iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Rakesh Khanna @blaftrakesh.bsky.social · 10h

Listing books for sale on Ama$on as a small publisher is becoming increasingly fraught. Just all kinds of weird bugs, robotic support teams, janky interface, intrusive AI trying to edit/paraphrase your descriptions on Goodreads... uggh it's so awful! Just stop buying books there pleeeease yougaiz

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Vajra Chandrasekera @vajra.me · 03/10/2026

I'm sorry to be missing this (I'll be going up to Bengaluru again soon but unfortunately a few weeks too late to catch any of the launch events) but you must go if you're in town because both Kuzhali and Shalini are awesome

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kuzhali manickavel/குழலி மாணிக்கவேல் @kuzhalimanickavel.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

four more days nanbargale! today we have a rather cheeky little koothu number of the village persuasion, get down village people! www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFjA...

youtube.com

Vaadi Machiniyae 4K Remastered Video Song | Parthiban Kanavu Movie | Srikanth | Sneha | Vidyasagar

YouTube video by Sathya Jyothi Films

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Rakesh Khanna @blaftrakesh.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

What just happened in Tennessee really should convince everybody.

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Rebecca R Helm @rebeccarhelm.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Magical creatures don’t exist, eh? Roughly 400 million years ago, before the birth of trees, there were giant mystery cones called “Prototaxites,” which grew nearly 30 feet tall. We literally have no idea what they were. Plant: no Mushroom: no Animal: no Tell me this isn’t a little bit magic

Sunset with giant mystery cones Prototaxites https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/prototaxites-fossil-explained-why-this-prehistoric-colossus-still-baffles-scientists-1773173

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Blaft Publications @blaft.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Or buy the EPUB direct from us: www.blaft.com/collections/... (We need to reprint the Indian edition -- coming soon -- even sooner if yougaiz spend some money on our website 😅) This book features Tamil lovers in Jaisalmer, corpses in coconut groves, Barack Obama & Angelina Jolie in space...

The Tamil Pulp Fiction book on a table with interesting doilies made of dried grass and what appears to be a carved wooden bunch of poovan bananas

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Blaft Publications @blaft.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Avoid Amαƶon, support indie bookshops / indie publishers if at all possible... but if for some reason you MUST use Amαƶon, TAMIL PULP FICTION VOLUME 3 is now (finally) available in the Kindle store again www.amazon.com/dp/B0758H6J21 (and the print edition in the USA) www.amazon.com/dp/9380636253

The Blaft Anthology of Tamil Pulp Fiction, Vol. III. Front cover shows a cyborg village lass wearing a half-sari and toting an aruval (billhook). There's a ribbon in her hair and a lightning storm in the background

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Johnnie Jae @johnniejae.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Yesterday was a big day for Indigenous literature as Kinsale Drake, Darcie Little Badger, and Stacie Shannon Denetsosie received the 2026 American Book Award for Beyond the Glittering World: An Anthology of Indigenous Feminisms and Futurisms. redpopnews.com/beyond-the-g...

redpopnews.com

Beyond the Glittering World: An Anthology of Indigenous Feminisms and Futurisms Receives 2026 American Book Award

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Rakesh Khanna @blaftrakesh.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Title: GHOSTS, MONSTERS, AND DEMONS OF INDIA Genre: Folkore Word Count: 145K Funniest moment: People seem to like this section! www.blaft.com/collections/...

People with No Anuses
In the 5th century BCE, the Greek writer Ctesias wrote of a mysterious
race of people living in the Eastern Himalayas, past the source of the
Brahmaputra, who had no anal orifices. They did have buttocks—but no
hole between them.
These people were cattle and goat herders, and they derived all their
nourishment from the milk of their livestock. At night, they would chew a
sweet root which prevented the milk from solidifying in their gut, so they
only ever needed to expel liquid waste. This they did either by urinating
or vomiting.
Strange as this legend may seem, there is a corroborating story about an
Eastern Himalayan tribe of anusless people in the folklore of Mizoram.
It is a tale that involves the folkloric Mizo trickster-idiot character named
Chhurbura, called Chhura for short.
It is said that Chhurbura once visited a village called Mawngping, where
he discovered that none of the inhabitants had an anus. The villagers,
watching Chhura perform his morning rituals, were deeply impressed;
they all wanted a hole like that too. They asked him how he came to have it.
Chhurbura told them that when he was a baby, his mother had made
the hole for him using a burning hot iron poker.
The villagers asked if Chhurbura could perform this operation for their
children, and Chhurbura agreed.

