Penny Walker
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penny-walker-sd.bsky.social
Penny Walker
@penny-walker-sd.bsky.social
300 followers 260 following 45 posts
Speculating…
…in fiction and non, eco hopeful. Likes: compost, air, salvage. Dislikes: AI slop, shouting.

https://linktr.ee/pennywalker
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penny-walker-sd.bsky.social
It’s here! The chapbook with short-listed poems and stories, including Seeing the Moon. Thank you @walklistencreate.org and see you on Sunday for the showcase. #AmWritingFiction #FlashFiction #SpeculativeFiction
Photograph of the cover of a chapbook called Walking in the Dark. The book sits on a pale blue blanket. The cover includes a picture of many different characters walking a neighbourhood at night. A photograph of two pages with the text of a story called Seeing the Moon by Penny Walker, inside a chapbook called Walking in the Dark. There is a lino cut style image of a girl wearing glasses, in yellow, blue and black.
November 29, 2025 at 8:58 AM
penny-walker-sd.bsky.social
Very interesting live edit of Thrutopian poetry the other evening, including this idea about timescales: Thrutopian writing is about solutions ‘at walking pace from here’. Thanks to Bending The Arc Magazine poetry editors for the conversation. substack.com/@bendingthea...
Photograph of the soles of a pair of walking boots, the outer heels worn away, sitting on a wooden table. There is writing overlaid on the picture which says "At walking pace from here"
November 28, 2025 at 6:45 PM
penny-walker-sd.bsky.social
So happy that 'Seeing the Moon' has been short-listed for this prize! walklistencreate.org/2025/11/20/d...

Thank you to judges @marcellenewbold.bsky.social & Damaris West, and to @walklistencreate.org for organising.
#AmWriting #FlashFiction #EcoHopeful #SpeculativeFiction #DeindustrialFiction
Photograph of the full moon, with impact craters and dark patches.
November 20, 2025 at 10:22 AM
penny-walker-sd.bsky.social
Weeding

I love weeding. I hate weeding.
Today I made a to do list and the first item was ‘weeding until 12.00’.

open.substack.com/pub/pennywal...
Photograph of a yellow and purple pansy growing between brick and gravel. There is mud and dead leaves too.
November 16, 2025 at 2:38 PM
penny-walker-sd.bsky.social
Joined Writers’ Hour this morning, writershour.com which I’ve done a lot lately, and today the words just flowed. Pic filtered for privacy of fellow writers. #AmWriting #SpeculativeFiction #EcoHopeful #Thrutopia #SolarPunk #CliFi #DeindustrialFiction #WriteAlong
Photo showing pages handwritten in a notebook, a keyboard and a monitor showing a Zoom meeting with many faces in boxes on the screen. The whole picture has been filtered to blur faces and writing.
November 14, 2025 at 9:38 AM
penny-walker-sd.bsky.social
Speculative archaeology: reflecting on a recent research visit.

I make contact with a friend of a friend who is an archaeologist. He’s willing to listen to me describe my speculative world, show me round the processing rooms...

substack.com/home/post/p-...

