iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by Lee Mandelo

Ryan Packer @typewriteralley.bsky.social · 16h

George Saunders on using AI: "Writing is the most precious way one person can communicate their essence to another person. I’ve spent a lifetime trying to get better at making myself present in my writing. Why would I want to sacrifice even one iota of that?"

Have you spent time trying to write or revise with AI? Is there an experiment that would be interesting enough to try?

I have not. Not for a second. To me, this whole idea of using AI to write is . . . anathema. A thing to be most radically avoided.

Writing is the most precious way one person can communicate their essence to another person. I’ve spent a lifetime trying to get better at making myself present in my writing. Why would I want to sacrifice even one iota of that? Not even in an email and certainly not in a short story or novel.

Who are we ceding our authority to, exactly, when we let AI write for us? And why? Why surrender our agency (that amazing ability we have to reach across time and space, with our strange, idiosyncratic phenomenon, and land within the sensibility of another human being) to something that, by its very design, pushes the individual sensibility aside? And in the name of . . . what, exactly? Ease, I guess? Efficiency? The person who chooses to write with AI has also sacrificed, from the start, the opportunity of experiencing difficulty, of struggling to say what he wants to say, of making himself evident in his prose, of trying to find out what he believes. By this, he sacrifices a chance to know himself and his mind better. To me, that’s a shame. And it’s dangerous, because, as we are now finding out, it affects the brain and lessens our capabilities. Thanks, but no thanks, get thee behind me, etc.

5474125

Reposted by Lee Mandelo

Heated Rivalry News @hrnews.bsky.social · 13h

Hudson on the guilt and shame Shane carries in “Heated Rivalry” via people

07319

Reposted by Lee Mandelo

Susan Rinkunas @susanrinkunas.com · 15h

To recap: three GOP-led states that wanted the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade in order to "send abortion back to the states" are now asking the Court to strike down abortion protections in blue states

12096962

Reposted by Lee Mandelo

Elias Eells- Bar Cart Bookshelf @eliaseells.bsky.social · 15h

One could argue that as the most widely read genre, romance is most deserving of care and attention, a refusal to concede to bland extruded text from the Average Intelligence machine. The potential to reach the greatest number of readers with your art, with your intellect, can be through romance.

13920

Reposted by Lee Mandelo

Workers’ Lit Podcast @workerslit.bsky.social · 13h

Clip from our "Summers Sons: A Five Year Retrospective" episode with @leemandelo.bsky.social . Listen to the full thing wherever you get your pods. Note: The Workers' Lit Podcast does not endorse drinking and driving. We do endorse having a beer belly though.

173

Reposted by Lee Mandelo

Andrew Robertson @andrewawesome.bsky.social · 14h

The Woods All Black/ @leemandelo.bsky.social/ Set in 1920s Appalachia, this novella starts with a slow burn before catching fire with shapeshifting, monsterfucking revenge action that shows that even with all the injustice & hate in the world, queer joy can survive. #horror #queerhorror #transhorror

151

Reposted by Lee Mandelo

Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani @mayor.nyc.gov · 18h

53 years ago, hip-hop was born at a back-to-school party in the Bronx. Now, the Bronx School of Hip Hop is preparing a new generation of artists to shape what comes next. I sat down with Nas to talk about the past, present, and future of hip-hop in NYC — from the turntables to our classrooms.

youtu.be

Mayor and Nas sit down to discuss the past, present and future of hip hop in NYC

YouTube video by NYC Mayor's Office

14771641343

Reposted by Lee Mandelo

Dr. NerdLove @doctornerdlove.com · 17h

A lot of who I am today came as I worked from a position of “what if I wasn’t stuck like this forever? What if I didn’t feel like these limits were permanent and definitional?” A lot of my misery at the time was the idea that so much in life was a binary, unchanging and unchangable and it wasn’t.

1122

Reposted by Lee Mandelo

Dr. NerdLove @doctornerdlove.com · 17h

I don’t know about stereotypical patterns, but I’m radically different from who I was in high school for a lot of reasons. An ADHD diagnosis in my 40s, sure, but also actively choosing to address things I feared or didn’t know back then, and to be more of who I wanted to be.

