Chisom Umeh
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Chisom Umeh
@izom-chisom.bsky.social
200 followers 41 following 52 posts
writer | entrepreneur | one time poet
Words in Omenana. Apex. Clarkesworld. Year's Best African Speculative Fiction 2023
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izom-chisom.bsky.social
Chisom Umeh @izom-chisom.bsky.social · 13d
I'm immensely grateful to everyone who deemed me worthy of this award. Everyone who read "From Across Time" and said, yes, I'll vote for that. Thank you. It means a lot.

And thank you to @clarkesworldmagazine.com for publishing this story.
Reposted by Chisom Umeh
kashinggiwa.bsky.social
THE KING MUST DIE has been out for a whole month! To celebrate, I’m giving away 3 signed + personalized author copies. To enter, repost this and comment below with the last great story you read!
Graphic for The King Must Die Giveaway. The background is from the cover, illustrated by Eleonor Piteira, but with a purple/orange tint. A Black woman stands before an alien sky--a glowing sun and and dramatic rings.
December 4, 2025 at 8:19 PM
Reposted by Chisom Umeh
wtalabi.bsky.social
5 Books Featuring Smaller West African Deities:
reactormag.com/5-books-feat...
5 Books Featuring Smaller West African Deities - Reactor
From nightmare gods to water goddesses, these deities are equally delightful, and terrifying, and crafty...
reactormag.com
December 5, 2025 at 1:43 AM
Reposted by Chisom Umeh
johnchu.bsky.social
(Repost with screenshot)
The Subtle Art of Folding Space got a starred review from Library Journal!
"Chu finds a delightful and poignant intersection between the multiverse, family dysfunction, and dim sum in his debut novel."
DEBUT Ellie visits her comatose mother every weekend. That is not enough for her older sister, Chris, who reminds Ellie constantly she will never live up to Chris's own filial piety, which seems to include using random people to harangue Ellie and repeated assassination attempts. When Chris sends Ellie into the skunkworks-the physics-defying apparatus that creates and maintains universes—for a minor issue, it turns into a cascade of discovered problems, which include her cousin Daniel finding a device that is keeping Ellie's mother alive but creating destabilizing errors that jeopardize the universe. As Ellie and Daniel investigate the source of the illicit device, they find that their family's past is much more convoluted than known, and Ellie may need to choose between saving her family or the universe itself. Intricate worldbuilding, generational trauma, and reports relayed as food are woven into a story that has great action and engaging characters. VERDICT Chu finds a delightful and poignant intersection between the multiverse, family dysfunction, and dim sum in his debut novel. Reviewed by Kristi Chadwick, Dec 01, 2025
December 4, 2025 at 4:32 PM
Reposted by Chisom Umeh
brunodias.bsky.social
If we can only have art from people who "aren't in it for the money" that means we can only have art from privileged middle-class dilettantes. Making art being a viable career is responsible for nearly all worthwhile art, and if it's not a viable career any more we will get drastically less of it.
December 4, 2025 at 3:13 PM
Reposted by Chisom Umeh
somtoihezue.bsky.social
✨2025 Eligibility Post✨

I co-edited an anthology with @dontcallmeliv.blacksky.app, published a novelette, three short stories, and one poem. You can read all these works via the link below, and your consideration is most welcome & appreciated.