(Pic: Maisie Jewkes CC BY-NC-ND)
A photo of dry earth with a collection of broken pottery, glazed in white, blue and green. There is a notebook and biro, a brush and a trowel. It is an illustration of archaeology.
November 11, 2025 at 6:11 PM
penny-walker-sd.bsky.social
You can now listen to “Seeing the Moon”, on Walk - Listen - Create’s site. write.walklistencreate.org/wr_writing/s... #AudioStory #SpeculativeFiction #FlashFiction
Photography of a full moon, with impact craters, against a black background.
November 10, 2025 at 3:12 PM
penny-walker-sd.bsky.social
I’ve been thinking a lot about a character today: his motivations, how he behaves, what he dismisses and what he pays attention to. I haven’t put anything on paper though. Am I writing? #AmWritingFiction #SpeculativeFiction #CliFi #EcoFiction
Photo of stripy pansy, with drawn-on thought bubble.
November 9, 2025 at 6:57 PM
penny-walker-sd.bsky.social
Thanks to: Fixing Factory Haringey. (And my radio was fixed.)
#SpeculativeFiction #FieldResearch #AmWriting #CliFi #SolarPunk #EcoFiction #Thrutopia
Orange poster attached to a wood-and-glass door, saying Fixing Factory Haringey This Way
November 8, 2025 at 4:41 PM
penny-walker-sd.bsky.social
And the sheer joy -playfulness- of being invited to take something apart without the pressure of being expected to put it back together again.
Internal electronics from a dvd player
November 8, 2025 at 4:38 PM
penny-walker-sd.bsky.social
Lovely robust tool set.
Cloth carry case for tools, with tools in their pockets
November 8, 2025 at 4:36 PM
penny-walker-sd.bsky.social
Sixty four kinds of heads for this screwdriver tool. Sixty four!
Photo of a carry case with assorted interchangeable heads for a screwdriver.
November 8, 2025 at 4:35 PM
penny-walker-sd.bsky.social
One of the funnest parts of writing speculative fiction, especially of the hopeful eco type, is field research. Today I took my broken radio to a repair workshop… run by Fixing Factories in Haringey.
November 8, 2025 at 4:34 PM
penny-walker-sd.bsky.social
Gave blood today, and had to wait for half an hour after to check no repetition of the faintness I experienced last time. All fine. The half hour enforced sit was a great chance to scribble in my notebook with no pressure.
Photo of stickers saying I Donated Blood Today. The words are white on red circles.
November 7, 2025 at 2:53 PM
penny-walker-sd.bsky.social
"Seeing the Moon" is a new flash fiction piece, set in Tithingdale, long-listed for the 'Walking in the Dark' competition run by walk - listen - create. Find it, and the other long-listed piece, here wlc.zone/7yg
#AmWritingFiction #FlashFiction #SpeculativeFiction
A photography of the full moon with craters and shadows, against a black background.
November 6, 2025 at 6:04 PM
penny-walker-sd.bsky.social
“You’re a tourist? Trouble with your wifi? Round here, you need to get on Fitznet. I can trade you an access voucher, on the sly. Fitzcoin please. Zap me here. I had a bit of a problem with the wifi myself, the other day.”

stephenoram.net/fitzrovia-fu...
Image: Egor Kunovsky
BT tower a tall circular tower of glass, seen against a blue sky, towering above London streets with buildings of brick and stone.
July 24, 2025 at 1:48 PM
penny-walker-sd.bsky.social
Donating a bag of pre-loved mini-figures for the not-a-raffle community fundraiser at #Facilitate2025. Contents care of my lovely nephew who had a clear-out.
Plastic bag with assorted Lego pieces. Handwritten text says ‘mini figures and accessories pre-loved care of Penny’s nephew’.
April 25, 2025 at 1:36 PM
penny-walker-sd.bsky.social
Got this excellent surprise present from Figiverse creator Camilla Gordon at #Facilitate2025: a bespoke on-brand bag for my minifigures. 🙏🏼
Cream coloured cloth bag on a wooden table. The bag has an acorn and oak leaves printed on in black.
April 25, 2025 at 1:33 PM
penny-walker-sd.bsky.social
A little bit of quiet time with a fabulous breakfast before I head across the road to #facilitate2025 for two days of busy excitement and stretch with #facilitator pals old and new!
Inside a cafe with plants and a poster on the wall. In the foreground, yellow crockery with teapot, mug, and bowl of porridge with peaches
April 25, 2025 at 7:27 AM
penny-walker-sd.bsky.social
'Apprenticeship', a piece of speculative fiction, published by MIR Online (Mechanics Institute Review). #speculativefiction #amwriting

mironline.org/fiction/appr...
Composite image of a geological map overlaid with multicoloured rectangles.
April 15, 2025 at 2:30 PM