1366

Reposted by Lee Mandelo

Saeed Jones @theferocity.bsky.social · 18h

This will be a thread of essays I recommend to students in my creative nonfiction workshop:

739282

Reposted by Lee Mandelo

Vajra Chandrasekera @vajra.me · 19h

My third novel, HERO COME HOME, officially has a cover! Preorderable from the usual places us.macmillan.com/books/978125...

The cover of my third novel, HERO COME HOME. Four human figures centred, the main image being that of a bearded man looking back over his shoulder (that's Oro, the protagonist), with a circle of symbols behind him. We can see a swan and a key. In the foreground are three people: two women, one with a mysterious marking? scar? who knows!? on her cheek and the other carrying a sword, flanking an older, balding man holding up a pistol. The possibly-scarred woman looks ever so slightly amused, and that is certainly very like her. Everybody else is not happy to be here, or indeed, anywhere

47499168

Lee Mandelo @leemandelo.bsky.social · 19h

Finally listening to the new Orville Peck album this morning and, no surprise, it slaps

3241

Reposted by Lee Mandelo

Perfect Garbage 🌾🪦🔪 wishlist Grave Seasons @perfectgarbage.bsky.social · 20h

We want to thank every person who’s expressed excitement and enthusiasm for Grave Seasons! As a bonus, our devlog features a look at the earliest prototypes, when we first began development 🥹 Check us out on Steam and wishlist if you haven’t already! store.steampowered.com/app/3255110/...

store.steampowered.com

Grave Seasons on Steam

Grave Seasons is a narrative farming sim with a terrifying twist – someone in the town is a supernatural serial killer. Farm, romance, and investigate your way through the unsettling town of Ashenridg...

0564

Reposted by Lee Mandelo

Jeff VanderMeer @jeffvandermeer.bsky.social · 20h

They quoted me in this New Yorker piece about AI today. www.newyorker.com/culture/the-...

“Let’s say there’s a world or time line I exist in where A.I. has been subject to regulation. It is ethical. It has no footprint environmentally,” the novelist Jeff VanderMeer, a prominent critic of A.I., told me over the phone. “With those guardrails in place, would I read an A.I. book? All I can say is no. And the reason is, in part, because I want to read something coming from a particular mind.” Using A.I., he said, “feels like a betrayal of the whole point of why you’re a writer.”

106101792489

Reposted by Lee Mandelo

Captain Awkward @captainawkward.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

I just cannot stress this enough: If you attempt a joke that doesn’t land, or you say something unintentionally problematic or hurtful, and somebody checks you on it, there are so many ways to walk it back. Take accountability. Apologize. At minimum, stop saying more words to make it worse!

218020

Lee Mandelo @leemandelo.bsky.social · 21h

Bsky problems: I'd love to make a scroll list of just friends to keep up with their posts easier but everything here is public and what if I forget somebody, or hurt someone's feelings because they're not on the buddy list,

2100

Reposted by Lee Mandelo

Cherae @clclarkwrites.com · 22h

look look look!!!!! i’m in an actual play!!!!!!!! and i’ve come a long long way from the very first charity stream and first ttrpg session i ever had with @mikerunderwood.bsky.social, which was, ironically enough, Court of Blades, another Forged in the Dark game. join us in the city of whispers. 😈

2244

Reposted by Lee Mandelo

Mark Copelovitch @mcopelov.bsky.social · 21h

Today in “neither our media nor our political system is designed to deal with a far right authoritarian party”

311624

Reposted by Lee Mandelo

Hillary Monahan @hillarymonahan.bsky.social · 05/09/2024

Your annual reminder that any treats that have black icing are probably using activated charcoal for coloring which neutralizes meds like, say, birth control pills. Ask my cousin. Quint's 6 now. This also applies to antibiotics and head meds. Be careful, please.

301381738

Reposted by Lee Mandelo

DongWon Song @dongwon.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Hello. I am widening my submissions categories to include: - Epic Fantasy - Space Opera - Near Future/High Concept SF - Horror Details here: www.dongwonsong.com/submission-g...

dongwonsong.com

Submission Guidelines — DongWon Song

912743

Reposted by Lee Mandelo

CN Lester 🏳️‍⚧️ @cnlester.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

There a very few books that deserve being called 'vital', but Sara Ahmed's 'Complaint' is one of them.

