Sign in

Penny Walker

@pennywalker.bsky.social
135 followers 138 following 112 posts

Fiction writer, news editor, TV binger, overthinker. Rock chalk, forks up. Aka auntpeso. She/her. Work in Ninth Letter and the Sine Qua Non. Lots of photos of books and my grandkids on IG @auntpeso.

PostsRepliesMedia
Penny Walker @pennywalker.bsky.social · 02/08/2026
My July reads — getting in lots of book time ahead of grad school starting in three weeks.
A stack of books: “Beasts and Beauty: Dangerous Tales” by Soman Chainani, “Enough: Climbing Toward a True Self on Mount Everest” by Melissa Arnot Reid, “Flesh” by David Szalay, “When We Were Real” by Daryl Gregory, “The Earth Room” by Dana Diehl, “Scorched Grace” by Margot Douaihy and “The Annual Migration of Clouds” by Premee Mohamed.
010
Penny Walker @pennywalker.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
The June/Pride Month stack. Enjoyed them all, but “A Thousand Times Before” was definitely my favorite.
A stack of books on an outside wall: “Marrow Island” by Alexis M. Smith, “Lucky Day” by Chuck Tingle, “Hell Followed With Us” by Andrew Joseph White and “A Thousand Times Before” by Asha Thanki.
000
Penny Walker @pennywalker.bsky.social · 13/06/2026
The May book stack (finally!).
A stack of books sits outside against a sunset sky: “A Tale for the Time Being” by Ruth Ozeki, “The Forest for the Trees” by Leslie Li and “A Parade of Horribles” (Dungeon Crawler Carl No. 8) by Matt Dinniman.
020
Penny Walker @pennywalker.bsky.social · 27/05/2026
Met two book cats today at @ravenbookstore.bsky.social
031
Penny Walker @pennywalker.bsky.social · 16/05/2026
From Harrison Ford's stellar commencement speech, to a pair of sisters who found their way back to finishing their degrees after a decade of caregiving, to Sparky himself (well, herself) turning the tassel ... it has been a great graduation season at ASU. news.asu.edu/graduation
news.asu.edu
Graduation | ASU News
Graduation
000
Penny Walker @pennywalker.bsky.social · 12/05/2026
Happy “Book 8 of Dungeon Crawler Carl Is Out” Day to all who celebrate.
The book cover of “A Parade of Horribles” by Matt Dinniman.
030
Penny Walker @pennywalker.bsky.social · 11/05/2026
Going through piles of old family photos and papers ahead of a Kansas funeral in a few weeks. This is my paternal grandma circa 1913 and her (from left) grandpa, dad and great-grandpa, a former Union soldier — my 3-greats-grandpa. Amazing that this photo exists and in such great shape.
A black-and-white photo of three men of various ages and a toddler girl.
010
Penny Walker @pennywalker.bsky.social · 10/05/2026
“An unfinished book, left unattended, turns feral.” — from “A Tale for the Time Being” by Ruth Ozeki
031
Penny Walker @pennywalker.bsky.social · 03/05/2026
For April, I decided to theme my reading: books by people I know in real life …
A stack of books: “Smitty: My Marriage to Serial Killer Charles Schmid, the Pied Piper of Tucson”by Diane Schmid and Marshall Terrill, “A Suffragist’s Guide to Antarctica” by Yi Shun Lai, “The Lowest Basin: Arizona Stories” by Jonathan Danielson, “Stepping Back From the Ledge: A Daughter’s Search for Truth and Renewal” by Laura Trujillo, “I Am Faithful” by Jenny Irish, “A Maiden’s Prayer: A Family Story Set in 1970s Sri Lanka” by Srianthi Perera, “Rockaway” by Tara Ison, and “The Beautiful Ones Bleed” by Ashley Grey.
011
Penny Walker @pennywalker.bsky.social · 04/04/2026
The book stack for March — apparently all I did in my free time last month was read.
