Vajra Chandrasekera
@vajra.me
Writer. Revenant. Wrote THE SAINT OF BRIGHT DOORS (2023, Nebula, Ignyte, Crawford, and Locus awards) & RAKESFALL (2024, Le Guin Prize and Otherwise award.) Colombo/New York. https://vajra.me
Pinned
Vajra Chandrasekera
@vajra.me
· Dec 31
we (will soon) have such sights to show you
BY THE WAY what @chaosbogey.bsky.social is saying here in the most understated manner possible is that she defended yesterday and is now Dr. @chaosbogey.bsky.social
in other news, & buried hip-deep, I am an anthropologist now, so I am self-soothing by reading Barbara Pym.
(I don't intend to start posting more; this weekend I miss twitter-as-was a whole lot, & I felt the need to tell you this)
(I don't intend to start posting more; this weekend I miss twitter-as-was a whole lot, & I felt the need to tell you this)
February 8, 2026 at 1:48 AM
BY THE WAY what @chaosbogey.bsky.social is saying here in the most understated manner possible is that she defended yesterday and is now Dr. @chaosbogey.bsky.social
Reposted by Vajra Chandrasekera
"I need AI to make art, human art is only for the rich and privileged-"
February 6, 2026 at 7:29 PM
"I need AI to make art, human art is only for the rich and privileged-"
Reposted by Vajra Chandrasekera
Something affecting us in book publishing world: book club scams! They obviously target desperate authors and while these might be easier to spot for folks in the fiction world, who see lots of scams, these book clubs are now heavily targeting authors of UP books. So be wary!
The New “Book Club” Scam Targeting Authors and How to Spot It
A Public Service Post for Writers
medium.com
February 5, 2026 at 3:24 PM
Something affecting us in book publishing world: book club scams! They obviously target desperate authors and while these might be easier to spot for folks in the fiction world, who see lots of scams, these book clubs are now heavily targeting authors of UP books. So be wary!
Reposted by Vajra Chandrasekera
The Ancillary Review of Books anti-billionaire promise:
February 4, 2026 at 3:45 PM
The Ancillary Review of Books anti-billionaire promise:
unfortunately neither podcasting nor misogyny is genetically transmitted so natural selection cannot be of help in this matter
📢 “A huge amount of men between the age of 15 and 50 will not pass on their genes. They will effectively die out of the gene pool ... Should society intervene?” Steven Bartlett asked last year.
Two top podcasters have identified a global decline. The problem, they say, is women
www.smh.com.au
February 3, 2026 at 4:14 PM
unfortunately neither podcasting nor misogyny is genetically transmitted so natural selection cannot be of help in this matter
unrelated, from epstein photographs I have also learned that the person who I vaguely thought was "prince andrew" this whole time was actually a "prince philip", a cadaver they used to drive around
Hiring Prince Andrew’s attorney definitely screams, “I’m innocent, this is a smear campaign”.
neil gaiman watching the epstein news thought bubble "oh yeah that reminds me"
February 3, 2026 at 4:12 PM
unrelated, from epstein photographs I have also learned that the person who I vaguely thought was "prince andrew" this whole time was actually a "prince philip", a cadaver they used to drive around
neil gaiman watching the epstein news thought bubble "oh yeah that reminds me"
February 3, 2026 at 3:50 PM
neil gaiman watching the epstein news thought bubble "oh yeah that reminds me"
Reposted by Vajra Chandrasekera
!!! A new Renee Gladman book is coming in May!!!
Renee Gladman is famous to me, but I also feel like a lot more people should still be reading for her! You could try Theory for Moving Houses: www.wavepoetry.com/products/the...
Theory for Moving Houses by Renee Gladman
You are asking me where I live and it’s making me think all these things about space, where I start and end in space and where space starts and ends in me and when, in space, I am a body and when I’m ...
www.wavepoetry.com
February 3, 2026 at 2:42 PM
!!! A new Renee Gladman book is coming in May!!!
Reposted by Vajra Chandrasekera
Strange Horizons stands with immigrants in the US as they experience intensified anti-immigrant operations.
We have the opportunity to lend our strength as a global community.
Read our full statement:
strangehorizons.com/wordpress/no...
We have the opportunity to lend our strength as a global community.
Read our full statement:
strangehorizons.com/wordpress/no...
Statement on ICE Operations in the USA
Strange Horizons stands with immigrants in the US facing these conditions.
strangehorizons.com
February 3, 2026 at 11:41 AM
Strange Horizons stands with immigrants in the US as they experience intensified anti-immigrant operations.
We have the opportunity to lend our strength as a global community.
Read our full statement:
strangehorizons.com/wordpress/no...
We have the opportunity to lend our strength as a global community.
Read our full statement:
strangehorizons.com/wordpress/no...
Reposted by Vajra Chandrasekera
oh hey my "fuck-AI-in-the-literature-classroom" story from @lightspeedmagazine.com back in January made the Locus Recommended Reading list! rad, and also fuck AI in the literature classroom!
(story here: www.lightspeedmagazine.com/fiction/tell...)
