Ben Francisco
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benfrancisco.bsky.social
Ben Francisco
@benfrancisco.bsky.social
950 followers 840 following 140 posts
Queer Latinx fiction writer. Debut novel, VAL VEGA: SECRET AMBASSADOR OF EARTH, out now! Stories in Strange Horizons, Indiana Review, Podcastle, LCRW, and more. All things geeky and social justice-y welcome. They/Them.
https://linktr.ee/benfrancisco
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benfrancisco.bsky.social
Ben Francisco @benfrancisco.bsky.social · Jun 6
Squee! So honored and excited to learn that VAL VEGA: SECRET AMBASSAFOR OF EARTH is a finalist for the 2025 International Book Awards - in both the science fiction and young adult categories!

www.internationalbookawards.com/2025awardann...
International Book Awards - Honoring Excellence in Independent & Mainstream Publishing
Celebrating the 16th Annual International Book Awards!
www.internationalbookawards.com
benfrancisco.bsky.social
My review of the Season 2 finale of Gen V. Mostly a solid closing, with a few excellent performances and some fun teases for the final season of The Boys!
October 27, 2025 at 10:42 PM
Reposted by Ben Francisco
csecooney.bsky.social
Look at this cool LISTICLE that VAL VEGA author @benfrancisco.bsky.social wrote about Latinx SF! Luminaries mentioned include Carlos Hernandez and @willalex.bsky.social! Among others!

benfrancisco.net/2025/10/15/1...
benfrancisco.net
October 18, 2025 at 1:03 AM
Reposted by Ben Francisco
greeniezona.bsky.social
Sordidez! 🇵🇷🌿☀️🌋⚡
Sal & Gabi! 🪄🐓🌌🤖🥟
💜💙💚💛🧡♥️🤎🖤🤍🩵🩷
benfrancisco.bsky.social Ben Francisco @benfrancisco.bsky.social · 27d
In celebration of Latinx Heritage Month, I wrote a listicle of awesome Latinx Science Fiction to read ASAP! W/ great books by @boriscrito.bsky.social @pazsays.bsky.social @valerievaldes.bsky.social @latinxfiles.bsky.social @willalex.bsky.social @silviamg.bsky.social

benfrancisco.net/2025/10/15/1...
Collage of covers of Latinx Science Fiction books, including Ambassador, Latinx Rising, Sal & Gabi Break the Universe, Prime Meridian, and Val Vega: Secret Ambassador of Earth.
October 16, 2025 at 12:34 AM
Reposted by Ben Francisco
pazsays.bsky.social
"Pardo weaves a wonderful blend of hard-boiled noir, engaging characters, and imaginative world-building that goes far beyond the usual 'What if the U.S. lost World War II?'" Thanks @benfrancisco.bsky.social for putting THE SHAMSHINE BLIND in such awesome company
benfrancisco.bsky.social Ben Francisco @benfrancisco.bsky.social · 27d
In celebration of Latinx Heritage Month, I wrote a listicle of awesome Latinx Science Fiction to read ASAP! W/ great books by @boriscrito.bsky.social @pazsays.bsky.social @valerievaldes.bsky.social @latinxfiles.bsky.social @willalex.bsky.social @silviamg.bsky.social

benfrancisco.net/2025/10/15/1...
Collage of covers of Latinx Science Fiction books, including Ambassador, Latinx Rising, Sal & Gabi Break the Universe, Prime Meridian, and Val Vega: Secret Ambassador of Earth.
October 15, 2025 at 6:59 PM
benfrancisco.bsky.social
In celebration of Latinx Heritage Month, I wrote a listicle of awesome Latinx Science Fiction to read ASAP! W/ great books by @boriscrito.bsky.social @pazsays.bsky.social @valerievaldes.bsky.social @latinxfiles.bsky.social @willalex.bsky.social @silviamg.bsky.social

benfrancisco.net/2025/10/15/1...
Collage of covers of Latinx Science Fiction books, including Ambassador, Latinx Rising, Sal & Gabi Break the Universe, Prime Meridian, and Val Vega: Secret Ambassador of Earth.
October 15, 2025 at 6:52 PM
Reposted by Ben Francisco
kjy1066.bsky.social
Forgive the cobbled-together feel of this, but eat up!

