Yoko's Asterisk 🏳️‍⚧

Author of Lessons in Magic and Disaster (Tor Books, 2025), about a woman who teaches her mother how to do magic — and uncovers a queer scandal hidden in a 300 year old book.

SFF book critic, Washington Post. Co-host Our Opinions Are Correct (npub1wx6…7zku)
Writing New Mutants: Lethal Legion for Marvel. SFF book critic for the Washington Post. Co-host of Our Opinions Are Correct!

Public Key

npub1zq7mkw4r0fvwujzdqh82459jaq7jtukd8ewhxjmussx08g49nj0spwg2ym

NIP-05 Address

charliejane_at_wandering.shop@momostr.pink

Profile Code

nprofile1qqspq0dm823h5k8wfpxstn426zews0f97txnuhtnfd7ggr8n52jee8cprpmhxue69uhhyetvv9ujumt0d4hhxarj9ecxjmntvz6kvx

Publishing to

relay.momostr.pink

Author Public Key

npub1zq7mkw4r0fvwujzdqh82459jaq7jtukd8ewhxjmussx08g49nj0spwg2ym

Show more details

Last Notes

2026-03-16 17:23:37 UTC

I woke up this morning and chose violence
https://buttondown.com/charliejane/archive/let-firefly-stay-dead/

2026-03-04 19:00:33 UTC

This Saturday! The TRANS NERD MEET UP is back. 12:30 until whenever at Zeitgeist in SF — anyone who is not cis and likes to geek out about ANYTHING is welcome. We don't gatekeep! Yes you are trans enough and nerdy enough. <3
https://stockroom.wandering.shop/media_attachments/files/116/172/443/340/793/755/original/f026ac7259abde1e.jpg

2026-02-18 18:32:38 UTC

At last I can talk about it! I'm writing a Star Trek comic!!!!
All I can tell you right now is it takes place several years after the end of Picard. And it stars Captain Raffi Musiker working with a giant positronic brain to protect the Federation from future threats!
https://gizmodo.com/star-trek-idw-comics-2026-seven-of-nine-legacy-2000723368
This will be a companion to the main Star Trek title, which is all about the crew of the Enterprise, led by Raffi's girlfriend Seven of Nine. That's written by the utterly brilliant Chris Cantwell.

2026-02-02 20:34:00 UTC

HI! Every Tor Books release from @npub1hhs…rl5g and me is available thru @npub1w3j…u0x3 for a few weeks!
Get 2 books for at least $3
Get 4 books for at least $10
Get all our stuff for at least $18
This bundle supports the amazing TGI Justice Project!
https://www.humblebundle.com/books/charlie-jane-anders-annalee-newitz-tor-books
https://stockroom.wandering.shop/media_attachments/files/116/002/937/836/263/521/original/ad0a24edaf28b253.jpg

2026-01-25 18:53:08 UTC

Q: I'm sorry to report, James Bond has gone rogue
M: Blazes! What do you mean, he's gone Rogue? 007, explain yourself!
BOND: ______________________
¦............@.....B.............¦
¦...........................K......¦

2026-01-22 19:39:07 UTC

"At every turn, Blake's 7 takes pains to show us that there are people working within the Federation who truly believe in the rule of law and civil society — and those people are fools."
Now that the classic British TV show Blake's 7 is getting rebooted, I offer some tips:
https://buttondown.com/charliejane/archive/how-to-reboot-blakes-7/

2026-01-01 01:16:23 UTC

Here's my last SFF book review column of 2025. This time around, I focus on three science fiction books that blew me away:
Sunward by @npub1ahg…djaj Alexander
Slow Gods by Claire North
There is No Antimemetics Division by qntm
DARN GOOD READS FOR UR EYEBALLS
https://www.washingtonpost.com/books/2025/12/31/new-scifi-novels-sunward-memetics/

2025-11-25 19:08:34 UTC

I really loved what [@dys_morphia](https://sfba.social/@dys_morphia ) had to say about Lessons in Magic and Disaster!
https://rinsemiddlebliss.com/posts/2025-11-22-cheese-detective/
"Modern hedge witches, this one's for us. IYKYK... I cannot recommend this book strongly enough if you like magic, academia, nested narratives, strangely satisfying family drama (I didn't know I like that until I read this book), and New England academia vibes."

