iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by Kevin MacDonell (he/him)

The Walrus @thewalrus.ca · 30/09/2026

AI detection softwares are increasingly at the centre of literary controversies. But relying on AI tools to detect AI use is an apparent tautology that raises serious questions about verifiability and false positives. ow.ly/cOy150ZSWM4

On the left: A photograph of author Thélyson Orélien reading from his novel. On the right: text that reads “Bestselling Novelist Dropped from Major Prize over Suspected AI Use. The Thélyson Orélien controversy raises new questions about whether detection software can be trusted.”

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Kevin MacDonell (he/him) @kevinmacdonell.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Dismayed to hear some folks urging publishers to run submissions through Pangram to keep AI out of their magazines. I put no faith in any piece of AI software, with its in-built biases. Beware the witch hunt. Most tales of supposed AI plagiarism I’ve heard of have been against writers of colour.

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Reposted by Kevin MacDonell (he/him)

Sonja Boon @storiedselves.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Booktoberfest is coming up this weekend, on October 3! Over 60 authors and publishers plus readings and free workshops: all at Halifax Central Library. Hope to see you there!

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Kevin MacDonell (he/him) @kevinmacdonell.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Thanks to the Writers’ Federation of NS for alerting me to this Writers’ Union of Canada petition, part of a global effort to demand regulation for AI developers. TWUC has launched a Parliamentary Petition calling for transparency for AI training processes and what they produce.

ourcommons.ca

Petition e-7774 - Petitions

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Kevin MacDonell (he/him) @kevinmacdonell.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Just (mis)spent more than an hour reading the takedown of Alistair MacLeod that no one asked for - a repetitive, typo-ridden screed that relies on feats of imaginative extrapolation to (attempt to) hang not only MacLeod, but skewer Kate Beaton into the bargain. Baffling. @katebeaton.bsky.social

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Reposted by Kevin MacDonell (he/him)

Chad Lucas @chadgalucas.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

I already own more totes than I need, but I still might need this one

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Kevin MacDonell (he/him) @kevinmacdonell.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

A cold acquired on an airplane has prevented me from attending this. Not happy. Hope it was fun!

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Kevin MacDonell (he/him) @kevinmacdonell.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

News flash: "going paperless" is no longer awesome.

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Kevin MacDonell (he/him) @kevinmacdonell.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Time for some crazy fucking west coast book store action.

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Kevin MacDonell (he/him) @kevinmacdonell.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Pleased to have a personal essay in the current issue of Queen's Quarterly! ... The memory of a terror-inducing encounter with a strange albino flower in rural Cape Breton triggers reflection on names of things, and how naming and reality shape each other.

queensu.ca

Home | Queen's Quarterly

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Reposted by Kevin MacDonell (he/him)

Elle Cordova @ellecordova.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

I am the very model of a modern day typographer A font take on the tune “Modern Major General” by Gilbert & Sullivan #typography #fonts #graphicdesign

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Reposted by Kevin MacDonell (he/him)

Sonja Boon @storiedselves.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

Booktoberfest, hosted by @writersfedofns.bsky.social, is coming up on October 3, and I'll be there with 2 books that are close to my heart: Dear Mr. Smallwood: Confederation in the words of those who lived it and What the Oceans Remember: Searching for Belonging and Home.

A blue poster featuring a dandelion in cyanotype style. The text reads Booktoberfest 2026. Halifax Central Library. Saturday, October 3 11 am - 3 pm. 70+ Nova Scotian authors & publishers. Free writing workshops & readings.

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Kevin MacDonell (he/him) @kevinmacdonell.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

The Writers’ Federation of Nova Scotia is celebrating FIFTY YEARS of helping writers! I’m going to the party on Sept 18 at the Halifax Central Library. The disco ball starts turning at 7 p.m.! writers.ns.ca/workshops-ev...

writers.ns.ca

WFNS 50th Anniversary Party (Halifax)

Friday, Sept 18 (starting 7pm) Tickets on sale

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Kevin MacDonell (he/him) @kevinmacdonell.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

Just secured my tickets for the Cabot Trail Writers Festival, Oct 2-4 in St. Anne's, Cape Breton Island, NS. Will I see you there? www.cabottrailwritersfestival.com

cabottrailwritersfestival.com

Cabot Trail Writers Festival

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Reposted by Kevin MacDonell (he/him)

Megan Piontkowski Illustration @meganpiont.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

Reposting again:

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Reposted by Kevin MacDonell (he/him)

Writers' Trust of Canada @writerstrust.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

In celebration of our 50th anniversary, WT is hosting authors francesca ekwuyasi, Michael Crummey, and Naben Ruthnum for Conversations in Trust, moderated by CBC's Mary Lynk, at the Halifax Central Library on October 22, 6:00 pm. Tickets: www.eventbrite.ca/e/conversati... #WT50

WT50 Conversations in Trust. Canadian authors make sense of our worlds. National event series: Halifax.

