iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Sam Beckbessinger @sambeckbessinger.bsky.social · 10/11/2025

Every time I try to use Google Maps for cycling around London I'm certain it's plotting my death.

100

Sam Beckbessinger @sambeckbessinger.bsky.social · 04/11/2025

Terence! That's SO KIND, thank you! It was extremely cathartic to exorcise all my time working in tech into this book 😜

010

Reposted by Sam Beckbessinger

Leaf Journal: On Writing for Young People @leafjournal.bsky.social · 31/10/2025

We're so excited to be joined by the wonderful @clarefurniss.bsky.social and @sambeckbessinger.bsky.social for 'Practical Process' as part of On Writing for Young People, the online conference, 20-21 Nov. Last few tickets left: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/on-writing... #ukkidlit #academicsky #booksky

Purple leaves surround a text. The text reads 'On Writing for Young People. Panel 4: Practical Process. Online Conference 20-21 Nov 2025.'

095

Sam Beckbessinger @sambeckbessinger.bsky.social · 17/10/2025

Ever felt ready to HOWL? I'm thrilledddddd to reveal the UK cover for my adult debut novel FEMME FERAL, coming April 2026. Hyper-competent Ellie thinks she’s going through perimenopause, but discovers she’s actually turning into a werewolf. More: www.sambeckbessinger.com/upcoming-fem...

033

Sam Beckbessinger @sambeckbessinger.bsky.social · 18/09/2025

I love this city with my whole heart.

100

Sam Beckbessinger @sambeckbessinger.bsky.social · 16/09/2025

it’s London in September and I’m leaving the house for an hour, better pack sunglasses, a cardigan, a brolly, SPF50, a hat, raincoat, thickest woollen socks

210

Sam Beckbessinger @sambeckbessinger.bsky.social · 04/09/2025

OH MY, what's this, a pre-order link for my perimenopause werewolf novel, OUT IN THE WILD??? U.S. @barnesandnoble.com Premium and Rewards members, use PREORDER25 at checkout for 25% off if you order before tomorrow: www.barnesandnoble.com/w/femme-fera...

barnesandnoble.com

Femme Feral: A Novel

A hyper-competent tech leader who thinks she’s going through perimenopause discovers she’s actually turning into a werewolf in this feminist, dark-comedy debutThe head of a company she sta...

010

Sam Beckbessinger @sambeckbessinger.bsky.social · 31/07/2025

A collection of extremely good medieval dogs painted on tiles: williammorristile.com/medieval/med...

Medieval dog licking its own testicles. Somewhat sheepish expression.

020

Sam Beckbessinger @sambeckbessinger.bsky.social · 23/07/2025

I’m currently updating a book I wrote 10 years ago, and it is the most excruciating writing project of my life!

120

Sam Beckbessinger @sambeckbessinger.bsky.social · 18/07/2025

(Although I totally agree it won’t make a huge difference on election outcomes in the short-term - they’re a tiny % of the population - although I do hope it re-energises faith in democracy in the long-term!)

110

Sam Beckbessinger @sambeckbessinger.bsky.social · 29/05/2025

Writing a description of a boujie London neighbourhood, but nothing I could invent is as funny as the real nonsense I've seen walking around Chelsea: "Boutique Fitness Cafe", a "face gym" (face massages + electric stimulation of your cheeks), an on-demand therapy centre for "self-improvers".

110

Reposted by Sam Beckbessinger

Lauren Beukes @laurenbeukes.com · 21/05/2025

I covet MANY things up for grabs on the Genre for Trans auction, but I really, really want sweet revenge. @sambeckbessinger.bsky.social is offering the chance to immortalise your worst (male) boss in her upcoming menopausal werewolf novel all about that rage. www.32auctions.com/organization...

32auctions.com

Name a novel character after your worst boss

Auction item 'Name a novel character after your worst boss' hosted online at 32auctions.

