Michael Staniforth

The least shocking thing ever is learning DOGE used chatGPT to identify which grants were “DEI.” It is critical to understand that LLMs are an authoritarian technology meant to win the millennia-long war on critical thinking and art. They are a right wing wet dream.

S/D/Y Mar 12 – Resist/Rest-ist by Sora Anindya – Corporeal Something a little different today. This is not speculative. This poem is very real. I think ablism is one of the worst prejudices there is (they’re all bad), because it is so ubiquitous and …

Day 71! I read Resist/Rest-ist by Sora Anindya publsihed by @corporeallitmag.bsky.social. A very important poem about disability and resistance. Read my review here:
mickstaniforth.wordpress.com/2026/03/12/s...

...has an erect and handsome figure; and rather morose. Possibly, some people might suspect him of a degree of under-bred pride; I have a sympathetic chord within that tells me it is nothing of the sort: I know, by instinct, his reserve springs from an aversion to showy displays of feeling—to manifestations of mutual kindliness. He’ll love and hate equally under cover, and esteem it a species of impertinence to be loved or hated again. No, I’m running on too fast: I bestow my own attributes over-liberally on him.

The funniest thing about WUTHERING HEIGHTS is that its unreliable narrator Mr Lockwood begins by mistaking Heathcliff for a Byronic 'misanthrope' and thinks that's cool and deep. ...To which Heathcliff responds, 'Who is this tit? Set the dogs on him!'

1/17

S/D/Y Mar 11 – Feathers of Eternity by Wanying Zhang – Metastellar There is something enticing about the idea of souls that are bound to each other through different lifetimes. It is a truly romantic concept. But there is always something melancholy about the thou…

Day 70! I read Feathers of Eternity by Wanying Zhang published in @metastellar.bsky.social. Sometimes, the fires of passion burn a little too hot. Read my review here:
mickstaniforth.wordpress.com/2026/03/11/s...

LGBTQ+ EVENTS IN BIRMINGHAM (how to make queer friends away from the pub) Everyone loves a night out, but sometimes it’s nice to hang out with people without being drunk in a club at 1am.

MORE LGBTQ+ EVENTS IN BIRMINGHAM:

Birmingham has some amazing queer clubs & bars, but there’s also plenty to do away from the nightlife. Whether you’re new to the city, or just looking to make friends, here’s a list of queer clubs, events and socials in Birmingham.

a LinkedIn post that says, “absolutely insane the way AI has eaten all of your brains, what the fuck is wrong with you people”

just snapped and posted this on LinkedIn, I couldn’t take it anymore

S/D/Y Mar 10 – Linger Just a Little by  V. Astor Solomon – 100-Foot Crow Do you ever feel like you are just wishing your life away? Like, every week you think “if I can just get through the next week”? Like you have no time to just stop and appreciate anythi…

Day 69! I read Linger Just a Little by @howsweetthewords.bsky.social published by @100footcrow.bsky.social Read my review here:
mickstaniforth.wordpress.com/2026/03/10/s...

S/D/Y Mar 9 – Women in Horror Month – Tales to Terrify Four for one treat for me and you today! And all to celebrate women in horror. I think, personally, women write the best horror. Shirley Jackson, Mary Shelley, Laura Purcell, all some of my favouri…

Day 68! I listen to @talestoterrify.bsky.social Women in Horror Month, featuring stories by @cayce.zone, @moirakurtinwrites.bsky.social, Dee Mick, and Marie Olden. A smorgasbord of delectable horror stories. Read my review here:
mickstaniforth.wordpress.com/2026/03/09/s...

S/D/Y Mar 8 – The Nokken by Jennifer Monsen – Hawthorn & Ash Ah, modern stories of classic folkloric creatures. Literally my favourite thing. And The Nokken is a very nice example of it. I think this sort of subject lends itself to flash fiction. You don&#82…

Day 67! I read The Nokken by Jennifer Monsen published in Hawthorn & Ash (ironfaeriepublishing.com/category/haw...). You really should stay away from the water this time. Read my review here:
mickstaniforth.wordpress.com/2026/03/08/s...

Or any conversation really.

S/D/Y Mar 7 – The Last Payload by Shinya Kato – 365 Tomorrows I am really feeling the stress right now, so get ready for a slew of flash and audio fiction. But you know what’s a great antidote to stress? Cats. And it turns out, according to Shinya Kato …

Day 66! I read The Last Payload by Shinya Kato published by @365tomorrows.bsky.social. You should always give a cat space, but not too much space. Read my review here:
mickstaniforth.wordpress.com/2026/03/07/s...

Damn. Right in the childhood feels!

S/D/Y Mar 6 – Three by Amy Logan – Tales from the Moonlit Path Three is a story with the feel of a fairy tale, and a dark one at that, as fairy tales should be. I really love the opening. It gives a good sense of the tone and also sets up a nice bit of mystery…

Day 65! I read Three by Amy Logan published in Tales from the Moonlit Path (talesmoonlitpath.com). You need eyes in the back of your head with these bloody kids! Read my review here:
mickstaniforth.wordpress.com/2026/03/06/s...

