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Joanne Merriam

@joannemerriam.bsky.social

Kjipuktuk|Halifax. Inventor #DSPBposts. @tricon-hfx.bsky.social exec. Small press, 🇺🇸 & 🇨🇦 poli. Salty. I turn tea into words: steampunk Pride and Prejudice reimagining AETHER AND EGO, Sept 2026, Inanna. https://linktr.ee/joannemerriam

1763 Posts1593 Follower 1048 Folgt

Joanne Merriam @joannemerriam.bsky.social · 3h ago

I'm always amused by the chalk graffiti in the @tridenthalifax.bsky.social bathroom

"The bad news is you're falling, and there's no parachute. The good news is, there's no ground - VICTR"

Several chalkwritten notes:

The cow is of the bovine ilk;
one end is moo, the other, milk.
- Ogden Nash

Choose peace over power.

Stop trying to make sense
Just sense and then make

What is the responsibility of a writer?

A very basic drawing of a walrus labeled "the wall-rus"

Joanne Merriam @joannemerriam.bsky.social · yesterday

Discover #SmallPress #books: Napier's Bones by @derrylm.bsky.social, @newestpress.bsky.social & Drawing Blood: A Paramedic Memoir by Andrew Bethune, @nimbuspub.bsky.social. See alt-text for book details. #DSPBposts 💙📚 #BookSky #booktok #bookstagram

Napier's Bones by Derryl Murphy, NeWest Press: Dom is a numerate. He can see and control numbers. On the hunt for an item of immense power which he has only heard about in whispers, Dom must flee across continents to outrun the fall of dominos he has unwittingly begun and a numerate even stronger than he is. Finding unlikely companionship along the way and dodging fantastical creatures and numerical wonders Dom must find a way to save himself, his friends, and their way of life. https://bookshop.newestpress.com/products/napiers-bones

Drawing Blood: A Paramedic Memoir by Andrew Bethune, Nimbus Publishing: Paramedics help people. They are proud. But there are downsides: Working night and day, spending endless hours driving endless kilometres without sleep, food, or bathroom breaks. Drawing Blood: A Paramedic Memoir is a powerful work of narrative non-fiction by debut author Andrew Bethune. It offers razor-sharp insight into the human cost for the paramedics who bear witness to the moments when lives begin, change, or end. https://nimbus.ca/store/drawing-blood-a-paramedic-memoir.html

Joanne Merriam @joannemerriam.bsky.social · 2d ago

Part of why these things are made to mimic human-ness (and often also femininity!) as much as possible

Chanda Prescod-Weinstein 🌌@chanda.blacksky.app · 3d ago

You guys fantasize, a lot, about not having to pay for labor or be responsible for treating the labor source with dignity. So much of GenAI discourse is about a desire for ethical enslavement. And that does not exist.

Nobel Prize @nobelprize.org · 2d ago

BREAKING NEWS The 2026 #NobelPrize in Literature is awarded to the Canadian author Anne Carson, “for her bold and inventive oeuvre that, in playful dialogue with the classical tradition, has created new forms for contemporary literature.”

Joanne Merriam @joannemerriam.bsky.social · 3d ago

I was right in the thick of Booktoberfest + grant application deadlines at my day job last week and missed posting about this when it came out!

Joanne Merriam @joannemerriam.bsky.social · 3d ago

Discover #SmallPress #books: Nightnursing by @tianareid.bsky.social, @gooselane.bsky.social & Narrow Rooms by Choi Sungmin, @dandq.bsky.social. See alt-text for book details. #DSPBposts 💙📚 #BookSky #booktok #bookstagram

Nightnursing by Tiana Reid, Goose Lane Editions: A frenetic diary about sobriety and what recovery really means in a world where the innate need for “better” is both trauma and treatment. The poems in this nuanced collection delve into the terrible beauty of unbaked work, critical practice, and state-sanctioned care. Nightnursing simultaneously runs toward and away from reality, grappling with the gravity of memory, of remembering, of a “mind constantly rewriting what happened.” https://gooselane.com/products/nightnursing

