Richard Z. Santos
@rzsantos.bsky.social
Debut novel TRUST ME from Arte Público Press; ed. A NIGHT OF SCREAMS LATINO HORROR STORIES; Freelance Editor (reach out!)
Lots of essays, reviews, etc in Texas Monthly and others. Recovering politico. Seeking representation,2nd novel done, 3rd in progress
Lots of essays, reviews, etc in Texas Monthly and others. Recovering politico. Seeking representation,2nd novel done, 3rd in progress
Pinned
Richard Z. Santos
@rzsantos.bsky.social
· Dec 18
My story Rush Hour from AUSTIN NOIR is on the Distinguished List for the 2024 Best American Mystery and Suspense! Thank you S.A. Cosby @blacktopkid.bsky.social and @stephcha.bsky.social.
I just found out and this is a great way to end the year!
bookshop.org/p/books/the-...
I just found out and this is a great way to end the year!
bookshop.org/p/books/the-...
I love Texas Book Festival weekend, and programming Lit Crawl the past few years has been so special. Amazing writers, wonderful hosts, and special venues make for a book lover's dream. If you were there, thank you! If you weren't, you have about a year to wait until the next one.
November 10, 2025 at 9:30 PM
I love Texas Book Festival weekend, and programming Lit Crawl the past few years has been so special. Amazing writers, wonderful hosts, and special venues make for a book lover's dream. If you were there, thank you! If you weren't, you have about a year to wait until the next one.
Reposted by Richard Z. Santos
Have R senators? (Like me?) Call Schumer’s office to tell him you will never donate to another D senate campaign again as long as he’s Senate leader. Tell him this deal is a shameful joke and a betrayal.
(202) 224-6542
(202) 224-6542
I just did this and if nothing else it was cathartic. I said I would make it my life’s mission to make sure there’s a primary challenger for any D involved in this deal, it’s fucking embarrassing.
So, listen, call Schumer’s office no matter where you live, no matter if you’re registered to vote. Leave a voicemail that says if Senate Dems cave without an ACA premiums fix, you will never vote for or donate to another Senate Democrat as long as he is Leader
November 9, 2025 at 11:34 PM
Have R senators? (Like me?) Call Schumer’s office to tell him you will never donate to another D senate campaign again as long as he’s Senate leader. Tell him this deal is a shameful joke and a betrayal.
(202) 224-6542
(202) 224-6542
Reposted by Richard Z. Santos
Following up on this. This remains a ‘cave is minutes or hours away’ situation. If you want to impact how this plays out you need to contact senators literally now. I want to add additional points of context. What I’m relaying is what I’ve picked up from highly reliable sources.
Sounds like the squishes in the senate caucus are ready to pull the plug with no ACA changes. This is real. If you want to register your opinion you shld call yr senator in the next hour. They not only want to reopen w/nothing. They want cover from their colleagues who still want to hold out.
November 9, 2025 at 10:42 PM
Following up on this. This remains a ‘cave is minutes or hours away’ situation. If you want to impact how this plays out you need to contact senators literally now. I want to add additional points of context. What I’m relaying is what I’ve picked up from highly reliable sources.
Somehow just calling her "Oates" is the funniest part of this for me.
November 9, 2025 at 4:21 PM
Somehow just calling her "Oates" is the funniest part of this for me.
Thought of @rebeccamakkai.bsky.social when the winning question in last night's Literary Death Match's was "Spell Krasznahorkai."
November 9, 2025 at 3:15 PM
Thought of @rebeccamakkai.bsky.social when the winning question in last night's Literary Death Match's was "Spell Krasznahorkai."
Lit Crawl was great and I saw dozens of friends but I didn't talk to ANY OF THEM about Bleak House. Sigh.
Can't wait to talk to all the TBF authors about being halfway through Bleak House
November 9, 2025 at 2:51 PM
Lit Crawl was great and I saw dozens of friends but I didn't talk to ANY OF THEM about Bleak House. Sigh.