2025-10-02 19:13:07 UTC

Santa Cruz! I am coming to you!
This Sunday, Oct. 5, I'll be at Bookshop Santa Cruz for the kickoff of Banned Books Week. Fight for your right to read the stories you love <3
https://stockroom.wandering.shop/media_attachments/files/115/306/154/971/486/286/original/b69416bee3b00ce1.jpg

2025-09-24 03:36:30 UTC

East Bay peeps! Come see me and FOUR other incredible speculative fiction authors talking about our books at Pegasus Books, 2349 Shattuck Ave. Weds. Oct 1 @ 7 PM.
Featuring @npub1efn…z2fd, @npub1hhs…rl5g, Susanna Kwan and Lio Min.
Deets: https://pegasusbookstore.com/bay-area-sci-fi
https://stockroom.wandering.shop/media_attachments/files/115/257/158/091/115/601/original/5cc2e3346c624d14.jpg

2025-09-23 17:14:07 UTC

"This is a wonderful book for freaks and perverts, for scared and tired academics, and for Witches who like to see Witchcraft done in new and interesting ways... my Witchy read of the fall." - Meg Elison
😳😻🥰
https://wildhunt.org/2025/09/lessons-in-magic-and-disaster-is-this-falls-must-read-witchy-book.html

2025-09-21 20:00:28 UTC

A group of youth climate researchers affiliated with UC Davis is trying to fix climate models to correct for fossil fuel industry propaganda that has snuck its way in. But... of course their funding was just cut. :(
So they're doing a GoFundMe.
https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-BasedMIP-climate-research-efforts

2025-09-17 21:24:15 UTC

This Friday! Writers With Drinks! Queer spoken word 'n comedy. It's going to be AMAZING.
Here's why I'm so excited about each of these performers/readers...
https://stockroom.wandering.shop/media_attachments/files/115/221/727/114/112/184/original/392b2b4ef28a3288.jpg

2025-09-10 18:16:09 UTC

Some dipshits have taken to calling the majority of humans "NPCs". Meaning we lack agency and don't think for ourselves.
These are the same folks who want us to become dependent on A.I., which will make us lack agency and be unable to think for ourselves.
My latest: https://buttondown.com/charliejane/archive/they-call-us-npcs-because-thats-what-they-want-us/

2025-09-04 20:11:16 UTC

I didn't take enough pics on my book tour but here are some from my wonderful event the other day at Charis. I loved hearing Jess Lewis read about trans people in a post-climate change future and adored Samuel Ace's thoughtful discussion. Plus lovely joyful capacity audience!
https://stockroom.wandering.shop/media_attachments/files/115/147/835/053/011/334/original/ae9b87a04b721035.jpg
https://stockroom.wandering.shop/media_attachments/files/115/147/835/254/938/229/original/4f8ab660c1f4ff8d.jpg
https://stockroom.wandering.shop/media_attachments/files/115/147/835/310/733/636/original/fe00d9ff84425ad2.jpg
https://stockroom.wandering.shop/media_attachments/files/115/147/835/316/695/019/original/5aa1a6825bef1c2d.jpg

2025-09-03 21:28:35 UTC

When I was in elementary school, I had a really severe learning disability. A special education teacher named Ms. Pennington helped me so much, and inspired me to become a writer and use creativity to get through my challenges.
I'm so glad I got to have lunch with her yesterday.
https://stockroom.wandering.shop/media_attachments/files/115/142/484/460/001/483/original/0f1329934eb0506b.jpg

2025-09-01 17:52:33 UTC

🔥 James Bond shows the way to save tentpole movies
🔥 Doctor Who should try doing more hard science fiction
🔥 Robert Pattinson should be the DCU's Batman
It's a trio of scorching hot takes!
https://buttondown.com/charliejane/archive/its-another-basket-full-of-mini-rants/

2025-08-27 19:03:11 UTC

Back in 1946, the KKK was trying to make a major comeback after World War II.
Enter Superman — the Man of Steel exposed their secrets and took them down in his radio show.
I asked Rick Bowers, author of Superman vs the Ku Klux Klan, what we can learn from this today
https://buttondown.com/charliejane/archive/how-superman/

