Karen Bass 🇨🇦
@karenbasswriter.bsky.social
Author of 7 YA novels & 1 MG novel, some that won awards (see website). Rep'd by Stacey Kondla.
www.karenbass.ca
🇨🇦🐱📚✈️
www.karenbass.ca
🇨🇦🐱📚✈️
Reposted by Karen Bass 🇨🇦
If you like an author's work, the best thing you can do is buy it. The second best thing you can do is ask your local library to buy it. Or, do both!
A reminder that the median book deal for a debut author in the UK is £7000, paid over 12-18 months. (from 2022 Society of Authors report). Some of your favourite writers are struggling. societyofauthors.org/2022/12/06/a....
A profession struggling to sustain itself - The Society of Authors
ALCS report on author incomes shows 60% drop in median incomes since 2006
societyofauthors.org
November 24, 2025 at 5:39 PM
If you like an author's work, the best thing you can do is buy it. The second best thing you can do is ask your local library to buy it. Or, do both!
Reposted by Karen Bass 🇨🇦
Happy I Read Canadian Day from the CCBC! Thank you to everyone sharing their excitement for Canadian books today!
November 5, 2025 at 4:26 PM
Happy I Read Canadian Day from the CCBC! Thank you to everyone sharing their excitement for Canadian books today!
Our old man has suddenly sprouted a single white whisker. Here's to our cat friends, young and old. #nationalcatday
October 30, 2025 at 1:15 AM
Our old man has suddenly sprouted a single white whisker. Here's to our cat friends, young and old. #nationalcatday
On holiday, I accidentally started deleting all the pics on my camera's SD card instead of just 1. When I realized, I popped the card out and saved it for home. Today I found a great tutorial for recovering deleted pics on an SD card. It worked. There is still some good out there. 😀
October 23, 2025 at 8:33 PM
On holiday, I accidentally started deleting all the pics on my camera's SD card instead of just 1. When I realized, I popped the card out and saved it for home. Today I found a great tutorial for recovering deleted pics on an SD card. It worked. There is still some good out there. 😀
Reposted by Karen Bass 🇨🇦
Petition to investigate public statements that are false or misleading by sitting Members of Parliament:
e-6679
Petition to the House of Commons
www.ourcommons.ca/petitions/en...
❤️🍁🇨🇦TEAM CANADA FOREVER 🇨🇦🍁❤️
❤️🍁🇨🇦VIVE LE CANADA 🇨🇦🍁❤️
e-6679
Petition to the House of Commons
www.ourcommons.ca/petitions/en...
❤️🍁🇨🇦TEAM CANADA FOREVER 🇨🇦🍁❤️
❤️🍁🇨🇦VIVE LE CANADA 🇨🇦🍁❤️
September 17, 2025 at 2:55 PM
Petition to investigate public statements that are false or misleading by sitting Members of Parliament:
e-6679
Petition to the House of Commons
www.ourcommons.ca/petitions/en...
❤️🍁🇨🇦TEAM CANADA FOREVER 🇨🇦🍁❤️
❤️🍁🇨🇦VIVE LE CANADA 🇨🇦🍁❤️
e-6679
Petition to the House of Commons
www.ourcommons.ca/petitions/en...
❤️🍁🇨🇦TEAM CANADA FOREVER 🇨🇦🍁❤️
❤️🍁🇨🇦VIVE LE CANADA 🇨🇦🍁❤️
Because sometimes you just need a pair of cute alpacas in your timeline.
September 14, 2025 at 2:41 PM
Because sometimes you just need a pair of cute alpacas in your timeline.
I must be one of the slowest cyclists ever, but I still enjoy riding. Time to get out in the sun again.
September 1, 2025 at 4:53 PM
I must be one of the slowest cyclists ever, but I still enjoy riding. Time to get out in the sun again.
Reposted by Karen Bass 🇨🇦
The @kidsbookcentre.bsky.social just announced the finalists for 2025 CCBC Book Awards. They recognize excellence in picture books, historical fiction, non-fiction, speculative fiction, YA, debut fiction, etc. by Canadians. Congrats to all! canlitforlittlecanadians.blogspot.com/2025/08/2025...
