Somto Ihezue
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somtoihezue.bsky.social
Somto Ihezue
@somtoihezue.bsky.social
3.1K followers 910 following 540 posts
In: Tor |F&SF| Clarkesworld| BCS| Podcastle| Strange Horizons| Escape Pod| Pseudopod| BFA shortlist| @BSFA longlist| MFA, @UofMaryland| TinHouse ‘24| Clarion West ‘24| @sfwa. Filmmaker| Rep: @crsripley.bsky.social (selectricartists.com)

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somtoihezue.bsky.social
Come join us for the panel, "Salvation: Life After Sinners (with HWA)" on Sept. 13 at 3 pm at the Peabody Heights Brewery on the @sfwa.bsky.social Stage. Copies of @willthisbeaproblem.bsky.social The Anthology, will also be available for purchase, and we'll be doing a book signing. Come say Hi!
Promotional flyer for the Baltimore Book Festival highlighting “The SFWA Stage.” Text reads: “The SFWA Stage at Baltimore Book Festival, featuring… Christiane Knight * Somto Ihezue * Alan Smale * Darius Jones * Charlie Jane Anders * Tom Doyle …Among other SFWA stars!” The background is dark purple with scattered glowing star graphics. Surrounding the text are headshots of six aforementioned featured authors, arranged at angles.
August 28, 2025 at 10:50 PM
somtoihezue.bsky.social
Write Till You Drop — Anne Dillard.
“Why do you never find anything written about that idiosyncratic thought you advert to, about your fascination with something no one else understands? Because it is up to you. There is something you find interesting, for a reason hard to explain. It is hard to explain because you have never read it on any page; there you begin. You were made and set here to give voice to this, your own astonishment.” A quote from the essay, Write Till You Drop, by Anne Dillard.
August 19, 2025 at 4:15 PM
somtoihezue.bsky.social
Rode a bike for the first time. Next stop, the Olympics.
A young man, Somto Ihezue, in a black shirt and blue jeans, holding a bicycle in a parking lot.
August 8, 2025 at 2:54 PM
somtoihezue.bsky.social
🌿
The head of a brown horse, next to a white horse, both out in a green field. Flowers A black and white sculpture of people dancing carved out of an ostrich egg. Black walnut tree cover with green leaves.
June 29, 2025 at 8:18 PM
somtoihezue.bsky.social
A lovely review by @acwise.bsky.social of the February issue of @clarkesworldmagazine.com (and my novelette “We Begin Where Infinity Ends”) in @locusmag.bsky.social✨

locusmag.com/2025/05/clar...
A review of the February issue of Clarkesworld by AC Wise in Locus Magazine.
June 20, 2025 at 2:31 PM
somtoihezue.bsky.social
Book haul (of two)📚 from the ever brilliant @rsagarcia.bsky.social. I had the pleasure of editing The Unbearable Taste of Fruit and Wine, and I will never stop talking about it!!!
Copies of “The Nightward” and “The Unbearable Taste of Fruit and Wine” by R.S.A Garcia.
May 7, 2025 at 2:22 PM
somtoihezue.bsky.social
Found this review of my novelette from @tarvolon.bsky.social✨

