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Kate Fathers

@katefathers.bsky.social
101 followers 104 following 341 posts

Hi, I'm a writer. You may remember me from such publications as Starburst Magazine, Mindful Mum, OFIC Magazine and the Devilfish Review.

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Reposted by Kate Fathers
American Library Association @amlibraryassoc.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
Let books be. Today kicks off #BannedBooksWeek, an annual observation started more than 40 years ago in response to a sudden surge in attempts to censor or remove books in libraries, schools, and bookstores. Sound familiar? Find ways to get involved and spread the word: bit.ly/4yvixbB.
LET BOOKS BE. Various line drawings related to libraries and books, including a hand holding a sign made of an open book that reads "Freed for ALL to Read," a tote bag that reads "Totes Resist" carrying a book, a full book cart with the head and tale of a horse with text that reads "A Wild Ride," and a closeup of two feet standing on a stack of books that say "A Soap Box" on their spines. Text at bottom reads "Protect the freedom to read. Banned Books Week, October 4-10, 2026." American Library Association. ala.org/bbooks
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Kate Fathers @katefathers.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Scrolling through Instagram the other day, and saw multiple posts that I feel were written by AI—same cadence; liberal use of “not x, but y”. And even if they weren’t, seeing them back-to-back really hammers home just how BORING a landscape of majority AI-generated work would be.
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Kate Fathers @katefathers.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
I don't know what gets me more: the lack of solidarity with fellow writers; the continued pushing of the bullshit "high/low art" dichotomy; or the assumption that her own work is so spectacular that it will somehow be spared from AI attack. I know artists have egos, but damn.
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The Beaverton @thebeaverton.com · 29/09/2026
Nestlé worried AI will destroy world’s water supply before they do
thebeaverton.com
Nestlé worried AI will destroy world’s water supply before they do
VEVEY, SWITZERLAND - Nestlé executives gathered from around the world to announce their grave concern regarding the impact that artificial intelligence’s water consumption will have on their own abili...
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Kate Fathers @katefathers.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
I won't tell anyone I won the lottery, but there will be signs. www.foliosociety.com/uk/jane-aust...
foliosociety.com
Jane Austen: The Complete Novels | The Folio Society
Get your special edition of the Complete Novels by Jane Austen—a collectible masterpiece from The Folio Society.
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The Bookseller @thebookseller.com · 18/09/2026
Today, The Bookseller and its sister magazine The Stage are calling on the government to take urgent action on business rates to protect the UK’s bookshops and theatres. 👇
ebx.sh
The Bookseller and The Stage call for business rates relief for bookshops and theatres as owners fear closure
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Ellipsus @ellipsus.com · 18/09/2026
"The largest theft of labor in human history." We done knew it. (www.404media.co/doom-loop-op...)
Executives working on AI at Microsoft and OpenAI admitted what its critics have been saying all along: Large language models are predatory pieces of technology that have been built on what a Microsoft executive called “an astonishing theft of unprecedented proportions,” and the “largest theft of labor in human history.” An internal Microsoft document said generative AI products have created a “doom loop” that is killing “the entire web.”
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Kate Fathers @katefathers.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
I can't believe I haven't posted about this, but it's fantastic news that a basic income for artists looks to be going forward in Scotland. #UBI #UniversalBasicIncome www.scottishnews.com/articles/up-...
scottishnews.com
Up to 2,000 Scottish artists could receive £15,000 a year under new income pilot
Thousands of artists and creative workers in Scotland could receive almost £15,000 a year under plans for a new minimum income scheme. First Minister John Swinney confirmed that the Scottish...
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Kate Fathers @katefathers.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
The gutting (or attempted gutting) of the Scottish arts and culture scene--the CCA, Trongate 103, now The Skinny--this year is just horrific.
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Kate Fathers @katefathers.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Now this is the kind of marketing that will get me to the cinema.
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Kate Fathers @katefathers.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
The newest issue of @starburst.bsky.social is here! This time, I review Mikhail Bulgakov's weird and wonderful (trust me, it's weird) #scifi novel "The Heart of a Dog", while over in the 1001 Films feature, I dive into Satoshi Kon's lesser known film "Millennium Actress". #anime #books #fantasy
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Kate Fathers @katefathers.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
A "strategic approach" would be putting the health of the environment and the lives of people over the desires of a handful of tech bros who plan to live on Mars while the world burns. To be honest, we don't need a "pause"; we need a permanent stop.
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Cat Randall @catrandall.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
If you gave me UBI, I wouldn’t just lie in bed watching YouTube. I do that now because I have a job but no money so I’m tired and sad most of the time. If I had money to live on I’d absolutely spend my time out of bed creating and writing things and going places and buying food.
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Kate Fathers @katefathers.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
I agree with a lot of this, but I do want to argue that there is a conversation to be had here about altering works, rather than just changing how you write going forward. I'm going to call it "The Fanficification of Literature". And I don't necessarily think it's a wholly positive thing. (cont.)
