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pronouncedlahra.bsky.social
Laura Blackwell
@pronouncedlahra.bsky.social
4.3K followers 2.4K following 3.5K posts
Shirley Jackson Award-winning writer, manic pixie night hag. Copy editor @thedeadlands.com. Cohost @storyhour.bsky.social. Website & newsletter signup at pronouncedlahra.com. HWA, SFWA. BLM. She/her. Photo: Jodi Foucher. Rep: @alexbrownwrites.bsky.social
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pronouncedlahra.bsky.social
@anna-orridge.bsky.social Saw this while having lunch in San Francisco's Chinatown the other day, and item F2 made me think of you.
Menu at Chinese restaurant; the last item is "Orridge with Chicken and Mushrooms"
October 29, 2025 at 8:53 PM
pronouncedlahra.bsky.social
Saturday night plans: Show 'em what horror fiction can do. Come out and play!
Flyer reads: Horror Writers Association presents THIS AIN'T YOUR DADDY'S HORROR. Author headshots and their corresponding names, in order presented: Laura Blackwell, a pale woman with silvering hair, cat-eye glasses, and a little smile; Fred Wiehe, a thin, pale man with blond hair, light beard, and an intense expression; Ben Monroe, a fair-skinned man with short, dark hair, rectangular eyeglasses, and a bemused expression; Loren Rhoads, a woman with shortish silver hair, awesome cat-eye glasses, and a radiant smile; Jonathan Fortin, a man with long, dark hair and beard, wearing a black brocade coat and an intense expression; and Francesca Maria, a woman with dark eyes, dark curly hair, and the concentration of an author giving a reading. Text goes on to say "Lit Crawl San Francisco" in logo format and gives the location and time: Silver Sprocket / 1018 Valencia St., S.F. / Sat. 10/25 8-9 pm.
October 24, 2025 at 10:07 PM
pronouncedlahra.bsky.social
Anthropic cried poor about paying damages to the writers from whom it stole. Many of us received nothing at all. But here Anthropic is, spending its stolen savings on to coat Powell Street BART in its appropriately poop-colored branding. "Keep thinking"? How about you *start* thinking, Anthropic.
Photo of the inside of Powell Street BART station in San Francisco shows columns covered in poop-colored wrap emblazoned "Claude" and "Keep thinking." The floor has received the same treatment in paint or a plastic rug.
October 13, 2025 at 9:37 PM
pronouncedlahra.bsky.social
I contain multitudes.
A hardcover of Michael Wehunt's novel THE OCTOBER FILM HAUNT sits next to a white takeout cup and a cardboard takeout box open to show fairy bread, its sprinkles bright. The red and yellow sprinkles pick up colors from the book cover.
October 10, 2025 at 2:52 PM
pronouncedlahra.bsky.social
I have been doing some important but not happy-making reposts today, so here: a little escape in a beautiful cape. Let's be aware of our real world and strive to improve it, but also occasionally venture beyond (last week, it was the Fantastique Starfall Ball for me).
Waist-up color photo, heavily backlit in purple, stands before part of a crescent moon frame decked with lavender sprigs and purple-black roses. She reaches up to a blossom, smiling slightly. She wears a lavender gown with a plunging neckline, gray fingerless gloves, pearl drop earrings, a crown with pearls forming flower shapes, and a handmade gray-and-purple lace cape with pearl edging and a silvery leather Dracula collar. Her eye makeup includes silver graphic liner and white mascara, making her eyes look dark and (she hopes) otherworldly. Marianne Kirby made the cape.
October 4, 2025 at 10:22 PM
pronouncedlahra.bsky.social
Walked into a local bookstore yesterday to see this—and I preordered it from somewhere else. Congratulations, @michaelwehunt.bsky.social!
Bookstore shelf labeled "Bestsellers." Visible covers are for Michael Wehunt's THE OCTOBER FILM HAUNT and the latest Andrzej Sapowsky WITCHER book.
October 3, 2025 at 1:35 AM
pronouncedlahra.bsky.social
Taking the fey train
Photo of Laura Blackwell, a middle-aged white woman with wavy brown hair going gray. She wears a pale blue shift dress, a lace-edged poncho with a butterfly pattern, a white N95 mask, large cat-eye glasses, and a crown of pink silk flowers. Camellias, maybe? Sort of like peonies, but smaller. She sits on a commuter train, looking out the window into the morning light.
September 27, 2025 at 3:29 PM
pronouncedlahra.bsky.social
w/o downloading anything new, where are you mentally?
Craft store shelf holding up Alice in Wonderland-themed Halloween decorations: A sign that says "Drink me" and a teapot-shaped sign emblazoned "It's always tea time"
August 26, 2025 at 4:51 AM
pronouncedlahra.bsky.social
Sometimes the craft store gets me.
A plaque rests on a store shelf full of pink Halloween decorations. The plaque is white with a pink frame and says "The horrors persist but so do I" in black. There are also black bats on it.
July 26, 2025 at 3:05 AM
pronouncedlahra.bsky.social
Share one of your favourite quotes from a movie or TV show
Four alternating frames from TV show AGENT CARTER. Peggy Carter (played by Hayley Atwell), a dark-haired white woman with 1950s hair and makeup wearing a purple coat over a burgundy dress with a key hold neckline, is speaking to Daniel Sousa (played by Enver Gjokaj), a dark-haired white man with short hair wearing a tan three-piece suit. Frame 1, Peggy: I don't need a congressional honor. Frame 2, Daniel Sousa listens to Peggy: I don't need Agent Thompson's approval, or the President's. Frame 3: I know my value. Frame 4: Anyone else's opinion doesn't really matter.
June 1, 2025 at 5:44 PM
pronouncedlahra.bsky.social
Ooh, you look fabulous! Oh, nobody asked me! I'm gate crashing. Hmm, maybe I should wear this instead
