Melissa Burkart
@mwithpen.bsky.social
Possible sea witch living by the Maine coast. Spec fic/fantasy writer of flash fiction, novels, and everything in between. Perpetually Exhausted Parent™. Forever a theatre kid. Bi/demi she/her.
melissaburkart.com
melissaburkart.com
Pinned
Melissa Burkart
@mwithpen.bsky.social
· Dec 14
Constellations Falling - Trollbreath Magazine
Constellations Falling
magazine.trollbreath.com
'tis the season for #AwardEligibility posts!!!
I've had one short story out this year, and if you're the kind of person who nominates for such things, please consider my #queer coming-of-age modern #fantasy:
magazine.trollbreath.com/constellatio...
#WriteSky
I've had one short story out this year, and if you're the kind of person who nominates for such things, please consider my #queer coming-of-age modern #fantasy:
magazine.trollbreath.com/constellatio...
#WriteSky
Reposted by Melissa Burkart
Friends! The world is going to shit but we can’t lose the sight of what’s important: threads. So for every like, I will post a headline from 2026 in an alternate universe — and since there’s a multitude of them, I’ll try for a range of possibilities. Keep loving, keep fighting!
January 22, 2026 at 1:16 PM
Friends! The world is going to shit but we can’t lose the sight of what’s important: threads. So for every like, I will post a headline from 2026 in an alternate universe — and since there’s a multitude of them, I’ll try for a range of possibilities. Keep loving, keep fighting!
Reposted by Melissa Burkart
Two things you can do RIGHT NOW, like literally as you read this:
1) Call your reps and leave voice mails telling them NO DHS FUNDING and ABOLISH ICE and they better do it for Liam.
2) Donate what you can for www.standwithminnesota.com (a list of orgs, campaigns, and funds on the ground)
1) Call your reps and leave voice mails telling them NO DHS FUNDING and ABOLISH ICE and they better do it for Liam.
2) Donate what you can for www.standwithminnesota.com (a list of orgs, campaigns, and funds on the ground)
January 22, 2026 at 5:07 AM
Two things you can do RIGHT NOW, like literally as you read this:
1) Call your reps and leave voice mails telling them NO DHS FUNDING and ABOLISH ICE and they better do it for Liam.
2) Donate what you can for www.standwithminnesota.com (a list of orgs, campaigns, and funds on the ground)
1) Call your reps and leave voice mails telling them NO DHS FUNDING and ABOLISH ICE and they better do it for Liam.
2) Donate what you can for www.standwithminnesota.com (a list of orgs, campaigns, and funds on the ground)
…well that explains my mom…
Sum: Narcissist gonna narcissist.
Study finds education level doesn’t stop narcissists from believing conspiracy theories www.psypost.org/study-finds-...
"...higher scores on measures of narcissism were linked to belief in conspiracy theories and misinformation."
Study finds education level doesn’t stop narcissists from believing conspiracy theories www.psypost.org/study-finds-...
"...higher scores on measures of narcissism were linked to belief in conspiracy theories and misinformation."
Study finds education level doesn’t stop narcissists from believing conspiracy theories
Does a university degree protect you from fake news? Not if you have high narcissistic traits. New findings suggest that a need to feel special can make even highly educated people fall for conspiracy...
www.psypost.org
January 22, 2026 at 12:48 PM
…well that explains my mom…
Reposted by Melissa Burkart
im starting a mycorrhizal network so if your a plant or another fungus or just have a rootlike structure for some other reason (i dont judge) you can join it by sinking into some soil near you
January 20, 2026 at 10:02 PM
im starting a mycorrhizal network so if your a plant or another fungus or just have a rootlike structure for some other reason (i dont judge) you can join it by sinking into some soil near you
Reposted by Melissa Burkart
friendly neighborhood barred attorney telling you to never put your ID on your phone
iPhone driver’s licenses: Here are all the states working on support
iPhone driver’s licenses: Here are all the states working on support
At WWDC 2021, Apple announced support for adding driver’s licenses and state IDs to Apple Wallet. Since then, over a dozen states in the United States have rolled out support for the platform.
As that number continues to grow, here’s where driver’s licenses and state IDs could come next …
more…
9to5mac.com
January 20, 2026 at 9:42 PM
friendly neighborhood barred attorney telling you to never put your ID on your phone
Reposted by Melissa Burkart
Hearing confirmed reports from people on the ground of ICE sightings in Portland, Maine today. If you see/know anything, message me on Signal at marisakabas.04
ICE is coming to Portland and Lewiston imminently, their mayors confirmed today. Both cities have large Somali populations.
When reached for comment, ICE wouldn’t even confirm whether or not this action was happening.
When reached for comment, ICE wouldn’t even confirm whether or not this action was happening.
