iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by James Parenti

alix e. harrow @alixeharrow.bsky.social · 10/06/2026

sylvia townsend warner in 1926, foreseeing the type of author who would use AI:

"That offensive young man at the Sabbath ,"
she remarked , "I know he wasn't you . Who
was he?"
"He's one of these brilliant young authors ,"
replied the Devil . "I believe Titus knows
him . He sold me his soul on the condition that
once a week he should be without doubt the
most important person at a party ."
"Why didn't he sell his soul in order to be-
come a great writer ? Then he could have had
the party into the bargain .”
"He preferred to take a short- cut , you see . ”

James Parenti @jamesparenti.bsky.social · 29/05/2026

Just reached 22K on my new novel WIP. I'm always amazed at our brains' ability to come up with story, and damn is it just plain fun to dig into a big project like this.

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James Parenti @jamesparenti.bsky.social · 28/05/2026

Man I need that AI bubble to burst like yesterday. I’m so unbelievably sick of having to deal with it and hear about it. And now it keeps cropping up in my real life. It’s like the goddamn Bodysnatchers.

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James Parenti @jamesparenti.bsky.social · 23/05/2026

Ten acts you’ve seen, female lead singer edition: Aimee Mann Mitski Cat Power Courtney Barnett Sharon Van Etten Garbage Alanis Morissette Tori Amos Black Belt Eagle Scout Florence and the machine

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James Parenti @jamesparenti.bsky.social · 22/05/2026

Last December, somebody ran a stop sign and smashed into my car. Fortunately nobody was hurt, but since then I've been locked in a 6+ month battle with insurance companies, car repair shop, and rental place. My faith in the goodness of humanity was already struggling but now it's at an all-time low.

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James Parenti @jamesparenti.bsky.social · 19/04/2026

Do you think everybody onstage with Nine Inch Noize has really weird dreams after doing that show?

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James Parenti @jamesparenti.bsky.social · 03/04/2026

Do yourself a favor and check out this new story by my friend Ace mortuaryreport.bsky.social on escapepod.org! Without giving too much away, I think it's about the trials we endure to participate in the things we love... 1/2 escapepod.org/2026/03/26/e...

escapepod.org

Escape Pod 1038: Meet the Mets

1964 Bobby didn’t know who threw the first punch. A fist glanced off his cheek, then a smattering of blows rained down in the darkness, a private thunderstorm of focused pain. His head was empty of…

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James Parenti @jamesparenti.bsky.social · 15/03/2026

Wow—I was completely unprepared for The Testament of Ann Lee. I thought it was absolutely fantastic. The singing, the dancing, the true Dionysian ecstasy. Just unreal work all around.

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James Parenti @jamesparenti.bsky.social · 12/03/2026

Such gothic weather we’re having lately

The trees in my backyard are legit spooky! Silhouettes of bare skinny trees and a few fluffy evergreens stand out in total blackness against a sky lit diffusely gray by lightning

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James Parenti @jamesparenti.bsky.social · 08/03/2026

Really, really enjoyed Maggie Gyllenhaal’s The Bride! Jessie Buckley is volcanic as always, and Christian Bale shows a sweet, tender, conflicted Frank. Impressive across the board, and I’m usually pretty lukewarm on Bale. May Maggie Gyllenhaal live long and make many more strange, singular movies.

A poster for the film The Bride! by Maggie Gyllenhaal. The two stars’ faces are close together and take up most of the poster. Bale’s face has suggestions of classic Creature scars, Buckley’s has a stain of black ink on one side of her mouth and cheek.

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James Parenti @jamesparenti.bsky.social · 04/02/2026

“Dance me through the panic til I’m gathered safely in” is a line that just had no right to go so hard. Leonard Cohen was a real one.

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Reposted by James Parenti

Zachary Gillan @megapolisomancy.bsky.social · 01/01/2026

For 2026 let’s remind ourselves what really matters: weird fiction

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James Parenti @jamesparenti.bsky.social · 21/12/2025

Wednesday literally loves smelling flowers #blackcat

A black cat sits on a table with a red and black tablecloth. She has her nose buried in a bouquet of red and white roses, with a purple candle (unlit) beside her

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James Parenti @jamesparenti.bsky.social · 08/12/2025

Check it out: "Last Play of the Game," an urgent, breathless flash piece by @marioaliberto3.bsky.social that uses a single sentence to move laterally, backward, and forward in time. I love that the whole team is the protagonist rather than a single player! www.vestalreview.net/last-play-of...

vestalreview.net

Last Play of the Game — Vestal Review

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James Parenti @jamesparenti.bsky.social · 20/11/2025

This is a great thread, and one I really needed to read today. I'm always grateful when @delilahsdawson.bsky.social shares her hard-won wisdom!

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Reposted by James Parenti

Erik Hane @erikhane.bsky.social · 19/11/2025

if you think "AI" is going to "outperform" writers at "literary fiction" we have nothing else to talk about. there is a fundamental rift in the way we see art and humanity and it's never gonna get solved, even when this AI horseshit goes away

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Reposted by James Parenti

Marissa Lingen @marissalingen.bsky.social · 09/11/2025

A bunch of writer friends are noting that they have not used LLMs to write. Me either, absolutely not. I feel like we need to stop asking kids what they want to BE when they grow up and start asking them what they want to DO. Because: I am not here to BE A WRITER, I am here to WRITE.

