Born enslaved, John Andrew Jackson spent his life fighting for freedom as a fugitive, abolitionist, lecturer and writer. Along the way, he met an aspiring writer.

Here’s a look at their remarkable friendship:
theconversation.com/the-black-…

#Bookstodon

The Black fugitive who inspired ‘Uncle Tom’s Cabin’ and the end of US slavery

^{The Conversation}

I’ve been listening to the increasingly loud “AI is evil” chat, and getting suspicious.

Is AI energy-greedy? Yes.
Is it thirsty AF? Absolutely.
Is it being monstered? It would seem so.

This isn’t a defence of AI.
It’s a defence of critical thinking.

kristie-de-garis.ghost.io/is-a…

#AI #Writing #Books #Climate #Scotland #ClimateCrisis #Bookstodon #Article #Technology #Environment

Is AI the Problem - Or Just the Headline?

When one topic starts dominating headlines, especially with urgency, I pause. When the focus narrows, I get suspicious. That’s when I start asking questions.

^{Kristie De Garis (By Hand)}

Recent butch/femme new releases through April 20, 2025.

#newreleases #lesfic #sapphicbooks #bookstodon #writingcommunity #butchfemme #lesbian #lgbtq #lgbtqia
@lgbtqbookstodon @bookstodon @sapphicbooks

Elizabeth McClellan, an autistic poet, responds to RFK Jr.'s derogatory remarks about autism in Mother Jones.

"I am not only living evidence that someone can be autistic and a poet, I will challenge RFK Jr. to write a poem as good as me any day of the week, because I don’t think he can do it."

"What has he ever really done, other than have a last name?"

motherjones.com/politics/2025/…

#Autism #Poetry #Bookstodon #Reading

RFK Jr. says there aren't autistic poets. We asked an autistic poet.

"I will challenge RFK Jr. to write a poem as good as me any day of the week."

^{Mother Jones}

The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World by Robin Wall Kimmerer was as fantastic as I knew it would be. Braiding Sweetgrass is one of my favorite books and I put this one off for far too long. I did finally order a copy from my local indie bookstore and picked it up today. Beautiful. Just as I knew it would be.

@bookstodon
#books #nonfiction #bookstodon

Booked to see Cory Doctorow @pluralistic at Blackwells Bookshop Manchester on 02 July. I now have over two months to think of a halfway sensible question to ask.

Booking link: eventbrite.co.uk/e/an-evening-…

#Manchester #UK #Books #Bookstodon #CoryDoctorow

An Evening With Cory Doctorow

The author will discuss his latest novel, Picks And Shovels, and the 'enshittification' of our modern digital age

^Eventbrite

Butch/Femme fiction suggestions for the I Heart SapphFic featured reading challenge category for the week of 04/14/25: Main Character 40+.

#lesfic #ihsreadingchallenge #sapphicbooks #bookstodon #writingcommunity #butchfemme #lesbian #lgbtq #lgbtqia
@lgbtqbookstodon @bookstodon @sapphicbooks

"What tech companies are doing is neither 'fair use' nor 'fair dealing'. It is a blatant infringement of copyright."

Ambre Morvan tells Matilda Battersby that Meta's defence won't fly:

thebookseller.com/news/metas-f…

#books #reading #writing #publishing #AI #bookstodon @bookstodon

Meta's 'fair use' defence for 'training AI with published books won't work' in UK, says PA

The ’fair use’ legal defence used by Meta and Anthropic last week against separate allegations of copyright infringement for training AI tools on published books won’t work in UK courts, according to the Publishers Association and Society of Authors.

^{The Bookseller}

This has been on my TBR pile for a while, and I finally started it. Strong vibes of Firefly meets Doctor Who episode so far, and I'm here for it.

#NowReading #Bookstodon #books #reading #BeckyChambers #SciFi

Finally, some consistency in files, which allowed a cool feature where you can click on a cover to go to a review.

musicgames.wikidot.com/hub:boo…

A good moment to gather more IDEAS for REVIEWS. Can you recommend a #book that explores the intersection of music and games?

#bookstodon #bookReviews

Publishing looks glossy from the outside. Inside? It’s built on unpaid labour.

My first book is out this year.
Here’s what I actually got paid, what my contract says, & why most authors can’t afford to do this twice.

kristie-de-garis.ghost.io/publ…

#Publishing #Books #Author #Writer #WriterCommunity #bookstodon #authors

Published Doesn’t Mean Paid.

I want to talk about money. (Ugh, I know. How crass.) Specifically, how much money authors make, or more accurately, don’t. I signed my publishing deal in 2023. My advance was £2,500. That’s it.

^{Kristie De Garis (By Hand)}

I Heart SapphFic featured reading challenge category for the week of 03/24/25: Fantasy.

#lesfic #ihsreadingchallenge #sapphicbooks #bookstodon #writingcommunity #butchfemme #lesbian #lgbtq #lgbtqia
@lgbtqbookstodon @bookstodon @sapphicbooks

Today's markething for you:

Did you know that you can buy books directly from me in my little indie webstore? DRM-free and delivered to any e-Reader you prefer, too.

For this one, I'd love to suggest Terragon's Fate, a short story introducing my dragon-shifter demonhunters.

shop.hannah-steenbock.de/b/ter…

#Markething
#bookstodon
#DragonShifter