Jack Fennell
@jfennellauthor.bsky.social
Writer, anthologist, geek. Anthologies: "A Brilliant Void," "It Rose Up" and "Your Own Dark Shadow" published by Tramp Press; academic tomes "Irish Science Fiction" and "Rough Beasts" by LUP. He/him for convenience's sake.
Pinned
Jack Fennell
@jfennellauthor.bsky.social
· Jun 17
Everybody Wants to Ruin the World
tramppress.com
You can read the intro to Your Own Dark Shadow, in which I discuss a time I got haunted and wax philosophical about horror, on the Tramp Press website:
tramppress.com/everybody-wa...
tramppress.com/everybody-wa...
Reposted by Jack Fennell
Two of our terrific graduate students in UL English, Emma Barrett and Jack Reid, have established a new journal! _Early Modern Society_ has a #CFP out currently for its first issue -theme = gender & the supernatural! #ecr #graduate @ulresearch.bsky.social @unioflimerick.bsky.social #research
See the call for papers from The Early Modern Society below for the first issue of their e-journal. #centreforearlymodernstudies #cems #earlymodernsociety #ems #ullibrary #ul_eic #ul_history #irishworldacademy #ul.languagecentre #earlymodern #supernatural
February 9, 2026 at 1:47 PM
Two of our terrific graduate students in UL English, Emma Barrett and Jack Reid, have established a new journal! _Early Modern Society_ has a #CFP out currently for its first issue -theme = gender & the supernatural! #ecr #graduate @ulresearch.bsky.social @unioflimerick.bsky.social #research
Reposted by Jack Fennell
PSA: English lunchtime research seminars! On 18th February we welcome Raphael Zähringer, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen; & on 4th March our own David Coughlan. All welcome to attend! @ulresearch.bsky.social @ullibrary.bsky.social #research #english @unioflimerick.bsky.social
February 9, 2026 at 12:49 PM
PSA: English lunchtime research seminars! On 18th February we welcome Raphael Zähringer, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen; & on 4th March our own David Coughlan. All welcome to attend! @ulresearch.bsky.social @ullibrary.bsky.social #research #english @unioflimerick.bsky.social
And yeah, the name "Court" is acknowledged to be ironic, since it suffers from the same organisational problem as the Brethren Court from the Pirates of the Caribbean films: its members are by nature disinclined to cooperate w8th each other.
February 9, 2026 at 4:02 PM
And yeah, the name "Court" is acknowledged to be ironic, since it suffers from the same organisational problem as the Brethren Court from the Pirates of the Caribbean films: its members are by nature disinclined to cooperate w8th each other.
There are sort of pocket-worlds inhabited by the archetypal spirits of each animal, and typically you don't get into them unless an unusual animal of that type "carries" you in an altered state of consciousness. The only one I've sketched out so far is the Court of Foxes (guess what lives there)
#FebruaryWorldbuilders If you have nonphysical realms in your setting, how can they be accessed? Can characters go there or somehow 'see' inside it? Does something else live there and come out when summoned?
February 9, 2026 at 3:52 PM
There are sort of pocket-worlds inhabited by the archetypal spirits of each animal, and typically you don't get into them unless an unusual animal of that type "carries" you in an altered state of consciousness. The only one I've sketched out so far is the Court of Foxes (guess what lives there)
"[The most toxic person you know] will post a picture of a mouse in a jean jacket on facebook and write 'It's me!' That is NOT you. I don't know how you got the impression that you're a mouse in a jean jacket. You're an eel with a gun" - Chris Fleming.
February 9, 2026 at 2:15 PM
"[The most toxic person you know] will post a picture of a mouse in a jean jacket on facebook and write 'It's me!' That is NOT you. I don't know how you got the impression that you're a mouse in a jean jacket. You're an eel with a gun" - Chris Fleming.
Reposted by Jack Fennell
Once a girl and I were the last two on the bus and at the ❌ I told her I knew she plagiarised a poem she wrote and was praised for in primary school, and she shot back that when I fell and hurt my shoulder in class one day the teacher was holding back laughter.