A stack of books next to a flowering bush: “Americanah” by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, “She Didn’t Stand a Chance” by Stacie Grey, “Justice Is Served: A Tale of Scallops, the Law, & Cooking for RGB” by Leslie Karst, “You Better Be Lightning” by Andrea Gibson, “Old School Indian” by Aaron John Curtis, “A Tempest of Tea” by Hafsah Faizal and “A Steeping of Blood” by Hafsah Faizal.
120
Penny Walker @pennywalker.bsky.social · 30/03/2026
Sometimes you need to break your heart and put it back together again in the same reading session.
A hand holds the books “Stepping Back From the Ledge” by Laura Trujillo and “You Better Be Lightning” by Andrea Gibson. Bookshelves are visible in the background.
000
Penny Walker @pennywalker.bsky.social · 21/03/2026
Publishers, I am begging you to include a description of the plot on the cover somewhere — not a full page of blurbs that tell me nothing.
010
Penny Walker @pennywalker.bsky.social · 17/03/2026
THIS. Trauma by its very nature means it might take decades for you to get to the point where you can finally voice it. And it might not get to the voice-it point. Just because someone has not proclaimed their trauma doesn’t mean they didn’t experience it.
000
Reposted by Penny Walker
ironeconomist.bsky.social @ironeconomist.bsky.social · 08/03/2026
Hitting desalination plants is so bad. Not just evil but strategically incomprehensible. Without desalination 75% of the entire population of the Middle East will be refugees. Israel and Kuwait depend on desalination for 90% of their water and other Middle East states aren’t far behind.
522278638
Penny Walker @pennywalker.bsky.social · 07/03/2026
The February book stack.
A stack of books sits in a wall: “Those We Bury Back” by Tom Leveen, “The French Lieutenant’s Woman” by John Fowles, and “By Any Other Name” by Jodi Picoult.
010
Penny Walker @pennywalker.bsky.social · 02/02/2026
The January book stack. (With a little glimpse of my new calathea rattlesnake plant — I’ll put some photos of her in the comments. What are you reading heading into February? My current read is “The French Lieutenant’s Woman,” for class.
A stack of books next to a houseplant: 
“Giovanni’s Room” by James Baldwin, “Written on the Body” by Jeanette Winterson, “Pet” by Akwaeke Emezi, 
“Sia Martinez and the Moonlit Beginning of Everything” by Raquel Vasquez Gilliland, “In the Lives of Puppets” by T.J. Klune and “Wolf Bells” by Leni Zumas.
130
Reposted by Penny Walker
Alex Ip 葉清霖 @alexip718.com · 24/01/2026
UPDATE: @dropsitenews.com has obtained the very graphic video from the lady in the pink coat, which shows ICE executing yet another person in broad daylight:
19539051725
Penny Walker @pennywalker.bsky.social · 17/01/2026
Reading and bleeding! (Platelets donation. All is well.) Book is “Written on the Body” for the class I’m taking this spring.
A book held open by a Bookchair sits on a table next to an opened bag of potato chips.
010
Penny Walker @pennywalker.bsky.social · 02/01/2026
The December book stack — not pictured: “Mama T’s Storm Food: Cooking Without Power, Patience or a Trip to the Store,” which I read on ebook.
A stack of book sits on a table with a backdrop of oranges and leaves on a tree. The books are: “Bird by Bird” by Anne Lamott, “Automatic Noodle” by Annalee Newitz, “The River Has Roots” by Amal El-Mohtar, and “Tilt” by Emma Pattee.
010
Penny Walker @pennywalker.bsky.social · 30/12/2025
What a lovely read to close the year with. 🍜🤖💜 @annaleen.bsky.social — thank you for writing this!
A hand holds up the book “Automatic Noodle” by Annalee Newitz.
120
Penny Walker @pennywalker.bsky.social · 03/12/2025
November book stack — the top three for my “disability representation in sci-fi” class and the bottom one for book club.