Narrow Rooms by Choi Sungmin, Drawn & Quarterly: Narrow Rooms follows a young woman who leaves her rural hometown to study in Seoul and seek self-improvement. But once there, she quickly becomes the target of unwanted attention from her teacher, and the whispers of other students only deepen her alienation. Living in a cramped, poorly soundproofed room, the suffocating atmosphere begins to further distort her boundaries and perceptions. Longing for escape, she fixates on a handsome new neighbor, her fascination spiraling into obsession: She secretly rummages through his mailbox, collects his discarded cigarette butts and teabags, and hoards his trash. But when she discovers something unsavory about the object of her desire, will she be forced to confront the morals of her own behavior? https://drawnandquarterly.com/books/narrow-rooms/

Joanne Merriam @joannemerriam.bsky.social · 5d ago

Obviously-AI email from "Book Marketer | Ten Years of Experience" "Lindy" (no last name) assumes I'll pay for crap advice like my book should have a different cover (I do not control the cover - my publisher does - and also my cover is gorgeous thank you) because it doesn't have a spaceship on it. 🤦‍♀️

Joanne Merriam @joannemerriam.bsky.social · 5d ago

just a reminder this thing exists

Joanne Merriam@joannemerriam.bsky.social · 3w ago

Folks going to Can*Con, and folks looking for cool mostly-Canadian SFFH writers to follow, I made a starter pack with the folks I could find from the program: go.bsky.app/SE8c2SQ #BookSky @canconsffh.bsky.social

Joanne Merriam @joannemerriam.bsky.social · 5d ago

Discover #SmallPress #books: Discover #SmallPress #books: One Soft Infested Summer by Matthew Heiti, @latitude46pub.bsky.social & Silencio by Clyo Mendoza, translated by Christina MacSweeney, @sevenstories.bsky.social. See alt-text for book details. #DSPBposts 💙📚 #BookSky #booktok #bookstagram

One Soft Infested Summer by Matthew Heiti, Latitude 46 Publishing: ‪Brothers Milo and Woe—gifted with strange psychic abilities—must confront the malevolent force threatening to consume their once idyllic neighbourhood of Kinder Hill. Children are disappearing and they can help. Fast forward to 2019, Miller Hackney—a failed writer and failing member of the human race—abandons his final novel to chase a faceless child in a green raincoat through the alleys and subway tunnels of Toronto. These two stories, seemingly worlds and decades apart, are drawn inexorably to a collision at the bottom of all labyrinths. https://store.latitude46publishing.com/products/one-soft-infested-summer

Silencio by Clyo Mendoza, translated by Christina MacSweeney, Seven Stories Press: A lyrically haunting and powerful account of women surviving femicide and destruction in Mexico, using fantasy to relate atrocities that exist beyond language. https://www.sevenstories.com/books/4841-silencio

Joanne Merriam @joannemerriam.bsky.social · 6d ago

York Redoubt National Historic Site #hike today with Dave and our friend Jessica. The cannons are part of the Halifax Defence Complex fortifications. Really great hike and perfect crisp fall weather!

Joanne Merriam @joannemerriam.bsky.social · 6d ago

Booktoberfest is an annual book fair by @writersfedofns.bsky.social, with satellite events, incl. Carol Bruneau's launch (1st pic) and my conversation with @julianmortsmith.bsky.social in Yarmouth (second 2 pics). Pic 4: @catrector.com, 5: Jan Morrison, & 6: me with poet Tegan Zimmerman! #BookSky

Joanne Merriam @joannemerriam.bsky.social · 7d ago

I said "Pride and Prejudice" today instead of "Christmas" because apparently my brain was empty and just picked up the closest thing with an "iss" sound at the end.

Joanne Merriam @joannemerriam.bsky.social · last wk.