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Reposted by Kevin MacDonell (he/him)

Elephant Mastodon @emath.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

Literary fiction is coming. It is going to revolutionize the economy. We know that China has already got a start on literary fiction. We can’t afford to be left out of the literary fiction economy. Think of your kids. They might already be engaging with literary fiction.

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Reposted by Kevin MacDonell (he/him)

Elle Cordova @ellecordova.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

Rough Draft vs Final Draft

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Kevin MacDonell (he/him) @kevinmacdonell.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

Don’t bother. They’ve chosen their master. Just walk away.

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Kevin MacDonell (he/him) @kevinmacdonell.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

Google and Apple just make it way too easy.

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Kevin MacDonell (he/him) @kevinmacdonell.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

I regret every second I’ve spent re-reading people’s oblique hot takes that I can’t make head or tail of.

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Kevin MacDonell (he/him) @kevinmacdonell.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

If AI use is hard to prove, so is its opposite: that a piece of writing is original and genuine. At any time, any writer might have their work called into question. We can avoid using AI, but we can’t ignore it.

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Kevin MacDonell (he/him) @kevinmacdonell.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

I don’t want to talk about AI. I’m sick of hearing about AI. (AI, AI, AI.) But writers and publishers have to talk about AI. Here’s my statement about AI. www.kevinmacdonell.com/statement

kevinmacdonell.com

Statement on AI | Kevin Macdonell

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Reposted by Kevin MacDonell (he/him)

Sonja Boon @storiedselves.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

hey NS-based writers: round 4 of @writersfedofns.bsky.social's 50 for 50 contest is now live, and this time, there are 2 *visual* prompts! Same rules as before: free entry, writer in NS, 19+, 50 words, any genre, no genAI. Deadline: Nov 12. writers.ns.ca/programs/50-...

writers.ns.ca

50 for 50 Contest Series

The Writers' Federation of Nova Scotia (WFNS) will celebrate its 50th anniversary in September, 2026. As a part of this celebration, the 50 for 50 Contest Series encourages Nova Scotians to reflect on...

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Kevin MacDonell (he/him) @kevinmacdonell.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

Not sure how many Nova Scotians will see this, but I’m curious whether there’s fresh corn in Annapolis Valley farm markets yet — or is it still too early? Would love to know!

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Kevin MacDonell (he/him) @kevinmacdonell.bsky.social · 09/08/2026

I have been picking away at a “statement on generative AI” for my website for what seems forever, because I hate it and I resent having to lend it time and energy, even to denounce it.

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Reposted by Kevin MacDonell (he/him)

jessamyn @librarian.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

I work at a public library. People who want to use AI seem to have no trouble doing so. People who don't want to use AI have a harder time. I crowdsourced and then finalized this document "How to disable or avoid intrusive AI" and then gave it a short URL: notoai.org Please pass along if it's useful

An aircraft passenger oxygen mask: a drop down passenger mask with air bag and yellow plastic mouth and nose cover, oxygen tube has been cut; Demonstration model used by flight attendant crew for passenger instruction. Has text on the side indicating that it's non-functional.

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Kevin MacDonell (he/him) @kevinmacdonell.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

Instapaper, one of my favourite apps, has been updated after many years, and OF COURSE I can no longer save PDFs the way I used to. Unless there’s something I’m not seeing, looks like another of my go-to tools has been rendered useless.

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Kevin MacDonell (he/him) @kevinmacdonell.bsky.social · 18/07/2026

The “not x, but y” pattern which is a supposed AI tell does make a certain kind of sense. Marking distinctions via splitting, i.e., binaries, is deeply attractive to the fascist mind.

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Kevin MacDonell (he/him) @kevinmacdonell.bsky.social · 13/07/2026

The Sobeys in Mill Cove, Bedford, Nova Scotia is selling a fascinating new product: onions from “Canada/USA.” The onions are grown in single file all along the border, half of each onion in Canadian soil and the other half in American soil. What will they think of next!

