Allyson Shaw
@allysonshaw.bsky.social
Writer, cat botherer, firebrand based in Orkney.Author of Ashes & Stones-shortlisted for the RSL Christopher Bland Prize.🍉🏳️⚧️ally. Any pronouns 🏴 https://linktr.ee/AllysonShaw More active on Mastodon. https://wandering.shop/@AllysonShaw
Pinned
Forget life is short--what if you had all the time in the world?
Widdershins COVER REVEAL. Kara's story is vibrant retelling of the selkie myth and an epic tale of connected lives spanning a thousand years. Sign up to be notified when the Kickstarter goes live:
www.kickstarter.com/projects/all...
Widdershins COVER REVEAL. Kara's story is vibrant retelling of the selkie myth and an epic tale of connected lives spanning a thousand years. Sign up to be notified when the Kickstarter goes live:
www.kickstarter.com/projects/all...
Forget life is short--what if you had all the time in the world?
Widdershins COVER REVEAL. Kara's story is vibrant retelling of the selkie myth and an epic tale of connected lives spanning a thousand years. Sign up to be notified when the Kickstarter goes live:
www.kickstarter.com/projects/all...
Widdershins COVER REVEAL. Kara's story is vibrant retelling of the selkie myth and an epic tale of connected lives spanning a thousand years. Sign up to be notified when the Kickstarter goes live:
www.kickstarter.com/projects/all...
October 30, 2025 at 8:04 AM
Forget life is short--what if you had all the time in the world?
Widdershins COVER REVEAL. Kara's story is vibrant retelling of the selkie myth and an epic tale of connected lives spanning a thousand years. Sign up to be notified when the Kickstarter goes live:
www.kickstarter.com/projects/all...
Widdershins COVER REVEAL. Kara's story is vibrant retelling of the selkie myth and an epic tale of connected lives spanning a thousand years. Sign up to be notified when the Kickstarter goes live:
www.kickstarter.com/projects/all...
Reposted by Allyson Shaw
First, what's a Monster Of The Month talk? Cuz that sounds amazing & just the kind of thing we're trying to do at Monster Lab (which launches tomorrow; see my pinned post). Also I've just started reading @allysonshaw.bsky.social's tremendous book Ashes & Stones on this very thing. Highly recommend.
October 17, 2025 at 2:15 PM
First, what's a Monster Of The Month talk? Cuz that sounds amazing & just the kind of thing we're trying to do at Monster Lab (which launches tomorrow; see my pinned post). Also I've just started reading @allysonshaw.bsky.social's tremendous book Ashes & Stones on this very thing. Highly recommend.
Reposted by Allyson Shaw
Couldn’t resist: Sally Mann book purchase inspired by The Great Women Artists Podcast, Ashes & Stones retrieved from my wish list on Bookshop
October 28, 2025 at 2:07 PM
Couldn’t resist: Sally Mann book purchase inspired by The Great Women Artists Podcast, Ashes & Stones retrieved from my wish list on Bookshop
My friend, the brilliant @nromanek.bsky.social & ¡AU! are kicking off a series of talks about monsters and the creative process. It's going to be fascinating. It launches with @drsurekhadavies.bsky.social & Esdi Reich THIS SATURDAY. #monsters #writingcommunity www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/monster-la...
Monster Lab: Incarnation One - with guests Surekha Davies & Esti Reich
Monster Lab is an event series from ¡AU! where creatives and fans learn how to understand, create, and tame bad guys.
www.eventbrite.co.uk
October 15, 2025 at 7:20 AM
My friend, the brilliant @nromanek.bsky.social & ¡AU! are kicking off a series of talks about monsters and the creative process. It's going to be fascinating. It launches with @drsurekhadavies.bsky.social & Esdi Reich THIS SATURDAY. #monsters #writingcommunity www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/monster-la...
Reposted by Allyson Shaw
Absolutely over the moon about this, esp. having just finished The Tombs of Atuan. Ursual La Guins maps, devised by her for Earthsea et al, are available in a London exhibition running till December.
www.aaschool.ac.uk/publicprogra...
www.aaschool.ac.uk/publicprogra...
AA School
Architectural Association School of Architecture's website homepage is the online entrance into the AA; to its courses from Foundation to PhD for undergraduate and postgraduate students; its open publ...
www.aaschool.ac.uk
October 14, 2025 at 8:01 PM
Absolutely over the moon about this, esp. having just finished The Tombs of Atuan. Ursual La Guins maps, devised by her for Earthsea et al, are available in a London exhibition running till December.
www.aaschool.ac.uk/publicprogra...
www.aaschool.ac.uk/publicprogra...
Reposted by Allyson Shaw
Our new monster event at ¡AU!, which kicks off Oct. 18. It's going to be a mix of fun and deep monster study. Still working out what the frequency will be, but we'll be doing Monster Lab regularly. Ticket prices are absurdly low for this first outing. Join us.