(story here: www.lightspeedmagazine.com/fiction/tell...)
2025 Recommended Reading List
Welcome to the Locus Recommended Reading List… We saw some fabulous books come out last year and are so pleased to let you know about them! Our recommendations are compiled annually by the Locus re…
locusmag.com
February 1, 2026 at 5:05 PM
oh hey my "fuck-AI-in-the-literature-classroom" story from @lightspeedmagazine.com back in January made the Locus Recommended Reading list! rad, and also fuck AI in the literature classroom!
(story here: www.lightspeedmagazine.com/fiction/tell...)
(story here: www.lightspeedmagazine.com/fiction/tell...)
Reposted by Vajra Chandrasekera
My very short story, "The Skull of Francisco Xalbec," is now available at The Deadlands. Please give it a read.
"I’d dropped hundreds, maybe thousands, of coins into the skull of Francisco Xalbec, and I still wasn’t sure how full it was, but I knew with profound certainty that I had to fill it."
TODAY beloveds!! new fiction 🖤💀
The Skull of Francisco Xalbec by Alan M. Fisher
psychopomp.com/deadlands/is...
TODAY beloveds!! new fiction 🖤💀
The Skull of Francisco Xalbec by Alan M. Fisher
psychopomp.com/deadlands/is...
The Skull of Francisco Xalbec - PSYCHOPOMP.COM
Every time I died, I received another coin to place in the skull of Francisco Xalbec.
psychopomp.com
January 26, 2026 at 3:58 PM
My very short story, "The Skull of Francisco Xalbec," is now available at The Deadlands. Please give it a read.
Reposted by Vajra Chandrasekera
"My sister’s hooks are steel: cold and fierce. The five I traded connect fingers to my right hand. In the winter, they grow so cold they burn."
You can now read "The Self-Made Women's Circle" online @thedeadlands.com 🔪
You can now read "The Self-Made Women's Circle" online @thedeadlands.com 🔪
“Today we are taking my daughter apart.”
TODAY beloveds
The Self-Made Women’s Circle by @marisca.bsky.social
read this gorgeous story here:
psychopomp.com/deadlands/is...
TODAY beloveds
The Self-Made Women’s Circle by @marisca.bsky.social
read this gorgeous story here:
psychopomp.com/deadlands/is...
The Self-Made Women’s Circle - PSYCHOPOMP.COM
Today we are taking my daughter apart.
psychopomp.com
February 1, 2026 at 2:05 PM
"My sister’s hooks are steel: cold and fierce. The five I traded connect fingers to my right hand. In the winter, they grow so cold they burn."
You can now read "The Self-Made Women's Circle" online @thedeadlands.com 🔪
You can now read "The Self-Made Women's Circle" online @thedeadlands.com 🔪
Reposted by Vajra Chandrasekera
Halfway through the decade, what are your favorite short story collections by nonwhite authors of the 2020s?
January 30, 2026 at 9:50 PM
Halfway through the decade, what are your favorite short story collections by nonwhite authors of the 2020s?
this slop ad's gonna get so many slop applications it boggles the mind
X is hiring a creative writing specialist at $40 an hour to make Grok better at writing and a true LOL at the qualifications
January 30, 2026 at 11:18 PM
this slop ad's gonna get so many slop applications it boggles the mind
"morbid symptoms" would have been a good name for a blog twenty years ago
January 29, 2026 at 2:59 PM
"morbid symptoms" would have been a good name for a blog twenty years ago
Reposted by Vajra Chandrasekera
Reposted by Vajra Chandrasekera
Reminder! Deadline is Jan 31st, scholarships are available, and Bentota is a beach town.
I will be one of the speakers/mentors at the Indian Ocean Writers’ Residency in Bentota, Sri Lanka from July 9‒15 2026. Applications close at the end of January—please do apply if you're interested, and share with anyone else who might be!
vajra.me/2026/01/16/i...
vajra.me/2026/01/16/i...
January 21, 2026 at 12:06 PM
Reminder! Deadline is Jan 31st, scholarships are available, and Bentota is a beach town.
Reposted by Vajra Chandrasekera
I'll be speaking on 3 panels at the Mathrubhumi International Festival Of Letters (February 1, 11:30 am, 2 pm, 4 pm, Kanakakkunnu Palace) in Trivandrum on Saturday. Come join if interested and able, or come say hello if you're a friend or a mutual! (Leaving Kerala the next morning):
INDRA DAS | MBIFL 2026 Speaker | Literature Festival | Mathrubhumi International Festival of Letters | Regional, National, International
Indra Das is an award-winning writer and editor from Kolkata, known for his work in speculative fiction and literary fantasy. He is the winner of the Lambda Literary Award, Shirley Jackson Award and B
www.mbifl.com
January 29, 2026 at 8:52 AM
I'll be speaking on 3 panels at the Mathrubhumi International Festival Of Letters (February 1, 11:30 am, 2 pm, 4 pm, Kanakakkunnu Palace) in Trivandrum on Saturday. Come join if interested and able, or come say hello if you're a friend or a mutual! (Leaving Kerala the next morning):
Reposted by Vajra Chandrasekera
Randomly thinking about how great some weird science fiction writers have been at titles. Cordwainer Smith, R.A. Lafferty, David Bunch, James Tiptree, Howard Waldrop. Just look through a list of their stories and the titles alone are poetic and often bonkers.
