Ben Francisco
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benfrancisco.bsky.social
Ben Francisco
@benfrancisco.bsky.social
950 followers 840 following 140 posts
Queer Latinx fiction writer. Debut novel, VAL VEGA: SECRET AMBASSADOR OF EARTH, out now! Stories in Strange Horizons, Indiana Review, Podcastle, LCRW, and more. All things geeky and social justice-y welcome. They/Them.
https://linktr.ee/benfrancisco
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benfrancisco.bsky.social
In celebration of Latinx Heritage Month, I wrote a listicle of awesome Latinx Science Fiction to read ASAP! W/ great books by @boriscrito.bsky.social @pazsays.bsky.social @valerievaldes.bsky.social @latinxfiles.bsky.social @willalex.bsky.social @silviamg.bsky.social

benfrancisco.net/2025/10/15/1...
Collage of covers of Latinx Science Fiction books, including Ambassador, Latinx Rising, Sal & Gabi Break the Universe, Prime Meridian, and Val Vega: Secret Ambassador of Earth.
October 15, 2025 at 6:52 PM
benfrancisco.bsky.social
TFW you're watching #StarTrek Strange New Worlds and a holodeck character says, "I'm a writer, I'm never happy about anything" and your husband laughs a little *too* hard...
Enterprise Captain Christopher Pike as a 1960s Holywood writer on the holodeck.
September 6, 2025 at 5:27 AM
benfrancisco.bsky.social
Got back from vacation to find that Val Vega: Secret Ambassador of Earth had gotten this lovely 5-star review from Readers' Favorite! "Populated with a dazzling cast of humans and aliens alike, Francisco’s story is witty, moving, and impossible to put down."

readersfavorite.com/book-review/...
Image of the review website Readers' Favorite, showing the cover of Val Vega: Secret Ambassador of Earth (which features a Latina teenage girl in a cap, with a furry alien behind her and another squid-like alien floating above her), a five-star rating, and a portion of the opening text of the review describing the novel as a "dynamic young adult sci-fi debut."
May 9, 2025 at 7:28 PM
benfrancisco.bsky.social
Mother and child together at the #HandsOff rally! Two generations, one struggle. From my parents I learned that love is larger than borders, that free speech is sacred, and that community means standing up for the most vulnerable among us.
Photo of my mother and me at the Hands Off march in NYC, the two of us holding a sign that says, "HANDS OFF IMMIGRANT RIGHTS."
April 6, 2025 at 12:59 AM
benfrancisco.bsky.social
Highly recommend GRACKLE by @acwise.bsky.social. This wonderfully eerie novella is not just a ghost story, but a story *about* ghost stories, about why the living find ghosts so compelling, why we're drawn to invent ghosts and cling to them and so enjoy the fear and nostalgia they carry with them.
Image of the cover of the novela Grackle, featuring a ghost-like figure against the backdrop of a shadowy tree.
January 9, 2025 at 9:16 PM
benfrancisco.bsky.social
My TBR pile is already a TBR bookcase - but even so I just had to pick up these 2024 releases that I'm especially excited to read! #BookSky #specfic
January 6, 2025 at 8:32 PM
benfrancisco.bsky.social
#AwardsEligibility Post! VAL VEGA: SECRET AMBASSADOR OF EARTH is on the Nebula Awards Suggested Reading List for the Andre Norton Award for Young Adult and Middle Grade Science Fiction & Fantasy! Also eligible for the not-a-Hugo Lodestar Award for Best Young Adult Book. #BookSky #YA #SciFi
January 4, 2025 at 1:13 AM
benfrancisco.bsky.social
Great readings tonight of stories of wonders and horrors by @randee.bsky.social, @jfoster.bsky.social, @nicholaskaufmann.bsky.social, Karen Heuler, and Chandler Klang Smith!
October 7, 2024 at 2:17 AM
benfrancisco.bsky.social
Great readings tonight of stories of wonders and horrors by @randee.bsky.social, @jfoster.bsky.social, @nicholaskaufmann.bsky.social, Karen Heuler, and Chandler Klang Smith!
October 7, 2024 at 2:16 AM
benfrancisco.bsky.social
Excited for this event tonight with five brilliant writers of fantastic fiction: @randee.bsky.social, @jfoster.bsky.social, @nicholaskaufmann.bsky.social, Karen Heuler, and Chandler Klang Smith!
October 6, 2024 at 7:11 PM
benfrancisco.bsky.social
Celebrate #Pride with Queers in Space! Check out this listicle of #LGBTQIA SF in space, including amazing books by @charliejane.bsky.social @riverssolomon.bsky.social @deuceofgears.bsky.social @daviddlevine.com @rykaaoki.bsky.social &more!

benfrancisco.net/2024/06/18/q...