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Kate Fathers @katefathers.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
We need a #UBI. But also, after the passing of Dolly Parton and Tim Curry, I'm reminded that we won't get their like again if we stop investing in humans. #AI can never be as weird or passionate or generous as humans. But we need to give humans the opportunity. www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
theguardian.com
‘Digging the grave of my profession’: the Hollywood creatives training AI to do their jobs
Amid a jobs slump, award-winning writers, directors and producers taking on sometimes lucrative temp work teaching AI skills such as screenwriting and production
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Kate Fathers @katefathers.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
OH, COME ON. variety.com/2026/film/ob...
variety.com
Tim Curry, ‘Rocky Horror Picture Show’ Star, Dies at 80
Tim Curry, who soared to fame in the ‘70s as the flamboyant star of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” died on Tuesday in Los Angeles. He was 80.
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Theo Ward @theoward.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Dolly Parton's Imagination Library Foundation operates not only in the US, but also officially in Canada, Ireland, Australia, and the UK. A donation toward literacy and access to books is a great way to pay tribute to her. donate.imaginationlibrary.com
donate.imaginationlibrary.com
Home
Make a donation and support Dolly Parton's Imagination Library in communities around the world and help put more books into the hands of more children.
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Kate Fathers @katefathers.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
80 is far too young for someone like her. www.rollingstone.com/music/music-...
rollingstone.com
Dolly Parton, Hardscrabble Storyteller Turned Global Entertainer, Dead at 80
Dolly Parton, country music legend, dead at 80.
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Kate Fathers @katefathers.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
"The government designated datacentres as “critical national infrastructure” in 2024, putting the tech developments on an equal footing with water, energy and emergency services systems." What kind of brain dead, tech bro decision-making is this?
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KD📚🌎🌊🇺🇸 @kdnerak33.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
The fact that tech giants have acres and acres of land but they don’t build data centers on them is a good reason to not want a data center where you live.
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Anna Holmes @annabookwriter.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
Hey, guys, when the librarians get pissed about the destruction of books, it’s time to put those listening ears on. Because we are very comfortable with the idea that books are tools that can be retired. What’s happening right now is not that.
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JonZoidberg @jonzoidberg.xyz · 15/08/2026
As we have record breaking heat wave after record breaking heat wave, it's comforting that our latest response to climate change has been to rush the construction of a thousand data centers that drink all our water and generate more CO2 than a couple industrial revolutions. JFC.
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Kate Fathers @katefathers.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
One thing about #AI that gets me is that AI as we know it is only four years old. FOUR YEARS. ChatGPT was only released in 2022. We've upended lives and industries for something that hasn't even been around for half a decade. That we've rolled over this quickly is grotesque.
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Prof Bill McGuire @profbillmcguire.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
All the signs are that Burnham is determined to ignore climate breakdown and its devastating consequences for the UK, and to row back on climate action This is criminally negligent and despicable www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
Andy Burnham moves to cut new EV sales targets
Possible cut from 80% down to as little as 50% could add millions of tonnes of CO2 to emissions and comes amid UK heatwaves
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Kate Fathers @katefathers.bsky.social · 09/08/2026
I reviewed "Little, Big" a number of years ago for @starburst.bsky.social. It's a spectacular book from an incredibly talented writer. What a loss.
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Kate Fathers @katefathers.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
Or--hear me out--we keep net zero for all businesses and instead institute a UBI! We don't toast the planet and people are given the opportunity to invest in themselves. It's a win-win!
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Meer @meerkatsrmammals.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
"Data centers bring jobs..." makes me laugh as spouse of IT person responsible for an international organization. Their data center is 2,000 miles away. EVERY THING is done remotely. There's nobody there. Nobody is making that daily commute.
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Kate Fathers @katefathers.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
This is a fair critique, but this thread and some of the comments are bringing up a couple of things for me. 1) That it gives me vibes of that kind of “divine creativity” that I feel like many have been pushing back on in the last few years. (cont.)
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Ann Leckie @annleckie.com · 31/07/2026
For writers worried that they won't be able to "prove" their work isn't Spicy Autocomplete--worry not. You thought about every choice and will be able to talk about those choices easily and clearly. Folks who used the slop machine didn't make choices and won't have anything to say about why
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Kate Fathers @katefathers.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
Virtual interviews make interviewing more accessible. The reason why people are unemployed isn't the interview style, it's that you're competing against 500 other applicants. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Virtual interviews don't show bosses your personality, says Burnham
Interviews online may not allow young people to "shine" and communicate their "passion", the prime minister says.
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Grist @grist.org · 29/07/2026
It’s official: Data centers are slowing America’s shift away from coal
dlvr.it
It’s official: Data centers are slowing America’s shift away from coal
New federal data shows that AI demand helped push U.S. power sector emissions up last year.
