Maegan Poland
@maeganpoland.bsky.social
writer & creative writing professor
https://linktr.ee/maeganpoland
Required nugget: opinions expressed on this account are my own and do not represent my employer.
https://linktr.ee/maeganpoland
Required nugget: opinions expressed on this account are my own and do not represent my employer.
Thinking about the HitchBOT in Philly...
Just as you thought food delivery companies couldn't inflict any more misery on society:
Instead of using lowly-paid gig economy contractors to deliver groceries, they're replacing humans with robots, who, in turn, force humans off the pavement into road traffic.
Instead of using lowly-paid gig economy contractors to deliver groceries, they're replacing humans with robots, who, in turn, force humans off the pavement into road traffic.
November 29, 2025 at 7:48 PM
Thinking about the HitchBOT in Philly...
Reposted by Maegan Poland
ICE deported a woman who owned a home in the US for 30 years. A judge banned ICE from deporting her to Sierra Leone where she had been tortured, so it deported her to Ghana, which kidnapped her and sent her back Sierra Leone anyway. ICE is part of this illegal conspiracy.
November 25, 2025 at 4:40 PM
ICE deported a woman who owned a home in the US for 30 years. A judge banned ICE from deporting her to Sierra Leone where she had been tortured, so it deported her to Ghana, which kidnapped her and sent her back Sierra Leone anyway. ICE is part of this illegal conspiracy.
Reposted by Maegan Poland
I have a new story in Short Story Long! many thanks to @aaronburch.bsky.social, a wonderful editor who always makes my writing better, the incredible Zoë Petersen for her beautiful original art, & all of you who take the time to read this one ♡ ashortstorylong.substack.com/p/a-love-sto...
November 25, 2025 at 4:48 PM
I have a new story in Short Story Long! many thanks to @aaronburch.bsky.social, a wonderful editor who always makes my writing better, the incredible Zoë Petersen for her beautiful original art, & all of you who take the time to read this one ♡ ashortstorylong.substack.com/p/a-love-sto...
Reposted by Maegan Poland
absolutely bonkers to claim that kidnapping people -- a crime -- somehow prevents crime. The way so many Americans seem to actively hate anyone who's ever had a run-in with the law is truly disturbing
To paraphrase what an ICE field director said at a Texas hiring event earlier this year: what makes ICE different from other law enforcement officers is that we catch criminals "before" a crime is committed.
NEW: ICE has finally released post-shutdown detention data. The latest data reveals that a full 40%(!) of people arrested in the interior and held in ICE detention have no criminal record; no criminal charges or prior convictions. That is up from just 4% when Trump took office.
November 24, 2025 at 4:17 PM
absolutely bonkers to claim that kidnapping people -- a crime -- somehow prevents crime. The way so many Americans seem to actively hate anyone who's ever had a run-in with the law is truly disturbing
Is this making America healthy again?
The EPA is moving forward with approvals for pesticides containing “forever chemicals” as an active ingredient, dismissing concerns about health and environmental impacts raised by some scientists and activists.
Here’s what to look out for:
Here’s what to look out for:
EPA just approved new ‘forever chemical’ pesticides for use on food
Critics warn the EPA’s approvals of new PFAS pesticides could expose more Americans to “forever chemicals” through their food.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 22, 2025 at 11:47 PM
Is this making America healthy again?
Reposted by Maegan Poland
Applications for the Writers Retreat for Emerging LGBTQ Voices are now open!
Apply for your chance to work with one of our 8 amazing faculty members, attend programming aimed at developing craft and demystifying the publishing industry, and build forever-community. 🥰
bit.ly/48cM1iy
Apply for your chance to work with one of our 8 amazing faculty members, attend programming aimed at developing craft and demystifying the publishing industry, and build forever-community. 🥰
bit.ly/48cM1iy
Lambda Literary - 2026 Writers Retreat for Emerging LGBTQ Voices Application
Retreat Dates and Location
The 2026 Writers Retreat will be held virtually from August 1-August 8, 2026.
Application Details
Applications to attend the 2026 Writers Retreat for Emerging LGBTQ* Voice...
bit.ly
November 21, 2025 at 6:41 PM
Applications for the Writers Retreat for Emerging LGBTQ Voices are now open!
Apply for your chance to work with one of our 8 amazing faculty members, attend programming aimed at developing craft and demystifying the publishing industry, and build forever-community. 🥰
bit.ly/48cM1iy
Apply for your chance to work with one of our 8 amazing faculty members, attend programming aimed at developing craft and demystifying the publishing industry, and build forever-community. 🥰
bit.ly/48cM1iy
This story is a favorite of mine!
An old fav I've been thinking about lately, my story "The Daddy Thing" at @electricliterature.com
Some things I still feel extra pleased about even years later: the story's odd shape, the bats (obvs), the mother's tattoo, the vampire, the rhythm, & the inverted question marks
#ThrowbackThursday
Some things I still feel extra pleased about even years later: the story's odd shape, the bats (obvs), the mother's tattoo, the vampire, the rhythm, & the inverted question marks
#ThrowbackThursday
The Girl is Always Eaten At the End - Electric Literature
"The Daddy Thing" by K.C. Mead Brewer, original fiction about a young girl who befriends a vampire bat, recommended by Electric Literature
electricliterature.com
November 20, 2025 at 7:22 PM
This story is a favorite of mine!
