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Sirens @sirensconference.org · 29/09/2026

Announcing our first #Sirens27 faculty member: Olivie Blake! (@olivieblake.bsky.social) You may know Olivie's fiction already -- full of genius and glass shards and gorgeous humanity -- but have you read her essays? Seen her videos? Learned from her justice work? Let us get you started!

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Sirens @sirensconference.org · 28/09/2026

October is looming, everyone, and that means coziness and pumpkin everything and all the witches your heart can hold -- and a new #Sirens27 book society assignment. Have you finished your September book? Just another couple days...

A graphic with the words: Sirens Book Club: September Read any work of speculative fiction -- novel, collection, graphic -- created primarily by Latine nonbinary, trans, or female creators Here are some recommendations to get you started: And the covers of the following books: BUT NOT TOO BOLD, IT CAME FROM NEVERLAND, NEON STEEL, THE SLEEPING SISTERS, THIS IS THE YEAR, and WE COULD BE ANYONE

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Sirens @sirensconference.org · 22/09/2026

Who's ready? Stay tuned...

A summer-themed graphic with the words: "Sirens: The Summer Vacation Edit. Coming Soon: Faculty Announcement. Read. Learn. Hope. Change the World. New Haven, CT. July 28-August 1, 2027. sirensconference.org"

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JRho @jrho.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

The most absolutely massive flex from the state fair exhibit. This quilt is made of 40 years of prize ribbons from various categories at the New Mexico State Fair won by Carol St. Clair Johnson. She also won a prize for this quilt.

Massive quilt made of prize ribbons in blue, red, yellow, and white

Center square of quilt made of yellow and red ribbons and yellow rosettes

Block of quilt made of blue, yellow, red, and white ribbons. Ribbons state the year. Some have the prize winning object written on in marker

Carol St. Clair Johnson
born 1954; resides Albuquerque, NM

O Fair New Mexico-41 Fair Years
2023
satin ribbons

After unexpectedly winning her first blue ribbon for a sewn cape in 1981, Carol St. Clair Johnson developed an enduring love for the New Mexico State Fair. The quilt Fair New Mexico-41 Fair Years incorporates more than six hundred of the ribbons she won at the fair every subsequent year except 2020 (when the fair was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic). Johnson earned ribbons for needlework, knitting, crochet, pies, cookies, cakes, canning, jewelry, flowers, vegetables, and potted plants. The title of the quilt is a reference to the state song, and the design places the state's Zia sun symbol at the center. The quilt earned Johnson yet another ribbon: Best in Category (miscellaneous quilt) at the 2023 New Mexico State Fair.

Courtesy of Carol St. Clair Johnson

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Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg @theradr.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

In FACT someone taking the time to tell you that what you did impacted them or their people is a GIFT because they could have just written you off the invitation to make things right is an invitation into RELATIONSHIP and you can take it as such EVEN IF the invite comes w/hurt / pain / anger. Yep.

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Sirens @sirensconference.org · 07/09/2026

Hey, friends, it's September -- and the second month of the #Sirens27 book club and literary society! This month, in honor of #LatineHeritageMonth, which starts soon: any speculative book you want, as long as it's by a Latine nonbinary, trans, or female creator. Happy reading!

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Sirens @sirensconference.org · 31/08/2026

Good morning! Today is the last day to register for #Sirens27 at the early bird price. If you'd like to spend some time next summer talking about speculative books and community, trying some crafts, building better worlds, and hanging with friends both new and old, we're your people! Join us!

A graphic of summer popsicles and the words:

Sirens
The Summer Vacation Edit

Register Now
5 days of community discussions
5 receptions or sit-down meals
7 keynote events
Dozens of hours of programming
Daily craft activities
Night Market event
Pop-up bookstore with all the best recs
Lots of friends, new and old

Now: $299
Starting September 1: $399

New Haven, CT - July 28-August 1, 2027 - sirensconference.org

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Sirens @sirensconference.org · 26/08/2026

Friends, summer is almost over and so is our early-bird pricing for #Sirens27. If you already know you're in for our first ever summer edition in July 2027 -- and we really hope you are! -- make sure to register by August 31 to get our cheapest rate!