somtoihezue.wordpress.com/2024-eligibi...
2025 ELIGIBILITY POST FOR SOMTO IHEZUE ANTHOLOGY: WILL THIS BE A PROBLEM? THE ANTHOLOGY EDITED BY SOMTO IHEZUE & OLIVIA KIDULA SHILITZA PUBLISHING NOVELETTE: WE BEGIN WHERE INFINITY ENDS CLARKESWORLD SHORT STORY: INTO DUTY, INTO LONGING. INTO SPARROWS BENEATH CEASELESS SKIES PATHS, LITTLINGE, AND HOLY THINGS DIABOLICAL PLOTS KINDLING STARS & SABERS: OF ENCHANTMENT, ENIGMA, AND THE INFINITE POETRY: CALL US BOY UNCANNY MAGAZINE
December 4, 2025 at 3:16 PM
Reposted by Chisom Umeh
somtoihezue.bsky.social
Scurrying in excitedly to share that my novelette “We Begin Where Infinity Ends” published in @clarkesworldmagazine.com, was loved by the wonderful people at @locusmag.bsky.social, alongside @hhpak.bsky.social’s lovely story. So grateful to @acwise.bsky.social for their kind review of these stories✨
2025 Stories We Loved: “Never Eaten Vegetables” by H.H. Pak and “We Begin Where Infinity Ends” by Somto Ihezue
It’s Locus’s 2025 Holiday Countdown of Staff Picks! For your reading pleasure, Locus reviewer A.C. Wise recommends two novelettes, since short fiction often gets overlooked and novelettes especiall…
locusmag.com
December 2, 2025 at 8:12 PM
Reposted by Chisom Umeh
khanwong.bsky.social
Down in the Sea of Angels is one of @audiofilemagazine.bsky.social ‘s Best Audiobooks of 2025 in the SciFi amd Fantasy category! Congrats to the team @dreamscape-media.bsky.social and also voice actor Eunice Wong! I’m tickled.

www.audiofilemagazine.com/best-audiobo...
AudioFile, Discover the World of Audiobooks
Explore great audio book listening with AudioFile recommendations and reviews. We help you find your next great audiobook. Independent reviews help you discover the best narrators, great listening, an...
www.audiofilemagazine.com
December 2, 2025 at 5:20 PM
Reposted by Chisom Umeh
reactorsff.bsky.social
ANNOUNCING...THE BEST SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY OF 2025 POLL!!

Books! Movies! TV shows! Book covers! Video games! MORE!!! Reactor Magazine wants to know your favorites from the year!
Favorite SFF Stories of 2025
Reactor Magazine wants to know: What were YOUR favorite scif-fi/fantasy/horror/romantasy genre books, movies, and television shows of 2025?? We’d like you to share your favorite genre fiction books, m...
forms.gle
December 1, 2025 at 5:12 PM
Reposted by Chisom Umeh
sfwa.org
Self-promotion doesn't always get easier in publishing. This nominations season--for the Nebulas, or any other award--PLEASE take pride in your work. Voters will ask about eligible works for their consideration, and we hope every SFF writer feels empowered to answer the call. Invest in your success!
lizjbradley.bsky.social Liz J. Bradley🌠 @lizjbradley.bsky.social · 2d
Awards nominations are starting and I have things that are eligible but no pretty post (yet) cause I’m kind of overwhelmed and the imposter syndrome is impostering despite the fact that these pieces were literally already chosen for publication and wow aren’t brains the best!?
December 2, 2025 at 2:55 PM
Reposted by Chisom Umeh
clarkesworldmagazine.com
The December 2025 issue of Clarkesworld features stories by R.T. Ester, Michelle Z. Jin, Anne Wilkins, Ferenc Samsa, Robert Reed, Rob Gillham, and Madeleine Vigneron.
clarkesworldmagazine.com/issue_231

Subscribe at:
clarkesworldmagazine.com/subscribe/
The cover for issue 231 is "The Brood" by Kristen Kest. Image features transparent egg sacks with winged insects in various stages of development. Scene is mostly tans and browns, but the insects' heads are green.
December 1, 2025 at 4:47 PM
Reposted by Chisom Umeh
aptshadow.bsky.social
Please join Emma and me this month as we go on an advent trek (nudge nudge) through our TV favourites, starting today with a certain Next Generation.
December 1, 2025 at 11:46 AM
Reposted by Chisom Umeh
carnage4life.bsky.social
The secret to early retirement; dine out rarely, fly economy and be a Google employee making $390,000/year married to a fellow Google employee 17 years older than you who likely makes twice as much as you.
37-year-old quit her $390,000 Google job after saving up $1.5 million—see the 'no buy checklist' that helps her spend less
She left a $390,000-a-year job and now uses a simple set of rules to make her savings last in Switzerland.
www.cnbc.com
November 30, 2025 at 8:23 PM
Reposted by Chisom Umeh
maryrobinettekowal.com
Here's a gift article of a very interesting look at the problems with the mirror-test which has been held as the gatekeeper for which creatures possess theory of mind. Besides working with Elsie, it makes me think about SF creatures & if they would pass the test.