Reposted by Maegan Poland
The President of the United States just called for Democratic members of Congress to be executed. "HANG THEM", he posted.
If you're a person of influence in this country and you haven't picked a side, maybe now would be the time to pick a fucking side.
If you're a person of influence in this country and you haven't picked a side, maybe now would be the time to pick a fucking side.
November 20, 2025 at 4:15 PM
The President of the United States just called for Democratic members of Congress to be executed. "HANG THEM", he posted.
If you're a person of influence in this country and you haven't picked a side, maybe now would be the time to pick a fucking side.
If you're a person of influence in this country and you haven't picked a side, maybe now would be the time to pick a fucking side.
I'm so tired and frustrated all the time.
A CDC webpage that once stated unequivocally that vaccines do not cause autism has been rewritten, now suggesting without evidence that health authorities “ignored” possible links between the shots and autism.
Without evidence, CDC changes messaging on vaccines and autism
On Wednesday, the agency reversed its long-held position that there's no link between vaccines and autism. Outside experts said they are "appalled" by the change.
nbcnews.to
November 20, 2025 at 4:41 PM
I'm so tired and frustrated all the time.
I read this poem and recognized myself. I wondered if the writer had Crohn's and discovered she has ulcerative colitis. I'm glad to see others writing about IBD!
A powerful poem about the unexpected payoffs of learning about blood and guts in science class.
Blood and Guts Were Our First Language - Electric Literature
“what i can teach you,” a poem by Eshani Surya
buff.ly
November 19, 2025 at 6:32 PM
I read this poem and recognized myself. I wondered if the writer had Crohn's and discovered she has ulcerative colitis. I'm glad to see others writing about IBD!
Reposted by Maegan Poland
this guy missed his mom so much he became one
I have a question for @realgdt.bsky.social about Frankenstein that I haven’t seen officially addressed. What was the intent/inspiration with Victor’s milk drinking? It was something I noticed and as a lover of #gastrohorror and #foodhistory, I’d love to know!
a man with curly hair sits at a table with a bowl of food
ALT: a man with curly hair sits at a table with a bowl of food
media.tenor.com
November 18, 2025 at 5:05 PM
this guy missed his mom so much he became one
How concerned should I be that my son, an only child, now has an imaginary baby sister (a baby sister raccoon, actually, but the raccoon part isn't important) that he pretends to carry and now sleeps beside him?
November 17, 2025 at 7:30 PM
How concerned should I be that my son, an only child, now has an imaginary baby sister (a baby sister raccoon, actually, but the raccoon part isn't important) that he pretends to carry and now sleeps beside him?
Reposted by Maegan Poland
In our house my wife is the dad, I’m the mom, and I think we’re doing a pretty great job raising our daughter that way. www.thecut.com/article/find...
Finding Motherhood in Fatherhood
When I became a dad, I realized that to be the parent I wanted to be, I actually had to become a mom — my idea of what a mom is — first.
www.thecut.com
November 17, 2025 at 1:36 PM
In our house my wife is the dad, I’m the mom, and I think we’re doing a pretty great job raising our daughter that way. www.thecut.com/article/find...
Reposted by Maegan Poland
Would you like a lovely February surprise in the mail? My book of stories, "The Divide," is available for pre-order from Cornerstone Press. 20% discount. Read more:
Purchase — Evan Morgan Williams
www.evanmorganwilliams.com
November 14, 2025 at 7:06 PM
Would you like a lovely February surprise in the mail? My book of stories, "The Divide," is available for pre-order from Cornerstone Press. 20% discount. Read more:
Reposted by Maegan Poland
We are writing with abandon. Promptember. Sign up and start writing with us next week. It's free. This one's on us. www.smokelong.com/ready-for-pr...
Ready for Promptember 2025? - SmokeLong Quarterly
Join the SmokeLong community for Promptember, a mysterious intermonth happening between November and December of live write-in events designed to light a fire under your writing life. Participate in o...
www.smokelong.com
November 15, 2025 at 12:48 AM
We are writing with abandon. Promptember. Sign up and start writing with us next week. It's free. This one's on us. www.smokelong.com/ready-for-pr...
Reposted by Maegan Poland
president of united states demands starving children give him their lunch money
Trump administration demands states ‘undo’ full SNAP payouts
President Donald Trump’s administration is demanding states “undo” full SNAP benefits paid out under judges’ orders last week.
thebanner.us20.list-manage.com
November 9, 2025 at 7:57 PM
president of united states demands starving children give him their lunch money
Reposted by Maegan Poland
If you wrote an SF/F/H story that was published in 2025 (or read a story that you thought was great), tell me about it in this thread!