¡AU! has launched a new event series, MONSTER LAB, where creatives of all types (from painters to brain surgeons) gather to talk monsters & see what we can learn.
First MONSTER LAB is Oct. 18, 2-4pm UK time, online. Get your ticket now!
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/monster-la...
First MONSTER LAB is Oct. 18, 2-4pm UK time, online. Get your ticket now!
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/monster-la...
September 18, 2025 at 7:43 PM
Our new monster event at ¡AU!, which kicks off Oct. 18. It's going to be a mix of fun and deep monster study. Still working out what the frequency will be, but we'll be doing Monster Lab regularly. Ticket prices are absurdly low for this first outing. Join us.
"...a landmark $1.5bn settlement of this copyright class action brought by a group of US authors against Anthropic over the use of their works in the training of Anthropic’s large language model, Claude." societyofauthors.org/2025/09/26/a... #GenAI #AI #Anthropic #WritingCommunity
A win for authors? - The Society of Authors
The latest on the US Anthropic case
societyofauthors.org
September 27, 2025 at 6:16 AM
"...a landmark $1.5bn settlement of this copyright class action brought by a group of US authors against Anthropic over the use of their works in the training of Anthropic’s large language model, Claude." societyofauthors.org/2025/09/26/a... #GenAI #AI #Anthropic #WritingCommunity
Reposted by Allyson Shaw
My train from Inverness to Glasgow ran into some issues resulting in a 2 hour delay, so the extra time sitting on the track meant I was able to get through half of Ashes & Stones by @allysonshaw.bsky.social 🧹🐈⬛ (bought at Leakey's in Inverness!)
#booksky #scotland
#booksky #scotland
September 17, 2025 at 10:41 PM
My train from Inverness to Glasgow ran into some issues resulting in a 2 hour delay, so the extra time sitting on the track meant I was able to get through half of Ashes & Stones by @allysonshaw.bsky.social 🧹🐈⬛ (bought at Leakey's in Inverness!)
#booksky #scotland
#booksky #scotland
Fantastic piece on the influence of Alice in Wonderland on writers and artists. It made me consider the influence of that story on my own writing.
www.thecollector.com/alice-symbol... #Feminism #Surrealism #Writing
www.thecollector.com/alice-symbol... #Feminism #Surrealism #Writing
How Did Alice Become a Symbol of Surrealism and Feminist Reimagination? | TheCollector
Published in 1865, Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland unleashed a nonsensical world that challenged Victorian norms and introduced readers to an enigmatic heroine: Alice.
www.thecollector.com
September 27, 2025 at 6:11 AM
Fantastic piece on the influence of Alice in Wonderland on writers and artists. It made me consider the influence of that story on my own writing.
www.thecollector.com/alice-symbol... #Feminism #Surrealism #Writing
www.thecollector.com/alice-symbol... #Feminism #Surrealism #Writing
Drawing Hands, M C Escher. This image encapsulates #dyslexia for me--the good side of being #neurodiverse in this way is that even two dimensional things like text are three dimensional, or spacial in a way that is nonlinear. It feels a lot like the visual puzzle of Escher's work. #neurospicy
September 10, 2025 at 10:46 AM
Drawing Hands, M C Escher. This image encapsulates #dyslexia for me--the good side of being #neurodiverse in this way is that even two dimensional things like text are three dimensional, or spacial in a way that is nonlinear. It feels a lot like the visual puzzle of Escher's work. #neurospicy
Memory foam pillows are being marketed to M and I on social media. I said, I don’t know why memory foam freaks me out. And M says, ‘I mean what else is it remembering?’
September 8, 2025 at 2:19 PM
Memory foam pillows are being marketed to M and I on social media. I said, I don’t know why memory foam freaks me out. And M says, ‘I mean what else is it remembering?’
The Westray Wifey is giving you the Monday side-eye. This #Neolithic figure from the Stone Age found on Westray #orkney is the first depiction of a face found in the UK to date. #FavouriteThings
September 8, 2025 at 10:36 AM
The Westray Wifey is giving you the Monday side-eye. This #Neolithic figure from the Stone Age found on Westray #orkney is the first depiction of a face found in the UK to date. #FavouriteThings
Reposted by Allyson Shaw
That sounds amazing. I help writers with worldbuilding and character building, and if anyone needs it I also create maps, character illustrations or even book covers for them.
September 4, 2025 at 6:32 AM
That sounds amazing. I help writers with worldbuilding and character building, and if anyone needs it I also create maps, character illustrations or even book covers for them.