Discover #SmallPress #books: The Lesbian Bar Chronicles by Rachel Karp, @beaconpress.bsky.social & Woman, Wolf, Carbon Capture by Noelle Catharine Allen, @blacklawrence.bsky.social. See alt-text for book details. #DSPBposts 💙📚 #BookSky #booktok #bookstagram

The Lesbian Bar Chronicles: The Living History and Hopeful Future of America's Dyke Dives and Sapphic Spaces by Rachel Karp, Beacon Press: Lesbian bars are so much more than a place to get a drink. For over a century, they’ve acted as community posts, political organizing grounds, and sanctuaries. Yet whereas in the 1980s there were an estimated 200 lesbian bars across the US, the current count sits at a few dozen. The author embarks across the country with her wife and best friend to chronicle the stories of the remaining US lesbian bars, and finds many of the places they visit to be thriving, their communities sustaining themselves over decades of change and challenges. https://www.beacon.org/The-Lesbian-Bar-Chronicles-P2460.aspx

Woman, Wolf, Carbon Capture by Noelle Catharine Allen, Black Lawrence Press: It’s a beautiful September day in Seattle, but Tiny isn’t happy. Lung damage recently ended her dream career as a wildlands firefighter, and she’s grieving the person she loved most, her grandmother. Things take a turn when a city employee arrives at Tiny’s doorstep with an unexpected proposal: become a beta-tester for a program designed to pull carbon from the atmosphere, counteracting global warming. Despite her skepticism, Tiny agrees. What ensues is stranger and more wondrous than she could have imagined—but when the city decides to abruptly end the program, Tiny must decide if she will follow orders, or if she will resist and follow her heart. https://blacklawrencepress.com/books/woman-wolf-carbon-capture/

Joanne Merriam @joannemerriam.bsky.social · last wk.

Reminder this is tomorrow! Booktoberfest Book Fair Sat Oct 3rd, 11am-3pm Halifax Central Library 💙📚 #BookSky

Booktoberfest 2026: 70+ Nova Scotian authors & publishers, free writing workshops & readings. Halifax Central Library, Saturday, October 3, 11am - 3pm.

Joanne Merriam @joannemerriam.bsky.social · last wk.

I may have overbooked myself 💙📚 #BookSky #DadJokes 🪐📚

Friday, 2 October 2026, 7:00–9:00 pm
In conversation with Julian Mortimer Smith, author of The World of Dew and Other Stories (IUP, 2021). Part of Booktoberfest!
Yarmouth Waterfront Gallery
338 Main Street, Yarmouth, NS

Saturday, 3 October 2026, 11:00 am–3:00 pm
I’ll be promoting Aether and Ego at the Writers’ Federation of Nova Scotia‘s Booktoberfest!
Halifax Central Library
5540 Spring Garden Rd, Halifax, NS

Saturday, 7 November 2026, Noon–2:00 pm
Dartmouth book signing for Aether and Ego
Indigo Dartmouth
41 Mic Mac Blvd, Dartmouth, NS

Sunday, 6 December 2026, 2:00–4:00 pm
Halifax book signing for Aether and Ego
Indigo/Chapters Halifax
188 Chain Lake Dr., Halifax, NS

Saturday, 12 December 2026, 2:00–3:30 pm
Halifax reading and conversation with Carol Bruneau (The Little Way), Stephens Gerard Malone (The Unnameable), and Joanne Merriam (Aether and Ego).
Captain William Spry Public Library
16 Sussex Street, Halifax, NS

Friday, 16 October – Sunday, 18 October 2026
My first Can*Con! Brookstreet Hotel, 525 Legget Dr, Ottawa (Kanata), ON

Fri 16 Oct, 6:30–7:00 pm: Signing alongside David Demchuk, James Downe, Michèle Laframboise, and Robert J. Sawyer, Newbridge Room, beside the Bakka Phoenix tables.
Sat 17 Oct, 11:30–12:20 pm: panelist, Being Outside Rome During the Fall, with moderator Ariel Kroon and panelists Annalee Newitz and A.D. Sui, 2nd floor Network room.
Sat 17 Oct, 5:30–6:20 pm: panelist, Bringing Out the Author’s Vision, with moderator Arley Sorg and panelists Chris Krawczyk and Selena Middleton, 2nd floor Shakers room.
Sun 18 Oct, 11:30am–12:20 pm: Launch of Aether and Ego, 2nd floor Leaders room.

Tuesday, 20 October 2026, 7:00–9:00 pm
Reading & discussion with Melanie Dugan, author of The Antique Picker’s Daughter (Inanna, 2026)

Novel Idea
156 Princess St, Kingston, ON

Friday, 23 October 2026, 4:00–6:00 pm
Ottawa reading & book signing for Aether and Ego!

