iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

William Alexander @willalex.bsky.social · 23h

Ink lets us politely ignore death and continue our conversations, which is pretty great. @ursulakleguin.com @davidnaimon.bsky.social

The cover of the new edition of CONVERSATIONS ON WRITING by Ursula K. Le Guin & David Naimon, which shows a photograph of Ursula by Marian Wood Kolish. She is smiling like she knows something that you don’t, and maybe she’ll tell you.

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William Alexander @willalex.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

If you see this, recommend a short book. The City in Glass by Nghi Vo

The front cover of The City in Glass by Nghi Vo, pleasingly lit with a warm glow from an offstage lamp.

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William Alexander @willalex.bsky.social · 09/08/2026

EVERYBODY'S PERFECT is absolutely gorgeous. @bluejo.eurosky.social always finds our true faces behind fantastical masks.

The front cover of EVERYBODY'S PERFECT by Jo Walton, which features many a Venetian mask.

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William Alexander @willalex.bsky.social · 16/06/2026

Jane Yolen was a dear friend and mentor. We geeked out about folklore and masks on lapels. We shared play readings of Twelfth Night and Arcadia. Here she is grinning while holding my kid.

Jane Yolen, Aesop of our era, sits on the left with a big old grin. My kid sits on her lap wearing a fox hoodie and playing with Jane's reading glasses. This is a tremendous act of generosity on her part; Jane is entrusting her vision to a toddler. (The pic was taken in January of 2014 in South Minneapolis.)

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William Alexander @willalex.bsky.social · 21/05/2026

It's good to have imaginary friends. It's bad to force other people to talk to your imaginary friends. It's very bad to scorch the earth, boil the seas, and plunder every piece of art that anyone has ever made while force-feeding us the slop of your liquified imaginary friends.

A screenshot of Wilson, co-star of the movie Castaway. He is a volleyball.

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William Alexander @willalex.bsky.social · 04/05/2026

This book is a pretty great backstage tour:

A copy of the book WORKING ON A SONG: THE LYRICS OF HADESTOWN by Anaïs Michell sits on my desk with a bunch of bookmarks sticking out from favorite pages. The cover art shows a flower in bloom.

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William Alexander @willalex.bsky.social · 17/04/2026

I have summoned mice with swords to fight your weasels.

A single panel of the Mouse Guard comic by David Petersen in which snarling weasels are bravely held at bay by armed mice atop a quail-drawn wagon.

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William Alexander @willalex.bsky.social · 15/04/2026

Post a pic of yourself as a doctor

A 17th century plague doctor sports stylish robes, a wide-brimmed hat, and a crow-like mask (supposedly stuffed with sweet-smelling herbs to protect the good doc from vapors and miasma) in this 1656 engraving by Paul Fürst. The illustration is surrounded by writings in fine calligraphy. A plague-stricken city is visible in the background, along with another plague doctor who seems twice as tall as any of the afflicted townsfolk who seem to be running away from him.

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William Alexander @willalex.bsky.social · 08/04/2026

The flight home was a red eye. My eyes are still red. Worth it.

This nighttime picture was taken many thousands of feet from the ground, through the window of a jet plane, and some of the landscape below appears to be burning.

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William Alexander @willalex.bsky.social · 08/04/2026

After @norwescon.org I made a pilgrimage to the Museum of Popular Culture to see relics of replicants (and also borg and cylons and cybermen). Then I wrote a chapter of my next book in the upstairs lounge. Marvelous place. Visit if you can.

A museum display of props and costumes from BLADE RUNNER are dimly visible behind screenwriter Hampton Fanscher's copy of Philip K. Dick's DO ANDROIDS DREAM OF ELECTRIC SHEEP?

The shiny architecture of Seattle's Museum of Popular Culture as seen from the nearby monorail.

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William Alexander @willalex.bsky.social · 08/04/2026

Mi hermana @bethanyalex.bsky.social was my wonder twin for the whole convention. Together we are unstoppable. (She's not really my twin, because she refuses to be rushed and was therefore born two years after me.)

A selfie of myself and my sister. I am holding cafecito.

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William Alexander @willalex.bsky.social · 08/04/2026

OUTLAW PLANET, which won the big prize, tells a toweringly tall tale with folkloric magnificence (and is flanked in the photo by myself and @kojiadae.bsky.social). Congratulations to M. R. Carey!

Koji Dae and myself stand as honor guard to a poster of OUTLAW PLANET by M.R. Carey, the winner of this year's Philip K. Dick Award.