ICE is headed to Maine
The Mayors of Portland and Lewiston confirmed Wednesday ICE's imminent presence.
www.thehandbasket.co
January 20, 2026 at 8:00 PM
Hearing confirmed reports from people on the ground of ICE sightings in Portland, Maine today. If you see/know anything, message me on Signal at marisakabas.04
Waiwaitwait WHAT?!
…my grandfather was Canadian. He came to Maine as an adult…
I can’t quite make out if this gives me citizenship or not
…my grandfather was Canadian. He came to Maine as an adult…
I can’t quite make out if this gives me citizenship or not
Big news: Canada changed their citizenship rules and now if you've ever had a direct ancestor who was a citizen, you are now automatically a citizen too! www.canada.ca/en/immigrati...
I've been sharing this around, and I know a few people who've discovered they're now Canadian citizens!
I've been sharing this around, and I know a few people who've discovered they're now Canadian citizens!
Change to citizenship rules in 2025 - Canada.ca
Bill C-3 changes the first-generation limit for Canadian citizenship by descent. Find out who is affected and how the law impacts citizenship eligibility.
www.canada.ca
January 21, 2026 at 1:38 PM
Waiwaitwait WHAT?!
…my grandfather was Canadian. He came to Maine as an adult…
I can’t quite make out if this gives me citizenship or not
…my grandfather was Canadian. He came to Maine as an adult…
I can’t quite make out if this gives me citizenship or not
Reposted by Melissa Burkart
Nothing micro about it, my man
microdosing the horrors by being awake
January 21, 2026 at 1:07 AM
Nothing micro about it, my man
Reposted by Melissa Burkart
Hollywood drugged us into the a mass delusion that some hero is going to save us. There is no hero. It’s a million small real actions by hundreds of millions of people that will pull us out eventually. The people always win. Find something real and tangible to do, and do it now. And now. And now.
January 21, 2026 at 10:39 AM
Hollywood drugged us into the a mass delusion that some hero is going to save us. There is no hero. It’s a million small real actions by hundreds of millions of people that will pull us out eventually. The people always win. Find something real and tangible to do, and do it now. And now. And now.
I need red yarn. For REASONS
the knitters too. this is the top pattern on ravelry right now
January 19, 2026 at 2:59 PM
I need red yarn. For REASONS
Reposted by Melissa Burkart
in case you stan Pluto and you didn’t click through on my other post you really have to see this.
These are the icy mountains of Pluto. It took 9 years to get these magnificent images… and 4.8 billion kilometers.
January 19, 2026 at 11:44 AM
in case you stan Pluto and you didn’t click through on my other post you really have to see this.
Reposted by Melissa Burkart
We broke the world to make it whole...
January 19, 2026 at 1:45 PM
We broke the world to make it whole...
Reposted by Melissa Burkart
i once read "the rights you think criminals should have are the rights you think everyone should have because the state can criminalize anyone" and it changed how i think about everything
January 19, 2026 at 5:52 AM
i once read "the rights you think criminals should have are the rights you think everyone should have because the state can criminalize anyone" and it changed how i think about everything
Reposted by Melissa Burkart
January 19, 2026 at 2:09 PM
I need some optimism to avoid burnout, but that risks complacency
I’m white and cis. Those privileges insulate me. I don’t have the visceral generational traumas from hate. But hate doesn’t just go away and our kids inherit all of that
We want love to always win over hate but that takes work
I’m white and cis. Those privileges insulate me. I don’t have the visceral generational traumas from hate. But hate doesn’t just go away and our kids inherit all of that
We want love to always win over hate but that takes work
Slavery, Jim Crow, aids epidemic, war on drugs, and our rights are taken away.
Hate seems to last for centuries and it's passed down through generations.
That is the appropriate conversation to have in this climate.
Hate seems to last for centuries and it's passed down through generations.
That is the appropriate conversation to have in this climate.
Hate never wins in the long run. Hate burns itself out. It isolates. It self destructs. But love? Love builds. Love protects. Love lasts.
January 19, 2026 at 2:46 PM
I need some optimism to avoid burnout, but that risks complacency
I’m white and cis. Those privileges insulate me. I don’t have the visceral generational traumas from hate. But hate doesn’t just go away and our kids inherit all of that
We want love to always win over hate but that takes work
I’m white and cis. Those privileges insulate me. I don’t have the visceral generational traumas from hate. But hate doesn’t just go away and our kids inherit all of that
We want love to always win over hate but that takes work
Reposted by Melissa Burkart
This is one of the best books of 2026, and Naomi Kritzer is right in Minneapolis so she might be a bit distracted by what’s going on.
So gonna ask you to preorder it if you can and if you’re interested.
So gonna ask you to preorder it if you can and if you’re interested.
My end-of-year publishing roundup: I had zero books and zero short stories come out this year. I did write, I just didn't write anything that came out in 2025.
In 2026 I have a novella coming out from Tor! You can preorder it!
us.macmillan.com/books/978125...