Sketching a preliminary map. I love second world maps-once I get something down that works I’ll ink it. Does anyone else draw maps for their books? (This the map of the world of my novel. Do you recognise it?) #WritingCommunity #cartography #maps #fantasy
September 3, 2025 at 10:45 AM
Sketching a preliminary map. I love second world maps-once I get something down that works I’ll ink it. Does anyone else draw maps for their books? (This the map of the world of my novel. Do you recognise it?) #WritingCommunity #cartography #maps #fantasy
Little doodles, big plans. Images for chapter headings for a novel I have just finished. Once I’m happy with them I’ll ink them up with some pilot carbon black & a zebra G nib. #booksky #FountainPens
September 1, 2025 at 10:17 AM
Little doodles, big plans. Images for chapter headings for a novel I have just finished. Once I’m happy with them I’ll ink them up with some pilot carbon black & a zebra G nib. #booksky #FountainPens
I believe this illustration is by Kay Neilson-it’s a bit distorted but I love her troll bling-complete with temple rings!
August 29, 2025 at 9:19 AM
I believe this illustration is by Kay Neilson-it’s a bit distorted but I love her troll bling-complete with temple rings!
Reposted by Allyson Shaw
A close encounter of this little fellow during our dinner camp fire one day in Greenland. Turned out he stole our cheese from one of our bags while we prepared the food a few meters away.
#greenland #arcticfox #Wildlife #WildLifePhotography
#greenland #arcticfox #Wildlife #WildLifePhotography
August 27, 2025 at 9:34 AM
A close encounter of this little fellow during our dinner camp fire one day in Greenland. Turned out he stole our cheese from one of our bags while we prepared the food a few meters away.
#greenland #arcticfox #Wildlife #WildLifePhotography
#greenland #arcticfox #Wildlife #WildLifePhotography
The US Republican Administration expects other countries to collect tariffs on its behalf; it doesn’t have the infrastructure to do it. Royal Mail stopped shipping to the US. This tariff is a body blow to the business I have built over the last 13 years. (already kneecapped by Brexit) I’m scared.
August 27, 2025 at 10:41 AM
The US Republican Administration expects other countries to collect tariffs on its behalf; it doesn’t have the infrastructure to do it. Royal Mail stopped shipping to the US. This tariff is a body blow to the business I have built over the last 13 years. (already kneecapped by Brexit) I’m scared.
How do you decide what to share online? What is off limits? Read
The Altar I Did Not Photograph: allysonshaw.substack.com/p/broad-cast... #witchsky
The Altar I Did Not Photograph: allysonshaw.substack.com/p/broad-cast... #witchsky
BROAD-CASTING MAGIC 🌚
Selkies & silence at the new moon
allysonshaw.substack.com
August 25, 2025 at 2:13 PM
How do you decide what to share online? What is off limits? Read
The Altar I Did Not Photograph: allysonshaw.substack.com/p/broad-cast... #witchsky
The Altar I Did Not Photograph: allysonshaw.substack.com/p/broad-cast... #witchsky
Reposted by Allyson Shaw
Saros #5 is open for submissions! Send us your 500-2,500 word fiction themed around sound(s), silence(s), and the spectrum in between: Music, speech, singing, unbearable (enticing?) noise(s), and/or auditory nothingness.
The Saros #5 reading period has arrived and the submission gates have been opened! Send us your 500-2500 words speculative fiction stories focused on sound/silence! We'll stay open until we've reached 111 stories submitted.
sarossf.com/submissions/
sarossf.com/submissions/
August 22, 2025 at 1:56 AM
Saros #5 is open for submissions! Send us your 500-2,500 word fiction themed around sound(s), silence(s), and the spectrum in between: Music, speech, singing, unbearable (enticing?) noise(s), and/or auditory nothingness.
Reposted by Allyson Shaw
Reading one star Tripadvisor reviews
"And there were other rocks that were like animals, creeping horrible animals, putting out their tongues, and others were like words that I could not say, and others like dead people lying on the grass ... and my heart was full of wicked songs that they put into it."
August 22, 2025 at 10:35 AM
Reading one star Tripadvisor reviews
#flashbackFriday to the last time I was on Hoy. (2024). Rackwick is beautiful. #orkney
August 22, 2025 at 6:26 PM
#flashbackFriday to the last time I was on Hoy. (2024). Rackwick is beautiful. #orkney
I could, but it’s BLOOD MONEY.
Lend us a midge, pal?
August 22, 2025 at 6:20 PM
I could, but it’s BLOOD MONEY.
Reposted by Allyson Shaw
Listened to this awesome show from the proms at the weekend: Angeline Morrison (featuring Eliza Carthy who also produced the album) - folk songs of the Black British experience www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...
BBC Proms - 2025 - BBC Proms: Angeline Morrison - The Sorrow Songs (Folk Songs of Black British Experience) - BBC Sounds
Live at the BBC Proms from the Glasshouse, Gateshead, British folksinger Angeline Morrison
www.bbc.co.uk
August 18, 2025 at 5:59 PM
Listened to this awesome show from the proms at the weekend: Angeline Morrison (featuring Eliza Carthy who also produced the album) - folk songs of the Black British experience www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...