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William Alexander @willalex.bsky.social · 08/04/2026

Huge and happy congratulations to my fellow finalists! CASUAL by @kojiadae.bsky.social is an unsettlingly gorgeous story of bad choices and fox trickery, and UNCERTAIN SONS by @thomasha.bsky.social (which won a much-deserved Special Citation) elicits all of the most delicious flavors of terror.

Three of the seven finalists for this year's Philip K. Dick Award (myself on the left, Thomas Ha in the center, and Koji A. Dae on the right) stand in front of very large posters of our book covers. (There were seven finalists in total, but the three of us were the only ones able to attend.)

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William Alexander @willalex.bsky.social · 08/04/2026

Many thanks to @norwescon.org for its flawless hospitality, for its scintillating conversations, and for the Philip K. Dick Awards Ceremony.

This is a selfie of myself holding up the Norwescon 48 convention badge, which features an illustration by artist Guest of Honor Geneva Bowers.

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William Alexander @willalex.bsky.social · 08/04/2026

Many thanks to mi sobrino for crafting this adorable Crimson (one of the many nonhuman characters in Sunward)!

A handmade and palm-sized stuffed animal of a red parrot sits on top of my novel Sunward, which includes a parrot character named Crimson.

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William Alexander @willalex.bsky.social · 08/04/2026

Many thanks to Parallel Worlds for hosting last week's chat with @ryansara.bsky.social. No idea what I was saying in this picture, but Sara's expression is a flawless response.

Sara Ryan and myself are seated at a table decorated with a fantastical quilt that reads PARALLEL WORLDS (which is the name of the bookstore in Portland, Oregon). Floor-to-ceiling bookshelves serve as backdrop. I am gesturing emphatically. Sara glances at the audience in a knowing and long-suffering sort of way.

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William Alexander @willalex.bsky.social · 15/03/2026

The great @ryansara.bsky.social and myself will be talking to each other at Parallel Worlds in Portland on April 1st, and it will be splendid.

This poster for an Author Talk between Sara Ryan and myself shows our smiling faces superimposed over the cover of my novel SUNWARD, the date and time of the event (Wednesday, April 1st at 6:30pm pacific) and the address of the hosting bookstore (Parallel Worlds, 2639 NE Alberta Street, Portland, Oregon / www.parallelworldsbookshop.com).

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William Alexander @willalex.bsky.social · 26/01/2026

Vermonters! This Thursday I'll be teaching two playful workshops. (Note that play can help snap us out of panic and the ever-narrowing focus of survival mode.) Hosted by the Aldrich Public Library and sponsored by @vermonthumanities.bsky.social

Flyer text:

Aldrich Public Library and the Vermont Humanities Council Present a WRITING WORKSHOP with National Book Award Winner Will Alexander: Thursday, January 29, 2026 from 6 to 8pm.

Writers aged 15 and older: Hone your creative writing skills with games and challenges to encourage character creation and plot development.

Register now with Young Adult Librarian Juliet Stephens: teen.desk@aldrichpubliclibrary.org.

Flyer text:

Aldrich Public Library and the Vermont Humanities Council Present a YOUNG WRITERS WORKSHOP: Thursday, January 29, 2026 from 4 to 5:30pm.

PLAYFUL CHARACTER CREATION FOR YOUNG WRITERS: Use games to create new characters and tell their stories with award-winning author William Alexander.

Recommended for kids in grades 5-8. Registration strongly encouraged!

Please email Children's Librarian Ian Gauthier at children's.librarian@aldrichpubliclibrary.org.

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William Alexander @willalex.bsky.social · 22/01/2026

As usual, @naomikritzer.bsky.social is here to offer practical suggestions in the face of overwhelming horrors: naomikritzer.com/2026/01/21/h...

A screenshot of Emma Thompson's adaptation of Sense & Sensibility. She stands next to Alan Rickman while he gently insists that she put him to work. "Give me an occupation, Miss Dashwood, or I shall run mad."

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William Alexander @willalex.bsky.social · 09/12/2025

Tonight you’ll be visited by three spirits.

Steven Universe grins and makes eye contact through the fourth wall, his face lit from below like he’s holding a flashlight and telling a ghost story. The three Crystal Gems stand behind him: Amethyst, Pearl, and Garnet.

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William Alexander @willalex.bsky.social · 28/11/2025

Behold! A list of science-fictional and award-eligible things that I wrote and edited in 2025: SUNWARD @sagapressbooks.bsky.social STARSTUFF @mitpress.bsky.social & @candlewickpress.bsky.social CHANGELING @morningtransport.bsky.social

This image is somewhat redundant in that it lists the same three titles as the text above—the novel SUNWARD, the anthology STARSTUFF, and the short story CHANGELING—but it does so dramatically, superimposed over a picture of the sun.