Excruciating ~20 minutes silence
Excruciating ~20 minutes silence
February 7, 2026 at 11:40 PM
Once a girl and I were the last two on the bus and at the ❌ I told her I knew she plagiarised a poem she wrote and was praised for in primary school, and she shot back that when I fell and hurt my shoulder in class one day the teacher was holding back laughter.
Excruciating ~20 minutes silence
Excruciating ~20 minutes silence
Reposted by Jack Fennell
Join Mei Chin and I at @gutterbookshop.bsky.social on 19th February as we'll be talking about some of our favourite Chinese literature.
It's free!
Do come and celebrate the Lunar New Year with us – the Year of the Horse.
It's free!
Do come and celebrate the Lunar New Year with us – the Year of the Horse.
Great Books of China at Gutter Bookshop ✨
Join Rónán Hession and Mei Chin for a discussion on books from and about China, exploring its history, present, and unexpected perspectives.
🗓️ Thursday 19 February, 18.30–20.00.
🎫 Free, no booking required.
📚 Gutter Bookshop, Cows Lane, Temple Bar
Join Rónán Hession and Mei Chin for a discussion on books from and about China, exploring its history, present, and unexpected perspectives.
🗓️ Thursday 19 February, 18.30–20.00.
🎫 Free, no booking required.
📚 Gutter Bookshop, Cows Lane, Temple Bar
February 3, 2026 at 8:59 PM
Join Mei Chin and I at @gutterbookshop.bsky.social on 19th February as we'll be talking about some of our favourite Chinese literature.
It's free!
Do come and celebrate the Lunar New Year with us – the Year of the Horse.
It's free!
Do come and celebrate the Lunar New Year with us – the Year of the Horse.
Reposted by Jack Fennell
‘No Stories’, a short story of mine online at The Georgia Review. www.thegeorgiareview.com/posts/no-sto...
February 2, 2026 at 8:30 PM
‘No Stories’, a short story of mine online at The Georgia Review. www.thegeorgiareview.com/posts/no-sto...
Reposted by Jack Fennell
Multiple boys were snatched from the streets and have never been seen again, widely considered to have been murdered by people connected to Kincora.
Inquiry after inquiry covered it all up.
Inquiry after inquiry covered it all up.
February 7, 2026 at 11:33 AM
Multiple boys were snatched from the streets and have never been seen again, widely considered to have been murdered by people connected to Kincora.
Inquiry after inquiry covered it all up.
Inquiry after inquiry covered it all up.
And the fucking gall of leveraging an implied (but not actually stated) history of childhood abuse to sand-bag her defence of LLMs.
"If you post a glib response to this, it will affect how I see you." Too late; I've already decided I don't care.
"If you post a glib response to this, it will affect how I see you." Too late; I've already decided I don't care.
February 7, 2026 at 11:51 AM
And the fucking gall of leveraging an implied (but not actually stated) history of childhood abuse to sand-bag her defence of LLMs.
"If you post a glib response to this, it will affect how I see you." Too late; I've already decided I don't care.
"If you post a glib response to this, it will affect how I see you." Too late; I've already decided I don't care.
Reposted by Jack Fennell
No joke: I got angry hate mail today for writing an obituary of a Black woman scientist—because the person felt she did didn’t deserve the recognition.
Which just makes me want to share it again: www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Which just makes me want to share it again: www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Gladys Mae West obituary: mathematician who pioneered GPS technology
She made key contributions to US cold-war science despite facing huge barriers as a Black woman.
www.nature.com
February 6, 2026 at 9:09 AM
No joke: I got angry hate mail today for writing an obituary of a Black woman scientist—because the person felt she did didn’t deserve the recognition.
Which just makes me want to share it again: www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Which just makes me want to share it again: www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Reposted by Jack Fennell
This is an absurd situation that hurts and undermines victims and and is a total violation their trust.
