William "Inhal A." Shunn

Either this was an easy Saturday or I am on fire. This was a personal Saturday best. #nytxword

My girlfriend organized a team for the Organize NYC Scavenger Hunt yesterday. We were out all day getting drenched in the pouring rain. The top 100 teams (of about 4,000) got invited to a shindig with the mayor at the end of the day. Four teams tied for 99th place. We were next, at 103rd. 🤦‍♂️

In creating word puzzles, I love stumbling across weird phenomena like the fact that “airworthy” and “Rita Hayworth” share the same eight constituent letters. (Yes, this is technically a @tylogr.am spoiler, but that puzzle isn’t scheduled until 2033 so hopefully you’ll have forgotten this by then.)

Alchemical is now open for submissions! We seek short fiction (1,000 to 5,000 words of speculative-literary fiction), as well as essays (on the craft of writing or the magic of writing), one-shot graphic narratives, and cover art. No submission fees. www.alchemicaljournal.com/submissions

An unpublished horror story I wrote in February 2002, trying to capture the awfulness of 9/11 and its aftermath. Every trigger warnings applies. shunn.substack.com/p/the-two-to...

From The StuphFile Program, a 30-second YouTube clip from a longer interview with Bill Shunn @shunn.net an author and puzzle maker. He is the creator of the bi-weekly game, Tylogram, plus, he’s the creator of The Spelling Bee Solver

Hey, look, it's really happening! My story collection SCOURING THE DEEP SKIES is coming out from Fairwood Press next year! fairwoodpress.com/forthcoming....

Thinking back on the freelance jobs I’ve worked, I’m pretty sure I was fired from one for insisting they actually pay me on time according to the contract we had signed.

More of the silly, dangerous games young missionaries play in lieu of just making out. shunn.substack.com/p/the-fast-a...

Oh, I kill myself sometimes.

On a memorable night in 1987, two cocky young missionaries snatch defeat from the overstuffed jaws of victory. A favorite outtake from my memoir. dogb.us/gluttons

I’m not sure what gave us the right, but we cut a hole in the roof of the world and clambered through it into a realm of birds and ballads and lost frisbees. A poem for the summer of ’81. dogb.us/tower

On forty years of Rush concerts, and some of the odd memories that brings back. shunn.substack.com/p/our-memori...

Among the absurdities of modern life: Carefully placing a seat protector in an airport restroom only to have the automatic flush mechanism whisk it away before you can be seated.

A new post about manuscript formatting and submission. dogb.us/withholding

This morning in Biddeford, Maine, a 26-year-old man said goodbye to his wife and daughter and left for work. Moments later he was dead, shot in the head by ICE agents, the second man ICE has killed in six days. ICE is killing our neighbors. ICE cannot be reformed. Abolish ICE.

I’m happy to be able to share this story about my friend David Mills, the hardest-working poet I know. His extraordinary books BONEYARN and UNHIRED HANDS give voices to enslaved people who died and were buried in Manhattan, the Bronx, and points north. andscape.com/features/dav...

When XTC contemplate an interstellar tour, are they making plans for Rigel?

When XTC contemplate a heavy meal, are they making plans for Di-Gel?

I’ll take it.

Yes, I apostatized on my own -- not for lack of trying to provoke a bishop's court to convene! There's plenty of uncomfortable interaction with higher-ups in my book, but the only court is civil.

I just read Dostoevsky’s Notes from Underground for the first time, and wow, do I feel seen in the most discomfiting way.

Wordle 1,835 5/6* ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟩 ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟩 ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟩 ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Yeesh

I remember it well!

New on Substack! In which, ten years ago, I throw a @michaelianblack.bsky.social watch party, while concealing the party’s true purpose from my guests. dogb.us/private

New on Substack! In 2015 I was faced with the sudden opportunity to fulfill a long-standing narcissistic fantasy. Would I triumph or would I utterly choke? dogb.us/public

Check out the latest fab newsletter from @scarequotes.com, which delves into memorable moviegoing experiences. buttondown.com/scarequotes/...

If you’re near Brooklyn this Saturday, come out to Bay Ridge for a fun event! I’ll be reading from an unpublished short story, and you’ll be reading from your favorite book. shunn.substack.com/p/saturday-a...

Excellent thoughts on movies and meditation. buttondown.com/scarequotes/...

Today’s the day! For the first time in 38 years, hear “The Wenatchee Rap” the way it was always meant to be heard. Restored audio and thoroughly annotated lyrics. It’s funny, it’s sincere, it's cryptic, it’s cringe. dogb.us/eighteen

As leaders of an LDS mission zone in 1988, my companion and I decided we wanted to do something different with our group than just play another long day of basketball. What we made instead would soon be heard on contraband cassette players all over the mission. dogb.us/thatswhy

I didn’t even realize it, but a week ago I set a personal record for a Thursday crossword. @nytimes.com @nytgames.bsky.social

New at Substack: What happens when an irresistible absolutism meets an immovable belief? One or the other is going to bend. dogb.us/father

How many movies have you seen in your lifetime? How many would you like to? My friend @scarequotes.com has some answers.

Glad to see I'm not the only freak who thought this was a good idea!

New on Substack: In another unexpurgated chapter from the earliest complete draft of my memoir, I revisit my last Sunday before entering boot camp for Mormon missionaries. dogb.us/alien

Apparently this was a super hard one today? Connections Puzzle #1001 🟪🟪🟪🟪 🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟨🟨🟨🟨 🟦🟦🟦🟦

New on Substack: Some thoughts about a decade-old novel that really amount to thoughts about a week-old war. dogb.us/clocks

My father, who passed away in 2008, would have turned ninety today. I inherited his Hummel figurine of St. George fighting the dragon, and I wrote this poem about it. dogb.us/dragon

In observance of Friday the 13th, I posted an old short story of mine on Substack. shunn.substack.com/p/a-strong-p...

When I lived in Denver, I met a group of federal employees who embodied what it means to labor for a better nation. The Trump administration has tried to erase them and their work. dogb.us/mint

Absolute banger of a comment on r/military: www.reddit.com/r/Military/c...