www.tarvolon.com/2025/02/20/t...
Tarvolon reviews the novelette We Begin Where Infinity Ends, by Somto Ihezue: The issue's first novelette, We Begin Where Infinity Ends by Somto Ihezue, is a slow-building, romantic tale of a youthful inventor and a small group of close friends growing variously together and apart through a series of illicit improvements to the local infrastructure. This is one with a care for characterization that centers the relationships between the lead and those closest to him.
April 20, 2025 at 3:21 PM
somtoihezue.bsky.social
Thrilled to have a story forthcoming in @starsandsabers.bsky.social magic-themed anthology: Of Enchantment, Enigma, and the Infinite, alongside other brilliant writers✨🔮💫
Promotional image for the anthology Of Enchantment, Enigma, and the Infinite. The left side features the book cover, which has a rich purple background with swirling magical elements, including a crystal ball, a butterfly, and arcane symbols. The title is written in ornate lettering. The editors’ names, Jendia Gammon and Gareth L. Powell, are listed at the bottom of the cover. On the right side of the image, the book title is repeated in red-orange text, followed by the tagline "A Magical Anthology" and the editors' names. At the bottom right corner is the publisher's logo: "Stars and Sabers Publishing." The overall design has a mystical and cosmic theme with star-like sparkles and deep purple hues.
April 19, 2025 at 1:18 PM
somtoihezue.bsky.social
Look who I ran into✨
@shereereneethomas.bsky.social
Somto Ihezue and Sheree Renee Thomas stand together, smiling at the camera at the AWP conference. Somto, wearing a beige short-sleeved shirt and dark blue pants, has a lanyard with a name badge around his neck and holds a phone in his hand. Sheree, dressed in a mustard-yellow velvet coat over a plaid dress, also wears a lanyard with a name badge. She has voluminous curly hair. Behind them, a backdrop with a gold circular design and "50" printed repeatedly is visible. The background features tables, chairs, and other attendees in a large conference hall.
March 30, 2025 at 7:31 PM
somtoihezue.bsky.social
A quote from Jandy Nelson's book I'll Give You the Sun reads: "This is what I want: I want to grab my brother's hand and run back through time, losing years like coats falling from our shoulders." The author's name is written at the bottom, with the book title in a soft green font.
March 23, 2025 at 10:10 PM
somtoihezue.bsky.social
Not just a writer, or a tailor, but a secret third thing (a first time baker).
A crusty brown cake in a white ceramic bowl, placed on a brown surface.
March 21, 2025 at 6:22 PM
somtoihezue.bsky.social
Couldn't find an affordable tailor, so I got this instead. All I need now are the mice from Cinderella and wicked stepsisters.
The image shows a black zippered sewing kit case opened to reveal various sewing essentials. The top section contains a round plastic container with assorted sewing needles, a small measuring tape, a pack of safety pins, a pair of metal scissors, a seam ripper with a red handle, a needle threader, and a small pack of buttons. The bottom section features multiple spools of thread in a variety of colors, neatly secured by elastic bands. The case is resting on a textured grey fabric surface.
March 21, 2025 at 1:09 PM
somtoihezue.bsky.social
“And River reached out, her hands going higher, higher, and River touched infinity.”

Got my print copy✨ And you're welcome to read the novelette here: clarkesworldmagazine.com/ihezue_02_25/
A person’s hand holding a copy of Clarkesworld Issue 221. The cover illustration shows a large, futuristic vehicle or structure on mechanical legs looming in the background, with smaller, robot-like machines in the foreground. The magazine’s title, “Clarkesworld Issue 221,” appears at the top, and the authors—Fiona Moore, Louis Inglis Hall, Claire Jia Wen, Wang Zhenzhen, M. L. Clark, Rocío Vega, and Somto Ihezue—are listed near the bottom. The image shows an open book with the title "We Begin Where Infinity Ends" by Somto Ihezue. The left-hand page (page 30) begins a story about two boys, Naeto and Gozi, who are recalibrating streetlights at midnight. The right-hand page (page 31) continues the story, introducing a girl who confronts them. The book is illuminated by natural light, and shadows of leaves are cast over the pages. A person's hand is visible at the bottom left corner, holding the book open.
March 19, 2025 at 4:07 PM
somtoihezue.bsky.social
Always an honor to read alongside fellow writers, friends, and colleagues✨
Somto Ihezue in a white shirt stands at a wooden podium, reading to an audience seated in rows of black chairs. The room has beige walls, a projector hanging from the ceiling, and a large screen behind the speaker. Some audience members take notes while others listen attentively. A group of four creative writing students stand together in front of bookshelves filled with journals and books. They are smiling at the camera. The person on the far right is wearing a white shirt and has a name tag reading "Somto." The others are dressed in a mix of blazers, sweaters, and plaid patterns. A close-up of the Somto Ihezue in a white shirt standing at the podium, speaking. They have a focused expression, and a large window in the background lets in light. A potted plant, framed artwork, and a wall-mounted camera are visible.
March 9, 2025 at 6:58 PM
somtoihezue.bsky.social
Getting these messages have filled me with so much warmth🥺🫶🏽
An message that reads: “Hi, Somto. I read your piece on Clarkesworld and I must say, Wow! I felt a careful nuance to how you portrayed the lives and world of the kids, their friendship, their loves, all these against the backdrop of a speculative world. It was a story that ran beyond my normal reading range for shorts, yet I was captivated by each scene. Thank you for writing!” An email that reads: “Hello Somto. Just read your short story in this month's issue of Clarkesworld and just wanted to say I really enjoyed it! It was very cool to see a fellow UMD grad student show up in something I was reading, Hoping to read more of your stories in the future, Henry”
March 7, 2025 at 11:55 PM
somtoihezue.bsky.social
Folks in the US, UK, and all international readers can now get print copies of our anthology via Lulu!!!✨
www.lulu.com/shop/somto-i...
A copy of Will This Be A Problem: The Anthology, edited by Somto Ihezue & Olivia Kidula. The book is purple with the picture of a man in an orange suit. The book is held up against a white background.
March 6, 2025 at 2:41 PM
somtoihezue.bsky.social
DON’T STOP!
Authors: [Signified by an incoming train] General state of the world: [Signified by a school bus coming onto a train track] Authors; Buy My Book: [Signified by the train hitting the school bus off the train track]
February 22, 2025 at 8:44 PM
somtoihezue.bsky.social
Reading an excerpt from my poem, “The Yearning” forthcoming in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction at The Language House.
Somto Ihezue reading an excerpt from his poem, “The Yearning” forthcoming in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, for Black History Month at The Language House.
February 21, 2025 at 8:15 PM
somtoihezue.bsky.social
A post by The Dudes @weareTheDudes “There is absolutely nothing you're supposed to be doing. You have no more purpose than the birds in the sky. Go lots of places. Be poor. Shit on things.”
February 13, 2025 at 1:23 PM
somtoihezue.bsky.social
✨
A copy of “Will This Be A Problem? The Anthology,” edited by Somto Ihezue & Olivia Kidula.
February 12, 2025 at 1:27 PM
somtoihezue.bsky.social
38