310065

Sam Beckbessinger @sambeckbessinger.bsky.social · 25/04/2025

I’ve personally known the team since the beginning, and met many of these kids. Their stories are so inspiring I can’t even begin to tell you. It’s easy to feel like everything is on fire right now. But this is a tangible, real thing you can do to help. [4/5]

100

Sam Beckbessinger @sambeckbessinger.bsky.social · 25/04/2025

£50/month = a full scholarship. That’s all it takes to put a child from a low-income area through a school that can transform their life prospects. But truly, every bit helps. Even a £20 once-off. [3/5]

100

Sam Beckbessinger @sambeckbessinger.bsky.social · 25/04/2025

But gobal trumpfuckery has disrupted their funding - just when their model is starting to scale. They need donations to see them through the next few months until they can re-stabilise. [2/5]

100

Sam Beckbessinger @sambeckbessinger.bsky.social · 25/04/2025

81% of kids in South Africa can’t read for meaning by age 10. In countries like Norway? Just 6%. Streetlight Schools is proving that low-cost, high-quality education is possible. They’ve already brought the cost of excellent education down to a fraction of what the government spends. [1/5]

streetlightschools.org

Support Us — Streetlight Schools

WELCOME TO OUR HIGHSCHOOL NURTURING VALUES, BLENDING REALITIES, INSPIRING FUTURES

125

Reposted by Sam Beckbessinger

Erin Reed @erininthemorning.com · 20/04/2025

From my latest piece. The true motivating energy behind the anti-trans activists of today.

Ultimately, Freeman’s column isn’t pitiful because it rubs salt in the wound—it’s pitiful because it lays bare the true aim of the anti-trans movement. This was never about policy or bathrooms or youth sports. It’s about a cohort of people who feel culture shifting beneath their feet, who were raised in a world where casual cruelty toward transgender people was normalized, and who now find themselves resentful that society has moved on. Rather than reflect or grow, they double down, demanding that their revulsion be seen as virtue—that their discomfort be not only accepted but celebrated. Freeman’s yearning for social validation, cloaked in the language of righteous indignation, reveals the movement’s hollow core. The title of her piece says it all: this isn’t about the law, it’s about the isolation that comes from being wrong. And no court decision—no matter how cruel—will win back the friendships lost to hate, or rescue those who chose the wrong side of history from the consequences of that choice.

413049790

Sam Beckbessinger @sambeckbessinger.bsky.social · 17/04/2025

I think so often of this video made by the Topsy Foundation. HIV treatment is one of the most amazing achievements of the human race. To be taking this away from our world's most vulnerable people to score cheap political points is a moral stain on our species. www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdol...

youtube.com

The Topsy Foundation - "Selinah"

YouTube video by Upstairs Post

020

Sam Beckbessinger @sambeckbessinger.bsky.social · 16/04/2025

As an author, logging onto Goodreads feels like hiding in a bathroom stall to try to eavesdrop on people gossiping about you.

120

Sam Beckbessinger @sambeckbessinger.bsky.social · 16/04/2025

Love and solidarity to my trans sisters in the UK today.

020

Sam Beckbessinger @sambeckbessinger.bsky.social · 16/04/2025

Extremely random question for my novel: when they're just sitting on the shelves, before you light them, do fireworks have a smell?

110

Sam Beckbessinger @sambeckbessinger.bsky.social · 08/04/2025

Obsessed with this poem. "I am falling in love and I don't know what to do about it | Throw me in a haunted wheelbarrow and set me on fire" thespinoff.co.nz/books/13-05-...

thespinoff.co.nz

The Friday Poem: ‘Monica’ by Hera Lindsay Bird

The most exciting new poet in New Zealand letters takes on her most complex subject yet – Monica Geller, from Friends.

000

Sam Beckbessinger @sambeckbessinger.bsky.social · 08/04/2025

Many things freak me out about AGI/superintelligence, but this extremely plausible and well-researched (albeit annoyingly US-centric) scenario about how misaligned AGI could wipe out all life on earth by 2030 is probably the freakiest: ai-2027.com

ai-2027.com

AI 2027

A research-backed AI scenario forecast.