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William Alexander @willalex.bsky.social · 14/11/2025

Post a bird to support @sbworkersunited.org and ask folks to shun Starbucks for the duration of the strike.

The mythical roc illustrated by Edward Julius Detmold. It carries an elephant in each of its massive talons.

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William Alexander @willalex.bsky.social · 13/11/2025

Vermonters! Science fictional things are happening TONIGHT at @phoenixbooks.biz. Emily Hamilton, @keklamagoon.bsky.social, @mt-anderson.bsky.social, and I myself will all be there.

This event flyer shows the names and faces of authors Emily Hamilton, M.T. Anderson, Kekla Magoon, and moi. The text at the top says "SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY PANEL" in big black letters. The date and time of the event in question is Thursday, November 13 from 7-8:30pm—which is TONIGHT—and the place is Phoenix Books in Burlington, VT.

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William Alexander @willalex.bsky.social · 11/11/2025

Home from the Twin Cities Book Festival! The bookfest was a fantastic kind of homecoming, since I used to work backstage when I lived in Minneapolis. Also, kidlit people are the best.

Shannon Hale, Eoin Colfer, George O'Conner, Eleonore Fischer, and myself take a silly selfie at an otherwise serious and literary reception for the Twin Cities Book Festival.

Shannon Hale and Trung Le Nguyen grin after their bookfest panel. They are holding their respective graphic novels, DREAM ON and ANGELICA AND THE BEAR PRINCE. George O'Connel is photobombing and holding this new book about LOKI. (He also guest-starred on the panel by live-illustrating Shannon.) I take up most of the foreground by kneeling on the floor, and I'm not holding my new book because I'm bad at marketing.

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William Alexander @willalex.bsky.social · 11/11/2025

Convincing you to read my novel with the first sentence. Share yours if you want. (Here's the opening of SUNWARD.)

This is a screenshot clipped to show only the very first line of the novel SUNWARD, which reads as follows: "Agatha Panza von Sparkles settled into Needle's pilot seat for the very first time."

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William Alexander @willalex.bsky.social · 16/10/2025

People of Vermont! The Green Mountain Book Festival is happening this Saturday in Burlington. Come for the No Kings Rally, stay for the books. (Sponsored and hosted by @phoenixbooks.biz and the Fletcher Free Library.) www.greenmountainbookfestival.org

This poster for the Green Mountain Book Festival shows a bunch of beautiful book covers by Craig Alanson, M.T. Anderson, Emily Hamilton, Margo Harrison, Andrew Liptak, Mike Luoma, Brian Staveley, and myself.

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William Alexander @willalex.bsky.social · 16/10/2025

People of NYC! One week from TONIGHT I will be chatting with @csecooney.bsky.social and Carlos Hernandez at @kewandwillow.bsky.social:

The text at the top of this poster announces that I will be IN CONVERSATION with fellow authors C.S.E Cooney and Carlos Hernandez at Kew & Willow Books (8163 Lefferts Blvd, Kew Gardens NY 11415) on Thursday, October 23rd at 7pm. The rest of the poster shows the front cover of SUNWARD (by artist Owen Gent) and also my face.

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William Alexander @willalex.bsky.social · 16/09/2025

Ahem. 🎶Haaaaaaaappy BOOOOOOOOOK DAAAAAAAAAAY tooooooooooooo meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee…🎶 📖🎂🚀

The front cover of SUNWARD, gorgeously illustrated by Owen Gent, shows the title of the book hovering between the sun and the moon. (Something bad seems to have happened on the moon.)

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William Alexander @willalex.bsky.social · 09/09/2025

🎶One week more. Another seven days remain my friends, until the lengthy wait for SUNWARD ends. What secrets do these pages hold? What lunacy will soon unfold? One week more...🎶

A stack of several copies of SUNWARD stand in a stylish way. The cover sports a gorgeous illustration of the sun and the moon by Owen Gent.

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William Alexander @willalex.bsky.social · 23/08/2025

NEGOCIOS INFERNALES by @csecooney.bsky.social and Carlos Hernandez has arrived and it is GORGEOUS.

The box for the TTRPG game NEGOCIOS INFERNALES by C.S.E. Cooney and Carlos Hernandez sits rakishly atop the unfurled play-mat, daring players to disrupt the Spanish Inquisition.

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William Alexander @willalex.bsky.social · 20/08/2025

*dons the resplendent and many-feathered hat of self-promotion once again* ⭐ SUNWARD has a second starred review! ⭐ The full review will be in Booklist's September issue, but meanwhile I am permitted to share that they found it delightful. @sagapressbooks.bsky.social @ala-booklist.bsky.social

This poster shows the front cover of SUNWARD (which features a fantastic illustration by Owen Gent) hovering next to the words "STARRED REVIEW" and the brief quote "A delight" from the Booklist review.