A little purple dinosaur toy with a pin cushion on its back sits next to a stack of books: “Hench” by Natalie Zina Walschots, “Parable of the Sower” by Octavia Butler, “All Systems Red” by Martha Wells and “Black Cake” by Charmaine Wilkerson.
020
Penny Walker @pennywalker.bsky.social · 07/11/2025
The way I just froze for five full seconds as my brain processed that the in-flight opera in “The Fifth Element” was a literal take on the sci-fi subgenre of space opera … 🤯 Bravo, Luc Besson. Yet another reason I love this movie.
020
Penny Walker @pennywalker.bsky.social · 02/11/2025
The October book stack. My favorite read of the month is in the second photo. Vampires and werewolves in space? Generational trauma? Not one but two slow-burn romances? Adorably enthusiastic spider bots? What’s not to love?
A stack of books: “Frankenstein” by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, “Neuromancer” by William Gibson, “The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches” by Sangu Mandanna, “The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay” by Michael Chabon, “Of Monsters and Mainframes” by Barbara Truelove, and “Far Enough: A Western in Fragments” by Joe Wilkins. The book “Of Monsters and Mainframes” by Barbara Truelove.
020
Penny Walker @pennywalker.bsky.social · 30/10/2025
How you store your sunglasses on your person when not in use really puts you into a specific category. Like, forget a sorting hat or being dauntless — my future postapocalyptic story will be organized by: tucked into collar, pushed to the top of head, worn backwards over the neck, stored in a case.
000
Penny Walker @pennywalker.bsky.social · 24/10/2025
The September book stack — delayed until I could get the physical copy of “This Inevitable Ruin” from the library. (I read the ebook last month but wanted to show off how huge that book is in the photo.)
A stack of books: “Exercises in Style” by Raymond Queneau, “The Golem of Brooklyn” by Adam Mansbach, 
“This Inevitable Ruin” (Dungeon Cralwer Carl No. 7) by Matt Dinniman and “The World We Make” by N.K. Jemisin.
020
Penny Walker @pennywalker.bsky.social · 23/10/2025
This organ piece — the slowest and longest music piece ever — is being performed for 639 years in Halberstadt, Germany. (It began in 2001.) It is a real thing, and yet I am absolutely convinced it's something from a @jasperfforde.bsky.social novel. universes.art/en/specials/...
universes.art
John Cage Organ Project in Halberstadt
ORGAN2/ASLSP, the slowest and longest music piece ever heard, is being performed for 639 years in Halberstadt, Germany. Information, photos, video with sound.
010
Penny Walker @pennywalker.bsky.social · 02/09/2025
August book stack! Not many titles this month, but so many pages — 812 in that top book alone.
A stack of books: “The Eye of the Bedlam Bride” by Matt Dinniman, “Boy Swallows Universe” by Trent Dalton, “The City We Became” by N.K. Jemisin and “Into the Goblin Market” by Vikki VanSickle.
000
Penny Walker @pennywalker.bsky.social · 09/08/2025
I clicked on one cold-brew-tea ad on Instagram and am now getting a bunch of different tea companies in my feed. Not mad about it.
000
Penny Walker @pennywalker.bsky.social · 02/08/2025
The July book stack. See photos 2 and 3 for my favorites.
A stack of books sits on a bed: “Malibu Rising” by Taylor Jenkins Reid, 
“This Is Not a Book About Benedict Cumberbatch” by Tabitha Carvan, “Auē” by Becky Manawatu, “Upright Women Wanted” by Sarah Gailey, “Scream Queen” by Jeremy Griffin, “A Restless Truth” by Freya Marske, and “The Wishing Game” by Meg Shaffer.The book “Scream Queen” by Jeremy Griffin. The book “Auē” by Becky Manawatu.
000
Penny Walker @pennywalker.bsky.social · 30/07/2025
How you can tell it’s still summer break/summer session: You go to the Panda Express on the edge of ASU’s Tempe campus in the noon hour and there are only two people in line in front of you.
