.org/short-story-...
This is part of a larger problem, as huge cuts are made to science funding while we watch the growing wealth of tech companies. But it also makes me sad when I think how big an influence Jodrell Bank has been on one of my favourite novelists, Alan Garner, who lives almost in its shadow. #booksky 📚💙
Jodrell Bank Observatory facing closure after major funder cuts support
Scientists say decision is blow to UK astronomy as deep space observatory is home to world-leading facilities
theguardian.com
I have quite a few crazy things that wouldn't make an atom of sense to anyone unless they know me very well. Mind you, once submitted one of those, just to see what would happen, and it got accepted immediately. So maybe I'm not the best judge. 🤔
Joanne Harris@joannechocolat.bsky.social · last wk.Unsolicited writing advice, no. 7825: Even if you're hoping for publication, not everything you write has to be for others. Practice writing for yourself: it takes off the pressure, and may lead to unexpected discoveries...
One of the nicest aspects of the poetry prompts on this site is being able to write on line, in the moment, and not needing to give (much of a) shit who reads it. Kudos to @thebrokenspine.co.uk and #PromptCombo for this.
Here's a #poem for #PromptCombo on #Perseverance - I guess it's about the pursuit of longevity in a relationship, in a particular place. Oh, and it's a Golden Shovel, after a line of Wendell Berry's. 😀 @emteepoetry.bsky.social #poetrycommunity #writingcommunity #PoetsOfBluesky
Having already dumped X, Facebook and Substack, I'm now itching to get rid of Instagram. The latest outrage (see thread) - they're now labelling artists' work as "likely made with AI" - feels like the final straw. That leaves me with only BlueSky to promote my work. Is it enough? I don't know.
Ian McQue@ianmcque.bsky.social · 3w agoA new example of Meta shithousery. This is a post of mine on Instagram (left). Click the dots top right and this advisory note appears (right). I never use ai, never will. Why would they do this? Who benefits? Are they just trying to make viewers think everything is genAI so they just accept it?
For our sins, we rent out the old cottage on our Highland croft to tourists. These bloody things are the bane of our lives. Burn holes in garden furniture as well as scorching the grass and threatening ho start fires. We don't allow them but people dont always read the rules.
Gwyn@gwynt.bsky.social · 2w ago@joannechocolat.bsky.social @tomrobinson.com @chrisgpackham.bsky.social Something needs to be done to help stop the devastation of wildfires in our beautiful country. Please could you consider reposting to your many followers ( I don’t have many 😔)🙏 petition.parliament.uk/petitions/77...
I'm guessing that A.I. chose the song. Which is even more worrying, because it means A.I. is developing a sense of irony.
TechCrunch@techcrunch.com · 2w agoDavid Bowie's song "Five Years," which Meta used in a supposedly inspiring advertisement, is about humans learning that they have five years left to live before the apocalypse.
My contribution to this week's #PoemsAbout #BadHabits is about smartphone addiction (oh, the irony...) Thanks as always to @alanparrywriter.co.uk @thebrokenspine.co.uk #poetry #poetrycommunity #writingcommunity
Why do we always hear Houthis Iran backed terror group. But never Israel US backed terror group?
”Falsehood flies & truth comes limping after it.” Jonathan Swift, Anglo-Irish satirist (1667-1745), Dean of St Patrick’s Cathedral Dublin, author of A Tale of a Tub, Gulliver's Travels; champion of liberty, whose Saeva Indignatio inspired Voltaire, Yeats, Joyce, Orwell. @tcdlibrary.bsky.social
Happy to be included in this new anthology with my #poem 'Pearl Fishers'! #poetry #poetrycommunity #writingcommunity #mentalhealth
Rough Diamond Poetry@rough-diamond1.bsky.social · 2w agoWhat a list of sensational poets we have! Appearing in our Mental Health anthology coming soon... Thank you all you lovely contributors💎😍💎
Hatchet job to beat all hatchet jobs here from Ed Power in The i paper, but only Brits will understand. "[Chris] Martin really needs to go back to writing songs rather than trying to be a super-powered Blue Peter presenter bestriding the entirety of the planet."
Chris Martin's World Cup half-time show was an atrocity for the ages
The performance was a grandiose flub - perfectly fitting for the soulless spectacle that Fifa seems determined to reduce football to
inews.co.uk
On 24 July at 7pm I'll be performing with fellow storytellers Ginevra House & Rob Mckean as part of Wester Ross Story Club at Poolewe Village Hall. 3 spooky tales, inspired by the atmospheric landscape of Loch Ewe. Tickets £10 (£5 under 18) on the door or in advance from wrstoryclub.wordpress.com
He hasn't even taken office yet and I'm already disappointed in Andy Burnham. First no new Scottish indyref, and now this. Bet he won't do anything about the way A.I. is impacting creatives, either.
Zack Polanski@zackpolanski.bsky.social · 3w agoDeeply irresponsible. We're in a climate crisis. This is such a terrible start. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Everyone should have to take a course and pass a test on political basics before being put on the electoral register. Similar to getting your driving licence.
Blue Tsunami 📌@bluefuture.bsky.social · 3w agoCollege should be free because it is an unfair tax on intellectual power.
My #ExitWounds #poem for #PoemsAbout was written after the sudden death of musician Chris Cornell, my employer and friend. Published in @mslexia.bsky.social back in 2019 when they invited poets to submit elegies. Thanks to @alanparrywriter.co.uk @thebrokenspine.co.uk #poetry
If George Lucas was capable of making films a quarter as good as Christopher Nolan's, I might listen to his arguments. As it is... slop appeals to the sloppy, I guess.
The Guardian@theguardian.com · 3w agoGeorge Lucas likens AI sceptics to luddites clinging to horses and carts
Been working all day. 🥵 Everyone on the internet suddenly talking about "the game" and I had to ask my husband if something was happening. Hmm. Well then. Best switch off all the devices and settle down with my book and a nice iced drink.
This kind of thing worries me. I've never touched AI in my life, & never would, but I have unpublished short stories on my laptop for which I've kept no notes/drafts. I work on my poems in longhand in notebooks and then type up final versions, but stories I usually write directly into Word. [cont]
Solarpunk Magazine@solarpunklitmag.bsky.social · 3w ago1/2 It's come to our attention that in an issue of Solarpunk Magazine published earlier this year, we may have unknowingly published work created by AI. We have given the person until tomorrow morning to provide us with documentation proving they wrote the story: early drafts, story notes, etc.
