Sign in

Joel A. Nichols

@jaynick.bsky.social
285 followers 909 following 151 posts

Librarian, sff writer, queer dad, Vermonter in Philadelphia, author of OUT OF THIS WORLD LIBRARY PROGRAMS: USING SPECULATIVE FICTION TO PROMOTE READING & "Come Back Yesterday: Paradoxes of Library Progress" in LIBRARY 2035 (ed. Hirsh)

PostsRepliesMedia
Reposted by Joel A. Nichols
Mikki Kendall @karnythia.blacksky.app · 4h
If your historical setting is a major city it was never an all white place. Traders, migrants, laundry, railroad...pick a time period, somebody of color was always present. Sometimes as servants, more often as people going about their business. That's not DEI casting, that's actual history.
537298
Reposted by Joel A. Nichols
Stellbound: Stellraiser II @antlervel.vet · 23h
Obligatory
Saddest man alive/most beautiful woman you’ve ever met before and after comic meme
223401187
Reposted by Joel A. Nichols
Ray Newman @raynewman.bsky.social · 10/10/2026
That time someone dumped a toy house on the cemetery wall and, when I crouched a bit, some ✨ Hollywood Magic ✨ occurred.
A plastic dolls house sitting on a wall, taken from an angle which makes it look as if it might be one of the houses on the street.
6698621831
Reposted by Joel A. Nichols
Jodie Troutman @longtalljodie.com · 12/10/2026
Hell yes, this rules.
0308
Reposted by Joel A. Nichols
Neugin @lostcitymagic.bsky.social · 12/10/2026
Your Cherokee words for today. The top word is English followed by how it is written in the Cherokee language followed by how it is spelled in English then how to pronounce it phonetically. Happy National Coming Out Day Ah-Tluh-Kwo-Duh Naw-Kwee-See Ooh-Nah-Dah-Loo-Guh
Image is line paper with writing showing an English word followed by how it is written in the Cherokee language followed by how it is spelled and pronounced. The word is pride and pronounced Ah-Tluh-Kwo-DuhImage is line paper with writing showing an English word followed by how it is written in the Cherokee language followed by how it is spelled and pronounced. The word is Galaxy and pronounced Naw-Kwee-See Ooh-Nah-Dah-Loo-Guh
010229
Reposted by Joel A. Nichols
please be nice to patrick @nicetopatrick.bsky.social · 11/10/2026
The tilda swinton truck from Kimmy schmidt
37712
Reposted by Joel A. Nichols
Aled Thompson @aledthompson.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
It's spooky season which means I can finally bring this piece back 🎃🐈‍⬛
A pumpkin patch featuring multicoloured pumpkins, some with carved faces, and black and white cats, frogs, crows and foliage
201379454
Reposted by Joel A. Nichols
Trash Cat Lit @trashcatlit.bsky.social · 10/10/2026
You only have until 8pm (BST) tomorrow to send us your biohazard horror 🦝 We still have room in our brainpans for things that creep and grow and burn and infect and transform and generally mess with us. Inspo and info here: trashcatlit.com/call-for-bio...
trashcatlit.com
Call for Biohazard Horror
For our first Halloween issue, we want HORROR flash with a biohazardous flavour and a speculative seasoning. There are many subgenres in horror storytelling, and we’d love to see a variety in…
097
Reposted by Joel A. Nichols
Joanne Harris @joannechocolat.bsky.social · 11/10/2026
Unsolicited writing advice, no. 8260: Whatever genre you write, read folklore. Folklore exists because at some point, people cared so much about a certain thing that they put it into a story, and passed it down the centuries in order to keep it alive. That deserves attention.
11781211
Reposted by Joel A. Nichols
the beggars out of here getter @milesklee.bsky.social · 11/10/2026
sitting in an LA coffee shop telling strangers in an offensively exaggerated Maine accent that you “can feel that ol’ niño blowin’ in”
41057
Reposted by Joel A. Nichols
Dorothy Berry @dorothyjberry.bsky.social · 11/10/2026
AI doesn't "bring the archive to life" or to even "show what this looked like in color." The medium is the message, in the sense that there is never life in a photo, there is a material object with artifacts that memorialized technology as much as any moment. It's all more imagination avoidance
319555
Reposted by Joel A. Nichols
Benjamin Dreyer @bcdreyer.social · 10/10/2026
That Maya Angelou got a Tony nomination acting opposite Geraldine Page in a play that closed on opening night always sounds to me like the sort of thing you'd make up and keep a straight face recounting to see how many people would call you a liar.
benjamindreyer.substack.com
listomania
[an exercise]
1528
Reposted by Joel A. Nichols
Cats of Yore @catsofyore.bsky.social · 10/10/2026
Two cool ladies and a small pal. Photo from my collection, ca. 1930s.
A black and white photo of two “tomboyish” looking women with their arms slung around each other, one of them holding a kitten. They're outside and wearing work clothes.
513689385
Reposted by Joel A. Nichols
Caroline M. Yoachim @carolinemyoachim.bsky.social · 10/10/2026
Five days left on the Lightspeed & Nightmare kickstarter, and they still need $10k to meet their funding goal! Love short fiction? Go pick up a subscription and help spread the word! www.kickstarter.com/projects/lig...
kickstarter.com
LIGHTSPEED & NIGHTMARE: Award-Winning SF, Fantasy, & Horror