000
Penny Walker @pennywalker.bsky.social · 02/07/2025
My latest piece is out! “Badland,” in the inaugural issue of Sine Qua Non. It is under 300 words — lit for the time-pressed. Would appreciate it if you gave it a read. CW: Sexual assault. (My story is on page 96, or 119/129 in the little flipper bar.) sqtest.paperturn-view.com?pid=ODg88907...
sqtest.paperturn-view.com
SQN - Sine Qua Non - Issue 1 - Journal - Page 119
Sine Qua Non is not just a journal. It’s a literary revolt against the death of the author. Founded by a collective of writers and thinkers in Dallas, Texas, Sine Qua Non reclaims authorial intent as ...
241
Penny Walker @pennywalker.bsky.social · 01/07/2025
June book stack. Still really, really enjoying Matt Dinniman’s Dungeon Crawler Carl series. Only two more to go!
A stack of books: “Quiéreme” by Juliana Delgado Lopera, “This Thing Between Us” by Gus Moreno, “Cosmic Love at the Multiverse Hair Salon” by Annie Mare, “The Shambling Guide to New York City” by Mur Lafferty, and “The Butcher’s Masquerade” by Matt Dinniman.
010
Penny Walker @pennywalker.bsky.social · 23/06/2025
You're reading this on a digital device. Lots of people — way more than you might think — don't have that ability. They might lack the internet, a computer, the know-how to utilize it, or all three. This @arizonastateuni.bsky.social project is working to change that. news.asu.edu/20250620-loc...
news.asu.edu
ASU-led project brings internet connection to thousands in Arizona | ASU News
Hunter Amerine, a recent Arizona State University graduate, was at his job teaching people how to use the internet a few weeks ago when a man walked in and asked for help with a job application.“A lot...
000
Penny Walker @pennywalker.bsky.social · 21/06/2025
A sign reads: Stevie said, “Don’t be a lady; be a legend.”
010
Penny Walker @pennywalker.bsky.social · 09/06/2025
The May book stack.
Books in a nook in a dark gray wall: “The Gate of the Feral Gods” (Dungeon Crawler Carl No. 4) by Matt Dinniman, The Keeper of Lost Things” by Ruth Hogan,” “Wake: The Hidden History of Women-Led Slave Revolts” by Rebecca Hall (illustrated by Hugo Martínez), “The Sentence” by Louise Erdich, “1,000 Words: A Writer’s Guide to Staying Creative, Focused and Productive All Year Round” by Jami Attenberg, and “Conjure Women” by Afia Atakora.
020
Penny Walker @pennywalker.bsky.social · 29/05/2025
Hey, worldbuilders: @arizonastateuni.bsky.social researchers have put together a guidebook that blends biology with fantasy to help creators build more believable fictional worlds and answer questions like: Just how much food would a 5,000-pound dragon need to survive? news.asu.edu/20250528-sci...
news.asu.edu
ASU researchers blend biology, fantasy in world-building guidebook | ASU News
Evolution may be the ultimate novelist.Through genes, generations and different environments, it spins characters, conflicts and adaptations.For gamers, fantasy writers and other creators of imaginary...
000
Penny Walker @pennywalker.bsky.social · 06/05/2025
Stepped away from the doomscrolling to juice the last of the oranges from our tree. (There’s more in the fridge.) You know spring in the desert is at its end when the oranges are all gone.
A glass full of bright orange juice sits on a counter.
030
Penny Walker @pennywalker.bsky.social · 05/05/2025
The April book stack — all read in the final two weeks of the month. (Three cheers for breaking the reading slump!)
A stack of books: “The Night Guest” by Hildur Knútsdóttir, “Remarkably Bright Creatures” by Shelby Van Pelt,
“Dungeon Crawler Carl” by Matt Dinniman, “Carl’s Doomsday Scenario” by Matt Dinniman, and “The Dungeon Anarchist’s Cookbook” by Matt Dinniman.
010
Penny Walker @pennywalker.bsky.social · 12/04/2025
Sometimes day-old pho is exactly what the doctor ordered.
