iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Dave Herman @davidmherman.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

A wonderful mix of @naomialderman.bsky.social trademark speculative imagination and very meta autofiction. An intense exploration of loss and mourning alongside a chronicle of the inexplicable effects of a new species appearing on Earth. Philosophical, funny, serious and tragic. Highly recommended!

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Dave Herman @davidmherman.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

#Contrapposto by Dave Eggers: an artistically gifted individual, averse to the cynicism of the corporate art world, engages for a lifetime with the question of what to do with his talent. Beautifully crafted, deeply thoughtful. A fantastic read. The contemporary novel is alive and kicking.

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Dave Herman @davidmherman.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

I did see that, and I am still considering it. 😎

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Dave Herman @davidmherman.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

It was great, as expected! I'm pressing on, submitting flash here, there and everywhere.

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Dave Herman @davidmherman.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

Oh boy, that's two a.m. here in Europe... not going to make it. You always fill up so quickly.

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Dave Herman @davidmherman.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

I wrote a little something on Substack about a similarity between writing and composing. Enjoy! csplice.substack.com/p/listen-whe...

csplice.substack.com

Listen! Where Writing and Composing Overlap

Like many creative people, I don’t limit myself to one medium.

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Dave Herman @davidmherman.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

Very pleased to share that my flash fiction piece ‘Not a Chance’ has been published by #TheOrangeRoselitmag. Head over and read it, along with numerous other wonderful contributions to the latest edition. Enjoy! theorangeroselitmag.com/2026/08/22/n...

theorangeroselitmag.com

“Not a Chance” by David M. Herman

The island was famous for its spectacular waterfall, and Lorna’s therapist recommended communing with nature to recharge her batteries. Lorna’s AI companion, Misty, found this a wholly inapt metaph…

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Dave Herman @davidmherman.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

Here's a piece I wrote on Substack called Writing the Wrong Foot First about the amazing Apple TV series Unconditional and reconextualization in #flashfiction csplice.substack.com/p/writing-th...

csplice.substack.com

Writing the Wrong Foot First

Apple TV's Unconditional and recontextualization in flash fiction.

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Dave Herman @davidmherman.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

Very pleased to announce that my flash fiction story “Not a Chance” has been accepted for the next edition of The Orange Rose literary magazine! More details to follow. theorangeroselitmag.com

theorangeroselitmag.com

The Orange Rose

A literary magazine publishing fiction, non-fiction, and poetry.

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Dave Herman @davidmherman.bsky.social · 17/07/2026

Thought I'd read everything by #etgarkeret then I stumbled on this (his first collection?). What a delight! Irreverent, imaginative, weird & wonderful. What an amazing writer, so inspiring for anyone writing short form stories!

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Dave Herman @davidmherman.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

Do you accept single short stories and flash fiction, or only collections?

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Dave Herman @davidmherman.bsky.social · 22/06/2026

Just finished reading this wonderful collection. What a masterful storyteller #RaymondCarver was! His prose is so lean and effective, and I love the way he seamlessly transitions from the present to backstory and flashbacks. Inspiring!

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Dave Herman @davidmherman.bsky.social · 19/06/2026

Who said this? (Spoiler: not me, I just put it on my corkboard to remind myself.)

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Dave Herman @davidmherman.bsky.social · 17/06/2026

A golden oldie. Originally from The Simpsons writers room, I believe.

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Dave Herman @davidmherman.bsky.social · 13/06/2026

It's red herrings all the way down.

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Dave Herman @davidmherman.bsky.social · 10/06/2026

Great piece of flash memoire by #TomCHunley at substack.com/home/post/p-... The punk spirit never dies!

substack.com

Violins/Violence

flash memoir by Tom C. Hunley

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Reposted by Dave Herman

Naomi Alderman @naomialderman.bsky.social · 31/05/2026

the BBC has agreed I can post some of the full interviews from my program, Human Intelligence. These interviews are so rich & fascinating, & we only get to use maybe 5 minutes out of an hour. Here is a brilliant one about Simone Weil and the power of attention. open.substack.com/pub/naomiald...

open.substack.com

Simone Weil's philosophy of attention is what we all need now

attention isn't supposed to feel good all the time. but a tiny amount of true attention, wholeheartedly given, can change who you are

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Dave Herman @davidmherman.bsky.social · 30/05/2026

Hey, don't knock laundry. I get some of my best ideas while sorting and folding. But yes, I guess it's a 'business model' thing. For entrepreneur-publishers and tech companies.

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Dave Herman @davidmherman.bsky.social · 26/05/2026

I tend to agree with this take, even though it veers perilously close to 'the end justifies the means'. On the other hand, I'm not fond of the excessive moralising about AI either. Have you seen this @brechtdp.bsky.social?