Can't wait to talk to all the TBF authors about being halfway through Bleak House
November 8, 2025 at 6:23 PM
Can't wait to talk to all the TBF authors about being halfway through Bleak House
Reposted by Richard Z. Santos
Anyone looking for me tonight: LitCrawl, Texas Book Fest. Hoping to eat enough Luby’s fish on landing in Austin that I don’t fall asleep on my buzzer. But? Maybe I wake from slumber with the answer, as Ben Franklin used to do …
Just 4 of the Lit Crawl sessions tonight during Texas Book Festival!
texasbookfestival.org/2025-litcrawl/
texasbookfestival.org/2025-litcrawl/
November 8, 2025 at 5:58 PM
Anyone looking for me tonight: LitCrawl, Texas Book Fest. Hoping to eat enough Luby’s fish on landing in Austin that I don’t fall asleep on my buzzer. But? Maybe I wake from slumber with the answer, as Ben Franklin used to do …
A spectacular night at Cheer Up Charlies for Lit Crawl! Lots of poetry, noir, and Literary Death Match.
November 8, 2025 at 4:42 PM
A spectacular night at Cheer Up Charlies for Lit Crawl! Lots of poetry, noir, and Literary Death Match.
Just 4 of the Lit Crawl sessions tonight during Texas Book Festival!
texasbookfestival.org/2025-litcrawl/
texasbookfestival.org/2025-litcrawl/
November 8, 2025 at 3:45 PM
Just 4 of the Lit Crawl sessions tonight during Texas Book Festival!
texasbookfestival.org/2025-litcrawl/
texasbookfestival.org/2025-litcrawl/
Failed this challenge so hard
Do I get off this couch to go to a book party challenge
November 8, 2025 at 3:05 PM
Failed this challenge so hard
Do I get off this couch to go to a book party challenge
November 8, 2025 at 12:56 AM
Do I get off this couch to go to a book party challenge
Reposted by Richard Z. Santos
I hope we're getting a @mcsweeneys.net about Zohran hiring the progressive equivalents of the DOGE bros.
We’re hiring!
Our new resume portal is live, and we’re looking for top talent in NYC to help build this administration and deliver on our affordability agenda.
Could that be you? Apply using the link below.
transition2025.com/apply
Our new resume portal is live, and we’re looking for top talent in NYC to help build this administration and deliver on our affordability agenda.
Could that be you? Apply using the link below.
transition2025.com/apply
November 6, 2025 at 4:04 PM
I hope we're getting a @mcsweeneys.net about Zohran hiring the progressive equivalents of the DOGE bros.
They're likely cost cutting to spend more on AI as opposed to replacing workers with AI, which means a lot of people will be hired back into these positions but at a lower salary and more duties and with weird AI to deal with.
🚨 CNBC: "Announced corporate job cuts surging past 1 million so far this year, with 153,000 new layoffs just in October according to Challenger. That is the worst October since 2003."
November 6, 2025 at 1:10 PM
They're likely cost cutting to spend more on AI as opposed to replacing workers with AI, which means a lot of people will be hired back into these positions but at a lower salary and more duties and with weird AI to deal with.
The new Luby's in downtown Austin isn't open on the weekends, which is a shame since I'd swing by there wth just about any authors in town for Texas Book Festival.
November 5, 2025 at 11:49 PM
The new Luby's in downtown Austin isn't open on the weekends, which is a shame since I'd swing by there wth just about any authors in town for Texas Book Festival.
Tonight is the first time I'm learning that Windom Earle escaped The Black Lodge and moved to VA. Did everyone else know this??
November 5, 2025 at 12:35 AM
Tonight is the first time I'm learning that Windom Earle escaped The Black Lodge and moved to VA. Did everyone else know this??
Bet
Transportation chief Sean Duffy threatened to ground all U.S. flights amid the ongoing shutdown, warning "we'll shut the whole airspace down."
