iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by Kevin MacDonell (he/him)

The Malahat Review @malahatreview.bsky.social · 10h

Congratulations to the 2026 Constance Rooke CNF Prize winner! Daryl Bruce wins $1,250 & publication of "Find the Uncle" in our winter issue 237. Thank you to judge @odetteauger.bsky.social, our valued volunteers and staff, and all the writers who entered! malahatreview.ca/contests/cre...

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Kevin MacDonell (he/him) @kevinmacdonell.bsky.social · 14h

Congratulations to Daryl Bruce, winner of the Constance Rooke CNF Prize! I was pleased to shortlist among a fine group of writers. Look for Daryl's piece in the winter issue of the Malahat Review. malahatreview.ca/contests/cre...

malahatreview.ca

Constance Rooke CNF Prize Winner

The Malahat Review, established in 1967, is among Canada’s leading literary journals. Published quarterly, it features contemporary Canadian and international and contemporary works of poetry and fict...

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Kevin MacDonell (he/him) @kevinmacdonell.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

Although I would be interested in Christa Pike's no doubt chilling take on it.

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Kevin MacDonell (he/him) @kevinmacdonell.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

It remains the undiscovered country from whose bourn no traveller returns. End stop.

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Kevin MacDonell (he/him) @kevinmacdonell.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

Thrilled to have made the shortlist for the Constance Rooke CNF prize!

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Kevin MacDonell (he/him) @kevinmacdonell.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

Thrilled to have made the shortlist for the Constance Rooke CNF prize!

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Kevin MacDonell (he/him) @kevinmacdonell.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

This is great. I can't seem to figure out how to make it the default for a newly-opened tab, so tried accessing help -- which is crashing due to too many simultaneous accesses. So it's popular.

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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

Just looked this up and read it -- because I collect people's takes on the journal form -- and so many problems with it. Sad for someone who used to journal and evidently enjoyed it that their view has become so impoverished.

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

Proving "human" means using human methods: Reviewing drafts, and having a conversation with the writer on how a piece developed. Stop playing with these silicon toys and get back to what’s real.

kevinmacdonell.com

Statement on AI | Kevin Macdonell

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

This imposes a burden on literary magazines which some will be barely able to carry. But do they have a choice? www.kevinmacdonell.com/statement

kevinmacdonell.com

Statement on AI | Kevin Macdonell

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

I hear all this. But I fear the other edge of the sword: The witch hunt. I put no faith in Pangram or any other piece of AI software, with their in-built biases. Proving "human" means using human methods: Reviewing drafts, and having a conversation with the writer on how a piece developed.

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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

The author of this bizarre masterpiece happens to be the publisher of the journal in question. I haven't yet submitted any pieces to this journal -- and now I never will.

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

Pointless, perhaps, to post without adding a link to the essay, which appears in a Canadian literary journal. But I hesitate to give something a boost when there are so many other things I could link to that are beautiful and not motivated by an irrational and weirdly focussed hatred.

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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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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

I waited by the Bedford Highway for a bus downtown for 45 minutes and while standing there, I realized I was a coughing menace to society and unfit to boogie.

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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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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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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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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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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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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 · 26/08/2026

Uh - what? Oh good, another target to block.

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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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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 · 10/08/2026

I loved O’Faolain’s book. And would love to be in Dublin, for this and for many reasons.

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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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