Madi Haab
@madihaab.com
late-diagnosed beluga mermaid 🐚 words in Haven Spec, Augur, Baffling, carte blanche, and more ✒️ queer, AuDHD, half-MENA. Tiohtià:ke/Montréal. she/her/elle. banner art of my story “Blabbermouth” by linktr.ee/laurel_llewellyn 🫦
lots of poetry this time: Tiffany Morris, Ellora Sutton, Klara du Plessis, Amber Dawn and more, along with the dark fantasy anthology Clocks, where my story "The Wind-up Heart" is in excellent company!
What I read in July 2026: Poetry edition
I’d been having a hard time getting myself to read again, and mainlining poetry collections (and one anthology) did the trick! Here’s what I read in July.
madihaab.com
Revenant I put a lot of effort into this, your support would be appreciated 🩶🫶 #NIGHTREIGN #ELDENRING #エルデンリング
Last year a mysterious patron commissioned a zine of dark trans fable and myth. Editorial intern MJ Woods and I put it together for you with some wonderful contributors. Limited run, 100 copies, coming 9/15. You can get it via Club Serpentine or pick it up here: www.neonhemlock.com/chapbooks-zi...
ngl at this point I'm SO curious to read Bella Chacha. the one nonfiction piece I found by googling was pretty underwhelming so I can't help but wonder just what it is about their writing that managed to bamboozle so many publications.
HELLO AUTHORS. The Deadlands will open to short story submissions (up to 5,000 words) for the entire month of October. but wait there's MORE For the first time everrr we are opening to NOVELETTE SUBMISSIONS (1/3)
This is where I land. Homogeneity in fiction is an issue. I love weird fic, especially in the semipro/token mags that vary the landscape. But if you think there aren't tropes, patterns, weaknesses that the subgenre gets sucked into, we're all gonna get taken for a fuckin ride. It's in our house too.
Nigel Faustino@nigelfaustino.bsky.social · 3w agoI agree with chunks of this (there's a real conversation about current short fiction trends and tastes) but if I asked a market what they were going to do about AI and how they would respond to publishing it by accident, I would not be satisfied by "we're too niche and weird for that to happen"
one last thought to curb the bleakness of this post: I think community is about to become more important than ever, since that's one thing AI and chatbots can't take away from us.
On being replaced: thoughts about AI in publishing
It’s been one AI scandal after the other in the literary world: some of my thoughts as I try to process the implications.
madihaab.com
All Hail one of the original Scream Kings who always gave it his all and was truly inimitable in every role he played. The immensely talented and charismatic Sam Neill. RIP. Thanks for the hours of enjoyment you gave me, and for guaranteeing your presence would always be a memorable one. 🖤📽️🩸
There has been an addendum to this- It should now say at the bottom "Like Lindsey Graham did" 😈🎨🦇 Colored pencil on black paper
It’s like when your food is taking a long time to come out so your server brings some free bread to apologize for the wait.
If you missed my cover reveal yesterday, here it is again with some words I had about the artist. Pre-orders are now open for this book. Some links provided on the linked page but you can get it wherever you buy your books. www.starsandsabers.com/books/the-as...
this time on the menu: Toni Morrison, literary horror, fantasy, and a poetry anthology inspired by Taylor Swift ... though I can't abide her cozying up to MAGA, so take it as a sendoff to my decade+ of being a fan.
What I read in the first half of 2026
I’m breaking out of my reading slump, but the first half of the year has been slow. Still, here are my thoughts on what I did read!
madihaab.com
I applaud Bona Books for their unequivocal response. fuck AI.
Bona Books 🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️🤘🏼@bonabooks.bsky.social · 4w agoAI fraud nearly derailed our next anthology. Today we’re talking about what went down, the things we missed, and publishing the report we wish we’d had when it happened. Read all about it on our new blog, and download the full report:
my purchase moved it over the $500 line >:) support disabled authors if you're able and share this post!
Dianna Gunn Does (Fictional) Murders 🇨🇦@diannalgunn.bsky.social · last mo.LGBTQ+ Pride Month is over but it is still Pride Specifically it is Disability Pride Month The perfect time to grab a bundle of 33 sci-fi, fantasy & horror books by disabled authors for $33 - that's just a buck a book itch.io/b/3751/disab...
the issue is now free to read! please check out my story Mother's Bane, about carnivorous plant women and escaping an abusive home, as well as the other poems and stories!
Haven Spec Magazine@havenspec.bsky.social · last mo.Our ✨June 2026 Issue✨ is now free to read online! Find it here: havenspec.com/issues/issue... Or get the EPUB and PDF: ko-fi.com/s/90e1d65c0d Please read it and please spread the word!
«Je te vois qui te radicalises. J’aimerais qu’on se parle de ta solitude et de ton besoin d’amour.» La chronique d’Emilie Nicolas.
Salut, l’«incel»
ledevoir.com
yesss I got to beta-read this novella and it's so. damn. good!!
T.R. Steele 🍂@authortrsteele.bsky.social · last mo.⚔️✨THE UNICORN'S BANE ✨⚔️ a cli-fi fantasy novella SPEAR x TLoZ: TWILIGHT PRINCESS A troubled young transgender knight looking to prove himself is sent to a small town to hunt and kill a unicorn laying waste to the ecologically important dragon population. #F #CLI #N #QueerPit
Katabatic Circus is open to submissions of speculative literary poetry! angrygablepress.com/katabatic-circus
it's here! it's here!! body horror, carnivorous plants, mother issues! please check it out!
Haven Spec Magazine@havenspec.bsky.social · last mo.👀June 2026 Fiction👀 "Mother's Bane" is a short story by @madihaab.com about breaking the cycles of abuse that we are heir to (and also killer plants). Find it in our June 2026 issue! havenspec.com/issues/issue...
First story of the June issue of Haven Spec is out now, free to read! And it’s a doozy. Enjoy!
Haven Spec Magazine@havenspec.bsky.social · last mo.👀June 2026 Fiction👀 "Horseland" is a short story by EC Dorgan about authenticity and the monsters that haunt our hearts and histories. As a special preview of the issue, you can read it NOW! havenspec.com/fiction/hors...
my story "The Wind-up Heart" is now available in the Little Key Press anthology Clocks 🕰️🩷 it was directly inspired by my frustration as a late-diagnosed AuDHD in a neurotypical world, and as such it is very dear to me!
Madi Haab – New story day: “The Wind-up Heart” in Clocks!
After a successful Kickstarter campaign, my story “The Wind-up Heart” is now out in the Little Key Press anthology Clocks!
madihaab.com
look at this sick cover!! and I'm SO excited to finally get to share "Mother's Bane"! keep an eye out for it!
Haven Spec Magazine@havenspec.bsky.social · last mo.Our ✨June 2026 issue✨ is ready! Subscribers will get it tomorrow, and everyone else can read it July 2nd! In this issue, you'll find five new stories and six new poems, many of which are vaguely environmental and all of which are amazing!
IT'S PUB DAY! we're having a reading on YouTube tonight at 7 p.m. PST / 10 p.m. EDT! come join me and the other authors and listen to our clocks-inspired stories 🕰️🩷 link to the stream (if you saw me post a different link no you didn't): www.youtube.com/@vintagebook...
Madi Haab@madihaab.com · 3mo agowoohoo!! Clocks: a speculative and dark fantasy anthology, where my short story "The Wind-up Heart" will appear, is fully funded! many, many thanks to the 77 contributors who made it happen 🩷 and if you missed it, fear not! late pledge rewards are still available: www.kickstarter.com/projects/jus...