Evermore Books
857 Bank St, Ottawa, ON

Saturday, 24 October 2026, 2:00–4:00 pm
Book signing with Melanie Dugan, author of The Antique Picker’s Daughter (Inanna, 2026)

Indigo – The Rideau Centre
50 Rideau Street, 135C, Ottawa, ON

Thursday, 12 November 2026, 7:00–8:30 pm
Edmonton book launch for Aether and Ego!

Audreys Books
10702 Jasper Ave, Edmonton, AB

Saturday, 14 November 2026, 11:00am–4:00 pm
St. Albert book signing for Aether and Ego

Chapters – St. Albert
445 St. Albert Trail, Unit #30, St. Albert, AB

Sunday, 15 November 2026, 1:00–3:00 pm
Calgary book signing for Aether and Ego

Owl’s Nest Books
815A 49 Avenue SW, Calgary, AB

Mary Ellen 👻🪦🐈‍⬛@maryellenreads.caviaporcell.us · last wk.

@joannemerriam.bsky.social It's here!!

Joanne Merriam @joannemerriam.bsky.social · last wk.

Reminder that this is tomorrow! In conversation with Julian Mortimer Smith Fri Oct 2nd, 7-9pm Yarmouth Waterfront Gallery 💙📚 #BookSky

Booktoberfest 2026
recommends
Joanne Merriam in conversation with Julian Mortimer Smith
October 2
7pm - 9pm
Yarmouth Waterfront Gallery

Joanne Merriam @joannemerriam.bsky.social · last wk.

Discover #SmallPress #books: A Quiet Disappearance by Rabindranath Maharaj, @mawenzihouse.bsky.social & Aether and Ego by Joanne Merriam, Inanna Publications. See alt-text for book details. #DSPBposts 💙📚 #BookSky #booktok #bookstagram

Book covers for 1. Aether and Ego by Joanne Merriam, Inanna Publications: Elizabeth Bennet is a part of the second generation embarking on a centuries-long flight to Alpha Centauri, working in the signal room and studying engineering aboard a massive centrifugal ship. When she is thrown into the orbit of the conventional Mr. Darcy, Elizabeth finds him haughty and intolerable. But then her younger sister elopes. For all of their progress in the new society of the ship, a woman can still be ruined by an imprudent attachment. Can Elizabeth and Darcy save Lydia’s reputation, learn to like each other, and avoid being convicted of murder? https://inanna.ca/product/aether-and-ego/ or in the US, https://bookshop.org/a/96356/9781834210261 and 2.
A Quiet Disappearance by Rabindranath Maharaj, Mawenzi House:‬ Beautifully crafted stories in which older men and women from the Caribbean islands confront their pasts, with regrets and wonder as they discover subtle epiphanies. The stories consider the briefness of life, not only its final outcome but the losses accumulated over the years. https://www.mawenzihouse.com/product/a-quiet-disappearance/

Joanne Merriam @joannemerriam.bsky.social · last wk.

Discover #SmallPress #books: I Do Not Apologize for My Position on Men: A Collection by Rae Wilde, @shortwavebooks.bsky.social & The Moon the Sun Forgot by B.J. Wagner, @mythicroads.bsky.social. See alt-text for book details. #DSPBposts 💙📚 #BookSky #booktok #bookstagram

Joanne Merriam @joannemerriam.bsky.social · 2w ago

Another reminder I am doing things! Nvm that some of this has already happened.

Nova Scotia
Joanne Merriam on tour
Sept 13: Author's Day at NovaCon, 36 Arthur St, Truro
Sept 15: 7pm Release Day Cocktail Party at Trident, 1256 Hollis, Halifax
Sept 20: 2pm Book Launch at WFNS, 1113 Marginal Rd, Halifax
Oct 2: 7pm with Julian Mortimer Smith, Yarmouth Waterfront Gallery, 338 Main St, Yarmouth
Oct 3: 11am-3pm Booktoberfest, Halifax Central Library
Oct 10: Noon-2pm book signing, Dartmouth Indigo, 41 MicMac Blvd, Dartmouth
joannemerriam.com/events

AbracaDeborah Merriam @debmerriam.bsky.social · 2w ago

Halifabulous friends! WFNS are doing something cool in early October!