In 2026 I have a novella coming out from Tor! You can preorder it!
us.macmillan.com/books/978125...
Obstetrix
From the Hugo award-winning author Naomi Kritzer comes a tense portrait of a future we desperately hope to escape.O Lord, deliver us.Doctor Liz has just been...
us.macmillan.com
January 19, 2026 at 12:53 AM
This is one of the best books of 2026, and Naomi Kritzer is right in Minneapolis so she might be a bit distracted by what’s going on.
So gonna ask you to preorder it if you can and if you’re interested.
So gonna ask you to preorder it if you can and if you’re interested.
Reposted by Melissa Burkart
There's a reason why Fred Rogers used the word "neighbor." The older I get, the more powerful I realize "being a good neighbor" is... and I'm not talking about some damn State Farm.
January 18, 2026 at 5:51 PM
There's a reason why Fred Rogers used the word "neighbor." The older I get, the more powerful I realize "being a good neighbor" is... and I'm not talking about some damn State Farm.
Reposted by Melissa Burkart
Just because a lot of people are cruel, bigoted, and brainwashed doesn’t mean we have to find a “middle ground” with them or a “compromise” that satisfies some of their racist delusions. We just don’t.
January 18, 2026 at 7:28 PM
Just because a lot of people are cruel, bigoted, and brainwashed doesn’t mean we have to find a “middle ground” with them or a “compromise” that satisfies some of their racist delusions. We just don’t.
Reposted by Melissa Burkart
You don't need to gas people en masses to have a death camp.
You only need to treat people with indifference and provide insufficient resources until they die.
You only need to treat people with indifference and provide insufficient resources until they die.
I posted about the fifth detained death less than 24 hours ago. Now, ICE reports its sixth detained death of 2026. Call your representatives in Congress now and tell them no more funding for detention. ICE clearly can’t handle it.
January 18, 2026 at 7:34 PM
You don't need to gas people en masses to have a death camp.
You only need to treat people with indifference and provide insufficient resources until they die.
You only need to treat people with indifference and provide insufficient resources until they die.
Reposted by Melissa Burkart
Breaking news: New baby alpaca born a few hours ago. So we moved the moms & young ones to another prairie so the big boys—male llamas and horses—don’t play too rough with the baby.
Please accept our timeline cleanse as you battle to preserve the 250-year old experiment of American Democracy.
Please accept our timeline cleanse as you battle to preserve the 250-year old experiment of American Democracy.
January 17, 2026 at 2:49 PM
Breaking news: New baby alpaca born a few hours ago. So we moved the moms & young ones to another prairie so the big boys—male llamas and horses—don’t play too rough with the baby.
Please accept our timeline cleanse as you battle to preserve the 250-year old experiment of American Democracy.
Please accept our timeline cleanse as you battle to preserve the 250-year old experiment of American Democracy.
Reposted by Melissa Burkart
this is the sickest shit ive ever seen
January 16, 2026 at 9:38 PM
this is the sickest shit ive ever seen
Reposted by Melissa Burkart
Mvskoke relatives: The Mvskoke Nation Department of Public Safety have confirmed ICE is in Oklahoma. They advise carrying your Tribal ID and have access to the phone number for Lighthorse as they can verify citizenship no matter where you're located physically.
Lighthorse 918-732-7800
Lighthorse 918-732-7800
January 17, 2026 at 10:41 PM
Mvskoke relatives: The Mvskoke Nation Department of Public Safety have confirmed ICE is in Oklahoma. They advise carrying your Tribal ID and have access to the phone number for Lighthorse as they can verify citizenship no matter where you're located physically.
Lighthorse 918-732-7800
Lighthorse 918-732-7800
Ngl, someday get something like Murderbot ARCs is a writing career goal 💜
Also, I can’t wait to read Platform Decay!!!
Also, I can’t wait to read Platform Decay!!!
Status: Just finished reading an ARC of Platform Decay
Emotion check: I still fucking love Murderbot
Emotion check: I still fucking love Murderbot
January 17, 2026 at 11:19 PM
Ngl, someday get something like Murderbot ARCs is a writing career goal 💜
Also, I can’t wait to read Platform Decay!!!
Also, I can’t wait to read Platform Decay!!!
Reposted by Melissa Burkart
Good morning all. I hope you commit acts of toxic empathy today.
January 15, 2026 at 1:14 PM
Good morning all. I hope you commit acts of toxic empathy today.
Reposted by Melissa Burkart
"I’m going to start this with the dark, but then talk about the light. The thing is, I genuinely believe we’re going to win. But it’s going to be hard, and scary. As always, the only way out is through."
This Week in the Apocalypse
or: it hasn't been a boring week
margaretkilljoy.substack.com
January 15, 2026 at 3:54 PM
"I’m going to start this with the dark, but then talk about the light. The thing is, I genuinely believe we’re going to win. But it’s going to be hard, and scary. As always, the only way out is through."