Cliff Burns
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cliffburns.bsky.social
Cliff Burns
@cliffburns.bsky.social
Indie author & publisher for more than three decades, with 16 books and appearances in well over 100 publications and anthologies around the world. Host of the literary podcast "Standing At an Angle to the Universe". For more info, visit cliffburns.com
#Democracy is in peril.
February 14, 2026 at 9:46 PM
One of the best writers in the world has a new book coming out tomorrow.

George Saunders is a literary treasure.

#books #NewRelease #Literature
January 27, 2026 at 11:13 PM
We can argue over who the SECOND BEST hockey player might be, but the Greatest of All Time is and always will be:

#hockey #NHL #BobbyOrr
December 26, 2025 at 1:24 AM
Feeling depressed, lonely and stressed out doesn't mean you're mentally ill and require treatment and medication.
Take a walk or volunteer at a Food Bank or get involved with politics, locally or nationally. DO SOMETHING other than sit around, staring at your navel and feeling sorry for yourself.
December 6, 2025 at 7:06 PM
"Another world is not only possible, she's on her way. Maybe many of us won't be here to greet her, but on a quiet day, if I listen carefully, I can hear her breathing."

Arundhati Roy

#books #Literature #quote
November 22, 2025 at 11:11 PM
Saw "Die, My Love" last night, Lynn Ramsey's latest #film and was enormously impressed with Jennifer Lawrence's performance in the central role. Her character's gradual disintegration is a masterful portrayal of mental illness. The #movie is quite downbeat, I can see why it hasn't been popular.
November 13, 2025 at 10:10 PM
Thinking about the fallen...and those who serve the highest ideals of democracy by protecting us from tyrants and demagogues.

Today, I reflect on Remembrance Day with a reading of Siegfried Sassoon's World War I poem, "Base Details".
November 11, 2025 at 6:05 PM
Last night I read at the launch of a new horror anthology SASKATCHEWAN SCREAMS. A number of fellow contributors were there and the location for the event (The Art Bar in Saskatoon) was intimate and congenial. The place was full and we all had a great time. #darkfantasy #horrorfiction #books
October 31, 2025 at 7:23 PM
Going to see "The Exorcist" on a big screen for the first time tomorrow. In the 1970s, William Friedkin directed a trio of great films in succession: "The French Connection", "The Exorcist" and "Sorcerer". Is it blasphemy to say "Sorcerer" is the best of the three? #film #cinema #movies
October 19, 2025 at 7:27 PM
October 18, 2025 at 4:46 PM
I was interviewed about my #essay "When Words Become Weapons" for "Saskatchewan Weekend" on #CBCRadio. The #interview will air Sunday morning (Oct. 12) at 8:45--host Shauna Powers is wonderful & we had a frank discussion about how to return civility to public discourse. Please tune In.
#socialmedia
October 10, 2025 at 10:32 PM
October 10, 2025 at 3:54 PM
Saw "One Battle After Another" last night & don't think it's among P.T. Anderson's finest. The use of incidental music throughout was off-putting & he completely missed #Pynchon's oddball humor. Pynchon isn't just about weird names, his satirical "voice" is smarter & sharper than that. #movies #film
October 3, 2025 at 4:16 PM
In solidarity with the #Gaza flotilla:

#Palestine #freedom #flotilla #GretaThunberg
October 2, 2025 at 4:30 AM
Don't just use social media to promote your badly written, self-published #ebooks (sporting the ugliest covers this side of heaven)--add your voice to the pressing issues of the day. Say something important, stand for things you believe in, support good causes.

#social-media #freespeech #democracy
October 1, 2025 at 3:43 PM
Glowing review of my book-related #podcast, "Standing At an Angle to the Universe" (available on #Spotify, Podbean, etc.):

#books #literature #writer #author #book-critic #reading
September 30, 2025 at 4:13 PM
September 30, 2025 at 4:10 PM
When it comes to #writing, like Van Morrison says: there is no guru, no method, no teacher. Each #story or #novel has its own particular challenges and demands. No writing course or prompt or "lift" helps when you're staring down a sheet of paper you must fill with original, daring prose. #books
September 29, 2025 at 6:44 PM
Tonight, a great "screwball" comedy: Irene Dunne and Cary Grant in "The Awful Truth". Veteran director Leo McCarey at the helm, the timing absolutely sublime throughout.

#movies #cinema #films #comedy
September 28, 2025 at 3:54 AM
Two of my short stories are included in a new anthology of #horror tales, SASKATCHEWAN SCREAMS, edited by Donovan Thiesson. You can pick it up from Amazon...or, better yet, order from your favorite indie #bookstore. #books #literature #shortstories #darkfantasy
September 27, 2025 at 10:46 PM
Trying it out here on Blue Sky, looking for intelligent, articulate, SANE people to interact with, discussing and debating even the hottest topics with civility and respect. Tired of being a slave to algorithms, searching for true dialogue, erasing all geographical, ethnic & religious boundaries.
September 27, 2025 at 7:01 PM