Craig Clevenger
LightNews LightNews
banner
craigclevenger.bsky.social
Craig Clevenger
@craigclevenger.bsky.social
2K followers 520 following 260 posts
Writer. Library staffer. I do all my own stunts. "The Contortionist's Handbook" forthcoming 01/14/25 from Datura Books. "Mother Howl" already forthcame in 2023, also from Datura.
Posts Replies Media Videos
Pinned
craigclevenger.bsky.social
Craig Clevenger @craigclevenger.bsky.social · Jan 14
It's alive.
Reposted by Craig Clevenger
mommunism.bsky.social
Well I can see Bluesky is handling a PR crisis in their normal competent manner
I was suspended from BlueSky for defending the honor of Johnny Cash. I wish I were joking. In early October, I referenced the "I shot a man in Reno just to watch him die" lyric of "Folsom Prison Blues" in response to a terrible Wall Street Journal article saying that Johnny Cash was uncool. I quote-tweeted the article and everyone understood the reference. There was no outcry. I stand by my assessment that Johnny Cash is cool. I do not like being the subject of so much attention, especially when I cannot see the discussion. But the BlueSky admins are now claiming that I wrote a post saying, out of nowhere, "I want to shoot the author of this article just to watch him die". They are not posting a screenshot of the actual tweet, which shows that I am quote-tweeting an article about Johnny Cash, and that my post is obviously not a threat but a play on "Folsom Prison Blues." BlueSky is lying and saying I posted this line on November 10. I did not. I posted it in early October, when the WS) article came out. You can see that they are lying about the date from this page showing my last BlueSky tweets: I was not given any explanation for my suspension the first two times l inquired. Later I was told it was for the "Folsom Prison Blues" reference, and I asked for clarification but did not receive it. I thought it might be a prank until a reporter reached out this morning and confirmed it. BlueSky's behavior is bizarre and unwarranted. I have lost access to friends and all my posts and photos. I am incredibly grateful for the outpouring of support here on Substack and also on BlueSky - though I cannot see it, because I am suspended. To quote another Johnny Cash song: "I ain't never done nothin' to nobody/ I ain't never got nothin from nobody, no time/ And until I get somethin' from somebody, sometime, I don't intend to do nothin' for nobody, no time." As for BlueSky...
November 12, 2025 at 9:49 PM
Reposted by Craig Clevenger
tamrajayne.bsky.social
Why? Sarah Kendzior is one of the main reasons I moved here. If you're going to just be Twitter-lite than there's no point in staying. You can't suspend an account of her magnitude and expect it to go unnoticed and unchallenged @jay.bsky.team @aaron.bsky.team @support.bsky.team
leahmcelrath.bsky.social Leah McElrath @leahmcelrath.bsky.social · 3d
Hello @support.bsky.team

I heard from Sarah Kendzior @sarahkendzior.bsky.social that her account was suspended.

Can you please look into this and reinstate her account? She’s a published author and scholar on authoritarianism. Her presence here is valuable.

cc:
@jay.bsky.team
@aaron.bsky.team
November 11, 2025 at 3:11 PM
craigclevenger.bsky.social
A long round-trip to Los Angeles, but worth it. Got to shake hands with @danchaon.bsky.social at Book Soup.
The cover of Dan Chaon's new novel, "One of Us." The author and title in bold letters above the top of a black and yellow circus tent. Dan Chaon's inscription: For Craig! With admiration and respect! Best wishes! -Dan Nov. '25, Los Angeles
November 11, 2025 at 7:25 AM
Reposted by Craig Clevenger
glopan.bsky.social
@rebeccasolnit.bsky.social is documenting the resistance, and it’s an encouraging read.
But the message remains: We keep fighting!!

#MomSky

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
A year on from Trump’s victory, resistance is everywhere | Rebecca Solnit
Americans have shown a tremendous amount and variety of opposition – more than some may realize
www.theguardian.com
November 10, 2025 at 4:44 PM
craigclevenger.bsky.social
FIVE-OH.
The California State flag showing a bear above the words "California Republic" with a red star in the upper-left corner and a red band along the bottom.
November 5, 2025 at 5:57 AM
craigclevenger.bsky.social
Couldn't make it to the launch in Los Angeles earlier, but the latest from Mark Z. Danielewski's in my hands, so I'm turning off my phone for a few days. #Tom'sCrossing
Sepia-tinged black-and-white photo of Mark Z. Danielewski's latest novel, "Tom's Crossing," next to a grey Western fedora.
October 29, 2025 at 2:55 AM
craigclevenger.bsky.social
Mini-brainstorm on my work breaks over the weekend; I wrote a book group guide to a non-existent novel.

open.substack.com/pub/craigcle...
Text superimposed over the black-and-white image of a vintage Smith-Corona typewriter: Reading Group Guide - Exploring secrets and trust with "Twice To Your Left" craigclevenger.substack.com
October 21, 2025 at 4:56 AM
craigclevenger.bsky.social
One more shout-out before this weekend... hoping for a solid enough turnout that the library lets me run with this program.
Goleta Valley Library Horror Book Club. Saturday, October 18th, 1:00-2:00pm. Goleta Community Center, 5679 Hollister Ave, Goleta, CA. Our first discussion: "The Buffalo Hunter Hunter" by Stephen Graham Jones.
October 15, 2025 at 1:34 AM
craigclevenger.bsky.social
A mother and her girl (about 5 y.o.) at the circulation desk...

Me: This one's one of our honor books. You don't have to check it out, just return it when you're done.

Girl: We can return it whenever we want?

Me: Yup. We can trust you... right?

Girl: Not always.