0205

Reposted by Lee Mandelo

Robert Reich @rbreich.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Tyrants view educated citizens as their greatest enemy. Slaveholders stopped the enslaved from learning to read. Nazis burned books. Dictators censor media. That’s why Trump is attacking education, science, museums, the media, and the arts – to prevent us from learning. It's Fascism 101.

602237857

Lee Mandelo @leemandelo.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

I've made two fun little deals for things that'll be announced later recently, and now I'm doing the thing where you post about secrets by going "secrets :)"

0140

Reposted by Lee Mandelo

Melissa Caruso @melissacaruso.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Discoverability for new SFF books seems way down these days, especially outside of bestsellers and certain subgenres. I'm noticing this as both a reader and a writer. Great stuff is in danger of sinking without a trace. Please post about new/recent books you love or are excited for!!! I'll start:

20221112

Reposted by Lee Mandelo

DaVaun Sanders @davaun.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Release day is here!!! Help us celebrate all of the incredible authors who contributed to the Forged in FIYAH anthology! Snatch a copy or five for yourself wherever books are sold. Shout out to Matt and the @tordotcompub.bsky.social team for seeing this project through.

33724

Reposted by Lee Mandelo

Thomas Ha @thomasha.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

i should clarify, when i write people doing bad things, it's because i am bad. they are me. more importantly, when you read about those bad things, they also become you. that's how story works. in fact, you are going to think about murder before this skeet ends. how's that feel, sicko.

1761522334

Reposted by Lee Mandelo

Workers’ Lit Podcast @workerslit.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

This is a PSA for anyone who has or will make fan art of Sam Halse from Summer Sons. Remember the belly. Where is his beer gut? Why have you hidden his beer gut? Why do you take the belly from us? How could this man possibly have abs his diet is insane. The dude is thick. Make him thick. I need it

1174

Reposted by Lee Mandelo

Casey Explosion @caseyexplosion.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

The Heritage Foundation laid out how they were going to rescind Title IX, the law that prohibits sex discrimination in education, by first targeting trans people's participation in sport. Capitulating on the human rights of transgender people is catastrophically falling at the first hurdle.

92015705

Lee Mandelo @leemandelo.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Morning listen at the dayjob is: Model Home by Rivers Solomon

Libby screenshot of the novel's bright green cover

092

Reposted by Lee Mandelo

Mike Stabile @mikestabile.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

VPN bans are a direct response to age-verification. Legislators are frustrated that people are getting around their surveillance, but rather than rethink their strategy, they're doubling down and banning VPNs. Fight the Flock-ing of the internet.

515241161

Reposted by Lee Mandelo

Mike Stabile @mikestabile.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Trust me when I tell you that few lawmakers have thought through any of the implications. Frighteningly few understand the technology. Others don't understand why we need privacy on the internet — or think only criminals do. That's why calling / writing / fighting is so important.

cnet.com

Wisconsin Reverses Decision to Ban VPNs in Age-Verification Bill - CNET

The law would have required websites to block VPN users from accessing "harmful material."

3259171

Reposted by Lee Mandelo

Mel Buer @melbuer.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

I would never have been able to get an advanced degree without student loans. The new aggregate loan limits already nuked my chances at switching careers through the MLIS—this new rule would be catastrophic for the working class At this point it wouldn’t be a waste to explore alt. higher ed design

515549

Reposted by Lee Mandelo

Cliff Pervocracy @pervocracy.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

a very common phenomenon is people rejecting the conclusions of propaganda, but accepting the premises. you can passionately disagree about how the trans problem should be handled, and it will still keep you from asking "what do you mean, 'trans problem?'"

525774

Reposted by Lee Mandelo

Jessica Valenti @jessicavalenti.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Please don't give the DA reopening the Cornell case any cookies. District Attorney Matthew Van Houten all but called Jane Doe a liar today. He said that in Doe's initial statement, she described "her participation in drug use and sexual conduct as voluntary, conscious, and consensual.” CONSENSUAL

722601629

Reposted by Lee Mandelo

nick @unionnick.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

On the *same day* the Cornell Seven drugged and raped Jane Doe, Cornell banned four students (including the President of Cornell JVP) from campus for three years for nonviolent, pro-Palestine protests. The same Cornell officials let the rapists off with apology essays.