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James Parenti @jamesparenti.bsky.social · 04/11/2025

Out here representing in PA. Hoping for good news from NYC.

An I Voter sticker on my mustard-colored sweater. You can see the lower half of my face, too.

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Reposted by James Parenti

Gabino Iglesias @gabino.bsky.social · 01/11/2025

Happy November 1st! Welcome to second October. Things are dying. Night comes sooner, hungrier than in the summer. The cold is here. Things haunt the woods. Snow can trap you, Donner Party your plans. Colds and flus awake, go hunting. Yeah, it’s still spooky season. It’s always spooky season.

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James Parenti @jamesparenti.bsky.social · 31/10/2025

Happy Halloween, friends! This is Wednesday—she let me dress up as her for our Halloween party last weekend!

A beautiful black cat with a white tuft on her chest sits on a set of wood stairs. Next to her reclines a 30-something white guy (myself) wearing a black steampunk-style jacket with silver buttons over a lacy white blouse. He also wears black lacy gloves and cat ears, purple sparkles on his cheeks to represent whiskers, and an attempt at cat-eye eyeliner

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James Parenti @jamesparenti.bsky.social · 10/10/2025

Finished first draft of a story today! Any day is a good day when you finish a draft. It'll need plenty of work down the line, but for now, it rests.

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James Parenti @jamesparenti.bsky.social · 04/10/2025

There’s a chance refreshing the Submission Grinder 1000 times a day won’t make these responses come any faster. But I’m willing to put in the time to find out.

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James Parenti @jamesparenti.bsky.social · 19/09/2025

Spouse and I both have Covid, her symptoms more intense than mine. Between that and the rapidly rising wave of fascism in the US, it doesn’t take much to remind us we’re still living in the summer of 2020, and might always be.

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James Parenti @jamesparenti.bsky.social · 18/09/2025

This shit with Kimmel, after what they pulled with Colbert, has me more scared than ever of this country. I don't think it's been safe here for a long time, and I don't know if I can stay much longer

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James Parenti @jamesparenti.bsky.social · 19/06/2025

I’m disappointed to learn that apparently the Buffy reboot is likely going to follow the new teenage slayer character, and I realized why this type of choice tends to bother me, where the previous protagonist ages into a mentor figure for a new protag. 1/2

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James Parenti @jamesparenti.bsky.social · 18/06/2025

One of the most satisfying parts of fatherhood is sharing the beautiful things in life* with your daughters** *chicken wings **Claudia and Wednesday

A gray tabby with green eyes and her tail hooked upwards stares longingly at a buffalo chicken wing

A black cat with a tiny white tuft on her chest and green eyes stares longingly up at a buffalo chicken wing

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James Parenti @jamesparenti.bsky.social · 22/05/2025

Here, have a photo of Claudia holding my hand while we read together.

A gray tabby cat, sitting on my lap, reaches out her leg to rest her paw on my palm while I hold a lit Kindle.

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James Parenti @jamesparenti.bsky.social · 18/05/2025

Make an observation about your pantry that also sounds like the title of a novel. Mom Requested Peaches

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James Parenti @jamesparenti.bsky.social · 09/05/2025

A writer friend got some great publishing news, and I’m just punching-the-air happy for him. Love to see good things happening for good people.

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Reposted by James Parenti

R. O. Kwon 권오경 @rokwon.bsky.social · 30/04/2025

also i maintain that if there are vampires i am profoundly offended i have not yet been recruited. i am extremely nocturnal & allergic to the sun. i would like many more years than a human lifespan to be able to write my books. i could put any vampiric abilities toward good causes. etc., etc.

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James Parenti @jamesparenti.bsky.social · 28/04/2025

That canceled tv show you’ll never stop thinking about

A poster for the TV show “My Lady Jane.” The two stars are near-kiss in color in foreground, supporting cast are smaller in monochrome silvery blue in background

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James Parenti @jamesparenti.bsky.social · 16/04/2025

The book I’m reading right now seems to have a higher percentage of “summary” to “scene” than most recent books I’ve read. It moves the story along in a really efficient way, but also makes it feel a little monotonous and difficult to connect with emotionally. Efficiency isn’t everything, I guess.

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James Parenti @jamesparenti.bsky.social · 15/04/2025

When I was a kid and the song first came out, part of me thought it was about a guy named Jason Waterfalls. Don’t go, Jason.

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James Parenti @jamesparenti.bsky.social · 05/04/2025

When spouse and I re-watch Gilmore Girls (usually 1x/year), it infiltrates my dreams. Last night's dream episode: the Gilmores attend a kitschy "World of Tomorrow" exhibit. A day with Emily gives Lorelai a heart attack, who spends the rest of the episode terrorizing the hospital staff. (cont'd..)