Comic book art by Alan Davis, inked by Paul Neary. Gatecrasher, a tall (?), muscular, heavyset, blue-skinned alien woman, stands in Wonder Woman pose in front of menacing silhouettes. She wears a black pantsuit with flared legs (she might have elephant-type feet? Not sure), a rectangular red element that secures the top to the bottoms while leaving most of her middriff exposed, red details on the flares, a red lining folder over at the waist of the pants, chunky pink bracelets, a pectoral in two shades of pink, a purple Magneto-style bucket helmet with a large stone set over the center of the forehead, and a purple cape. A timid, thin, yellow-skinned alien with three antennae on each side of its head clings to her shoulder, wincing at whatever it (he?) sees ahead. Gatecrasher wears red lipstick and red eyeshadow. She looks ahead with a confident expression.
May 25, 2025 at 10:00 PM
pronouncedlahra.bsky.social
What are you wearing to Bluesky prom?
Still image from PENNY DREADFUL. Evelyn, played by Helen McCrory, wears a dark green satin dress with a deep V neckline and lace sleeves edged with large matching ribbon bows that might be painted with Egyptian-style lotuses in purple and gold. Dots of gold adorn the neckline and the sleeves. She also wears drop earrings with emeralds and pearls, a black velvet choker with an iridescent green pendant, a pendant hanging from her hair into her forehead, and an elaborate bejeweled updo that mimics the lotus motif. She sits at a glass table, candles before her, ready to hold a seance.
May 25, 2025 at 5:21 AM
pronouncedlahra.bsky.social
Pit two characters against each other in a fight who are played by the same voice actor.
Goblin Queen from X-Men 97 Bounty hunter June from Avatar: The Last Airbender
March 30, 2025 at 7:01 AM
pronouncedlahra.bsky.social
Suzan, look at the way my feed just displayed your last two skeets. You may have to click to see what follows them. It's too perfect!
Suzan's two skeets are followed by a skeet from Girls Running From Houses: The Countess gestures.
March 27, 2025 at 3:00 AM
pronouncedlahra.bsky.social
Hey, what are you doing on Thursday? I'll be reading at Strong Women, Strange Worlds at 4:00 PDT/7:00 EDT—with all these writers of speculative fiction! These online readings are free—and there are prizes! Sign up at www.eventbrite.com/e/first-frid.... See you there! #AuthorReadings #Booksky
Text: Strong Women, Strange Worlds presents Third Thursday QuickReads of Sci Fi, Fantasy, and Horror by Cassandra O'Sullivan Sachar [with color photo of fair-skinned woman with long, curly dark hair; she wears a black V-neck with embroidery], Nora Peevy [with sepia-toned photo of woman with cat-eye glasses, devil horns, and straight hair worn short; she wears a dark crew-neck T-shirt], Dani Finn [color art portrait of a fair-skinned person with plastic-framed glasses, blond hair worn short and over the ears, and a light blue button-up with a pattern], Angela Acosta [color photo of a woman with medium-brown skin, glasses, and long, straight, dark hair; she wears a pink button-up], Laura Blackwell [color photo of a fair-skinned woman with cat-eye glasses and graying shoulder-length hair; she wears a lavender pointelle cardigan, and Violette L. Meier [color photo of a light-skinned Black woman with long braids; she wears a black blouse] / March 20, 7pm EDT Free on Zoom / Preregister now at StrongWomenStrangeWorlds.weebly.com
March 17, 2025 at 6:00 PM
pronouncedlahra.bsky.social
I'm reading for the excellent Strong Women, Strange Worlds next Thursday, March 20 at 4:00 PDT/7:00 EDT—with all these writers of speculative fiction! These online readings are free—and there are prizes! Sign up at www.eventbrite.com/o/strong-wom... to attend. See you there! #AuthorReadings #Booksky
Text: Strong Women, Strange Worlds presents Third Thursday QuickReads of Sci Fi, Fantasy, and Horror by Cassandra O'Sullivan Sachar [with color photo of fair-skinned woman with long, curly dark hair; she wears a black V-neck with embroidery], Nora Peevy [with sepia-toned photo of woman with cat-eye glasses, devil horns, and straight hair worn short; she wears a dark crew-neck T-shirt], Dani Finn [color art portrait of a fair-skinned person with plastic-framed glasses, blond hair worn short and over the ears, and a light blue button-up with a pattern], Angela Acosta [color photo of a woman with medium-brown skin, glasses, and long, straight, dark hair; she wears a pink button-up], Laura Blackwell [color photo of a fair-skinned woman with cat-eye glasses and graying shoulder-length hair; she wears a lavender pointelle cardigan, and Violette L. Meier [color photo of a Black woman with long braids; she wears a black blouse] / March 20, 7pm EDT Free on Zoom / Preregister now at StrongWomenStrangeWorlds.weebly.com
March 14, 2025 at 7:39 PM
pronouncedlahra.bsky.social
A photo you'd use as an album cover
View of a pair of tallish lace-up purple boots with green toes (Fluevog Duffy) and blue jeans as taken by the person wearing them. A pair of mens brown Rockport lace-up dress shoes faces the boots. They stand on a concrete and glass brick sidewalk. The glass is sun-turned amethyst .
March 9, 2025 at 4:10 AM
pronouncedlahra.bsky.social
They look okay, anyway
Two pans full of mochi-like cake, one with coconut and one without
January 29, 2025 at 3:21 AM
pronouncedlahra.bsky.social
Oh hey, I did some writing and editing and hosting and stuff last year!
https://www.pronouncedlahra.com/backmatter/2024/12/2/laura-blackwells-2024-awards-eligibility-post
January 18, 2025 at 9:06 PM
pronouncedlahra.bsky.social
Choose 20 books that have stayed with you or influenced you.