January 28, 2026 at 11:01 PM
Randomly thinking about how great some weird science fiction writers have been at titles. Cordwainer Smith, R.A. Lafferty, David Bunch, James Tiptree, Howard Waldrop. Just look through a list of their stories and the titles alone are poetic and often bonkers.
Reposted by Vajra Chandrasekera
Big news, gang: IN YOUR SKIN, a new comic book written by me, drawn by artist Som, coloured by Francesco Segala, starts publication in April from @imagecomics.com, produced by @readtinyonion.bsky.social. @popversesays.bsky.social has the exclusive details: www.thepopverse.com/comics-in-yo...
The Substance meets fandom in In Your Skin, a new Image Comics series from Tiny Onion
The new Image Comics comic from Exquisite Corpses studio Tiny Onion mixes Bollywood and body horror.
www.thepopverse.com
January 27, 2026 at 1:32 PM
Big news, gang: IN YOUR SKIN, a new comic book written by me, drawn by artist Som, coloured by Francesco Segala, starts publication in April from @imagecomics.com, produced by @readtinyonion.bsky.social. @popversesays.bsky.social has the exclusive details: www.thepopverse.com/comics-in-yo...
Reposted by Vajra Chandrasekera
For the @strangehorizons.bsky.social 2026 Criticism Special, I wrote about weird fiction being constituted by weird reading, vis a vis Sederholm and Woofter’s The Weird and @undertow.bsky.social’s The Best Weird Fiction of the Year, Vol. 1., in tribute to Maureen Kincaid Speller. It’s a long one.
The Brackish Pool: Towards a Critical Practice of Reading Weird Fiction
The ideal reader of the weird has to embrace a kind of wilful suspension of foreknowledge or generic expectation.
strangehorizons.com
January 26, 2026 at 1:42 PM
For the @strangehorizons.bsky.social 2026 Criticism Special, I wrote about weird fiction being constituted by weird reading, vis a vis Sederholm and Woofter’s The Weird and @undertow.bsky.social’s The Best Weird Fiction of the Year, Vol. 1., in tribute to Maureen Kincaid Speller. It’s a long one.
Reposted by Vajra Chandrasekera
I wrote about my time in Minneapolis last week, about what is involved in creating bottom-up, decentralized networks of care.
margaretkilljoy.substack.com/p/our-neighb...
margaretkilljoy.substack.com/p/our-neighb...
January 26, 2026 at 7:34 PM
I wrote about my time in Minneapolis last week, about what is involved in creating bottom-up, decentralized networks of care.
margaretkilljoy.substack.com/p/our-neighb...
margaretkilljoy.substack.com/p/our-neighb...
Reposted by Vajra Chandrasekera
📣 New novel announcement:
ANNA DREAMS OF A DEAD REVOLUTIONARY is coming from @tinhouse.bsky.social in 2028. When people ask what it's about, I say it's like SOUR CHERRY, except the haunted house is Greece, and Bluebeard is fascism. 🏳️⚧️🏳️🌈✊
Keep writing your queer, trans, antifascist books, friends.
ANNA DREAMS OF A DEAD REVOLUTIONARY is coming from @tinhouse.bsky.social in 2028. When people ask what it's about, I say it's like SOUR CHERRY, except the haunted house is Greece, and Bluebeard is fascism. 🏳️⚧️🏳️🌈✊
Keep writing your queer, trans, antifascist books, friends.
January 26, 2026 at 6:37 PM
📣 New novel announcement:
ANNA DREAMS OF A DEAD REVOLUTIONARY is coming from @tinhouse.bsky.social in 2028. When people ask what it's about, I say it's like SOUR CHERRY, except the haunted house is Greece, and Bluebeard is fascism. 🏳️⚧️🏳️🌈✊
Keep writing your queer, trans, antifascist books, friends.
ANNA DREAMS OF A DEAD REVOLUTIONARY is coming from @tinhouse.bsky.social in 2028. When people ask what it's about, I say it's like SOUR CHERRY, except the haunted house is Greece, and Bluebeard is fascism. 🏳️⚧️🏳️🌈✊
Keep writing your queer, trans, antifascist books, friends.
Reposted by Vajra Chandrasekera
Science Fiction is Dying. Long Live Post Sci-Fi? by Matthew Claxton
www.typebarmagazine.com/science-fict...
www.typebarmagazine.com/science-fict...
Science Fiction is Dying. Long Live Post Sci-Fi?
The old mode of science fiction is disappearing. What's replacing it?
www.typebarmagazine.com
January 26, 2026 at 2:45 PM
Science Fiction is Dying. Long Live Post Sci-Fi? by Matthew Claxton
www.typebarmagazine.com/science-fict...
www.typebarmagazine.com/science-fict...