— Layi Long Soldier
When the Dakota people were starving, as you may remember, government traders would not extend store credit to “Indians.” One trader named Andrew Myrick is famous for his refusal to provide credit to Dakota people by saying, “If they are hungry, let them eat grass.” There are variations of Myrick’s words, but they are all something to that effect. When settlers and traders were killed during the Sioux Uprising, one of the first to be executed by the Dakota was Andrew Myrick. When Myrick’s body was found, his mouth was stuffed with grass. I am inclined to call this act by the Dakota warriors a poem.
February 11, 2025 at 1:19 PM
somtoihezue.bsky.social
Just saw the new episode of Severance and...
FREE IRVING B SCHOOL WALKOUT LUMON hello, my name is IRVING BAILIFF SVR'D ACCESS employee code 08-454 signature Irving Badiff February 7th at 1:30 Pm. Spread the Word
February 7, 2025 at 3:02 PM
somtoihezue.bsky.social
HAPPY PUB DAY TO US🥳🥳🥳

Will This Be A Problem (@willthisbeaproblem.bsky.social): The Anthology is out! Edited by Olivia Kidula and yours truly, and available on Amazon, Kobo & wherever books are sold!!! These brilliant stories will stay with me—and you—forever✨

Link below👇🏽

a.co/d/hi6T45a
Book copies of Will This Be A Problem? The Anthology. Edited by Somto Ihezue and Olivia Kidula.
January 31, 2025 at 6:24 PM
somtoihezue.bsky.social
This came in the mail!!!
Honoured to have contributed to the @britfantasysoc.bsky.social Journal’s Winter 2024 Issue✨
A copy of the British Fantasy Society Journal’s Winter 2024 Issue. The first page of my essay titled, International Writing Workshops: A personal account from an Igbo boy in flux.
December 19, 2024 at 8:18 PM
somtoihezue.bsky.social
Forever obsessed with this poem by Ada Limón.
WHAT I DIDN'T KNOW BEFORE was how horses simply give birth to other horses. Not a baby by any means, not a creature of liminal spaces, but already a four-legged beast hellbent on walking, scrambling after the mother. A horse gives way to another horse and then suddenly there are two horses, just like that. That's how I loved you. You, off the long train from Red Bank carrying a coffee as big as your arm, a bag with two computers swinging in it unwieldily at your side. I remember we broke into laughter when we saw each other. What was between us wasn't a fragile thing to be coddled, cooed over. It came out fully formed, ready to run.
December 18, 2024 at 9:57 PM