Trump official threatens to ground all flights before Thanksgiving in shutdown standoff
Transportation chief Sean Duffy threatened to ground all U.S. flights amid the ongoing shutdown, warning "we'll shut the whole airspace down." As the stalemate drags into the second month, it's adding more potential risk to the aviation system and putting a further strain on air traffic control staf...
bit.ly
November 3, 2025 at 6:03 PM
Bet
The headlines will say the first part but not the rest
NEW: The Trump administration told a judge it will comply with an order to fund US food aid benefits for November during the government shutdown, but only at 50% of the amount eligible households would normally receive, and with a warning it could take weeks or months to implement buff.ly/nNJ5LJA
November 3, 2025 at 6:02 PM
The headlines will say the first part but not the rest
I tried to map out the big picture plot movements for my WIP and came up with a nice path that is actually a pretty common story structure.
Starts with: I don't know that something is happening. Goes into awareness, making a plan, scrapping the plan, and so on.
Starts with: I don't know that something is happening. Goes into awareness, making a plan, scrapping the plan, and so on.
November 3, 2025 at 2:19 PM
I tried to map out the big picture plot movements for my WIP and came up with a nice path that is actually a pretty common story structure.
Starts with: I don't know that something is happening. Goes into awareness, making a plan, scrapping the plan, and so on.
Starts with: I don't know that something is happening. Goes into awareness, making a plan, scrapping the plan, and so on.
Thank you Max for the invite! Excited to have a weird little piece in the @sacurrent.bsky.social. These are all great reads. Mine is about work and kinda about death.
For the San Antonio Current, I recruited 13 local & local-ish writers to come up with 100-word flash fiction pieces. Enjoy!
www.sacurrent.com/arts/literat...
www.sacurrent.com/arts/literat...
100-word nightmares from 13 Texas horror authors
Thirteen San Antonio- and Austin-area writers conjured up bite-sized bits of horror for your Halloween enjoyment.
www.sacurrent.com
October 30, 2025 at 5:41 PM
Thank you Max for the invite! Excited to have a weird little piece in the @sacurrent.bsky.social. These are all great reads. Mine is about work and kinda about death.
This was a fun event and Jess's book is spectacular. Catch her on tour and get the book here: ghoulish.rip/product/moth...
October 30, 2025 at 12:33 PM
This was a fun event and Jess's book is spectacular. Catch her on tour and get the book here: ghoulish.rip/product/moth...
Reposted by Richard Z. Santos
The only truly ethical response that a self-described artist can make. Anything else is a betrayal of one's colleagues.
“I am not interested, nor will I ever be interested. I'm 61, and I hope to be able to remain uninterested in using it at all until I croak. ... The other day, somebody wrote me an email, said, ‘What is your stance on AI?’ And my answer was very short. I said, ‘I'd rather die.’” 🫡
Filmmaker Guillermo del Toro says 'I'd rather die' than use generative AI
Del Toro's new Frankenstein adaption reimagines Mary Shelley's 1818 Gothic novel. Frankenstein was like a tech bro: "creating something without considering the consequences," he explains.
www.npr.org
October 23, 2025 at 11:00 PM
The only truly ethical response that a self-described artist can make. Anything else is a betrayal of one's colleagues.
Wow a lot of highs and a pretty pretty pretty big low in this sentence.
Johnny Depp will reportedly play Ebenezer Scrooge in Ti West’s EBENEZER: A CHRISTMAS CAROL, with Andrea Riseborough (Possessor) also attached to star in the film.
‘Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol’ – Ti West Directing Dickens Tale With Johnny Depp as Scrooge
While Robert Eggers plans his own dark take on A Christmas Carol starring Willem Dafoe, Deadline reports that Ti West (X, Pearl, MaXXXine) is taking his own crack at the classic tale. Johnny Depp will...
bloody-disgusting.com
October 23, 2025 at 6:01 PM
Wow a lot of highs and a pretty pretty pretty big low in this sentence.