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James Parenti @jamesparenti.bsky.social · 04/04/2025

It's a great feeling when a magazine you admire opens for subs right as you have something ready that fits their style and guidelines 😎

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James Parenti @jamesparenti.bsky.social · 20/02/2025

Book mail is the best mail, but book mail written by friends is even better! So excited (and more than a little scared) to read this new collection by @marioaliberto3.bsky.social, from @chestnutreview.bsky.social!

The cover of Mario Aliberto III’s chapbook “All the Dead We Have Yet to Bury.” The cover features a black and white photo of dolls reclining on grass.

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Reposted by James Parenti

Eric Smith @ericsmithrocks.bsky.social · 07/02/2025

“Go Birds!” I exclaim for the 37th time this morning to a parent at drop off, tears streaming down my face, throat dry, unsure who is even playing, a fraud.

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Reposted by James Parenti

🍂 Caitlin Duffy 🍂 @caitduffy.bsky.social · 27/01/2025

COME CLOSER x MAUVE FLY x DIONYSUS When talentless lead actress Bea learns the director wants to replace her with an understudy, she holds a Dionysian ritual in the woods. Something answers. Bea transforms. And the show must go on. #H #A #2025pit

Moodboard for Caitlin Duffy's horror novel The Theatre of Cruelty. It is on a tan background. Moving clockwise, there is an image of a moody forest, a photo of a young white woman looking in the mirror, an oil painting of the maenids, a black and white portrait photo of Antonin Artaud, a photo from the stage of a theatre where the red seats are empty and the only thing on the stage is a lit ghost light, a side photo of a sculpture of Dionysus's head, the covers of my three comps: Come Closer, Mauve Fly, and Black Swan, an oil painting of Dionysus overseeing a feast.

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James Parenti @jamesparenti.bsky.social · 27/01/2025

VANDERMEER X MURAKAMI Scrappy rocker Shannon is mid-concert when an audience member erupts, leaving a twisted tree in place of their body. As the outbreak spreads, she leads her band to safety—while fearing one of her band members may already be contaminated. #2025Pit #A #H #SF #novella

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Reposted by James Parenti

emma burnett @slashnburnett.bsky.social · 27/01/2025

Caught between the expectations of society and the needs of her child, Panya must decide: can she force her daughter to conform and only eat nutribulbs? Or does she need to look outside her community for help? Because people are starting to ask questions... #2025Pit #A #SPF #WF #novella

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Reposted by James Parenti

Jax Devora (is writing) @jaxdevora.bsky.social · 27/01/2025

GIDEON THE NINTHxFFXIV When magicless Mick agrees to be an adventuring partner for Eleanor, his mage best friend (and crush), a mishap turns him into a dragon and binds him to the gods' dead adversary. Now they're rushing to break his curse before his existence triggers a war. #2025pit #F #R #A

Top left: A figure plays a violin in a dark room. The image is shot in such a way that only the violin and one of the player's hands is visible.
Center left: A man stands in darkness; his head is on fire.
Bottom left: A wireframe of a dragon against a bright orange background
Top/mid center: Alphonse Mucha's Emerald, featuring a woman staring intensely at the viewer as she leans against the head of a snarling serpent. A white line is drawn straight through the image to neatly divide the woman's head from the serpent's.
Bottom center: The Lovers, from the Art Nouveau Tarot deck, featuring a couple just about to kiss. The card is lying on a white space, surrounded by red/white roses.
Top right: A figure in white robes wanders through a very green forest.
Center right: A bolt of lightning arcs above a mountain range in a very violet sky.
Bottom right: A black hole swirls in a sea of violet stars and nebulae.

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Reposted by James Parenti

Amber Baird @amberbairdpdx.bsky.social · 27/01/2025

KINSHIP, 84k, #A #H #T w/ #LGBTQ rep. Megan finds her new brother is enamored with her after she cleans up a murder he commits. For fans of female rage, serial killer fiction, and V.C. Andrews. Comps: My Sister the Serial Killer, A Certain Hunger, Blood Sugar. #2025Pit

Collage of 5 images overlaid with word KINSHIP: sharp metal nails coming out of a bright red lipsticked mouth, a lesbian couple clasping hands, a bloody white cloth against a pink background, light shining behind a spiderweb with a juicy spider and the shadow of a hand, a man's bare back as he is held by another man.

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James Parenti @jamesparenti.bsky.social · 27/01/2025

Faith/Mayor from BUFFY X JENNIFER'S BODY Lisa befriends a goth teen gang obsessed with the urban legend of a bear-woman hybrid demon. When their half-joking ceremony goes awry, Lisa becomes a target for the gang's violence—and a vessel for the demon's unimaginable powers. #2025Pit #H #F #YA

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Hannah Bashir @hannahbashir.bsky.social · 27/01/2025

OF WISDOM an Athena origin tale 🦉 Athena has been abandoned, cast aside on earth by a prophecy foretelling her rise to power and Zeus’ downfall. Determined to prove she isn’t a threat, Athena embarks on a journey back to Olympus, unaware every step she takes is unravelling her fate #2025Pit #HF

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