A display of red onions in a grocery store. A sign above the onions says they are a “Product of Canada/USA,” and $2.79 a pound.

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Kevin MacDonell (he/him) @kevinmacdonell.bsky.social · 13/07/2026

A treat in the mail from poetry micropress Opaat Press! Pamphlet poems by Jessica Joy Hiemstra, Drew Lavigne, Geordie Miller, Freddy Hyun Smith, and Arielle Twist.

Five brightly-coloured pamphlets arranged on a carpeted floor.

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Reposted by Kevin MacDonell (he/him)

sanctorium.bsky.social @sanctorium.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

What is necessary, after all, is only this: solitude, vast inner solitude. To walk inside yourself and meet no one for hours—that is what you must be able to attain. Rilke

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Reposted by Kevin MacDonell (he/him)

Sean Paul Bedell @seanpaulbedell.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

Next time you're in beautiful Lunenburg, stop by @blockshopbooks.bsky.social for some great CanLit, including by Nova Scotian authors. Glad to have #Shoebox with such great company!

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Reposted by Kevin MacDonell (he/him)

Sarah Wolfson @sarahwolfson.bsky.social · 27/06/2026

“Content is the ‘world’s worst word,’ he adds, because it dehumanises writing and suggests ‘it has no real value inherently, and it doesn’t matter if humans made it or not’.”

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Kevin MacDonell (he/him) @kevinmacdonell.bsky.social · 27/06/2026

My uncle John racing at the Inverness Raceway, which celebrates its 100th year this year. By the way, this little magazine published by the municipality of the County of Inverness is the coolest. participaperonline.ca/local-famili...

Black and white photo of a harness racing horse with a rider in a sulky (I think it’s called).

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Reposted by Kevin MacDonell (he/him)

rob mclennan @robmclennan.bsky.social · 26/06/2026

this seems an absolutely ridiculous thing to be feeding much-needed resources into, doesnt it?

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Kevin MacDonell (he/him) @kevinmacdonell.bsky.social · 26/06/2026

I say, if an extrovert can hire a ghost writer to write their book for them, it ought to be perfectly ordinary for an introvert to hire a ghost talker to do their public speaking. Bit of an oxymoron, ghost talker, but a fine thing to put on a business card.

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Kevin MacDonell (he/him) @kevinmacdonell.bsky.social · 26/06/2026

Some works from Issue 57 of Riddle Fence magazine are online now, including my creative nonfiction piece, “At the Same Time."

riddlefence.com

Issue 57 Feature: Creative Nonfiction - Riddle Fence

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Kevin MacDonell (he/him) @kevinmacdonell.bsky.social · 25/06/2026

One thing I know for sure is that no matter how rich or famous or popular or regal you may be, someday you will be brought low by diarrhea.

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Kevin MacDonell (he/him) @kevinmacdonell.bsky.social · 23/06/2026

“Drain the swamp,” he said. How it’s going, ten years later:

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Kevin MacDonell (he/him) @kevinmacdonell.bsky.social · 20/06/2026

The beautiful new issue of Camel (number 5!), placed into my hands by Clarissa Hurley and Mark Anthony Jarman themselves on this sunny-rainy day in Halifax. Gorgeous illustration by Chris Tompkins to accompany my personal essay, “When the Hay Was Green.” Gratitude!

Magazine held open, left hand page is an illustration of a copper-coloured whiskey bottle with a field, hay bales, and a church bell inside, the bottle superimposed on black-and-white illustration of household items from an old farmhouse. Right-hand page is first page of essay by Kevin MacDonell. Also in photo is another copy of the magazine, showing the cover, a camel in silhouette and a green border.

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Reposted by Kevin MacDonell (he/him)

Paris Marx @parismarx.com · 19/06/2026

Time for Canadian schools to expand their smartphone bans to include generative AI now too.

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Reposted by Kevin MacDonell (he/him)

Michelle Hébert (she/her) @hfxwordy.bsky.social · 12/06/2026

So proud that Nimbus is publisher for my novel, Every Little Thing She Does is Magic, and my upcoming memoir, A Good Girl's Guide to Lying. AI is incredibly damaging to the writing and publishing industries. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

cbc.ca

The AI book wave and how a Halifax publisher is resisting it | CBC News

The publishing house hasn't been immune to the many AI controversies impacting the world of books.

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