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William Alexander @willalex.bsky.social · 16/08/2025

Today I must shout joyfully into the void, because SUNWARD will be on bookshelves one month from right now!

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William Alexander @willalex.bsky.social · 28/07/2025

"...It was never intended to be enough to simply call something genocide: one is required to act." 2/4 - Omar El Akkad, from ONE DAY, EVERYONE WILL HAVE ALWAYS BEEN AGAINST THIS

This is the front cover of the book ONE DAY, EVERYONE WILL HAVE ALWAYS BEEN AGAINST THIS by Omar El Akkad, because we need to see it again. The text is still black against a background of solid red. The only image is still a charcoal sketch of a small girl standing beneath a descending missile. She has flowers in her hand. The petals are falling. The bomb is falling. You are reading this book, and you are falling in love with language while falling out of love with every broken promise ever made in the shadow of the word genocide.

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William Alexander @willalex.bsky.social · 28/07/2025

"The very history of the word “genocide” meant as a mechanic of forewarning rather than some after-the-fact resolution, is littered with instances of the world’s most powerful governments going to whatever lengths they can to avoid its usage, because usage is attached to obligation..." 1/4

This is the front cover of the book ONE DAY, EVERYONE WILL HAVE ALWAYS BEEN AGAINST THIS by Omar El Akkad. The text is black against a background of solid red. The only image is a charcoal sketch of a small girl standing beneath a descending missile. She has flowers in her hand. The petals are falling. The bomb is falling. To read this book is to fall in love with language while falling out of love with every broken promise ever made under the shadow of the word genocide.

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William Alexander @willalex.bsky.social · 08/07/2025

Ordering a book that hasn't been published yet is a magnificent leap of faith! The present is on fire and the future is uncertain, but these books will be MINE... ...and SUNWARD could be yours, because @barnesandnoble.com is having a preorder sale:

The gorgeous front cover of SUNWARD, which was illustrated by Owen Gent and shows Luna & Sol in much closer proximity to each other than will actual happen for several billion years, takes center stage on a poster advertising a preorder sale at Barnes & Noble (July 8-11).

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William Alexander @willalex.bsky.social · 11/06/2025

Versions of SUNWARD made out of electrons are escaping and one of them could be yours! (Link below...) @sagapressbooks.bsky.social

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William Alexander @willalex.bsky.social · 26/05/2025

I will add that it also features a talking fox who is probably wearing this expression at all times.

A photograph of a fox. He's looking up at you and grinning. His tongue is out, licking his chops as though he just ate your favorite chicken, and he probably did, and you can't even be mad about it.

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William Alexander @willalex.bsky.social · 20/05/2025

Imagine a better future. Lots of them. Happy bookday to STARSTUFF: TEN SCIENCE FICTION STORIES TO CELEBRATE NEW POSSIBILITIES (edited by @waderoush.com and myself). #Kidlit #Starstuff @mitpress.bsky.social @candlewickpress.bsky.social

The front cover of STARSTUFF shows a gorgeous science fictional cityscape in shades of orange and green. It hovers above this quote from the Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books: "This diverse set of intentionally hopeful science fiction stories collectively represents ways that optimism, genius, and activism can change the trajectory of a possible future for a better world. There is significant variety here in formatting, tone, and pace in the ten offerings, resulting in an overall buoyant read."

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William Alexander @willalex.bsky.social · 20/05/2025

The tenth story in STARSTUFF is "The Traveler" by Wade Roush, and it starts like this:

These lines hover above the front cover of STARSTUFF: TEN SCIENCE FICTION STORIES TO CELEBRATE NEW POSSIBILITIES: "November 19-20, 2028. Shackleton Station. Mr. Gupta gave Lucy and her classmates the news on the Monday before Thanksgiving. The day of the week named, in so many Earth languages, for the Moon."

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William Alexander @willalex.bsky.social · 19/05/2025

The ninth story in STARSTUFF is "Red, Right, Returning" by @franwilde.bsky.social, and it begins with a lovely hat tip to @uncannymagazine.bsky.social:

The first two sentences of Fran's contribution to the anthology hover above the front cover of STARSTUFF: TEN SCIENCE FICTION STORIES TO CELEBRATE NEW POSSIBILITIES, and they read as follows:

"Olli Vere sat outside Talulah Station's fifth-grade classroom, kicking her space unicorn graviton sneakers against the console of her piloting training pod and biting her lip. She was in so much trouble."

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