000
Penny Walker @pennywalker.bsky.social · 09/04/2025
If you've got "from left" in your caption, I promise you don't need "to right." There's nowhere else to go.
000
Penny Walker @pennywalker.bsky.social · 27/03/2025
#bucharest
Light from a church window illuminates dusty ancient murals of various figures.
000
Penny Walker @pennywalker.bsky.social · 25/03/2025
Dracula sure had a nice view. (Though of course, he would’ve only had the night view.)
A window set into a deep wall shows buildings with red tile roofs.
000
Penny Walker @pennywalker.bsky.social · 23/03/2025
A rather tricky bowl to deal with after not having slept in 27 hours. (I managed to get only the tiniest bit of that sauce on the pale tablecloth, though!)
A rigatoni ragu dish in a bowl whose wide lip is full of holes of various sizes, from tiny to dime-size.
000
Penny Walker @pennywalker.bsky.social · 09/03/2025
February book stack — smaller this month as I find my pace slowing down. My favorite from the month? The one on the top of the stack: “More Enduring for Having Been Broken” by Gwendolyn Paradice, one of the titles in last month’s subscription box from @blacklawrence.bsky.social.
A hand holds a stack of books: “Babel” by R.F. Kuang, “The Nickel Boys” by Colson Whitehead and “More Enduring for Having Been Broken” by Gwendolyn Paradice.
121
Penny Walker @pennywalker.bsky.social · 05/03/2025
"How I view it is that every dollar spent on development and diplomacy is $10 we don’t have to spend on defense." — Glen Goodman, interim executive director of ASU’s International Development Initiative. via @sbordow.bsky.social news.asu.edu/20250305-loc...
news.asu.edu
ASU's USAID projects provided economic benefits to US | ASU News
For more than a decade, Arizona State University has helped people around the world — and advanced interests in the United States at the same time — through its collaborative projects with the U.S. Ag...
001
Penny Walker @pennywalker.bsky.social · 13/02/2025
Congratulations, NAU! news.nau.edu/r1-research-...
news.nau.edu
NAU achieves R1 research designation – The NAU ReviewNAU on TwitterNAU's Facebook pagerConnect with NAU on LinkedInFollow NAU on Instagram
000
Penny Walker @pennywalker.bsky.social · 08/02/2025
The apropos January book stack. They dealt with oppression and resistance, the lies/manipulation that the greedy and power-hungry will wreak to grab a few more bucks, the cost of our actions on the Earth and on the marginalized, and how we shouldn’t believe everything we’re told by those in charge.
A stack of books: “When Women Were Dragons” by Kelly Barnhill, “The Warehouse” by Rob Hart, “Land of Milk and Honey” by C. Pam Zhang, 
“The Lies of the Ajungo” by Moses Ose Utomi, and “To Shape a Dragon’s Breath” by Moniquill Blackgoose.
030
Penny Walker @pennywalker.bsky.social · 07/02/2025
The audacity of at-channeling on every single post.
000
Penny Walker @pennywalker.bsky.social · 28/01/2025
In the last two weeks, the group has built 1,150 air filters using $30,000 in supplies and 1,000 MERV13 furnace filters donated by 3M, and raised almost $10,000 from the public through a campaign on its website. news.asu.edu/20250127-hea...
news.asu.edu
More than 1,000 air filters delivered to LA wildfire survivors | ASU News
As wildfires engulf large areas of Los Angeles, harmful particles and toxic gases from the smoke pose major respiratory health risks to Los Angeles residents. For Liesl McConchie, a board member of th...
000
Penny Walker @pennywalker.bsky.social · 17/01/2025
Half of our house flooded while we were out of town in December, and the contents of those rooms are in storage while the (still underway) repairs happen. I stumbled across this photo today while looking for something else — the library was one of the affected rooms, and sigh, how I miss it.
Aqua-colored bookshelves line two walls of a small room, with a black recliner in the foreground covered in a blanket and pillow. A sweet dog sits on a blanket in the corner and looks at the camera.
100