111

Reposted by Sam Beckbessinger

Juliet E McKenna @julietemckenna.bsky.social · 03/04/2025

Copyright law is clear. If you want to use a creator's original, copyright work for any purpose, you need to get their permission and agree payment. Copyright law does not need revising. It needs enforcing. #DoTheWriteThing

Graphic for the Society of Authors' day of action against Meta.

Compensation for creators.

Meta must #DoTheRightThing

318798

Reposted by Sam Beckbessinger

Greg Jenner (Historian) @gregjenner.bsky.social · 03/04/2025

Today UK authors are protesting against Meta for stealing our work to train their AI model. Authors earn an average of £7000 per year, we are not rich, and yet a trillion dollar company decided it didn’t want to license our work fairly as it was “too expensive” Theft is not a valid alternative.

META BOOK THIEVES - They Must Do The Write Thing

The Society of Authors are protesting Meta’s HQ today

This image shows illustrations of authors holding placards saying “make it fair” and “do the write thing”

151567754

Reposted by Sam Beckbessinger

George Monbiot @georgemonbiot.bsky.social · 28/03/2025

1. One of capitalism’s greatest successes is to shut down our imaginations. With the help of its favoured tools - neoliberalism and fascism - it persuades us that “there is no alternative”. Our first task is to re-ignite our moral imaginations and name our alternatives. 🧵

532067671

Reposted by Sam Beckbessinger

Titan Books @titanbooks.bsky.social · 20/03/2025

We had a great time last night celebrating all things Women in Horror with Neena Viel, @vlatinalondon.bsky.social, @beckbessinger.bsky.social & @catrionaward.bsky.social! Thank you to everyone who came out and asked such great questions, and to the team at Waterstones Covent Garden for having us! ✨

0113

Sam Beckbessinger @sambeckbessinger.bsky.social · 11/03/2025

Horror fans! Come join me at Waterstones Covent Garden next week chatting with fellow Horrible Women @catrionaward.bsky.social, Neena Viel and V. Castro: www.waterstones.com/events/women...

Women in Horror: Wednesday 19 March 6pm at Waterstones Covent Garden

010

Sam Beckbessinger @sambeckbessinger.bsky.social · 11/03/2025

SO PROUD to part of Bloomsbury's new SFF imprint, Archer, joining the hunt with fellow fierce and phenomenal writers Samantha Shannon, Natasha Siegel, Sarah Mughal Rana and Alan Moore 🏹✨: www.thebookseller.com/news/new-sff...

thebookseller.com

New SFF imprint Bloomsbury Archer 'out to make some real publishing magic'

Bloomsbury Archer, the publisher's new SFF imprint, is set to publish "across the constellation of speculative fiction", led by publishing director Vicky Leech Mateos.

142

Sam Beckbessinger @sambeckbessinger.bsky.social · 05/03/2025

(My visa expired & the home office was shut). My partner and I felt like we'd been marooned on a desert island, on the other side of the planet from everyone we knew (several of whom were sick/in hospital), in an empty, echoing flat. It was - to say the least - a weird time.

000

Sam Beckbessinger @sambeckbessinger.bsky.social · 05/03/2025

... (it never ultimately arrived, lost amongst various port closures). In those first few weeks, we debated endlessly if we should go home. We weren't sure when borders were going to close, if our families were going to die before we could see them again, or if we'd ever be allowed back in the UK.

110

Sam Beckbessinger @sambeckbessinger.bsky.social · 05/03/2025

My partner and I had just moved to the UK, to a city where we didn't know a single other person. We were optimistic and excited about meeting people, integrating into a new community, travelling (ha!). We'd moved into an unfurnished flat because our stuff was being shipped from our home country...

100

Sam Beckbessinger @sambeckbessinger.bsky.social · 11/02/2025

A brilliantly clear, cogent explanation of what South Africa’s new land bill actually says.

