Full of despair today. Massive lay offs in social sciences and humanities across the country, Burnham puts out a video saying 'AI can write an essay', and my university is busy integrating co-pilot into all staff and student computers. We are being told we're defunct and there's no resistance.

Message from my daughter’s class teacher. She’s got his WHAT?

Good Scissors Not In The Fucking Drawer https://theonion.com/good-scissors-not-in-the-fucking-drawer-1827516871/

But isn’t that the whole reason they’re meant to be open?

On learning that our daughter’s new history teacher is called Mr Morgan, my German wife commented, ‘Wouldn’t ‘Mr Gestern’ have been a better name?’ #oneforthelinguists

Erm. ⤵️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⤵️

Stanchion@stanchion.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Coming Aug 11th! One of the most inventive & surreal indie books you'll ever read. THE BULLY IN MY PILLOW is a collection of fiction by @kiklodge.bsky.social w/ drawings by @jeromefage.bsky.social exploring fractured humans through stories about GRIEF, LONGING & LONELINESS. Pre-order sale is on!

‘Why not try tobacco instead?’

Had to read the header on this #bbcnews graph a couple of times. (Although I guess nothing’s implausible these days)

… when it should really roar.

A very pleasing thing to have a short story published in this very pleasing thing, (and in such pleasing company too)… Confingo Spring 26 @confingopublishing.bsky.social

Hate the way the dog begs when I’m eating. I always shout NO! and then give him some. You’d have thought he would have learnt by now. 🤔

Hate it when they sneer

Quite a relief for the Australian concerned, I would imagine…

I imagine it was extremely disturbing

Letter in Times today

in the plus side, watching the president of the United States destroy the entire geopolitical order because he didn't get a shiny award has successfully cured all my hangups about subtle character motivation in writing

Really enjoyed this gentle, illuminating conversation between @ronanhession.bsky.social and Jon Fosse in the new @tolkajournal.bsky.social

Don’t say it.

I have questions

Subs for the 2026 National Flash Fiction Day anthology & micro comp are now open, closing 15 Feb. Please repost for #FlashFiction friends.

National Flash Fiction Day@natflashfictionday.bsky.social · 8mo ago

Submissions to our anthology (up to 500 words on the theme of BRIDGES) & our Microfiction comp (up to 100 words, no theme) are now OPEN until 15 Feb. Our anthology editors & judges are poised ready! You can read more here: www.nationalflashfictionday.co.uk

<Prince vocals> This is what it sounds like...when we do number things (also our contest ends this Saturday and is excellent)

SmokeLong Quarterly@smokelong.bsky.social · 9mo ago

#TheMikey deadline is this Saturday Nov. 15, midnight NYC. However you count the days (you can see how bad we are at it), you can't choose your own ending for this, sadly, but you CAN choose to send us your 250-word story—top prizes $1,000/$500/$300; finalists $100; all published in December's SLQ.

Like the handbooks say, playing around with narrative time can create a whole new story.

a baby in a diaper is standing in front of a christmas tree .

ALT: a baby in a diaper is standing in front of a christmas tree .

media.tenor.com

bathflashaward.bsky.social@bathflashaward.bsky.social · 9mo ago

www.bathflashfictionaward.com/2025/10/31st... Hot on the heels of the Longlist here’s the shortlist of 20 as selected by judge @kazbarwrites.bsky.social for our 31st Award. Congratulations to all!

Never forget that the oppression of intellectuals is the sign of a regime’s weakness, not its strength… www.theguardian.com/books/2025/o...

Wole Soyinka, Nigerian Nobel laureate and Trump critic, says US visa revoked

Soyinka, 91, who recently compared US president to Idi Amin, says ‘I have no visa – I am banned’

theguardian.com

www.bathflashfictionaward.com/2025/10/oct-... Very late in the day but at last our Oct 2025 Longlist. Congratulations to all. And apologies for the delay

Oct 2025 Long List

Congratulations to all the authors who have made our Award long list and huge thanks to all who entered.Author names are yet to be announced, so while it is fine to share that you are on the long l…

bathflashfictionaward.com

Nothing to see here. Just my brilliant friend Michele Kirsch being brilliant again, dammit. open.substack.com/pub/advantag...

Saddiversaries – are they a fresh hell?

Michele Kirsch mulls them over and makes a few confessions

open.substack.com

And my children laugh when I tell them about the ‘cutting edge’ technology we had back in the 90s…

I guess it’ll save me supplying my own pinch of salt… @manchestereveningnews.co.uk

The next block of the #BitesizedBookClub is open for bookings! We'll be meeting on the following Thursdays, 19:15-20:30 (UK time): 25 Sept - Stories by Tim Craig 23 Oct - Fairy Tale/Myth Retellings 27 Nov - Ekphrastic Stories Link to book: theleadedwindow.blogspot.com/p/bite-sized... #FlashFiction

The all-day-breakfast-pizza-in-a-tin of sentences