My cousin, Sarah Grace, a survivor and a lawyer, has been one of the leading voices calling for change on this. You can listen to her and others explain it here.
www.rte.ie/radio/radio1...
My cousin, Sarah Grace, a survivor and a lawyer, has been one of the leading voices calling for change on this. You can listen to her and others explain it here.
www.rte.ie/radio/radio1...
February 6, 2026 at 8:50 AM
This is an absurd situation that hurts and undermines victims and and is a total violation their trust.
My cousin, Sarah Grace, a survivor and a lawyer, has been one of the leading voices calling for change on this. You can listen to her and others explain it here.
www.rte.ie/radio/radio1...
My cousin, Sarah Grace, a survivor and a lawyer, has been one of the leading voices calling for change on this. You can listen to her and others explain it here.
www.rte.ie/radio/radio1...
Reposted by Jack Fennell
URGENT HELP NEEDED 🚨
Black Trans individual who has fled the UK needs assistance if anyone can help at all ‼️ even a few euro will help them with food or meds for the time being ‼️
gofund.me/c683aab31
#mutualaid #gofundme #transrights #charity #fundsneeded
Black Trans individual who has fled the UK needs assistance if anyone can help at all ‼️ even a few euro will help them with food or meds for the time being ‼️
gofund.me/c683aab31
#mutualaid #gofundme #transrights #charity #fundsneeded
Donate to Help support Kiera's basic needs to gain stability again, organized by Kiera Taylor
Hello everyone. My name is Kiera. I am a 31 year old, British-Ja… Kiera Taylor needs your support for Help support Kiera's basic needs to gain stability again
gofund.me
February 4, 2026 at 11:39 AM
URGENT HELP NEEDED 🚨
Black Trans individual who has fled the UK needs assistance if anyone can help at all ‼️ even a few euro will help them with food or meds for the time being ‼️
gofund.me/c683aab31
#mutualaid #gofundme #transrights #charity #fundsneeded
Black Trans individual who has fled the UK needs assistance if anyone can help at all ‼️ even a few euro will help them with food or meds for the time being ‼️
gofund.me/c683aab31
#mutualaid #gofundme #transrights #charity #fundsneeded
One of the things I was working on before my whole shit blue-screened back in October, and which I didn't have backed up, was a cyberpunk-lite story about a covert op to blow up a billionaire children's author's super-yacht. In light of recent events, I'm kind of glad it didn't see the light of day.
February 4, 2026 at 12:58 PM
One of the things I was working on before my whole shit blue-screened back in October, and which I didn't have backed up, was a cyberpunk-lite story about a covert op to blow up a billionaire children's author's super-yacht. In light of recent events, I'm kind of glad it didn't see the light of day.
Reposted by Jack Fennell
Tech giants Meta, Google and TikTok are before the Oireachtas Media Committee today... as was long flagged, X has refused to take part.
X even went so far as to reject a written request from the Taoiseach to appear before the Committee.
X even went so far as to reject a written request from the Taoiseach to appear before the Committee.
February 4, 2026 at 9:04 AM
Tech giants Meta, Google and TikTok are before the Oireachtas Media Committee today... as was long flagged, X has refused to take part.
X even went so far as to reject a written request from the Taoiseach to appear before the Committee.
X even went so far as to reject a written request from the Taoiseach to appear before the Committee.
"Let me say this. If a person has the honour to be a girl, for me that is sufficient. It is a complete justification. All adjectives are impertinent and irrelevant." - Flann O'Brien
February 3, 2026 at 4:16 PM
"Let me say this. If a person has the honour to be a girl, for me that is sufficient. It is a complete justification. All adjectives are impertinent and irrelevant." - Flann O'Brien
Look, I know that I'm in no position to judge. I listen to podcasts all day, and then another to fall asleep. Some of my closest not-actually-friends are podcasters.
But if anyone says to me, "Two podcasters have identified a global decline..." I'll mangle that person for amusement and for science.
But if anyone says to me, "Two podcasters have identified a global decline..." I'll mangle that person for amusement and for science.