4249921972

Reposted by Lee Mandelo

Elizabeth Minkel @elizabethminkel.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Do you have to write a whole article to give yourself permission to feel joy, all while beating yourself up and quoting other people beating themselves up? If you actually participate in fandom—making things with other people—you don't sit there stewing in your constant-consumption shame-hole.

29813

Reposted by Lee Mandelo

Elizabeth Minkel @elizabethminkel.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

With this particular piece (which is in The Cut if you are desperate to read), I think we're also seeing the effect of fanfiction without community. When you're actually *in* fandom, you all share ideas and enthusiasm together. When you just consume in isolation, you write....whatever this is.

3836

Reposted by Lee Mandelo

Neon Hemlock @neonhemlock.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Today is the beginning of #LitMagWeek! We are a bit buried, so expect some more interesting news later in the week, but in the meantime, know that the code #LitMagWeek gets you 25% off the print editions of @bafflingmag.bsky.social in our store 🪶 www.neonhemlock.com/books

#LitMagWeek
celebrating Baffling Magazine

02011

Reposted by Lee Mandelo

Aysha U. Farah @ayshaufarah.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

really great one. Lee is one of my buds and it's really fun to geek out to a writer about their book to them specifically. if you're a summer sons fan this is an especially great listen!

0135

Reposted by Lee Mandelo

alix e. harrow @alixeharrow.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

one of my most sacred & cringe book release rituals is to buy something that matches the cover and honestly i crushed it this time

a late-thirties white woman doing a bathroom mirror selfie. i'm holding an orange book and wearing an orange sweater, looking pleased with myself

49138161

Reposted by Lee Mandelo

🌈 Hailey Piper 🌈 @haileypiperfights.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

ICYMI my cursed film novel not only came out in paperback and ebook earlier this month, but also in audiobook! Jeremy Carlisle Parker (A Game in Yellow) brings her incredible talent and fantastic sense of atmosphere to THIS MOVIE DOESN'T END THE WAY WE WANT 📽️ rbmediaglobal.com/audiobook/97...

screenshot from the Tantor Media site showing the audiobook cover of This Movie Doesn't End the Way We Want, art by Julia Lloyd, read by Jeremy Carlisle Parker, with a Paul Tremblay blurb calling the book "fun, creepy, and thrilling"

46317

Reposted by Lee Mandelo

Lee Mandelo @leemandelo.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

also the problem with people understanding that sexual violence under cisheteropatriarchy targets queer men because it's about *power* and *hierarchy,* not erotic desire or sexual identity (which also ties into why straight women do sometimes commit "corrective" assaults on young queer men, etc)

0101

Reposted by Lee Mandelo

Diskette Press @ A2CAF @diskettepress.com · 28/09/2026

Hey Diskette Fans! This is your first notice that we're putting together a fundraiser anthology for a new Riso. Sign up here for launch info. More details to come in the coming weeks, this is gonna be a good one. diskettepress.com/pages/belove...

diskettepress.com

Beloved! A Riso Fundraiser Anthology

Help Diskette Press get a new Risograph by picking up a new anthology featuring work by artists you know and love.

18164

Reposted by Lee Mandelo

thank u, hexed @lindsaykingmiller.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

YES THANK YOU gay people did not invent and are not the primary enforcers of homophobia pass it onnnnn

171

Reposted by Lee Mandelo

micah @nemerevermore.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

putting this on the main feed because it is an evergreen thought I have about the "all the fascist homophobes are secretly gay" trope

1267

Lee Mandelo @leemandelo.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

And it's finally here!! Five years since Summer Sons came out, and I joined the crew at @workerslit.bsky.social to reread and chat about the book This ep also features much love for everyone's favorite big hot man, Sam Halse

21610

Reposted by Lee Mandelo

Kendra "Gloom is My Beat" Pierre-Louis @kendrawrites.com · 28/09/2026

The data also strongly suggests that campus rape is perpetrated by a small number of actors. Put differently, most men on campus don't rape, but the ones who do rape a lot of women. Getting rid of those guys would make campus way safer . psycnet.apa.org/record/2020-...

5647161

Lee Mandelo @leemandelo.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Also now that it's been officially announced over on IG I can say: I'm one of the judges for this year's KY Leather Weekend! I'm looking forward to the contest, and it's an honor to serve 🖤

2320