I love my job. #libraries
October 12, 2025 at 1:39 AM
craigclevenger.bsky.social
This book. Goddamn. Seventy-five pages in and it's already on a (very) short list of 'do not read right before I go to sleep' books. Get this one, stat. @danielkraus.com
Cover image of "Whalefall" by Daniel Kraus, showing a whale swimming upward and about to swallow a lone diver. Bonus alt text: the only other books in my "do not read right before bedtime" are all by Brian Evenson.
October 6, 2025 at 8:59 PM
craigclevenger.bsky.social
We celebrate the signing of this document annually. But here we are.

"...But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government...
October 5, 2025 at 5:24 PM
craigclevenger.bsky.social
It's October, so it's officially The Most Wonderful Time of the Year (not that other holiday), so I'm kickin' off a new thing at the library. Come on down and let's hash it out over @sgj.bsky.social and #TheBuffaloHunterHunter.

Saturday, October 18th, 1-2pm, Goleta Valley Community Center.
October 2, 2025 at 4:20 AM
craigclevenger.bsky.social
Cheers, Craig.
craigwallwork.bsky.social Craig Wallwork @craigwallwork.bsky.social · Sep 29
If a book allows you a reprieve for just a moment from world chaos, crack that spine and fall into the pages. Here’s a few writers that might take your mind to other places… @craigclevenger.bsky.social
@laurelhightower.bsky.social
@beverleylee.bsky.social
@rossjefferyauthor.bsky.social
September 29, 2025 at 4:38 PM
Reposted by Craig Clevenger
gwensnyder.bsky.social
Philadelphia could be a shining city on a hill for this tactic
stano.bsky.social Stan Oklobdzija @stano.bsky.social · Sep 27
Blue cities should tear up the roads in front of ICE facilities and then start decades of community engagement and input sessions to rebuild them. Let's harness our core competencies.
September 28, 2025 at 12:20 AM
craigclevenger.bsky.social
An image of Frank the Bunny from the film, "Donnie Darko." Superimposed is the date: September 23, 2025
September 23, 2025 at 2:55 AM
craigclevenger.bsky.social
"They fed our novels to the machine without asking if we wanted to be the voice of skynet."

will7christopher.substack.com/p/highway-64
highway 64
the trail of tears is a flat circle
will7christopher.substack.com
September 16, 2025 at 4:53 PM
craigclevenger.bsky.social
Back home from New Orleans #Bouchercon and just rolled a trinket shop voodoo doll in catnip and threw it to the little beasts. Now waiting to see if someone out there spontaneously rips open.
September 8, 2025 at 11:18 PM
craigclevenger.bsky.social
Turns out the cafés in New Orleans frown on it when you motorboat their pastries in public. But you get it, right? #Bouchercon2025
Photo of a traditional New Orleans beignet heavily dusted with powdered sugar. And damn... they are tasty.
September 4, 2025 at 4:25 PM
craigclevenger.bsky.social
Security gave me this li'l scarlet letter to carry through airport screening. Sorta like a coupon for a free pat-down and a side-eye. And the extra time in line meant I got to hear my name over the airport PA for the boarding gate. Not quite the win that it sounds like. But I'm in NOLA. #Bouchercon
Red TSA flyer that reads: REAL ID - The ID you presented is NOT REAL ID-compliant.
September 2, 2025 at 10:55 PM
craigclevenger.bsky.social
Hey y'all, I'll be at Bouchercon this coming week. Hit me up.
Bouchercon 2025, New Orleans Real or Imagined: Supernatural Elements in Crime Fiction Panel discussion with Dennis K. Crosby (M), Dale W. Berry, Hunter Burke, Craig Clevenger, J.B. Garner and Chelsea Conradt Thursday, September 4th, 9am, Salon E, Floor 3
August 31, 2025 at 3:34 AM
craigclevenger.bsky.social
Hardware Store Clerk: Help you find something, sir?
Me: Um... yeah... ant poison?
Clerk: Aisle 10. That's Death Row.

Another reason to support small, local businesses.
August 30, 2025 at 1:26 AM
Reposted by Craig Clevenger
wiswell.bsky.social
How about that? A victory for people who actually read.
"None Of These Books Are Obscene": Judge Strikes Down Much of Florida's Book Ban Bill
In a major win for intellectual freedom, a judge rules against Florida law that led to removing hundreds of books from school libraries.
bookriot.com
August 15, 2025 at 12:48 PM
Reposted by Craig Clevenger
ruthejbooth.bsky.social
"If your books were uploaded to LibGen/fed into the LLMs, add your name to the potential class action lawsuit by tomorrow." Details:

LibDem database: www.theatlantic.com/technology/a...

Attorney form: www.lieffcabraser.com/anthropic-au...

(This information comes via a reliable Discord source.)
Search LibGen, the Pirated-Books Database That Meta Used to Train AI
Millions of books and scientific papers are captured in the collection’s current iteration.
www.theatlantic.com
August 14, 2025 at 5:30 PM
craigclevenger.bsky.social
Turns out maybe this book's gonna have a long, slow burn after all... #MotherHowl
calebjcook.bsky.social Caleb @calebjcook.bsky.social · Aug 9
A gritty crime novel about the underbelly of society? A critique of The System? A dark tale of the weird and supernatural? A character study about family, identity, and the struggle to connect with a sense of purpose and meaning larger than oneself? This book is all of the above, and it rules.
The cover of Mother Howl, a book by Craig Clevenger
August 10, 2025 at 1:31 AM
craigclevenger.bsky.social
Anyone with experience in completing a self-evaluation for work? Advice?
August 3, 2025 at 3:48 AM