2025 CCBC Book Awards: Finalists announced
Promoting children's and YA books by Canadian authors and illustrators
canlitforlittlecanadians.blogspot.com
August 29, 2025 at 3:40 PM
The @kidsbookcentre.bsky.social just announced the finalists for 2025 CCBC Book Awards. They recognize excellence in picture books, historical fiction, non-fiction, speculative fiction, YA, debut fiction, etc. by Canadians. Congrats to all! canlitforlittlecanadians.blogspot.com/2025/08/2025...
Reposted by Karen Bass 🇨🇦
If I have to explain to you why it's a bad idea to use a machine that makes shit up 15-80% of the time AND destroys the environment AND contributes to rising fascism and genocide AND puts brilliant skillful creatives out of work by stealing their work, then we're already speaking different languages
August 6, 2025 at 1:01 AM
If I have to explain to you why it's a bad idea to use a machine that makes shit up 15-80% of the time AND destroys the environment AND contributes to rising fascism and genocide AND puts brilliant skillful creatives out of work by stealing their work, then we're already speaking different languages
Reposted by Karen Bass 🇨🇦
For Alberta folks, the Forever-Canadian petition has attracted some trolls. Just heard that some creeps are going around with a laptop to con seniors into thinking they can sign online. Please remind folks they must sign the petition in person and doublecheck the canvasser's credentials.
August 17, 2025 at 12:38 AM
For Alberta folks, the Forever-Canadian petition has attracted some trolls. Just heard that some creeps are going around with a laptop to con seniors into thinking they can sign online. Please remind folks they must sign the petition in person and doublecheck the canvasser's credentials.
Reposted by Karen Bass 🇨🇦
Keep buying Canadian, this is far from over.
August 4, 2025 at 5:59 PM
Keep buying Canadian, this is far from over.
Reposted by Karen Bass 🇨🇦
We need to start calling out MAGA's threat to our children's health.
Alberta has more measles cases than all the United States combined.
Trump has been trashing American public health to satisfy the MAGA conspiracy ragers.
The cost will be paid in children's lives.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3hG...
Alberta has more measles cases than all the United States combined.
Trump has been trashing American public health to satisfy the MAGA conspiracy ragers.
The cost will be paid in children's lives.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3hG...
CHARLIE ANGUS - MAGA'S THREAT TO OUR KIDS
YouTube video by Charlie Angus
www.youtube.com
July 17, 2025 at 11:27 PM
We need to start calling out MAGA's threat to our children's health.
Alberta has more measles cases than all the United States combined.
Trump has been trashing American public health to satisfy the MAGA conspiracy ragers.
The cost will be paid in children's lives.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3hG...
Alberta has more measles cases than all the United States combined.
Trump has been trashing American public health to satisfy the MAGA conspiracy ragers.
The cost will be paid in children's lives.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3hG...
Good info & easy to remember.
Good piece by John Platt at The Revelator about flensing AI from searches. How and why. therevelator.org/how-to-get-a...
How to Get AI Out of Your Google Search Results • The Revelator
Three simple keystrokes will deliver search results that consume less energy and water — and probably contain better information.
therevelator.org
July 15, 2025 at 12:31 PM
Good info & easy to remember.
Reposted by Karen Bass 🇨🇦
The problem isn't that generativeAI will get so good it will replace artists. It can't and never will.
The problem is that uncreative and incurious people will flood every venue with so much regurgitated slop that no artist has a chance of ever being seen or found.
The problem is that uncreative and incurious people will flood every venue with so much regurgitated slop that no artist has a chance of ever being seen or found.
July 14, 2025 at 8:35 PM
The problem isn't that generativeAI will get so good it will replace artists. It can't and never will.
The problem is that uncreative and incurious people will flood every venue with so much regurgitated slop that no artist has a chance of ever being seen or found.
The problem is that uncreative and incurious people will flood every venue with so much regurgitated slop that no artist has a chance of ever being seen or found.
Thread.
The amount of people who have the nerve to walk up to me on my bookstall and quite proudly pronounce that they "don't read" is disturbing. Up to now I've just smiled and heard them out, but having done so, there's an interesting set of assumptions about reading that comes out of their mouths.