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Sirens @sirensconference.org · 24/08/2026

August is coming to an end and so is month one of the #Sirens27 book club! You have a week left to tackle any book by one or more North American Indigenous authors who are trans, Two-Spirit, nonbinary, or female, on any topic related to community, reciprocity, or climate change. Here are some recs:

A graphic with the words: "Sirens Book Club: August. Read any book by one or more North American Indigenous authors who are trans, Two-Spirit, nonbinary, or female, on any topic related to community, reciprocity, or climate change. Here are some recommendations to get you started:" and the covers of Bad Indians Book Club, A Feather and a Fork, Fresh Banana Leaves, it was never going to be okay, The Serviceberry, and Theory of Water

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Doctora Malka Older @older.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

I was a little surprised by how much this bothered me, tbh. Not because I thought it was intentional or even human carelessness- it's a reminder that these algorithms work against difference, they work against outliers, they work against marginalia (literal & figurative). And that's what I write for

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Sirens @sirensconference.org · 05/08/2026

Admit it, y'all, some of you are going to be very into "some light tapeworms"

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Molly Mendoza @mollymendoza.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

“Loves Me Not” 16x10” acrylic, crayon, gouache, pencil, posca on watercolor ground 🥀 For Nucleus Portland’s 10 Year Anniversary show! Opening Aug 7 ❤️ 5-7:30 PM

A painting of a person in a garden pulling a petal from a flower. The flower is bleeding and reveals a face at its center.

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Prof. Nicole Holliday @mixedlinguist.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

This is the part that breaks my heart. "Generative AI has broken the sacred contract between professors & students: that the professors are there to teach and the students are there to learn. The understanding has been broken...That’s a very deep part of the grief” www.chronicle.com/article/thes...

chronicle.com

These Professors Are Retiring Early. AI Was the Last Straw.

What is the point of teaching, they ask, if students are just pretending to learn?

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Sirens @sirensconference.org · 05/08/2026

Friends, some of us struggle with this, but we can do it. We can put down the phone. We can try new things. We can be not great at something and somehow still enjoy the doing. We believe in you 🥰

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Sirens @sirensconference.org · 05/08/2026

Heyyyyyyy, friends, we've got a new incarnation of the Sirens book club for #Sirens27: Each month, we'll give you a reading assignment related to our mission and recs to get you started, then you pick a book...and read it. Let's gooooooo!

A graphic in shades of orange that says: "Sirens Book Club: August. Read any book by one or more North American Indigenous authors who are trans, Two-Spirit, nonbinary, or female, on any topic related to community, reciprocity, or climate change." The graphic also has the covers of the following books: Bad Indians Book Club, A Feather and a Fork, Fresh Banana Leaves, it was never going to be okay, The Serviceberry, and Theory of Water.

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Sirens @sirensconference.org · 03/08/2026

It’s hot! We ought! To read a book out on the beach! It’s summer! Hey, hey, it’s summer! And in summer 2027, Sirens is back, friends. Bring your rage, find your joy, and let's build a revolution.

A summer-colored popsicle graphic with the words: "Read. Learn. Hope. Change the World. Sirens: The Summer Vacation Edit. New Haven, CT -|- July 28-August 1, 2027 -|- sirensconference.org"

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Sirens @sirensconference.org · 20/03/2026

@dianapho.bsky.social on developing a critical reading mindset: "Learn to read both within and outside yourself. Even as I'm sitting in discomfort, what does the text say? If I'm feeling great joy, why am I joyous? If I'm confused, what don't I fully understand? #Sirens26

A photo of Diana M. Pho presenting at #Sirens26

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Sirens @sirensconference.org · 20/03/2026

Give into moments of wonder and awe. -- @dianapho.bsky.social giving advice on becoming a great editor, but it sure seems like pretty good life advice for us all! #Sirens26

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Sirens @sirensconference.org · 20/03/2026

Morning Joy! Tell us, when is the last time you made a friendship bracelet? Or picked up any hobby -- new or old -- just for the potential joy of it? #Sirens26