www.theatlantic.com/science/arch...
The Mirror Test Is Broken
Either fish are self-aware or scientists need to rethink how they study animal cognition.
www.theatlantic.com
November 29, 2025 at 7:16 PM
Reposted by Chisom Umeh
annaleen.bsky.social
I can't believe we've completed 7 years of this glorious pod. It's been amazing to share our opinions with all of you!! @charliejane.bsky.social and I are slowly dreaming up our next project, which we will share with you sometime in 2026!!! For now, farewell and thanks for all the fish.
ouropinions.bsky.social Our Opinions Are Correct @ouropinions.bsky.social · 7d
It's our last episode! We're so grateful to everyone who's listened to us for the past 7 years.

We're using this occasion to talk about the state of science fiction and fantasy in the 21st century — and what has shaped the stories we've loved.

www.ouropinionsarecorrect.com/shownotes/20...
November 27, 2025 at 7:25 PM
Reposted by Chisom Umeh
newscientist.com
Enshittification is a term coined by Cory Doctorow in 2022. In his new book, Doctorow lays out how tech companies have made our lives progressively worse, finds Matthew Sparkes
Has life today been enshittified? Cory Doctorow's new book explores
Enshittification is a term coined by Cory Doctorow in 2022. In his new book, Doctorow lays out how tech companies have made our lives progressively worse, finds Matthew Sparkes
www.newscientist.com
November 2, 2025 at 9:17 AM
Reposted by Chisom Umeh
wiswell.bsky.social
Since everyone has Frankenstein on the brain: more people should read Ahmed Sadaawi's Frankenstein in Baghdad.
November 9, 2025 at 11:21 AM
Reposted by Chisom Umeh
tadethompson.bsky.social
Behold*! The audio version of my science fiction novella THE APOLOGISTS read by Kate Baker.

[*Or some archaism that means to listen. Heed? Hark? 🤷🏾‍♂️]
The Apologists by Tade Thompson (audio)
Clarkesworld Science Fiction and Fantasy Magazine and Podcast.
clarkesworldmagazine.com
November 15, 2025 at 2:44 AM
Reposted by Chisom Umeh
tadethompson.bsky.social
This is a cool take on the Alien mythos.

Recommended for fans of the franchise and other readers.
An alien queen with two eternal flames and some sculptures with religious iconography
November 27, 2025 at 1:39 PM
Reposted by Chisom Umeh
roryblank.bsky.social
Is this cheese grater conscious? Many users feel they're talking to a real person. Scientists say it's time to consider whether they're onto something.
a cheese grater that, if viewed from the correct angle, appears to have a friendly, stupid face, an example of Pareidolia
November 25, 2025 at 8:21 PM
Reposted by Chisom Umeh
aptshadow.bsky.social
Lovely review of Starseer’s Ruin, my new Warhammer book.
rosgakori.bsky.social Aasa T 🏳️‍⚧️ 🇵🇸 @rosgakori.bsky.social · 9d
Hey - it's been a while! But Book Report is back. Today, let's talk about Adrian Tchaikovsky's Starseer's Ruin, for it is how Good Purpose will be achieved.

| Good Purpose will be achieved - Starseer's Ruin Book Report.
#nerdlings #aos
Good Purpose will be achieved — Starseer’s Ruin Book Report
It’s been a while, huh?
medium.com
November 26, 2025 at 3:25 PM
Reposted by Chisom Umeh
mhayinde.bsky.social
Here it is! The gorgeous cover of Book 2 of The Invoker Trilogy, A DANCE OF BURNING BLADES

Out 7th April 2026 (UK)
June 9th 2026 (US/Can)

Artwork by Richard Anderson. Cover design by Ben Prior.