July 7, 2025 at 1:38 PM
Thread.
Reposted by Karen Bass 🇨🇦
the core idea that can radicalize people is so simple:
there is enough.
there is enough food to feed everyone. enough resources to house everyone. money and technology and medicine to stop the suffering of people around the globe.
once you accept that there's only one question:
why don't we?
there is enough.
there is enough food to feed everyone. enough resources to house everyone. money and technology and medicine to stop the suffering of people around the globe.
once you accept that there's only one question:
why don't we?
July 7, 2025 at 12:57 PM
the core idea that can radicalize people is so simple:
there is enough.
there is enough food to feed everyone. enough resources to house everyone. money and technology and medicine to stop the suffering of people around the globe.
once you accept that there's only one question:
why don't we?
there is enough.
there is enough food to feed everyone. enough resources to house everyone. money and technology and medicine to stop the suffering of people around the globe.
once you accept that there's only one question:
why don't we?
Reposted by Karen Bass 🇨🇦
“Albertans must now consider whether partisan elected officials have a mandate to cull the province’s libraries to reflect their own values. Smith may have won political power, but does that power include the ability to decide what children are allowed to read?”
thewalrus.ca/albertas-boo...
thewalrus.ca/albertas-boo...
Alberta’s Book Ban Is a Blatant Act of Cultural Vandalism | The Walrus
The push to sanitize school collections erases what literature is for: knowledge, discovery, the freedom to think
thewalrus.ca
July 7, 2025 at 12:41 PM
“Albertans must now consider whether partisan elected officials have a mandate to cull the province’s libraries to reflect their own values. Smith may have won political power, but does that power include the ability to decide what children are allowed to read?”
thewalrus.ca/albertas-boo...
thewalrus.ca/albertas-boo...
Happy Canada Day!🇨🇦 And happy 80th birthday to the Lancaster at the Hamilton Warplane Museum.
July 1, 2025 at 4:58 PM
Happy Canada Day!🇨🇦 And happy 80th birthday to the Lancaster at the Hamilton Warplane Museum.
Reposted by Karen Bass 🇨🇦
Just saw latest "Canada should be the 51st state" comments by you-know-who, UGH.
Pls help show your support for CANADA on #CanadaDay (July 1st) somehow? Read a book by a Canadian creator! Eat/cook smthg Canadian! Post a fave memory of a visit to Canada! Be an honoUrary Canadian on July 1st! 🇨🇦🎉
Pls help show your support for CANADA on #CanadaDay (July 1st) somehow? Read a book by a Canadian creator! Eat/cook smthg Canadian! Post a fave memory of a visit to Canada! Be an honoUrary Canadian on July 1st! 🇨🇦🎉
July 1st is #CanadaDay!
Why not celebrate by reading some #CanKidLit? You can browse my Canadian KidLit/YALit custom feed here: bsky.app/profile/debb...
Why not celebrate by reading some #CanKidLit? You can browse my Canadian KidLit/YALit custom feed here: bsky.app/profile/debb...
June 30, 2025 at 1:42 PM
Just saw latest "Canada should be the 51st state" comments by you-know-who, UGH.
Pls help show your support for CANADA on #CanadaDay (July 1st) somehow? Read a book by a Canadian creator! Eat/cook smthg Canadian! Post a fave memory of a visit to Canada! Be an honoUrary Canadian on July 1st! 🇨🇦🎉
Pls help show your support for CANADA on #CanadaDay (July 1st) somehow? Read a book by a Canadian creator! Eat/cook smthg Canadian! Post a fave memory of a visit to Canada! Be an honoUrary Canadian on July 1st! 🇨🇦🎉
Reposted by Karen Bass 🇨🇦
In which I talk about maintaining creative diligence in the face of hypervigilance -- and overcoming (or failing to overcome) the difficulty of protecting your mental downtime from *gestures broadly in every direction*.