A photo of people making friendship bracelets

A photo of a friendship bracelet tied on someone's wrist

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Sirens @sirensconference.org · 20/03/2026

Dr. @micaiahjohnson.bsky.social on the history of creating Black female automatons: "They weren't. The Black male body is tied to labor. The white female body is tied to consumable femininity. Black women fall short of that feminine ideal and their labor is invisible. #Sirens26

A photo of Dr. Micaiah Johnson presenting at #Sirens26

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Sirens @sirensconference.org · 20/03/2026

[Society has] a psychic need for this inhuman other, and it will be filled at all costs. -- Dr. @micaiahjohnson.bsky.social on race and robots at #Sirens26

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Sirens @sirensconference.org · 19/03/2026

@laylaazmigoushey.bsky.social defines "slipstream" as "the bending of reality, surrealism, high strangeness, the reinterpreting, utopia, dystopia -- things that make us think about what we know, but think about it differently." #Sirens26

A photo of Dr. Layla Azmi Goushey presenting at #Sirens26

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Sirens @sirensconference.org · 19/03/2026

Globally, there are different speculative fictions happening for different reasons. They are less about fantasy, more about cultural ideation [and where it's going in the future]. -- @laylaazmigoushey.bsky.social at #Sirens26

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Sirens @sirensconference.org · 19/03/2026

Morning Joy! At Sirens! We tried our hands at journal making for neither productivity nor profit with @bethanypowell.bsky.social!

A photo of craft supplies for journal making

A photo of someone's hands cutting paper for journal making

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Micaiah Johnson @micaiahjohnson.bsky.social · 16/03/2026

Can’t WAIT for @sirensconference.org this week! Getting to talk about mechanical beings and race AND GETTING TO HAVE A CONVO ABOUT JUSTICE IN PUBLISHING?? IS IT MY BIRTHDAY??

Image with text over Red background, text reads: MICAIAH JOHNSON @
SiRENS
THURSDAY, MARCH 19TH 8PM
BALLROOM C
RACE AND ROBOTS: A NOT-SO-BRIEF HISTORY
WITH A NOT-SO- HAPPY ENDING
FRIDAY, MARCH 20TH 3 PM
BALLROOM C
PUBLISHING AND RACIAL JUSTICE (A CONVERSATION WITH FAYE BI)

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Diana M. Pho (she/her) 📚 🔊 @dianapho.bsky.social · 18/03/2026

Hadn't made one of these "yay, I'm here" posts in awhile: hey 👋 I'm at @sirensconference.org this week! Anyone else stopping through?

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Sirens @sirensconference.org · 19/03/2026

In order to change the world, one must first change one's dreams. -- Jewelle Gomez at #Sirens26

A photo of Jewelle Gomez speaking at #Sirens26

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Sirens @sirensconference.org · 18/03/2026

As we reimagined what Sirens could be, we dreamed a place of respite and community, of learning and growth, of transformative magic. --Amy Tenbrink, Conference Chair, kicking off #Sirens26

A photo of the #Sirens26 bookstore, strung in lights

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Sirens @sirensconference.org · 12/03/2026

Maybe you've thought about joining us next week for #Sirens26, our reader conference for #sciencefiction, #fantasy, and #horror. It's not too late to join us! A few full registrations are still available at sirensconference.org/attend, and we have some single day registrations available now as well

A graphic with the text: "Single Day Registrations: Speculative fiction gives us blueprints for worlds full of hope, joy, justice, and revolution. Want to talk about these worlds we love and how to make our world more like them? Check out our single day registration options!"

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Sirens @sirensconference.org · 15/02/2026

Hey, awesome humans! Pretty please think about coming to #Sirens26, our reader conference at the intersection of the better worlds that trans, nonbinary, and female spec fic authors have dreamed, and the work of activists, educators, and community builders to make those worlds possible today.

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Sirens @sirensconference.org · 05/02/2026

We need our communities now more than ever. So we hope you're thinking about coming to #Sirens26! Online registration ends February 20. Please take care of that so you can learn from our amazing faculty, discuss the books you love, and hang with our community of readers, dreamers, and world-makers!