Joanne Merriam@joannemerriam.bsky.social · 2w ago

Come see me at @writersfedofns.bsky.social's Booktoberfest at the beginning of October! With Julian Mortimer Smith Fri Oct 2nd, 7-9pm Yarmouth Waterfront Gallery Book Fair Sat Oct 3rd, 11am-3pm Halifax Central Library More info at writers.ns.ca/programs/boo... 💙📚 #BookSky #bookstagram

AbracaDeborah Merriam @debmerriam.bsky.social · 2w ago

Thank you to #YEGBooks' Magpie Books (not on this platform) for the preorders of AETHER AND EGO by @joannemerriam.bsky.social that came in today! #AmReading

A pale-skinned left hand holds two paperback copies of AETHER AND EGO (Inanna Publications, released 15 Sept 2026) by Joanne Merriam; the top one has a Magpie Books bookmark sticking out of it. The blues and oranges of the book cover look fabulous with the blues and purples of my living room carpet, which you can see in the background.

Michelle Hébert (she/her)@hfxwordy.bsky.social · 2w ago

Thanks to @joannemerriam.bsky.social for highlighting my book, A GOOD GIRL’S GUIDE TO Lying!

Joanne Merriam@joannemerriam.bsky.social · 2w ago

Discover #SmallPress #books: Betas by Nick Maandag, @dandq.bsky.social & A Good Girl’s Guide to Lying: Losing My Memory, Searching for Truth, & Confronting Complex Trauma by @hfxwordy.bsky.social, @nimbuspub.bsky.social. See alt-text for book details. #DSPBposts 💙📚 #BookSky #booktok #bookstagram

Betas by Nick Maandag, Drawn & Quarterly: Everyone’s favourite Streakers characters—Xavier, Doug, and Tim—return in Nick Maandag’s first full-length graphic novel, Betas. The three friends work in a restaurant together and are desperately trying to find Ms. Right. Tim’s too shy to make any headway, Doug’s constantly putting his foot in his mouth, and Xavier is too pig-headed to even listen to what people are saying. Bad-faith arguments and poorly planned schemes tumble after each other in this pitch black comedy of manners from one of the most gifted satirists in comics. https://drawnandquarterly.com/books/betas/

A Good Girl’s Guide to Lying: Losing My Memory, Searching for Truth, & Confronting Complex Trauma by Michelle Hébert, Nimbus Publishing: On paper, Michelle Hébert was a successful, high-functioning woman. A former social worker turned government executive, a mother of two, a wife, a published author. But there was a secret about her that nobody knew—one that her own brain was trying to keep from her. One that was destroying her from the inside out. Why couldn’t she recognize herself in mirrors? Why did her mind disconnect from her body for long periods? A mystery disguised as a memoir, this deeply layered story of complex trauma is a heartbreaking, darkly humorous, and redemptive story of resilience, and a compelling testament to the lengths our brains will go to protect us. https://nimbus.ca/store/a-good-girls-guide-to-lying-losing-my-memory-searching-for-truth-confronting-complex-trauma.html

Joanne Merriam @joannemerriam.bsky.social · 2w ago

Booktoberfest 2026 authors:
Sherri Aikenhead
Debra Amirault Camelin
G. M. Baker
Mark Baker
Katherine Barrett
N.L. Blandford
Sonja Boon
Gina N. Brown
Carol Bruneau
Owen C. Caldwell
S. E. Conway
Will Cooper
Patrick d’Entremont
Amy-Lynn Denham
Jane Doucet
ATL Doyle
Bronwyn Fairchild
Arwen Falvey
Jan Fancy Hull
Emma FitzGerald
Denise Flint
Deanna Foster
Cathryn Fox
Lindsey Harrington
Michelle Hébert
Stephanie Hemmings
Corinne Hoebers
Steven Holloway
Mere Joyce
Stuart King
Cheryl Lawson
Corinne Lewandowski
Betty McEachern
Joanne Merriam
Mireille Messier
Rejeanne Morin
Jan Morrison
donalee Moulton
Gregory Munroe
Carolyn Jean Nicholson
Nicole Northwood
Veronica Post
Cat Rector
Rebecca Rose
T. Rushton
Cristina Santos
Sherry Scully
Bernadette Shea
Lana Shupe
Anne Smith-Nochasak
Heidi Tattrie Rushton
Jonny Thompson
Shelley Thompson
Andy Tolson
Brenda Tyedmers
Tegan Zimmerman