Nine stories in this TropiWeird combo - including two stories never before seen! As they say in PR: buen provecho!

kyr-1066.itch.io/a-series-of-...
October 14, 2025 at 6:31 PM
benfrancisco.bsky.social
I loved this @newyorker.com short story by Rivka Galchen. It feels like an anthem for our time, a day-in-the-life of a dystopia, set in the grueling present day of our "current macro-environment."
September 30, 2025 at 2:53 AM
Reposted by Ben Francisco
reactorsff.bsky.social
With the passing of a lead actor and a new season of The Boys over its shoulder, Gen V gracefully lands its season 2 premiere; Ben Francisco reviews the return to Godolkin in "New Year, New U"

#GenVseason2

reactormag.com/tv-review-ge...
Gen V Goes Back to Supes School With Season 2 Reset - Reactor
With the death of a lead series actor, Gen V has a lot of ground to cover in its second season premiere.
reactormag.com
September 19, 2025 at 3:20 PM
benfrancisco.bsky.social
I have a review of the #GenV season 2 premiere up at Reactor! A fitting homage to Chance Perdomo, though the reset to the status quo is occasionally jarring. Hamish Linklater is a great addition as the casually callous new dean who always seems to see what's coming.

reactormag.com/tv-review-ge...
September 19, 2025 at 6:10 PM
benfrancisco.bsky.social
Watching #StarTrek Voyager S6Ep22 The Muse.

"To the gleaming cities of Earth, where peace reigns, and where hatred has no home."

Oh how I wish for these words to someday be the truth of what we live on this earth in the here and now!
September 8, 2025 at 6:03 AM
benfrancisco.bsky.social
TFW you're watching #StarTrek Strange New Worlds and a holodeck character says, "I'm a writer, I'm never happy about anything" and your husband laughs a little *too* hard...
Enterprise Captain Christopher Pike as a 1960s Holywood writer on the holodeck.
September 6, 2025 at 5:27 AM
benfrancisco.bsky.social
I'm at #SeattleWorldCon! At noon I'm on a panel called "And I'm All Out of Spoons," which seems apt as that is my perpetual state lately! And at 4:30 pm I'm helping facilitate a discussion space for Latinx creators. Please say hi if you're here!
August 14, 2025 at 4:35 PM
benfrancisco.bsky.social
So excited to be part of this panel at #WorldCon2025! This awesome Boricua SF jangueo is virtual, plus I'm doing a few others in person in Seattle.
boriscrito.bsky.social E.G. Condé (Author) 🇵🇷✍🏼 @boriscrito.bsky.social · Aug 11
The second is a Boricua speculative fiction jangueo with some badass Puerto Rican writers including @tropicaleccentric.bsky.social @kjy1066.bsky.social @benfrancisco.bsky.social . Come for the bad bunny references & the bochinche & the Tainofuturism & also Bori Steampunk! 🇵🇷
#readerthreads
Puerto Rican Speculative FictionVirtual, Science Fiction, Non-Western Literature Virtual Room 1, Sat. 10:30–11:30 a.m. For Puerto Rican writers living in the archipelago or the diaspora, fiction is a vehicle for time travel. Our stories imagine alternate pasts and novel futures, drawing inspiration from the beauty and tragedy of the Boricua experience. In this panel, writers discuss how Puerto Rico (Borikén) influences their speculative imagination and writing practice. From Bad Bunny to Bomba; Carnival and Cimarrones; Taínos and Tostones, the writers on the panel draw from the rich and painful tapestry of Puerto Rican heritage to remix and remake pasts and futures. E.G. Condé (M), Ben Francisco, Carolina Cardona, Karlo Yeager Rodriguez
August 11, 2025 at 2:52 PM
Reposted by Ben Francisco
rykaaoki.bsky.social
Yay!!! These stories dazzled, horrified, fascinated, filled me with hope. How diminished this the world would be without queer voices, queer stories, queer magic and prophecy and brilliance!
neonhemlock.bsky.social Neon Hemlock @neonhemlock.bsky.social · Jun 29
We're delighted to share the cover (by @mspencerdraws.bsky.social) and announce the table of contents for WE'RE HERE: THE BEST QUEER SPECULATIVE FICTION 2024, selected by editor @rykaaoki.bsky.social and working with series editor @cypayseur.bsky.social!