A graphic with the words: Progressive speculative fiction – science fiction, fantasy, horror, and more – gives us the blueprints for futures full of hope, joy, justice, and revolution for all. Activists, scholars, librarians, and community-builders are providing the education, the tools, and the leadership that we need to make those futures possible. Join us for Sirens, a reader conference that believes in both those better futures and our ability to build those futures today. Check out our faculty

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Sirens @sirensconference.org · 03/02/2026

I read Pinsker's SOONER OR LATER EVERYTHING FALLS INTO THE SEA mid-pandemic and it wrecked me so much that part of me is still beautifully broken, which is obvs a full-throated recommendation for her entire body of work -Amy

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Kat Abughazaleh @katmabu.bsky.social · 03/02/2026

As many of you know, I adore sci-fi for so many reasons, but especially because it depicts a world beyond the one we have now. I talked to @jamesfolta.com at Lit Hub about it late last year but I’m always looking for new recs: lithub.com/congressiona...

lithub.com

Congressional Candidate Kat Abughazaleh on Parable of the Sower, and Her Love of Sci-Fi

I’ve been following Kat Abughazaleh’s career for years, starting with her work as a researcher and journalist for Media Matters. Her insights on politics and the American right, and her ability to …

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Erin Reed @erininthemorning.com · 03/02/2026

Hey everyone! Huge news! Our trans girl scout list has sold a total of 146,000 boxes as of today! But MANY trans girl scouts only have 20, 30, 40 boxes sold. I just resorted our list to put those on the top. Go get your girl scout cookies and make a trans kid's day!

erininthemorning.com

2026 Trans Girl Scouts To Order Cookies From!

This year, consider ordering your Girl Scout cookies from a trans girl scout to make their day!

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Emma Southon @emmasouthon.bsky.social · 03/02/2026

I have this great Spanish history book about female prisoners of the Franco regime who managed to communicate with each other and anti fascist cells by encoding messages in knitting patterns they shared. The male guards never checked them because it was "just" women's knitting patterns

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Sirens @sirensconference.org · 02/02/2026

It's #BlackHistoryMonth! Black trans, nonbinary, and female authors are doing spectacular, groundbreaking work in progressive #sciencefiction, #fantasy, and #horror, creating worlds that are more joyful, more hopeful, and more just. We're showcasing 28 of these works this month so prepare your TBRs!

media.tenor.com

a poster that says black history month with a silhouette of a woman 's head

ALT: a poster that says black history month with a silhouette of a woman 's head

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s. e. smith @sesmith.lol · 31/01/2026

The reflection of the colors of the sunset in the wet sand is more interesting than the sunset itself, I think. Big sherbet vibes.

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s. e. smith @sesmith.lol · 30/01/2026

If you've been thinking about attending @sirensconference.org for great convos about speculative fiction and gender in New Haven in March with a friend, @horbinski.bsky.social and I are selling our memberships at the early bird rate. Drop me a line: sesmith at realsesmith dot com for info.

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Sirens @sirensconference.org · 30/01/2026

During this nationwide general strike, we stand in solidarity with our neighbors, our communities, and our fellow readers. Today, no work, no school, no shopping, only caretaking, demands for justice, and the making of better futures. Love to all of you, no matter your form of action today!

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Sirens @sirensconference.org · 26/01/2026

And a second early-price registration is also available for #Sirens26! We'll miss you, Andrea!

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Sirens @sirensconference.org · 26/01/2026

Who needs a registration for #Sirens26 at the early price? We're going to miss s.e. terribly, but we'd love for one of you to join us!

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Sirens @sirensconference.org · 25/01/2026

How many books do you need to get snowed in? To nurture a community? To build a revolution? A. Lot. Yesterday, we went out to the Connecticut indie bookstore community, made some friends, dropped some #Sirens26 bookmarks, and bought some books for all of the above 🩷

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Sirens @sirensconference.org · 28/12/2025

Hey, folks! Anyone looking to come to #Sirens26 and needs a ticket?

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David Forbes @davidforbes.bsky.social · 03/12/2025

An experienced organizer I really respect once reminded folks "you can't always win, but you can always, always inflict a cost. Those add up."

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