Stephi Cham

@stephicham.com

Editor by day and night | LGBTQ+ Editors Association secretary, board of directors Published by Publishers Weekly, Capstone Press, Strange Horizons, JAMA, et al. Former medical end-of-life music therapist she/her | StephiCham.com

If I could talk to young me, obviously other things would take priority but somewhere down the list would be: War and Peace is very long, and life is not. It's okay if you don't finish reading it.

Sometimes I feel so scared of dying that I just want to get it over with. There must be people who can relate or even just understand; I wish there were a socially acceptable way to find out.

Has anyone found a good alternative to the saying about eating an elephant one bite at a time (taking things in small steps)? I find the idea helpful but hate the imagery it evokes.

In watching others experience parenthood, I've noticed they can get SO GOOD at optimism. My friends want a baby babble translator so their infants can say "I love you" — but I tend to think what's being yelled in Baby might be closer to "RETURN ME TO NONEXISTENCE" and "NO NO NO NO NO!!!"

it's silly how much bravery this takes for me or how insurmountable it feels, but I'm trying now to ask for support without running away. even if I think I "failed"' their support or I hide anyway, I think I'll try showing back up, even asking again. believing all these people loving me out loud.

to teenage me: you know that feeling when you KNOW you're being so so annoying but can't seem to stop? you're not the only one; many teens feel that way and grow out of it! not you, though, so get used to it. 🩷

The thing about grief is that it doesn't get easier with practice. I worked in hospice and end-of-life ICUs for years and stopped a while back, but this morning I unexpectedly cried at my desk upon learning of a former patient's death. Sometimes it just... really hurts.

I love being right. "to prove a point" is reason enough to motivate me. but when it comes to my self-image vs how loved ones see me, I hope life makes of me an ignorant fool.

I don't (and prob won't) understand what anyone thinks they accomplish by telling me "You can't help that you're not pretty. But you CAN choose not to be ugly. You just need discipline." Kind =/= nice, but that feels very much like it's neither.

May 2026 be much kinder to us. I don't want to forget or stop carrying the grief of 2025, but I hope the weight of it won't be so heavy anymore.

A couple is walking in St. Petersburg Square on Christmas Eve. They feel a slight precipitation. “I think it’s raining,” says the man. “No, it’s snowing,” replies the woman.  “How about we ask this Communist officer here? He is always right!” exclaims the man...

Christmas Shoes and Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah do NOT belong on holiday playlists imo, unless what you're going for isn't so much "merry" as it is "death humbles us all"

I know AI isn't a monolith and it's not all generative, but this is an astoundingly poor choice of topic given the CONTEXT of AI usage in publishing. Yes, AI is already here, but there's a reason we're not celebrating.

Publishers Weekly@publisherswkly.bsky.social · 8mo ago

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