We've published nearly 10 million words of science fiction, fantasy, and horror short fiction. Help us write the next chapter.
2124141
Reposted by Joel A. Nichols
Machiavelli | Mach Ledger @machiavelli-311.bsky.social · 10/10/2026
Super excited for SGJ and the return of Turok! Here’s the cover #ComicSky #Turok
1546
Reposted by Joel A. Nichols
C. Robert Cargill @crobertcargill.bsky.social · 10/10/2026
Oh, man. The library made a Cargill section!
3248318
Reposted by Joel A. Nichols
Puget Sound Whale Sightings @pugetsoundwhales.bsky.social · 10/10/2026
🐦‍⬛🖤🕷️ Sat, Oct 10 Our beloved solo-adventuring orca Indy is still around, currently in the upper Tacoma Narrows heading south. And grays are continuing to feed & hold presence up in the Whidbey Basin. Good luck! 📷 Sharing again this excellent ID collage of Indy ♥️. By Ryan Dicks Sept 2026. #psws
Right and Left side ID image collage of Indy the orca: showing are his saddle patches and each side of his dorsal fin rising in silvery gray water.
411115
Reposted by Joel A. Nichols
Ruth Ben-Ghiat @ruthbenghiat.bsky.social · 10/10/2026
17783903175
Reposted by Joel A. Nichols
John Wiswell @wiswell.bsky.social · 10/10/2026
In light of some magazines pulling scummy things on creators lately, I’m doing a little thread on short story rights. I don't want anybody getting taken advantage of. Also, if you're new, this stuff can be confusing!
91011596
Reposted by Joel A. Nichols
Sarah McAnulty, Ph.D. @sarahmackattack.bsky.social · 10/10/2026
It’s Moth Mural unveiling day! Join us at Campbell square park at noon for music, science, art, a lepidopteran drag performance and more!
A poster that says Port Richmond, nocturnal neighbors garden party mural painted by sea of doom incollaboration with Skype a scientist. it features 3 moth species including Luna moth, Polyphemus, an a thief whose name I forget who looks like strawberry lemonade (not rosy maple)
110315
Reposted by Joel A. Nichols
Kate / Katelyn Forrest @kateforrest.bsky.social · 10/10/2026
"Really good friends" 😜
281
Reposted by Joel A. Nichols
Will Weldon @oldmanweldon.bsky.social · 10/10/2026
Top ten most foreboding sentence I've ever read.
She had bought raw goat milk from a farm recommended to her in a Facebook group run by her chiropractor
10585761337
Reposted by Joel A. Nichols
jess m. ☕🍂 @jametc.bsky.social · 10/10/2026
holy shit!! artists!!! you guys!! pinlite.app someone made a pinterest facade site that just strips away all the dumb bullshit and gives you only the images this is AMAAZINNNGGGG. Not to mention the web 1.0 grey and blue link vibe lol
screenshot of PinLite, a skin of pinterest that's just taken away all the bs and only shows the images, on a grey web 1.0 background
3461372210
Reposted by Joel A. Nichols
PodCastle @podcastle.org · 09/10/2026
Special Submissions Call! Undercity Magic! The Castle gates are open for a special submissions call from 9 October to 13 November! The theme?? Undercity Magic!
13633
Reposted by Joel A. Nichols
Jake Grumbach @jakemgrumbach.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
New working paper: the Norwegian wealth tax was a huge success. The "exodus" of wealthy people never happened (less than 100 individuals left). Tax revenue increased by 71.5%. No changes in business activity or investment. www.nber.org/papers/w35854
Taxing Entrepreneurial Wealth: Evidence from
Norway, 2021-2025
Marius A. K. Ring
WORKING PAPER 35854|
DOl 10.3386/w35854
ISSUE DATE October 2026
Whether imposing higher taxes on business owners adversely affects business activity by constraining investment and inducing capitalist flight is a central question in the ongoing debate on how to tax the ultra wealthy. To shed new light, I exploit a series of related Norwegian reforms during 2021-2024 that increased dividend tax rates, removed migration-related capital gains tax loopholes, and nearly doubled the effective marginal tax rate on business wealth. These reforms spurred international debate and, allegedly, an "exodus" of Norwegian billionaires (Financial Times,
2023). While I document clear effects on migration, these responses are concentrated among the top 0.1% of the wealth distribution and mostly confined to 2022 and 2023. My results indicate that at most 100 individuals left due to the reforms. I find no evidence of significant outmigration or reduced inflows of startup founders or inventors. I estimate that absent any outmigration, wealth tax revenues would have increased by 75% from 2021 to 2024. Reform-driven outmigration lowers the revenue gain to 71.5%. My findings further show that outmigrating owners' firms remain economically active and do not reduce investment. In a broader set of analyses, I examine whether business outcomes are affected, regardless of whether owners outmigrate, since firms may reduce investment both due to liquidity constraints or distortions to owners' savings decisions. I compare firms owned by Norwegian individuals subject to the wealth tax with firms owned by foreigners and other tax-exempt entities. By merging historical ownership data from Orbis with the Norwegian shareholder register, I perform these analyses on both Norwegian and foreign-domiciled firms.