132

Reposted by Sam Beckbessinger

Colin Yeo @colinyeo.bsky.social · 11/02/2025

1. Quick 🧵 on the change to policy that, on the face of it, bans refugees from ever acquiring British citizenship. @sonial77.bsky.social has published a short article on Free Movement: freemovement.org.uk/good-charact... And I've done a follow up on my Substack: open.substack.com/pub/wewanted...

open.substack.com

New change to Home Office policy permanently blocks refugees from citizenship

Change is bad in principle and breaches the Refugee Convention

19351277

Reposted by Sam Beckbessinger

Mushtaq Bilal, PhD @mushtaqbilalphd.bsky.social · 07/02/2025

Meta illegaly downloaded 80+ terabytes of books from LibGen, Anna's Archive, and Z-library to train their AI models. In 2010, Aaron Swartz downloaded only 70 GBs of articles from JSTOR (0.0875% of Meta). Faced $1 million in fine and 35 years in jail. Took his own life in 2013.

“Torrenting from a corporate laptop doesn’t feel right”: Meta emails unsealed

A photo of Aaron Swartz (1986-2013) when he was 19.

Last month, Meta admitted to torrenting a controversial large dataset known as LibGen, which includes tens of millions of pirated books. But details around the torrenting were murky until yesterday, when Meta's unredacted emails were made public for the first time. The new evidence showed that Meta torrented "at least 81.7 terabytes of data across multiple shadow libraries through the site Anna’s Archive, including at least 35.7 terabytes of data from Z-Library and LibGen," the authors' court filing said. And "Meta also previously torrented 80.6 terabytes of data from LibGen."

5174773987

Sam Beckbessinger @sambeckbessinger.bsky.social · 08/02/2025

Broke my self-imposed ban to check out the memes happening on South Africa TikTok right now about the "white genocide", and my god, I love my country 😂😂😂

150

Sam Beckbessinger @sambeckbessinger.bsky.social · 08/02/2025

Sorry one more! John Grant's Art of the Lie was my fave 2024 release. It's witty, wry electrofunk.

000

Sam Beckbessinger @sambeckbessinger.bsky.social · 08/02/2025

Oh and Nick Cave’s Push the Sky Away sounds magnificent on vinyl. So many choices! Which, of course, is the joy of a record player: getting to make choices about music again.

100

Sam Beckbessinger @sambeckbessinger.bsky.social · 08/02/2025

I’d also consider Puberty 2 (Mitski), When We Fall Asleep (Billie Eilish) Dance Fever (Florence & the Machines) Grey Area (Little Simz) Punisher (Phoebe Bridgers) Art Angles (Grimes) RTJ3 (Run the Jewels) To Pimp a Butterfly (Kendrik Lamar) Sometimes I Sit & Think… (Courtney Barnett)

100

Sam Beckbessinger @sambeckbessinger.bsky.social · 08/02/2025

Carrie & Lowell by Sufjan Stevens is the album he wrote when his mother was dying and it’s unbearably wise & moving. Fetch the Boltcutters by Fiona Apple is cathartic rage in musical form, a masterpiece. David Bowie’s Blackstar touches the sublime.

100

Sam Beckbessinger @sambeckbessinger.bsky.social · 08/02/2025

Try the single Sapokanikan on YouTube to see if you like it. I think you might also like i, i by Bon Iver (I’d call it experimental folktronica? Moving and clever and complex, sounds delicious on vinyl).

110

Sam Beckbessinger @sambeckbessinger.bsky.social · 08/02/2025

Me too! I got a record player in June and it’s entirely changed how I listen to music. I wrote about some of my fave LPs here (www.sambeckbessinger.com/crackles-and...) but top suggestions for you would be Joanna Newsom's Divers (cryptic, layered, literary lyrics + rococo arrangements)

sambeckbessinger.com

100

Sam Beckbessinger @sambeckbessinger.bsky.social · 08/02/2025

Such a helpful summary of the last two weeks of chaos from @ezrakleinbot.bsky.social: "Trump is acting like a king because he's too weak to govern like a president...The projection of strength obscures the reality of weakness. Don't believe him." www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8QL...

youtube.com

Don't Believe Him | The Ezra Klein Show

YouTube video by The Ezra Klein Show

010