#queer #spaceopera #scifi
Cover images of three novels of "Queers in Space" - Ninefox Gambit, Gideon the Ninth, and Light from Uncommon Stars. Cover images of three novels of "Queers in Space" - The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet, An Unkindness of Ghosts, and The Kuiper Belt Job. Cover images of three novels of "Queers in Space" - Victories Greater Than Death, A Complicated Love Story Set in Space, and Val Vega: Secret Ambassador of Earth.
June 28, 2024 at 9:49 PM
benfrancisco.bsky.social
Just read and loved DEFICIENT by Michael Solis. Highly recommended for fans of dystopian SF, superheroes, and #YA coming of age novels. #Latinx #ownvoices #pride #bookshelf

www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
Photo of the cover of the novel Deficient by Michael Solis.
June 22, 2024 at 11:14 PM
benfrancisco.bsky.social
In celebration of Pride Month, I made a listicle of some of my favorite novels featuring #LGBTQIA+ characters in space!

benfrancisco.net/2024/06/18/q...

#queer #spaceopera #sciencefiction #sciencefantasy #queersinspace #queerspaceopera #pride
Image of three "Queers in Space" novel covers: Ninefox Gambit, Gideon the Ninth, and Light from Uncommon Stars. Image of three "Queers in Space" novel covers: The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet, An Unkindness of Ghosts, and The Kuiper Belt Job. Image of three "Queers in Space" novel covers: Victories Greater Than Death, A Complicated Love Story Set in Space, and Val Vega: Secret Ambassador of Earth.
June 18, 2024 at 9:52 PM
benfrancisco.bsky.social
Great session on our current golden age of #LGBTQIA #SFF at #Nebulas2024 with all stars @ceciliatan.bsky.social @charliejane.bsky.social @zrellor.bsky.social and @lpkindred.bsky.social!
June 8, 2024 at 10:29 PM
benfrancisco.bsky.social
Excited to be on my way to Pasadena for #Nebulas2024! Looking forward to co-hosting the #LGBTQIA+ meetup (in person) and to being part of a panel on writing LGBTQIA characters!
June 5, 2024 at 9:33 PM
benfrancisco.bsky.social
VAL VEGA: SECRET AMBASSADOR OF EARTH is on sale for #Pride for just $4.99! It's the perfect time to get your fix of Diplomacy Adventures of Latinx Queers in Space! #scifi benfrancisco.net/valvega/
June 3, 2024 at 11:00 PM
benfrancisco.bsky.social
I got a belated birthday present in the form of a review from Booklife for Val Vega: Secret Ambassador of Earth- and it's an Editor's Pick! It's even what television's Moira Rose might call an understated rave! "Francisco thrills with a coming-of-age debut set among the stars."
March 24, 2024 at 9:08 PM
benfrancisco.bsky.social
This past week SECRET AMBASSADOR OF EARTH has been among the top sellers on Amazon in space opera Young Adults and LGBTQ+ Young Adult genres which is an amazing way to start. It's been fun seeing Val Vega hang out on the lists with a bunch of cool queer fiction and Star Wars books!
February 5, 2024 at 9:26 PM
benfrancisco.bsky.social
My first novel, VAL VEGA: SECRET AMBASSADOR OF EARTH, got a starred review from Kirkus! "A captivating, heartfelt tale about family, diplomacy, and finding one’s place in the universe." You can preorder your copy of this queer Latinx young adult space opera here:

www.amazon.com/Val-Vega-Sec...
January 30, 2024 at 8:33 PM
benfrancisco.bsky.social
COVER REVEAL! My first novel, VAL VEGA: SECRET AMBASSADOR OF EARTH, comes out February 2024! It's the story of Val Vega, a 16-year-old Puerto Rican high school student who gets drafted by aliens to help stop a Galactic war – as ambassador of the primitive planet called Earth!
October 26, 2023 at 6:03 PM
benfrancisco.bsky.social
New arrivals from Lethe Press! Excited to jump into these queer short story collections by three brilliant writers - Charles Payseur @cypayseur.bsky.social, Christopher Barzak @cbarzak.bsky.social, and Steve Berman!
October 11, 2023 at 9:20 PM
benfrancisco.bsky.social
Having a great writing residency at Dairy Hollow Writers Colony in Eureka Springs, Arkansas! Nourishing atmosphere with some amazing writers - plus my own cute little balcony just outside my suite!
Image of Ben Francisco with their laptop, sitting on a small balcony, with a wooded area in the background.
September 2, 2023 at 8:55 PM