Across settings, I find no evidence that Norwegian-owned firms pay out more dividends or invest less after the reforms,…
149148666402
Joel A. Nichols @jaynick.bsky.social · 10/10/2026
I need some asters! Is your plant table still up?
100
Reposted by Joel A. Nichols
pmamtraveller.bsky.social @pmamtraveller.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
Love letter that opens into a small art gallery (1913)
8561107
Reposted by Joel A. Nichols
Evan Urquhart @evanurquhart.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
AI has talked kids into suicide, fueled paranoid delusional that led to murder, degraded education quality in both k-12 and higher ed, run roughshod over copyright law, increased spam, fueled spam, fueled fraud, degraded the environment, put people out of work, the list goes on and on.
91344268
Reposted by Joel A. Nichols
Odd This Day @oddthisday.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Morning (New Yorker cartoon, by Rose Anne Prevec)
A man sits at a restaurant table holding two chips. A woman sitting opposite, with the chips directly in front of her, while he has an empty plate, says “I can't believe how much more relaxed I feel since you told me to calm down.”
644784
Reposted by Joel A. Nichols
Zig Zag Claybourne @zzclaybourne.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Grab something firmly. Hold on. Minister Faust has completed the draft of a brand new novel. You ain't ready, but hold on anyway.
271
Reposted by Joel A. Nichols
Sarah McAnulty, Ph.D. @sarahmackattack.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
New zine just dropped at the science library
Sarah's got a little free library in front of her house and she's holding up a zine that is called Philly Nightlife a coloring zine with a silly raccoon on it
11079
Reposted by Joel A. Nichols
Indrapramit Das @indrapramitdas.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Bookshop.org is having an anti-amazon-prime sale, & you can get THE DEVOURERS slightly discounted there. A mythic realist, queer dark fantasy about love, sex, violence, & shapeshifting set in contemporary India & the Mughal Empire. It won a Lambda Award.
bookshop.org
The Devourers: A Novel
For readers of Margaret Atwood, China Miéville, and David Mitchell comes a striking debut novel by a storyteller of keen insight and captivating imagination.LAMBDA LITERARY AWARD WINNER • NAMED ONE OF...
17548
Reposted by Joel A. Nichols
OTHERSIDE @othersidespec.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Prefer print? Get FREE shipping on Issues 1 -2 from @bookshop.org today for Anti-Prime Day! Each issue includes 15+ speculative stories and poems by 2SLGBTQIA+ creators for only $14.99! Thank you for supporting queer art. Issue 1: bookshop.org/p/books/othe... Issue 2: bookshop.org/p/books/othe...
0119
Reposted by Joel A. Nichols
Alex Brown 🇵🇸 (they/them) @bookjockeyalex.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
It's Banned Books Week. My fellow librarians, listen carefully: your book displays should be almost exclusively writers who are alive. Yes, I know classic literature is also being banned, but most of those authors are dead. They aren't suffering financially from bans and challenges.
121004396
Reposted by Joel A. Nichols
Lex McMenamin (they/them) @lexmcmenamin.com · 05/10/2026
it is interesting that I can't find any mainstream media coverage of Altman's sister Annie going viral on social media over the weekend for uploading footage of the first hour of her deposition in her lawsuit against him (one of two) in which she is alleging years of CSA
theguardian.com
Accept ‘bad things’ in return for benefits of AI, says Sam Altman
Boss of OpenAI calls for a regulatory light touch because of the ‘good stuff’ the technology can deliver
292086812
Reposted by Joel A. Nichols
Myriam Gurba (Serrano through my mom) @lesbrains.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
It’s banned book week and I hope that you support authors of banned books. Creep: Accusations and Confessions was the target of a book ban in Santa Paula, California. I was banned from Long Beach Unified School District property for speaking out against corruption.
13015
Reposted by Joel A. Nichols
HATE Mulgrew @josie.zone · 05/10/2026
this is my contribution to Rage Against the Machine discourse today:
4496
Reposted by Joel A. Nichols
It’s the Great Pumpkin, Annaham! @annaham.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
This book is amazing (as is all of Myriam’s work) and you all should read it if you haven’t already!
054
Reposted by Joel A. Nichols
Tressie McMillan Cottom @tressiemcphd.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
It’s just that it’s taking everyone too long to catch up and I try to be patient but I’m tired.
723918
Reposted by Joel A. Nichols
Marinler Zine @marinlerzine.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Vol 3 of “They Were Bunkmates” is out now! Grab a copy of this #StarTrekLowerDecks digital fanzine on dub.sh/marinler26 where 26 contributors come together to explore and celebrate #BeckettMariner and #BradBoimler ❤️💜 The zine is free; all donations will be sent to actionkivu.org/ #StarTrek #zine
The cover art for "They Were Bunkmates: A Marinler Fanzine- Volume 3" 2026.