One book per day for 20 days, in no particular order.

No explanations, no reviews, just covers.
Cover of Penguin Classics paperback edition of Jane Austen's NORTHANGER ABBEY. It has all text in white all-caps in a black box. The image is an old painting of an English family (?) walking on a rough lawn outside a building with columns. Behind the building are trees and distant spires. The dominant colors are light browns and dark greens.
January 6, 2025 at 5:20 PM
pronouncedlahra.bsky.social
Choose 20 books that have stayed with you or influenced you.

One book per day for 20 days, in no particular order.

No explanations, no reviews, just covers.
Cover of THE BOOK OF THE DEAD: 13 CLASSIC TALES OF THE SUPERNATURAL, edited by Alan K. Russell. Cover has DEAD written in big white all-caps; the rest of the words are in title case. All other words but the credit line are in red. Art shoes show stone walls with a bit of foliage; at the center, a white human hand breaks through a cathedral window and a dark humanoid face with huge yellow eyes stares out of the darkness.
January 5, 2025 at 7:02 PM
pronouncedlahra.bsky.social
Choose 20 books that have stayed with you or influenced you.

One book per day for 20 days, in no particular order.

No explanations, no reviews, just covers.
Cover of LIVES OF THE MONSTER DOGS by Kirsten Bakis. It shows a masculine anthropomorphic figure in a brocade coat with cravat. The figure has the head of a dog (maybe a German Shepherd) and is carrying a cane. The figure looks straight at the viewer. "Lives of the Monster Dogs: A Novel" is written in Gothic script on a gold band that crosses the cover.
January 5, 2025 at 5:07 AM
pronouncedlahra.bsky.social
I will forever be grateful to IHOP and the Spanish language for introducing me to the word "panqueques."
Photo of IHOP menu featuring Double Blueberry Pancakes: 4 blueberry pancakes with blueberry topping. 630 cal / 13.99 Panqueques con Arándanos
January 4, 2025 at 10:31 PM
pronouncedlahra.bsky.social
Choose 20 books that have stayed with you or influenced you.

One book per day for 20 days, in no particular order.

No explanations, no reviews, just covers.
Cover of THE COLLECTED STORIES OF KATHERINE ANNE PORTER: Including Flowering Judas; Pale Horse, Pale Rider; The Leaning Tower, & Four Additional Stories. Cover is in light slate blue with mostly white (some yellow) text; a small bit of at resembling a fan, rising sun, or half a yellow flower; and a yellow and orange border
January 3, 2025 at 8:42 PM
pronouncedlahra.bsky.social
Choose 20 books that have stayed with you or influenced you.

One book per day for 20 days, in no particular order.

No explanations, no reviews, just covers.
Cover of a 1980s (?) edition of ARCHER'S GOON by Diana Wynne Jones. It shows art of a boy of ten or so from the back, opening a door to the outside. The door almost frames an extremely tall man; the top of his head is obstructed by the door frame. The art is slightly blurry, perhaps watercolor or pastels, although the colors are realistic for the time: brown house interior, yellow light from the outside, boy in medium-dark blue jeans and a green shirt, man in tan slacks and light blue button-up.
January 2, 2025 at 7:29 PM