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Dave Herman @davidmherman.bsky.social · 26/05/2026

Ooh! Absolutely going to try this. Pesto is a big staple in our house, this looks like a great variation, thanks!

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Reposted by Dave Herman

Naomi Kritzer @naomikritzer.bsky.social · 21/05/2026

I got my author copies of OBSTETRIX! I loved this cover as soon as I saw it, but the hardcovers look even better in person than I imagined they would.

OBSTETRIX: a pink book that says OBSTETRIX / Naomi Kritzer and has a hypodermic syringe casting the shadow of a crost. In small letters it also says "O Lord, Deliver Us." The hardcover book is in front of a stack of other copies. In the background you can see some of my awards.

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Dave Herman @davidmherman.bsky.social · 17/05/2026

Linguaphone! I learned Dutch as a teenager (we emigrated) using the Linguaphone records and books. It was fun and it worked!

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Reposted by Dave Herman

Sandra Newman @sannewman.bsky.social · 14/05/2026

Writing tip: Before submitting your manuscript, read it aloud to yourself from beginning to end. Then go to the refrigerator and open its door. If the manuscript is good, all the potatoes will have turned into birds who fly out singing your name.

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Dave Herman @davidmherman.bsky.social · 13/05/2026

I don't think so, more like it articulates something I kind of already knew. What about you?

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Dave Herman @davidmherman.bsky.social · 13/05/2026

I usually have a working title which almost always changes along the way, so I have to keep renaming the folder I keep it in 😐. The title usually coevolves with the story, until some kind of mental penny drops.

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Dave Herman @davidmherman.bsky.social · 11/05/2026

Usually I only find the title after the piece is finished.

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Dave Herman @davidmherman.bsky.social · 11/05/2026

Definitely! Re title: for flash, I love a title that has two meanings, the second of which drops when you finish reading. I had a title like that, but it was weak compared to the one I came up with subsequently.

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Reposted by Dave Herman

Sandra Newman @sannewman.bsky.social · 10/05/2026

January 17,200,345 B.C. Evolved into a crab again. Scuttled along the floors of silent seas all morning. Saw Andy in the p.m.. He'd just invented a "wheel" and could speak of nothing else. Didn't even mention my carcinization. I feel like I'm invisible even to close friends.

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Dave Herman @davidmherman.bsky.social · 09/05/2026

I'm just going to let it go and hope the piece speaks for itself. Plus, it's just one of multiple submissions. Still, classic face-palm it certainly is!

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Dave Herman @davidmherman.bsky.social · 07/05/2026

Do you have that weird thing with your kids, that they say what you were just thinking about? And then you get paranoid because you sometimes wish they would shut up, or you're fantasising about your neighbour's wife?

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Dave Herman @davidmherman.bsky.social · 07/05/2026

#scatterbrainedwriter Came up with a much better title for a story I’d written and submitted. Oh well, there are other litmags out there. Submitted with new title. So pleased! Then discovered I left the old title in the footer.

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Dave Herman @davidmherman.bsky.social · 20/04/2026

Delightful, moving, funny too! A cruise ship, break-up grief, a child’s spontaneity, oceanic imagery - @kristopherjansma.bsky.social interweaves all this and more into a beautiful short story, published by @onestorymag.bsky.social. Highly recommended!

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Dave Herman @davidmherman.bsky.social · 17/04/2026

Ooh, these stories are spooky and spiky! #MarianaEnriquez slaps you in the face, punches you in the gut and makes you want to leave the light on at night. Superb! Also: expertly translated from the Spanish by #MeganMcDowell

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Dave Herman @davidmherman.bsky.social · 11/04/2026

Not sure, but I think shame has a very basic social function, a way of ensuring you remain part of the group (being ostracised meant death in ancient times). So there wld have to be something at stake for the AI, and it wld have to know that. An off switch or a replacement or some such?

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Dave Herman @davidmherman.bsky.social · 17/02/2026

Had such fun reading this unpigeonholeable collection! Disappearing furniture, parallel universes, marriage woes, marriage delights, slomo disasters, unheard children, poetic justice and so much more. Highly recommended! @jrobertlennon.com #letmethink’

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Dave Herman @davidmherman.bsky.social · 17/02/2026

If you agree that it's absurd and distasteful to have representatives of the Iranian regime speaking at the UN Human Rights Council, then sign the petition. actionnetwork.org/petitions/di...

actionnetwork.org

CAPTCHA check

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Dave Herman @davidmherman.bsky.social · 11/02/2026

Re today's daf (Menachot 31) I am hoping to hear your rendition of: You say Zeiri, I say Ze'era I say Chinana, you say Chanina, Zeiri, Ze'era, Chinana, Chanina, Let's call the whole thing off!

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Dave Herman @davidmherman.bsky.social · 10/02/2026

How many lives does a reader of short stories live?! Currently enjoying J. Robert Lennon's collection: Let Me Think.

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