Front cover (left):

ART by  Orchi: An illustration with blue, purple and pink palette- the colors of a bisexual flag, loosely inspired by  George Barbier’s iconic 1925 Art deco illustration "Le Feu" (Fire) published in Falbalas et Fanfreluches, Almanach des Modes.

Lieutenants Beckett Mariner and Brad Boimler are sitting on the wide railing of a balcony. They are both wearing the ceremonial while uniform lined with gold. Mariner is [partially laying on Boimler, resting her left  arm in his lap. Boimler is cupping her head in his left hand.

In her right hand, Beckett is holding a salmon pink alien flower, which she is caressing Brad’s face with. He’s holding her hand in his and smiling at her. Beckett is whispering something to him.

Underneath them, on the  railing is a see through sheet of sparkly  pink Andorian silk. On the right side of the frame, next to where the railing ends, is a block with a giant flower pot on it. The pot has a white Calla Lilly like plant, with pink and blue leaves. The vase is white, with golden handles, rim and bottom. The railing, floor tiles, the block are also white, but lined with gold emblems. It is night time, and the dark blue sky behind them is lit by purple and red fireworks

Middle Spine: A purple art deco frame surrounded by dark blue background of a starry sky, the frame contents "They Were Bunkmates- A Marinler Fanzine" in fancy white lettering. Art by Ray Daly. 