www.neonhemlock.com/news/were-he...
The cover for WE'RE HERE 2024. An earth-toned wild hunt tapestry with muted rainbow-y accents being looked at by a trio of rad queer people in a museum-esque framing.
June 29, 2025 at 7:06 PM
benfrancisco.bsky.social
A bunch of people have asked for my take on ELIO, Pixar's latest. I loved it - you can read my full review at @reactorsff.bsky.social. And if you'd like more Latinx space ambassador stories, you can also check out my YA novel, Val Vega: Secret Ambassador of Earth.

reactormag.com/pixars-elio-...
Pixar’s Elio Grapples With Loneliness on Earth and in the Communiverse - Reactor
After a slow first act, Pixar's latest offering brings our need for connection into the stars... and right back home again.
reactormag.com
June 23, 2025 at 6:58 PM
Reposted by Ben Francisco
reactorsff.bsky.social
Once you get past the slow beginning, Pixar's Elio combines beautiful animation, an expansive world, and an emotional story of Latinx speculative fiction. Read @benfrancisco.bsky.social's review:

reactormag.com/pixars-elio-...
Pixar’s Elio Grapples With Loneliness on Earth and in the Communiverse - Reactor
After a slow first act, Pixar's latest offering brings our need for connection into the stars... and right back home again.
reactormag.com
June 23, 2025 at 6:31 PM
benfrancisco.bsky.social
Today is the last day of my writing residency in Tennessee. After nightfall, I am going to close it out by following the advice of @kellylink.bsky.social and writing by the light of the moon! (It should be just about full.)
June 10, 2025 at 3:20 PM
benfrancisco.bsky.social
Squee! So honored and excited to learn that VAL VEGA: SECRET AMBASSAFOR OF EARTH is a finalist for the 2025 International Book Awards - in both the science fiction and young adult categories!