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Jesspooka Kant 🎃 @jessdkant.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
A lot of people don’t realize the dust bowl wasn’t a natural phenomenon. It happened when agrobusiness interests dramatically transformed the plains without regard for drought, and created vicious dust storms that choked whole families to death. That’s what I think of when I read about data centers.
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Extinction Rebellion Global @xrglobal.bsky.social · 18/07/2026
‘It’s only going to get worse’ 🔥 The world is experiencing the impact of decades of denial and delayed action on the climate and ecological emergency. www.theguardian.com/news/ng-inte...
theguardian.com
‘It’s only going to get worse’: wildfires forcing firefighters to make impossible choices
As the climate crisis fuels more intense blazes, pushing them to new parts of the world, those tackling them are forced to ration resources and decide which to fight
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Kate Fathers @katefathers.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
I'm of two minds about this. On the one hand, I understand this is likely an attempt to avoid accidentally publishing AI work, and on the surface, even just a screenshot of past drafts with their accompanying dates seems like an easy solution. (cont.)
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Kate Fathers @katefathers.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
And while I'm at it, I also need Booktok/Booktube to really sit with why they're advocating for "clean" romance novels. Because on the face of it, not wanting sex in your romance novels is not unreasonable. There are a lot of people (aspec, sex-repulsed) who might want that. 🧵
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Kate Fathers @katefathers.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
I need Booktok/Booktube posts about elements they don't want to see in books ("spice", some turns of phrase, etc.) to specify that by "books" they mean "romance/romantasy". Because there are PLENTY of books that meet their criteria, they are just outside those genres.
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Scott Santens @scottsantens.com · 08/07/2026
Organizers for a new EU-wide Unconditional Basic Income initiative now have six months to begin a 12-month period of collecting signatures. It must gather at least one million valid statements of support from EU citizens, and also reach minimum thresholds in at least seven member states.
brusselstimes.com
EU takes formal step on basic income bid amid AI-driven job fears
A European plan for basic income is now officially registered, but hitting the million-signature mark is just the first obstacle.
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Catherynne M. Valente @catvalente.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
People need to lay tf off sneering about millennial hey stomp clap music Listen, assholes, for half a second we imagined shit might get slightly better maybe & put florid poetry & weird old instruments & big feelings in everything because we could. Call it cringe but I want that back, not banished
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Kate Fathers @katefathers.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
I don't post a lot about my writing (something something "writer's mystique" something something), but in the spirit of changing that, I finally finished a short story a couple weeks ago! And I've been submitting it! Be proud of me.
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The NewsGuild-CWA @newsguild.org · 07/07/2026
🚨BREAKING🚨 More than 600 workers at Hachette Book Group just voted overwhelmingly to unionize, creating the largest union in trade publishing history! newsguild.org/hachette-boo...
newsguild.org
Hachette Book Group employees win election for largest union in trade publisher history | The NewsGuild - TNG-CWA
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Kate Fathers @katefathers.bsky.social · 04/07/2026
The praise people are heaping on a billionaire pop star for donating millions really highlights how difficult it is for people to conceptualise how much a billion dollars is. 26 million of 2 billion is 1.3%. It's chump change.
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logan 🍁🍂 @loganfromnowhere.bsky.social · 03/07/2026
Being a billionaire is STILL bad even if they wrote that album you love, or made those movies you admire, or wrote that book series from your childhood. You don’t need to defend these people in that way. They have an obscene amount of wealth and it’s not good for society as a whole.
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Jeff Spencer @revjss.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
Graphic offering advice on “How to survive the global heatwave.” It says:
Stay hydrated.
Treat yourself to an ice cream.
Dismantle the fossil fuel industry which is literally burning the planet for the short term profit of a vanishingly small capitalist class.
Loose fitting clothing.
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Abilu Tangwa. @abilutangwa.bsky.social · 28/06/2026
What they taught in school: GDP up = good. What they left out: The atmosphere has a limit Soil can die Water runs out 8 billion people need a living planet, not just a growing economy
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Kate Fathers @katefathers.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
This move, plus Sony's decision to remove Studio Canal films PEOPLE PAID FOR, really hammers home just how important ownership is. Not just ownership of physical media, but owning digital media--having the file on your hard drive. Hosting sites are fair-weather.
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Kate Fathers @katefathers.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
Oh I am HERE for this.
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Kate Fathers @katefathers.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
Thinking about the #AI argument that it saves time, and realising we only need to "save time" because corporations and capitalism are not giving people sufficient time to do their work. Companies overload workers. Artists work multiple jobs. You don't need to "save time" if you have enough of it.
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STARBURST MAGAZINE @starburst.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
Have you got your copy yet? If not, our official store delivers to your door: starburstmagazine.store/products/sta...
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Kate Fathers @katefathers.bsky.social · 15/06/2026
I have a theory about this: Parenting decisions and changing education mandates aside, one of the (many) reasons for the fall in children's literacy is because reading is less of a focus in children's and teen's media. (cont.)
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