Back cover: (right)
ART by Foodcu-be: An Archie-comics style illustration of Mariner kissing Boimler on the cheek. Mariner has her eyes closed and is smiling. Boimler has one visible arm up in the air while he is dizzy and blushing. Floating around them cartoonishly are T’lyn, Rutherford, and Tendi. Rutherford is without his implant. There is a blue header across the top. The title reads “THEY WERE BUNKMATES #3” in red with a white stroke. In the comics corner box is a moopsy.
610938
Joel A. Nichols @jaynick.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
thanks for explaining why that balcony looked to familiar!
010
Reposted by Joel A. Nichols
Prisonculture @prisonculture.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
I would like to suggest that seeking election or appointment to your library board is a very good way to address book bans. Applications for our 2027 cohort are now open for those interested: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F... - we need leftists to engage in governance.
docs.google.com
FTP Library Elections & Appointments Training Cohort
Hello! You're filling out this form because you've expressed interest in running for or seeking appointment to a local library board seat in your community (or because you're a serving trustee who'd l...
1164108
Reposted by Joel A. Nichols
Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
Could do without another "The Man in the High Castle" reboot if I'm being honest
1174388
Reposted by Joel A. Nichols
A.R. Moxon @juliusgoat.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Hey, I’m just asking questions. Ignorant questions, bigoted questions, questions that have been repeatedly answered for many years. Sorry, but I’m not listening to answers right now; I’m far too busy asking questions. It’s called being intellectually curious.
5264351783
Reposted by Joel A. Nichols
The Ignyte Awards @theignyteawards.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
The #2026IgnyteAwards for Outstanding Anthology/Collected Works goes to WE WILL RISE AGAIN: SPECULATIVE STORIES AND ESSAYS ON PROTEST, RESISTANCE, AND HOPE edited by @drkarenlord.bsky.social @annaleen.bsky.social and @older.bsky.social (Saga Press) See the contributor list in the alt text
2026 Ignyte Award winner in Outstanding Anthology/Collected Works: 

We Will Rise Again: Speculative Stories and Essays on Protest, Resistance, and Hope: EDs. Dr. Karen Lord, Annalee Newitz, Malka Older 

CONTRIBUTORS: Charlie Jane Anders, Samit Basu, Tobias S. Buckell, Reo Eveleth, Jaymee Goh, Nicola Griffith, Alejandro Heredia, Vida James, N.K. Jemisin, R.B. Lemberg, Sam J. Miller, Abdulla Moaswes, Laia Asieo Odo, Kelly Robson, Nisi Shawl, Ursula Vernon, Sabrina Vourvoulias, Izzy Wasserstein. Interviewees: adrienne maree brown, Andrea Dehlendorf, Walidah Imarisha, L.A. Kauffman, Scott Gabriel Knowles, Kendra Pierre-Louis (Saga Press)
418555
Joel A. Nichols @jaynick.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Congrats!! So exciting @bookjockeyalex.bsky.social !!
010
Reposted by Joel A. Nichols
The Ignyte Awards @theignyteawards.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Our next category, Outstanding Novel: Young Adult highlights novel-length (40k+ words) works intended for the young adult audience Congratulations to THEY BLOOM AT NIGHT by Trang Thanh Tran (Bloomsbury YA) #2026IgnyteAwards
2026 Ignyte Award Winner for Outstanding Novel - Young Adult: They Bloom at Night by Trang Thanh Tran
111432
Reposted by Joel A. Nichols
The Ignyte Awards @theignyteawards.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
As ever, we begin with the #2026IgnyteAwards winner in Outstanding Novel - Adult for novel-length (40k words+) works intended for an adult audience Congratulations to THE BUFFALO HUNTER HUNTER (Saga Press/Titan Books) by Stephen Graham Jones!
2026 Ignyte Award Winner: Outstanding Novel - Adult - The Buffalo Hunter Hunter x Stephen Graham Jones
218343
Reposted by Joel A. Nichols
Alex Brown 🇵🇸 (they/them) @bookjockeyalex.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Heyyyyy Reactor finally let me write about middle grade science fiction, fantasy, and horror! I got a MASSIVE list for you. reactormag.com/middle-grade...
reactormag.com
Middle Grade SFF for Young Readers — And the Young at Heart - Reactor
Stories featuring mysterious spellbooks, dysfunctional robots, and so much more...
78333
Joel A. Nichols @jaynick.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Murderbot show is sooooooooooo good.
040