Preorders open now!
The UK cover of A DANCE OF BURNING BLADES. A woman stands with her first raised. Behind her stands a man in a cloak and a hazy blue figure wielding an axe and a mace. The North American cover of A DANCE OF BURNING BLADES. A woman stands with her first raised. Behind her stands a man in a cloak and a hazy blue figure wielding an axe and a mace.
November 25, 2025 at 9:00 PM
Reposted by Chisom Umeh
scalzi.com
If you like an author's work, the best thing you can do is buy it. The second best thing you can do is ask your local library to buy it. Or, do both!
laurenbeukes.com Lauren Beukes @laurenbeukes.com · 10d
A reminder that the median book deal for a debut author in the UK is £7000, paid over 12-18 months. (from 2022 Society of Authors report). Some of your favourite writers are struggling. societyofauthors.org/2022/12/06/a....
A profession struggling to sustain itself - The Society of Authors
ALCS report on author incomes shows 60% drop in median incomes since 2006
societyofauthors.org
November 24, 2025 at 5:39 PM
Reposted by Chisom Umeh
aptshadow.bsky.social
This coming Thursday I am at Waterstones Gower Street talking 10 years of Children of Time with Temi Oh. www.waterstones.com/events/celeb...
Celebrate the 10th Anniversary or the Children of Time - an Evening with Adrian Tchaikovsky in conversation with Temi Oh | Events at Waterstones Bookshops | Waterstones
Events at Waterstones get you closer to the books and authors you admire most. Find information and tickets about Celebrate the 10th Anniversary or the Children of Time - an Evening with Adrian Tchaik...
www.waterstones.com
November 23, 2025 at 11:56 PM
Reposted by Chisom Umeh
irisvanrooij.bsky.social
People who adore the LLM-machine, that by design has no concern for truth, must have no concern for truth
November 23, 2025 at 4:15 PM
Reposted by Chisom Umeh
bogiperson.bsky.social
Here are the Nommo Award winners! This is a very cool list as usual!! Congrats @tlotlotsamaase.bsky.social @suyidavies.com @izom-chisom.bsky.social John Uche and Francis Goodluck!
willthisbeaproblem.bsky.social Will This Be A Problem? @willthisbeaproblem.bsky.social · 12d
Spotlight: 2025 Nommo Award winners

The ASFS announced this year’s winners at the Aké Arts & Book Festival in Lagos. The awards celebrate exceptional talent in African speculative fiction across four categories.

#AfricanSFF 🪐📚💙
A promotional graphic set in a dark brown background with wavy line patterns. At the centre, inside a circular frame, bold text reads “Spotlight: 2025 Nommo Award Winners Announced.” The WTBAP logo appears at the top, the African Speculative Fiction Society logo appears in the centre, and a website link is placed at the bottom. The overall design highlights a spotlight theme. Brown textured background with the heading “Spotlight: 2025 Nommo Awards” on an orange banner. The main text reads: The African Speculative Fiction Society (ASFS) announced the winners of the 2025 Nommo Awards at the opening ceremony of the Aké Arts and Book Festival in Lagos. Since their debut in 2017, the Nommo Awards have celebrated speculative fiction by Africans for Africans, recognising the stories we tell and how we choose to tell them across four categories. The awardees include Motswana speculative fiction writer and poet Tlotlo Tsamaase, who received the Ilube Award for Best Speculative Fiction for Womb City; Nigerian author Suyi Davies Okungbowa, who won the Nommo Award for Best Speculative Fiction Novella for Lost Ark Dreaming; Nigerian fiction writer and poet Chisom Umeh, who won the Nommo Award for Best Speculative Fiction Short Story for From Across Time; and Nigerian creators John Uche and Francis Goodluck, who jointly won the Nommo Award for Best Speculative Fiction Graphic Novel for Celestial Eyes. This year’s shortlist featured writers and artists from across the continent and the diaspora, showcasing the range and brilliance of African storytelling on a global stage. It was first announced at the Seattle Worldcon, with the final winners selected by ASFS members. Our warmest congratulations to this year’s winners and finalists! The WTBAP logo appears at the top, and a website link is placed at the bottom.
November 23, 2025 at 5:57 PM