Authors, also send your story to me here: johnjosephadams.com/basff-submis... (Please read the guidelines before submitting.)
Authors, also send your story to me here: johnjosephadams.com/basff-submis... (Please read the guidelines before submitting.)
November 7, 2025 at 1:48 PM
If you wrote an SF/F/H story that was published in 2025 (or read a story that you thought was great), tell me about it in this thread!
Authors, also send your story to me here: johnjosephadams.com/basff-submis... (Please read the guidelines before submitting.)
Authors, also send your story to me here: johnjosephadams.com/basff-submis... (Please read the guidelines before submitting.)
Reposted by Maegan Poland
Reposted by Maegan Poland
Beshear: Let me be clear. The president has both the funding and the authority to fund snap during a shutdown. In fact, every other president in every other shutdown has done so. People going hungry in this instance is a choice that this president has made.
November 5, 2025 at 4:44 PM
Beshear: Let me be clear. The president has both the funding and the authority to fund snap during a shutdown. In fact, every other president in every other shutdown has done so. People going hungry in this instance is a choice that this president has made.
Reposted by Maegan Poland
I have a book out today, so obviously my agent and I have been discussing each character's vote in the NYC election.
Anyway: it's about early 2000s reality TV and identity performance and trust, I'm proud of it, it's on sale today, and its main gal would go for Zohran
Anyway: it's about early 2000s reality TV and identity performance and trust, I'm proud of it, it's on sale today, and its main gal would go for Zohran
Honeymoon Stage
Check out Honeymoon Stage - <p><b>Brimming with wit and romance, this twisty trip back to the early 2000s follows as a former production assistant's upcoming marriage descends into the confusion, chao...
bookshop.org
November 4, 2025 at 6:10 PM
I have a book out today, so obviously my agent and I have been discussing each character's vote in the NYC election.
Anyway: it's about early 2000s reality TV and identity performance and trust, I'm proud of it, it's on sale today, and its main gal would go for Zohran
Anyway: it's about early 2000s reality TV and identity performance and trust, I'm proud of it, it's on sale today, and its main gal would go for Zohran
Reposted by Maegan Poland
The assault took place on Friday October 31, 2025.
The footage is credited to Laura Rodríguez Presa of the Chicago Tribune.
The full story is below 👇
The footage is credited to Laura Rodríguez Presa of the Chicago Tribune.
The full story is below 👇
Chicago woman dragged out of her car after colliding with ICE demands accountability
The arrest of Dayanne Figueroa highlights growing concerns about the use of force against U.S. citizens and due process. She was released after a few hours without charges.
www.chicagotribune.com
November 3, 2025 at 7:17 PM
The assault took place on Friday October 31, 2025.
The footage is credited to Laura Rodríguez Presa of the Chicago Tribune.
The full story is below 👇
The footage is credited to Laura Rodríguez Presa of the Chicago Tribune.
The full story is below 👇
Reposted by Maegan Poland
NEW: Footage of a US citizen in Chicago being rammed then dragged from her car on her way to work.
Abducted, with no warrant, her family couldn’t find her for hours.
She was later released with NO CHARGE.
A DHS statement said she “violently resisted arrest, injuring two officers”.
You decide…
Abducted, with no warrant, her family couldn’t find her for hours.
She was later released with NO CHARGE.
A DHS statement said she “violently resisted arrest, injuring two officers”.
You decide…
November 3, 2025 at 7:14 PM
NEW: Footage of a US citizen in Chicago being rammed then dragged from her car on her way to work.
Abducted, with no warrant, her family couldn’t find her for hours.
She was later released with NO CHARGE.
A DHS statement said she “violently resisted arrest, injuring two officers”.
You decide…
Abducted, with no warrant, her family couldn’t find her for hours.
She was later released with NO CHARGE.
A DHS statement said she “violently resisted arrest, injuring two officers”.
You decide…
Reposted by Maegan Poland
Looking for a writing class in January? It's the perfect time to set a resolution and follow it with a flash royale!
Detail and sign up here:
Detail and sign up here:
Flash Royale January Edition
If you’ve ever played video games, you may have heard the term Battle Royale. It refers to a type of game that features a large number of players who play with the goal of being the last player standi...
forms.gle
November 3, 2025 at 4:43 PM
Looking for a writing class in January? It's the perfect time to set a resolution and follow it with a flash royale!
Detail and sign up here:
Detail and sign up here:
Reposted by Maegan Poland
We installed shelves for my three year old so he could finally properly organize his toys. He decided the shelves are exclusively for truck toys. One truck per cubby. I told him he needed to put more trucks per cubby to make room for any new toys.
He told me I could buy more shelves.
He told me I could buy more shelves.
November 3, 2025 at 4:37 PM
We installed shelves for my three year old so he could finally properly organize his toys. He decided the shelves are exclusively for truck toys. One truck per cubby. I told him he needed to put more trucks per cubby to make room for any new toys.
He told me I could buy more shelves.
He told me I could buy more shelves.