www.internationalbookawards.com/2025awardann...
International Book Awards - Honoring Excellence in Independent & Mainstream Publishing
Celebrating the 16th Annual International Book Awards!
www.internationalbookawards.com
June 6, 2025 at 5:14 PM
benfrancisco.bsky.social
What an honor to be part of such a special event! Thank you, @storyhour.bsky.social for having me, thank you @megelison.bsky.social for hosting, and thank you @sillysyntax.bsky.social for sharing such a powerful story. The unplanned theme was beautiful wounded queers learning to love themselves.
storyhour.bsky.social Story Hour @storyhour.bsky.social · Jun 5
This Story Hour will forever be the Pride & Joy episode. @benfrancisco.bsky.social and @sillysyntax.bsky.social read gorgeous, glorious stories full of challenge and beauty. With guest host @megelison.bsky.social, the result is sublime. Treat yourself with the replay! www.youtube.com/watch?v=IeY7...
June 4, 2025: Ben Francisco and Suzan Palumbo; Guest host Meg Elison
YouTube video by Story Hour
www.youtube.com
June 6, 2025 at 1:14 AM
Reposted by Ben Francisco
pronouncedlahra.bsky.social
This is TONIGHT! Join us!
storyhour.bsky.social Story Hour @storyhour.bsky.social · Jun 3
Story Hour is very proud to start June with stories from the benevolent Ben Francisco and the stupendous Suzan Palumbo. Guest hosting by the magnificent Meg Elison! Join us Wednesday at 7:00 PDT! #Booksky @benfrancisco.bsky.social @sillysyntax.bsky.social @megelison.bsky.social www.storyhour2020.com
Waist-up color photo of writer Ben Francisco, a Latinx person with dark hair worn short, dark eyes, and perfectly arched eyebrows. They wear a dark brown turtleneck, a long scarf patterned in swirls of bright, warm colors, and gold stud earrings. They stand in front of a bookcase full of speculative fiction titles and smile warmly into the camera. Color close-up of Suzan Palumbo, a Trini woman with dark hair worn in a short asymmetrical bob and tipped with purple. She wears heavy black eyeliner, a black shirt with a collar, and a dark gray necktie. She looks to the side with a serious expression.
June 4, 2025 at 5:56 PM
Reposted by Ben Francisco
sillysyntax.bsky.social
It's me and Ben and we are reading queer Caribbean SFF with fabulous Meg!
storyhour.bsky.social Story Hour @storyhour.bsky.social · Jun 3
Story Hour is very proud to start June with stories from the benevolent Ben Francisco and the stupendous Suzan Palumbo. Guest hosting by the magnificent Meg Elison! Join us Wednesday at 7:00 PDT! #Booksky @benfrancisco.bsky.social @sillysyntax.bsky.social @megelison.bsky.social www.storyhour2020.com
Waist-up color photo of writer Ben Francisco, a Latinx person with dark hair worn short, dark eyes, and perfectly arched eyebrows. They wear a dark brown turtleneck, a long scarf patterned in swirls of bright, warm colors, and gold stud earrings. They stand in front of a bookcase full of speculative fiction titles and smile warmly into the camera. Color close-up of Suzan Palumbo, a Trini woman with dark hair worn in a short asymmetrical bob and tipped with purple. She wears heavy black eyeliner, a black shirt with a collar, and a dark gray necktie. She looks to the side with a serious expression.
June 3, 2025 at 10:54 PM
benfrancisco.bsky.social
Very excited to be reading on @storyhour.bsky.social with the brilliant @sillysyntax.bsky.social tomorrow (WEDNESDAY!) at 10pm ET! Will be reading "The After Party," a queer story of difficult encounters and fabulous parties in the after life.
storyhour.bsky.social Story Hour @storyhour.bsky.social · Jun 3
Story Hour is very proud to start June with stories from the benevolent Ben Francisco and the stupendous Suzan Palumbo. Guest hosting by the magnificent Meg Elison! Join us Wednesday at 7:00 PDT! #Booksky @benfrancisco.bsky.social @sillysyntax.bsky.social @megelison.bsky.social www.storyhour2020.com
Waist-up color photo of writer Ben Francisco, a Latinx person with dark hair worn short, dark eyes, and perfectly arched eyebrows. They wear a dark brown turtleneck, a long scarf patterned in swirls of bright, warm colors, and gold stud earrings. They stand in front of a bookcase full of speculative fiction titles and smile warmly into the camera. Color close-up of Suzan Palumbo, a Trini woman with dark hair worn in a short asymmetrical bob and tipped with purple. She wears heavy black eyeliner, a black shirt with a collar, and a dark gray necktie. She looks to the side with a serious expression.
June 4, 2025 at 12:53 AM
Reposted by Ben Francisco
storyhour.bsky.social
Story Hour is very proud to start June with stories from the benevolent Ben Francisco and the stupendous Suzan Palumbo. Guest hosting by the magnificent Meg Elison! Join us Wednesday at 7:00 PDT! #Booksky @benfrancisco.bsky.social @sillysyntax.bsky.social @megelison.bsky.social www.storyhour2020.com
Waist-up color photo of writer Ben Francisco, a Latinx person with dark hair worn short, dark eyes, and perfectly arched eyebrows. They wear a dark brown turtleneck, a long scarf patterned in swirls of bright, warm colors, and gold stud earrings. They stand in front of a bookcase full of speculative fiction titles and smile warmly into the camera. Color close-up of Suzan Palumbo, a Trini woman with dark hair worn in a short asymmetrical bob and tipped with purple. She wears heavy black eyeliner, a black shirt with a collar, and a dark gray necktie. She looks to the side with a serious expression.
June 3, 2025 at 10:53 PM
benfrancisco.bsky.social
Got back from vacation to find that Val Vega: Secret Ambassador of Earth had gotten this lovely 5-star review from Readers' Favorite! "Populated with a dazzling cast of humans and aliens alike, Francisco’s story is witty, moving, and impossible to put down."

readersfavorite.com/book-review/...
Image of the review website Readers' Favorite, showing the cover of Val Vega: Secret Ambassador of Earth (which features a Latina teenage girl in a cap, with a furry alien behind her and another squid-like alien floating above her), a five-star rating, and a portion of the opening text of the review describing the novel as a "dynamic young adult sci-fi debut."
May 9, 2025 at 7:28 PM
benfrancisco.bsky.social
Apparently there are right-wing shenanigans pushing a specific "slate" for the Locus Awards. Instead of doing that, just vote for all your favorite SF of 2024! And if that happens to include stories of queer Latinx characters saving the Galaxy thru empathy and diplomacy, that's awesome! 🙃
benfrancisco.bsky.social Ben Francisco @benfrancisco.bsky.social · Apr 9
Just one week left to vote in the Locus Awards - and anyone can vote! Val Vega: Secret Ambassador of Earth didn't make the official recommended list, but you can still write it in under the Young Adult Novel category! And you can vote for all your other fav SF of 2024 too. poll.voting.locusmag.com
Welcome to the Locus Awards Poll. Deadline for voting is April 15. You can return and edit or add to your ballot up until the deadline.
poll.voting.locusmag.com
April 11, 2025 at 7:49 PM