Aran Ward Sell

Oh, this is very affirming to see: my monograph has a webpage! press.syr.edu/supressbooks... $110 apparently. You should probably all go and preorder it.

📚CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS📚John McGahern Book Prize 📚 We are seeking submissions to the John McGahern Book Prize for best debut work of fiction by an Irish writer published in 2026. DEADLINE: Friday 11 December 2026 More information and submission form at: www.liverpool.ac.uk/irish-studie...

University of Nottingham, right now, is cutting 560 jobs. Do we need to rebrand universities as very large, very clean, land-based oil rigs to get government support?

The Recollections by Christopher Priest  reviewed by Aran Ward Sell Link ⬇️ strangehorizons.com/wordpress/no...

delighted delighted DELIGHTED to be back reviewing in @strangehorizons.bsky.social with this reading of Christopher Priest's nonfiction.

delighted delighted DELIGHTED to be back reviewing in @strangehorizons.bsky.social with this reading of Christopher Priest's nonfiction.

Some more fun with nonfiction is happening over at @strangehorizons.bsky.social today - @aranws.bsky.social is tackling The Recollections, a collection of the late Christopher Priest's criticism from @briardenebooks.bsky.social. It's a super piece which figures Priest almost as a poet of polemic.

#WritingCommunity! Submissions invited to NEW WRITING SCOTLAND 45! We want poetry & prose in English, #Gaelic, & #Scots from writers who are Scottish by residence, birth, or inclination. All successful contributors are paid – deadline 13 Dec! Submit free via Submittable👇 nws.submittable.com/submit

It appears that Edinburgh is about to lose another essential locus of creativity and community. It’s hard to understate the impact Summerhall has had on the city since it emerged 15 years ago. www.summerhallconsultation.co.uk/proposals.ph...

You have to realise that it's unreasonable and implausible to achieve Net Zero, we should instead consider practical ideas, like dimming the sun?

Same (but three-time alumnus and several-times past employee). So sad for former colleagues and today's students that an institution we're all desperate to be proud of is behaving so abysmally.

Genuinely cannot believe this tone from a VC who has just announced that hundreds of jobs are going to be lost

Ghastly. Shame.

Tales from the Interregnum: @aranws.bsky.social reviews MONSTER CAPITAL: TALES OF MODERN UNEASE, edited by Ra Page & David Sue (@commapress.bsky.social)

A joy to make my Ancillary Review debut reviewing this spooky, Fishery little number!

Moved to the USA in January '24. Leaving the USA this week. Hell of a ride. reasonstoremain.co.uk/2026/06/16/t...

Fantastic news! With a week left to go, we've hit our first stretch goal for ARB's fundraiser! Thank you to everyone who's chipped in and/or helped spread the word; let's see how far we can get in our final week! Rewards and more still available:

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINALISTS ❤️

I just don’t know how you in this instance get your pass intercepted

Polling really is just name recognition eh. Justice for Allosaurus. I think -- and would be genuinely fascinated to know -- that Diplodocus would score significantly higher in the UK, due to the former star exhibit of the London Natural History Museum.

We must act before the sharks become venture capitalists. www.wdef.com/cocaine-caff...

The phrase "stick a fork in me, I'm done" expresses the ethos of sceptical inquiry: the listener is not invited to believe the speaker's central assertion, but to immediately test it for themselves.

Exciting ScotLit opportunity for someone!

MAX DOWMAN. 16 YEARS OLD. ETCH THAT INTO EMIRATES HISTORY, ARSENAL HISTORY, PREMIER LEAGUE HISTORY!

At 16 years and 73 days, Max Dowman has become the youngest scorer in Premier League history. (Opta)

MAX DOWMAN

Our crowdfunder to raise more money for small presses in the UK is also live now!

Belatedly and delightedly caught up on this exceptional discussion of style in science fiction from @strangehorizons.bsky.social / @danhartland.bsky.social . Great stuff. (props for including a transcript; I didn't have to stop walking every five minutes to take note of my new favourite bon mot.)

The team @stingingfly.bsky.social are looking for an experienced and highly organised individual to be their General Manager. This is a new hybrid and part-time role (28 hours per week). Deadline 31 March stingingfly.org/news/general...

Bennett here says that Waiting for Godot "would carry more credence if one of the characters cut short the runic wisdom and made a bolt for the bushes." Not the best choice of target; this does, explicitly, happen in Waiting for Godot.

Everything Mervyn touched became weird.

Some good news for once!

The mad thing here is I used to watch Daryl Murphy play up front for Waterford United in the early 2000s. Man of many talents I guess.

Outer Wilds, if you haven't played it yet, is one of the best games of all time. It's a fun space exploration game with a timeloop twist, and 90% of all game progress happens in your head, as you learn things about the universe and your situation. Absolutely play it if you haven't yet.