A Small But Vital Thing, Taken
When I’m writing, one of the most crucial components of that process is my downtime. And I’m talking down downtime, not just like, oh I’m gonna fuck off and do something else for …
terribleminds.com
June 24, 2025 at 4:51 PM
In which I talk about maintaining creative diligence in the face of hypervigilance -- and overcoming (or failing to overcome) the difficulty of protecting your mental downtime from *gestures broadly in every direction*.
Reposted by Karen Bass 🇨🇦
ON TOP of the ethical reasons to not use AI, it's also
1) bad at what it does
2) literally makes you stupider
3) has HUGE environmental costs: every search is equivalent to pouring out an entire bottle of water. It's not worth it to generate a cutesy emoji or have it write an error-riddled draft.
1) bad at what it does
2) literally makes you stupider
3) has HUGE environmental costs: every search is equivalent to pouring out an entire bottle of water. It's not worth it to generate a cutesy emoji or have it write an error-riddled draft.
AI was trained on my books (without my permission and against my will) so this annoys me. I never use AI. Not for research, not for images, not for writing. AI used me.
I keep seeing reports of non-AI users being told that an AI detector has dubbed their work AI generated, and it makes me insane because:
1) AI detection tools *are themselves AI* and thus entirely bullshit; and
2) if an AI was trained on your works, of COURSE it’ll flag you as sounding “like” AI!
1) AI detection tools *are themselves AI* and thus entirely bullshit; and
2) if an AI was trained on your works, of COURSE it’ll flag you as sounding “like” AI!
June 15, 2025 at 2:32 PM
ON TOP of the ethical reasons to not use AI, it's also
1) bad at what it does
2) literally makes you stupider
3) has HUGE environmental costs: every search is equivalent to pouring out an entire bottle of water. It's not worth it to generate a cutesy emoji or have it write an error-riddled draft.
1) bad at what it does
2) literally makes you stupider
3) has HUGE environmental costs: every search is equivalent to pouring out an entire bottle of water. It's not worth it to generate a cutesy emoji or have it write an error-riddled draft.
Reposted by Karen Bass 🇨🇦
On the day that millions march in the streets.
When police threaten to shoot protesters "graveyard dead".
On the day that we witness horrific political assassinations it's time to talk about the rise of fascist threat in the United States.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3Gl...
When police threaten to shoot protesters "graveyard dead".
On the day that we witness horrific political assassinations it's time to talk about the rise of fascist threat in the United States.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3Gl...
CHARLIE ANGUS - AMERICAN FASCISM CAUSES POLITICAL VIOLENCE
YouTube video by Charlie Angus
www.youtube.com
June 14, 2025 at 5:44 PM
On the day that millions march in the streets.
When police threaten to shoot protesters "graveyard dead".
On the day that we witness horrific political assassinations it's time to talk about the rise of fascist threat in the United States.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3Gl...
When police threaten to shoot protesters "graveyard dead".
On the day that we witness horrific political assassinations it's time to talk about the rise of fascist threat in the United States.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3Gl...
I find this gobsmacking.
www.cbc.ca/news/world/i...
www.cbc.ca/news/world/i...
1 passenger survives after Air India flight bound for London crashes with 242 aboard | CBC News
One passenger survived the crash of an Air India plane bound for London that killed at least 240 people on Thursday in Ahmedabad, one of India's worst airline disasters in decades, officials said.
www.cbc.ca
June 12, 2025 at 8:57 PM
I find this gobsmacking.
www.cbc.ca/news/world/i...
www.cbc.ca/news/world/i...
As a late stage boomer, I completely agree. So much will be lost.
As a millennial, having lived in both the pre-and-post digital age, it feels uniquely tragic to watch how gleefully we’re barreling toward the dehumanization of the lived experience.
How the art & work of building something is seen as a sucker’s errand when you can have a bot do it for you.
How the art & work of building something is seen as a sucker’s errand when you can have a bot do it for you.
June 8, 2025 at 5:13 PM
As a late stage boomer, I completely agree. So much will be lost.
I have added writer to my BlueSky handle, and I sincerely hope it stops the incorrect tagging of my name to stories about anything to do with the mayor of LA.
June 8, 2025 at 4:26 PM
I have added writer to my BlueSky handle, and I sincerely hope it stops the incorrect tagging of my name to stories about anything to do with the mayor of LA.