S/D/Y Feb 5 – A Garden of Rejected Things by Ngo Binh Anh Khoa – SpecPoVerse I have to be honest, that I am much more a prose fan than a poetry fan. I often find I don’t understand poetry, or at least worry that I haven’t understood it properly which sours my en…

Day 64! I read A Garden of Rejected Things by Ngo Binh Anh Khoa published in SpecPoVerse (specpoverse.org). Despite how it sounds, this isn't about my unpublished short story folder. Read my review here:
mickstaniforth.wordpress.com/2026/03/05/s...

I have withdrawn a story because when they shared the cover it was AI generated. Still haven't found another home for that story, but I don't regret it. It was the right call.

S/D/Y Mar 4 – Red Calabash by Makeda Braithwaite – Dirty Magick It’s my birthday! So I snuck a little it of time from work to allow myself to read a slightly longer story than I have managed to find time for in recent days. Red Calabash is just the sort o…

Day 63! I read Red Calabash by Makeda Braithwaite published in Dirty Magick Magazine (@cdbrown.bsky.social). Everything comes with a price, you have to decide what you're willing to sacrifice. Read my review here:
mickstaniforth.wordpress.com/2026/03/04/s...

S/D/Y Mar 3 – Winter-Bourne by JP Relph – Divinations Magazine A gothic Brontean ghost at the window, a cat at your legs, maybe a little hint of vengeance: these are all ingredients to make a delicious story, if you ask me. Again, I find myself drawn to storie…

Day 62! I read Winter-Bourne by @therelphian.bsky.social published in @divinationsmag.bsky.social. Ghost are never as scary with a cat by your side. Read my review here:
mickstaniforth.wordpress.com/2026/03/03/s...

Submissions WE ONLY PUBLISH CREATORS FROM UNDER REPRESENTED AND/OR MARGINALISED BACKGROUNDS AND/OR COMMUNITIES We don’t ask for any proof, we take this on trust with the expectation that anyone…

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#writersofbsky #submissionsopen #booksky
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An unexpected positive side effect of doing this little project is getting responses like this. It really was an excellent story. Thank you for writing it.

S/D/Y Mar 2 – Incarnate by Jess Cho – Anathema I do enjoy nature imagery in my speculative fiction, particularly in speculative poetry, and there is plenty of it on display here. A story told through the passage of the year is perhaps a well tr…

Day 61! I read Incarnate by Jess Cho published in @anathemamagazine.bsky.social. When they warn you not to love, do it anyway. Read my review here:
mickstaniforth.wordpress.com/2026/03/02/s...

Them: we're just playing devil's advocate.

Us: have you tried playing devil's prosecution?

Them: that would be BIASED!

Well, I just read this review out to my partner and she immediately added it to her wishlist so I'd say it works.

Every day this year I am reading one piece of contemporary short fiction. Today is day 60! I read This Book Holds Us by @regwaltney.bsky.social published in @folkloricmag.bsky.social. The book is mightier than the fire. Read my review here:
mickstaniforth.wordpress.com/2026/03/01/s...

I don't want to read a book written by AI.
I don't want to read a book half written by AI.
I don't want to read a book narrated by AI.
I don't want to read a book with an AI cover.
I don't want to read a book written by somebody who supports AI.

S/D/Y Feb 28 – What Should We Do With The Body? by Amelia Weissman – Luna Station Quarterly What Should We Do With The Body? was much more actiony than I expected from the first paragraph or so. It was a fun story, full of excitement and daring do, but I think its real strength was in the…

Day 59! Two months done and still going strong! Today I read What Should We Do With the Body? by Amelia Weissman, published in @lunastation.bsky.social. This bug has a nasty sting. Read my review here:
mickstaniforth.wordpress.com/2026/02/28/s...

S/D/Y February 27 – In the Endless Desert by Lena Ng – Just Keep Up I am exhausted after two very long weeks, so it is micro fiction time. This is a fun one, that in incredibly few words spins a yarn that makes you ask a lot of questions and, of course, offers no s…

Day 58! Not feeling too hot, so it's micro fiction time. Today I read In the Endless Desert by Lena Ng, published in @justkeepupmagazine.bsky.social. Micro fictive creepiness in the apocalypse. Read my review here:
mickstaniforth.wordpress.com/2026/02/27/s...

S/D/Y Feb 26 – The British Mummy Kings by Matthew Goldberg – Archives of the Odd I do love a story that blends real history with fiction, especially one that makes you think ‘wait, which parts of this are real?’. The British Mummy Kings is one such story. Honestly, …

Day 57! Yesterday (it was our anniversary so write up is late) I read The British Mummy Kings by Matthew Goldberg published in @archiveoftheodd.bsky.social. The king is dead! Long live the king! Read my review here:
mickstaniforth.wordpress.com/2026/02/27/s...

"Be reasonable about this," he says. "Meet me in the middle."
"OK," you say. You take a step forward.
He takes a step back.
"Be reasonable about this," he says. "Meet me in the middle."

If anyone knows any great small indie speculative fiction pubs I should be checking out so I don't accidentally double up again, do let me know! #booksky

S/D/Y Feb 25 – Perfect Circles by Sherry Yuan – Penumbric There are probably a lot of lockdown stories floating around out there. I suspect that a lot fall in editors’ inboxes as well. So, you have to expect that any story featuring a variant on a l…

Day 56! I read Perfect Circles by Sherry Yuan published by @penumbricmag.bsky.social. Whoops, accidentally revisited a publication earlier than I intended. Glad I did though. This is a good one. Read my review here:
mickstaniforth.wordpress.com/2026/02/25/s...