Cliff Burns
@cliffburns.bsky.social
Indie author & publisher for more than 35 years, with 17 books and appearances in well over 100 publications and anthologies around the world. Host of the literary podcast "Standing At an Angle to the Universe". For more info, visit cliffburns.com
My hero Rebecca Solnit says we started a war against nature and now, unsurprisingly, nature is striking back. And the first casualty is SUMMER: www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
We launched a war on nature. Now we are in a climate warzone | Rebecca Solnit
Summer is not what it once was. We have been robbed of one of life’s great joys
theguardian.com
A society that doesn't read becomes dumber and easier to con. It's that simple. A recent article in THE GUARDIAN sums it up: www.theguardian.com/books/2026/a...
Could a couch-to-5k for books get you back into reading?
With smartphones stealing our attention, we’re picking up fewer books than ever. A novelist shares her eight-week scheme to get you back into the habit
theguardian.com
My poem "First Meeting" was published on the AFRICAN WRITER MAGAZINE website today: www.africanwriter.com/cliff-burns-...
Cliff Burns | First Meeting - AfricanWriter.com
First Meeting You are the Otherbut from your pointof view so am I Inside Schrodinger’s Boxstaring at each otheruncertain what happens next Tribal peoplemeeting as individuals Can we trust theuniversal...
africanwriter.com
Posted on X--this is what still helps me keep a bit of faith in humanity:
Henry Rollins perfectly sums up my philosophy of writing. Working at it EVERY SINGLE DAY, obsessed with becoming the best author I possibly can, presenting new and original work to readers even, as Nabokov puts it, "in defiance of all the world's muteness".
I'll be checking out Anton Jager's book on HYPERPOLITICS (from Verso, available from your favorite independent bookstore): www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Meet the man whose groundbreaking book is being devoured by the left
Anton Jäger has been lauded for his exceptional ability to make sense of these strange political times – and he’s only 32. The writer and academic explains why we’re living in an age of hyperpolitics
theguardian.com
Is this our "Terminator" moment, the equivalent to when Skynet becomes self-aware? www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/7/...
Open AI says its AI model “went rogue”: What do we know?
The system hacked into another company without being prompted by a human.
aljazeera.com
Aw, sad news: Sam Neill has died. A real natural--you could never see the strings when he was acting. www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/7/...
Jurassic Park actor Sam Neill dies aged 78
Death of New Zealand actor in Sydney was 'sudden and unexpected', according to a family statement.
aljazeera.com
Sorry, CBC Radio had to fix the link to my interview and have provided this new one. The interview in its entirety is here: www.cbc.ca/listen/live-...
© CBC/Radio-Canada 2026. All rights reserved.
cbc.ca
In case you missed my interview on CBC Radio, you can find a link to an archived version of my conversation with Shauna Powers below. Thank you to Shauna for loving and plugging my poetry collection A PROLIFERATION OF SHADOWS (get it from your favorite indie bookshop!). www.cbc.ca/listen/live-...
© CBC/Radio-Canada 2026. All rights reserved.
cbc.ca
Tune in to my interview with Shauna Powers on CBC Radio's "Saskatchewan Weekend". It airs Sunday morning (July 12th) at 8:40 (remember, that's 540 on your AM dial). We talked about my brand new book, A PROLIFERATION OF SHADOWS--and, as always, had a great chat.
I just recorded two new poems and posted them on my blog for, yes, FREE LISTENING. Enjoy! cliffjburns.wordpress.com/2026/07/10/t...
Two New Poems: Audio Recording
I’ve recorded two recent poems and if you have three minutes to spare, I hope you’ll give them a listen:
cliffjburns.wordpress.com
A reviewer in LitHub notes re: the new David Thomson book on cinema: Thomson argues that “movies have been a destructive force—responsible for creating an alternate reality and fantasyland that has only deepened the isolation and disconnection of our society over the course of a century.” Hmm.
American exceptionalism is built into the nation's founding myths. This is a brilliant article by Canadian author and commentator Stephen Marche (for THE GUARDIAN): www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
America is destroying itself. It’s no surprise | Stephen Marche
Scholars will someday wonder how the richest country in history chose to throw it all away. But the crisis has been there since the beginning
theguardian.com
A poem about a near future that is decidedly post-human (and the planet a lot better off): cliffjburns.wordpress.com/2026/06/05/m...
Meanwhile, in the not so distant future…
After the Fallit will end in desolationdandelionsdaisies & thistlesrats & cockroachesrunning wildwhile all our great worksfall into neglectthe steel & plastic worldwe made rustingdissol…
cliffjburns.wordpress.com
A.I. replacing writers? Robert Altman anticipated something similar in his film "The Player" wayyyyy back in 1992: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wng7...
The Player Newspaper Stories Clip
YouTube video by Samantha Culp
youtube.com
The latest issue of THE AFRICAN WRITER magazine features two of my poems, "Deathless" and "Prophet": www.africanwriter.com
African Writer Magazine - AfricanWriter.com
africanwriter.com
Great short film featuring the Irish band Kneecap: www.youtube.com/watch?v=khXv...
KNEECAP - Irish Goodbye (Short Film) ft. Kae Tempast
YouTube video by KNEECAPVEVO
youtube.com
Our provincial NDP leader is clearly not endorsing Avi Lewis and I hope it comes back to haunt her: "In a letter, Saskatchewan NDP Leader Carla Beck is calling Avi Lewis's position on oil and gas development 'ideological and unrealistic' and she won't meet with him until he reverses his stance."