OK. Cool. So, can I blame men because I never had kids? Should society have intervened to insist some guy had kids with me?
Never 'passing on your genes' instead of saying never got to 'have a family' is telling
This is the way the world has ALWAYS been
I think the world will be ok without them.
Never 'passing on your genes' instead of saying never got to 'have a family' is telling
This is the way the world has ALWAYS been
I think the world will be ok without them.
February 3, 2026 at 1:48 PM
Look, I know that I'm in no position to judge. I listen to podcasts all day, and then another to fall asleep. Some of my closest not-actually-friends are podcasters.
But if anyone says to me, "Two podcasters have identified a global decline..." I'll mangle that person for amusement and for science.
But if anyone says to me, "Two podcasters have identified a global decline..." I'll mangle that person for amusement and for science.
Miss me with that cyanide-adjacent bullshit. And aniseed, and licorice. Gwontafuck to the lot of 'em.
February 3, 2026 at 12:20 AM
Miss me with that cyanide-adjacent bullshit. And aniseed, and licorice. Gwontafuck to the lot of 'em.
Just walked past a toSwI' qal'aq on my way to pick up a raktajino; overheard half a dozen college women chatting about 'Melania'. They loved the First Lady's class, honour and battle-readiness.
"Like, listen to the voice of your blood!"
"Only a fool fights in a burning house!"
"Like, listen to the voice of your blood!"
"Only a fool fights in a burning house!"
February 2, 2026 at 5:46 PM
Just walked past a toSwI' qal'aq on my way to pick up a raktajino; overheard half a dozen college women chatting about 'Melania'. They loved the First Lady's class, honour and battle-readiness.
"Like, listen to the voice of your blood!"
"Only a fool fights in a burning house!"
"Like, listen to the voice of your blood!"
"Only a fool fights in a burning house!"
Reposted by Jack Fennell
May their beds grow thorns
May their food choke and tear
May water never slake their thirst
And the Sun burn but never warm them
May the Earth refuse them
And the heavens turn their back
May they know no peace
No rest
No forgiveness.
May their food choke and tear
May water never slake their thirst
And the Sun burn but never warm them
May the Earth refuse them
And the heavens turn their back
May they know no peace
No rest
No forgiveness.
January 26, 2026 at 12:01 AM
May their beds grow thorns
May their food choke and tear
May water never slake their thirst
And the Sun burn but never warm them
May the Earth refuse them
And the heavens turn their back
May they know no peace
No rest
No forgiveness.
May their food choke and tear
May water never slake their thirst
And the Sun burn but never warm them
May the Earth refuse them
And the heavens turn their back
May they know no peace
No rest
No forgiveness.
Reposted by Jack Fennell
"An audacious premise and so much could have gone wrong, but LM not only brings it off, but makes it believable."
What a fantastic recommendation for THE UNLIKELY PURSUIT OF MARY BENNET! I'm so thrilled!
What a fantastic recommendation for THE UNLIKELY PURSUIT OF MARY BENNET! I'm so thrilled!
Don't miss our brand new BEST BOOKS OF 2025 LIST
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@thejjarias.bsky.social
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featuring
@thejjarias.bsky.social
@lindzmcleod.bsky.social
@effiecalvin.bsky.social
@siennawaters.bsky.social
buff.ly/xTPaiIe
January 31, 2026 at 7:33 PM
"An audacious premise and so much could have gone wrong, but LM not only brings it off, but makes it believable."
What a fantastic recommendation for THE UNLIKELY PURSUIT OF MARY BENNET! I'm so thrilled!
What a fantastic recommendation for THE UNLIKELY PURSUIT OF MARY BENNET! I'm so thrilled!
Clearly, if you're already in Clarkesworld and the New Yorker, and ypu have a best-selling novel under your belt, this is the obvious next step.
January 31, 2026 at 8:34 AM
Clearly, if you're already in Clarkesworld and the New Yorker, and ypu have a best-selling novel under your belt, this is the obvious next step.