Joanne Merriam @joannemerriam.bsky.social · 2w ago

Discover #SmallPress #books: When It’s Darkness on the Delta by W. Ralph Eubanks, @beaconpress.bsky.social & The Younger and Other Stories by Daniel J. O'Malley, @hubcitypress.bsky.social. See alt-text for book details. #DSPBposts 💙📚 #BookSky #booktok #bookstagram

When It’s Darkness on the Delta: How America’s Richest Soil Became Its Poorest Land by W. Ralph Eubanks, Beacon Press: A socioeconomic excavation of the oft-mythologized Mississippi Delta, the poorest region of the United States, which unearths gangrenous roots of white supremacy and systemic racism. https://www.beacon.org/When-Its-Darkness-on-the-Delta-P2243.aspx
The Younger and Other Stories by Daniel J. O'Malley, Hub City Press: The stories in this haunting debut capture the moments when circumstances shift, when life drifts off course, when the ordinary gradually–sometimes suddenly–dissolves and offers a glimpse at how truly strange this world might be. https://www.hubcity.org/books/fiction/the-younger-and-other-stories

Joanne Merriam @joannemerriam.bsky.social · 2w ago

for service and devotion

Joanne Merriam @joannemerriam.bsky.social · 2w ago

Discover #SmallPress #books: Ever Since We Small by Celeste Mohammed, @igpublishing.bsky.social & My Dreadful Body by Egana Djabbarova, translated by Lisa C. Hayden, @newvesselpress.bsky.social. See alt-text for book details. #DSPBposts 💙📚 #BookSky #booktok #bookstagram

My Dreadful Body by Egana Djabbarova, translated by Lisa C. Hayden, New Vessel Press: A dazzling debut novel about a young woman’s vexed coming of age in a traditional Azerbaijani community in Russia, grappling under the weight of Muslim patriarchal norms and a debilitating neurological condition. The mysterious affliction leaves her unable to control her muscles, plagued by pain and speech disorders, defying diagnosis. Addressing each body part with the scrupulousness of a medical researcher, the narrator explores memories, traditions, and taboos related to her physical self. https://newvesselpress.com/books/my-dreadful-body/
Ever Since We Small by Celeste Mohammed, Ig Publishing: An intricately woven tapestry of stories where survival, resilience, and self-discovery are passed down through generations of an Indo-Trinidadian family. Celeste Mohammed’s second novel-in-stories, Ever Since We Small, is a family saga that spans from the days of the British Raj in India to multicultural modern Trinidad. Written in a blend of Standard English and several flavors of Trinidad Kriol, the book follows the bloodline of a young woman, Jayanti, after her decision to become a girmitiya, an indentured laborer in the Caribbean. https://www.igpub.com/ever-since-we-small/

Joanne Merriam @joannemerriam.bsky.social · 2w ago

Ontario, I will be in you, as we used to say!

Ontario
Joanne Merriam on tour
Sept 26: Word on the Street Toronto: 11am-Noon book signing at the Inanna Publications table and 2:30-3:15pm panel in David Pecaut Square, 215 King St W
Oct 20: 7pm reading and discussion with Melanie Dugan, Novel Idea, 156 Princess St, Kingston
Oct 23: 4-6 pm reading and signing, Evermore Books, 857 Bank St, Ottawa
Oct 24: 2-4 pm book signing with Melanie Dugan, Rideau Centre Indigo, 50 Rideau St, Ottawa

joannemerriam.com/events

Sunil Sarwal @sunilsarwal.bsky.social · 3w ago

It's our phones (or should I now write "Its our phones"?). They switch "it's" and "its" even after you've typed it correctly, and we're seeing the wrong thing so often now that *its* starting to look right.