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Rakesh Khanna @blaftrakesh.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

All other ?s of ethics/environment/technofascism aside: Indian law is currently leaning towards "AI-generated art is not copyrightable"*. So if you submit writing to me that is AI-generated, or has AI-generated illustrations, you're trying to sell me stuff that you don't own. That's fraud! 😡

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kuzhali manickavel/குழலி மாணிக்கவேல் @kuzhalimanickavel.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

if anyone happens to find themselves in Coimbatore on Oct 9 at around 6 pm, you can mosey on down to Kaadambari and hang out with me and vinayak varma! you can listen to us talk about weird things! or you can buy a carpet! the possibilities are endless

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Rakesh Khanna @blaftrakesh.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

We drove through Philly last year and almost visited -- choosing to do the Rocky steps instead because we had just done the Museum of Natural History NYC and were about to do the Smithsonian. Now I'm kicking myself! Hope they somehow manage to keep it open!

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Harare Review of Books @hararereview.com · 25/09/2026

Saola - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saola?w...

en.wikipedia.org

Saola - Wikipedia

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Rachel Cordasco @rachelcordasco.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

#SFinTranslation as an area of interest is so contradictory - on the one hand, it's very niche. On the other hand, have you SEEN my spreadsheet? There's SO MUCH SFT, I've barely scratched the surface.

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Blaft Publications @blaft.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

"Thamarai's adventures are simultaneously surreal and hyperreal, and I could not get enough of them. This is an absolute must read... prepare to be crushed and turned inside out, possibly simultaneously." – @bogiperson.bsky.social (Thanks for the blurb!) www.blaft.com/products/a-c...

blaft.com

A Compendium of Supernatural Entities Found in the Government Girls Higher Secondary School (eBook)

Release Date: October 6, 2026 Available for Pre-Order Pre-order the print edition here a novel by Kuzhali Manickavel In the oppressive heat of a small Tamil Nadu town, strange happenings are common....

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Bogi Takács / WE'RE HERE ToC announced! @bogiperson.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Of course, this was SUCH an awesome book. I really enjoy her writing in general, but I didn't expect this one to feel so personal. I always felt like so much about my school years was not really expressible in words and this book got exactly that feeling.

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Rakesh Khanna @blaftrakesh.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

"My fav cryptozoology and folk horror book of all time" --@nameshiv.bsky.social (Hi Shiv I just found this in an old skeet of yours & I'm going to start using it 😅) GHOSTS, MONSTERS, AND DEMONS OF INDIA www.blaft.com/products/gho...

blaft.com

Ghosts, Monsters, and Demons of India

by J. Furcifer Bhairav and Rakesh Khanna 456 pages. 8.25" x 5.5". 600 g Paperback ISBN: 978-93-80636-46-7 An encyclopedia of evil entities and folkloric fiends from across the country, from Ladakh to ...

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Rakesh Khanna @blaftrakesh.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

On Coltrane's 100th anniversary: My top 5 favourite tracks (But it'll be different next time you ask me 😝) #5: Blues Minor youtu.be/kJcJXsHXhAM

youtu.be

Blues Minor

YouTube video by John Coltrane - Topic

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Peter Coles 🏳️‍🌈 🏳️‍⚧️ 🇮🇪 @telescoper.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Equinox – John Coltrane Today is the 100th anniversary of the birth of the great John Coltrane, who was born on 23rd September 1926 in Hamlet, North Carolina.

telescoper.blog

Equinox – John Coltrane

Today is the 100th anniversary of the birth of the great John Coltrane, who was born on 23rd September 1926 in Hamlet, North Carolina.

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Rakesh Khanna @blaftrakesh.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

We have like 10 Blaft events in October and we haven't announced any of them yet 😭 Book launches for Kuzhali's novel (Coimbatore, Bengaluru, Chennai), art event with Shyam in Chennai, tabling at a queer event in Bengaluru and a zine fest in Mumbai.... Calendar coming soon!!!

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Harare Review of Books @hararereview.com · 16/09/2026

Which reminds me to reshare this without a broken link. Very much enjoyed listening. Gautamiputra Kamble, "The Seekers" (Blaft Publication, 2025) - New Books Network newbooksnetwork.com/gautamiputra...

newbooksnetwork.com

Gautamiputra Kamble, "The Seekers" (Blaft Publication, 2025) - New Books Network

Support Kritika | Support H-Net | Buy Books Here | Join the NBN and NBN en Español on Patreon | Visit New Books Network en Español!

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Dan Hartland @danhartland.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Very happy that @hararereview.com returns to SH today to write about an anthology of xicanxfuturism. “What all of these futurisms and the work produced in them have in common is resistance: pushing back against hegemony, and against erasure.”

strangehorizons.com

Xicanxfuturism: Codex 1 edited by Scott Russell Duncan

What all of these futurisms and the work produced in them have in common is resistance.

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Rakesh Khanna @blaftrakesh.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

So sick of the refusal of the US and global media to name White Supremacism when it's staring us all plain in the face & sieg heiling

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Blaft Publications @blaft.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

While you're waiting for the novel: order the story collections, order the zines! www.blaft.com/collections/...

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Blaft Publications @blaft.bsky.social · 26/02/2026

Please buy our books, they're pretty okay I guess www.blaft.com/collections/...

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Rakesh Khanna @blaftrakesh.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

One of the greatest pin-up illustrators of our age. I mean, just look at this alien space girl www.ebay.com/itm/30702960...

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Rakesh Khanna @blaftrakesh.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Man, North Indian Hinduism is really drowning in AI slop. Mumbai cousins were playing bhajans on YouTube for Ganesh Chaturthi and every single song has these nauseating videos. Let alone the WhatsApp forwards. It's there in the South too but not this bad? I think/hope?

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Rakesh Khanna @blaftrakesh.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Women with Weapons stories are flowing in at a rate of about 1 per minute 😮 I like that we have inspired so much fictional womanly weapon wielding

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Rakesh Khanna @blaftrakesh.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Rashmi and I appeared on Vinayak Varma's excellent podcast talking about Blaft books... and radiogenic xenon... and slime molds... I never like hearing recordings of my voice much, and I wish I could go back and edit some words, but maybe you will enjoy it! happyaccidents.co.in/2026/09/14/b...

happyaccidents.co.in

An Interview with Blaft's Rashmi Ruth Devadasan and Rakesh Khanna

Rashmi Ruth Devadasan and Rakesh Khanna talk about indie publishing, speculative fiction, kidlit, movies, and more.

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kuzhali manickavel/குழலி மாணிக்கவேல் @kuzhalimanickavel.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

came upon an old tamil movie song with the lyrics 'i love you, i love you mister, my name muniamma, elizabeth taylor thaane yenthan periamma' (is my maternal aunt) they sure don't write them like they used to

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Rakesh Khanna @blaftrakesh.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

Here's a book I edited! It's a collection of 11 stories from classic Gujarati pulp magazines, translated to English by @vishwambhari.bsky.social, including vintage scifi, slasher-horror, and a feminist revenge story starring a Mumbai bar dancer single mom www.blaft.com/products/the...

blaft.com

The Blaft Anthology of Gujarati Pulp Fiction

Selected and translated by Vishwambhari S. Parmar Edited by Rakesh Khanna 400 pages. 8.25" x 5.5". 600 gPaperback ISBN: 978-93-80636-69-6 “...whether you’re in the mood for horror, scandal, superstit...

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Rakesh Khanna @blaftrakesh.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

Bestsellers, day 3 at Kyoorius Designyatra in Goa: 📚 River of Stories by Orijit Sen 📚 The Blaft Book of Anti-Caste SF 📚 Bandigoat: A Collection of Strange & Horrible Tales www.blaft.com/collections/...

Bandigoat. Rakesh Khanna, editor. Stories by Kuzhali Manickavel, M L Krishnan, Jugal Mody, Lungmying Lepcha, et al

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Rakesh Khanna @blaftrakesh.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

Name a non-LOTR character who could resist the One Ring

Thamarai from A Compendium of Supernatural Entites Found in the Government Girls Higher Secondary School by Kuzhali Manickavel

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Rakesh Khanna @blaftrakesh.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

Oo this was good "...stories of a person possessed by a haint are not only fairytales; they are descriptions of human behaviors which are real, historic, and often all too contemporary"

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Indrapramit Das @indrapramitdas.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

It's beautiful, funny, frightening, and so very sad.

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Indrapramit Das @indrapramitdas.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

This is now one of my favourite Indian 'genre' novels (or novels, period) of the 21st century, tbh, and like the best ones, treats the boundaries of 'genre' as borders to be breached, explored, language a lantern in the wilderness. Essential for all readers of 'weird' fiction.

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Rakesh Khanna @blaftrakesh.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Bestsellers, day 2 at Kyoorius Designyatra in Goa: 📚 India Street Lettering by @matratype.bsky.social 📚 Stupid Guy Goes to India by Yukichi Yamamatsu 📚 Love Songs and Aspic by @kuzhalimanickavel.bsky.social (I love this one dearly & may have been pushing it) www.blaft.com/collections/...

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Rakesh Khanna @blaftrakesh.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

You can just watch old Hollywood movies to get a pretty clear picture of pre-9/11 Islamophobia Back to the Future (1985) True Lies (1994) The Siege (1998) Rules of Engagement (2000)

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kuzhali manickavel/குழலி மாணிக்கவேல் @kuzhalimanickavel.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Friendos, if you are a Barnes & Noble Premium and Rewards Member, from Sept 9-11 you can get 25% off on all preorders (including audiobooks and eBooks). Premium Members will get an additional 10% off their print book pre-orders. Please pre-order my novel!

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