2025-08-24 17:54:45 UTC

My latest sff book review column is up, including a wonderful vampire novel, an interesting near future memory-sharing dystopia, and the best book I've read in ages
https://www.washingtonpost.com/books/2025/08/24/new-scifi-fantasy-mehta-seon-ran/

2025-08-22 14:04:35 UTC

Los Angeles I am coming to you! I can't wait to see all my LA peeps at North Figueroa bookstore at 7 PM 🥰
Then tonight I'm on a midnight train to San Diego for the book festival 🌛🚂

2025-08-03 19:05:01 UTC

ICYMI we're holding a special Writers With Drinks in Seattle, featuring "superstars of queer SFF": Cecilia Tan, Andrea Hairston, Becky Chambers, me, Annalee Newitz and Darcie Little Badger!
It's Thurs 8/14 at 7ish. There will be queer vendors and fun stuff.
Tickets are selling fast — RSVP now! <3
https://townhallseattle.org/event/writers-with-drinks/

2025-07-18 19:39:58 UTC

Thanks so much to Fangirlish for including Lessons in Magic and Disaster on their list of the best fantasy books this August!
https://fangirlish.com/2025/07/17/the-12-best-fantasy-books-of-august-2025/

2025-07-16 01:42:14 UTC

OMG it's here! I just received a box of incredibly beautiful author copies of my upcoming novel Lessons in Magic and Disaster, coming 8/19/25 🥰
A young trans witch teaches her heartbroken mother how to do magic. It's about families, queer survival, and learning to see clearly the people you love most 💝
https://stockroom.wandering.shop/media_attachments/files/114/860/363/551/367/946/original/c61b1bac67582e9c.mp4

2025-06-27 23:17:08 UTC

Trans March!
https://stockroom.wandering.shop/media_attachments/files/114/757/875/218/000/831/original/51f2788544afa9b9.jpg

2025-06-17 03:44:03 UTC

Hey hey HEY!
I just updated the official Writers With Drinks site with info on *two* upcoming shows:
http://www.writerswithdrinks.com
Yes, it looks like a site I hand-coded in 2003. Shut up!
But please come to these shows and tell all yr friends! <3

2025-06-16 02:56:32 UTC

Thank you SO MUCH for helping this local SF trans nerd who is facing housing insecurity. Alas, her situation has not gotten better as we'd hoped. I hate to ask again, but if you could spare a few bucks, it would really mean a lot. 💝
https://www.gofundme.com/f/trans-women-seeking-help-with-rent-living-expenses

2025-06-15 19:10:27 UTC

"Heartfelt and heart-wrenching in the best ways, this novel is about grief and belonging, recovery, healing, and love... Highly recommended, like the most comforting of hugs from a loved one at a difficult time."
So grateful for this incredibly generous review for LESSONS IN MAGIC AND DISASTER from @npub10rp…hy7k 💝
https://lynnemthomas.com/2025/06/12/book-review-lessons-in-magic-and-disaster/

2025-06-12 19:24:37 UTC

- reply

I've been a fan of Sue Ann's music forever, so it was a huge thrill getting to talk to her on the phone. She had a front row seat to the early days of Prince, the Time, Alexander O'Neal, Lipps Inc. and so much more. She's working on a memoir and I can't wait. This woman has STORIES.

2025-06-12 19:22:31 UTC

Sue Ann Carwell was an early Prince protegée. He found her in 1978 and decided he was going to make her a star.
But by then, this teenage girl had already been at the heart of the Minneapolis music scene for years. I asked her about the origins of Minneapolis funk:
https://buttondown.com/charliejane/archive/the-origins-of-prince-and-the-minneapolis-sound/

2025-06-11 19:11:43 UTC

So stoked that the CBC chose my YA novel Victories Greater Than Death as one of their recommended kids' books for Pride Month!
https://www.cbcbooks.org/cbc-book-lists/pride-month/
(Also so happy to see @npub1lnp…swhg A.R. Carpetta, @npub1duu…ahkt, HE Edgmon and Kate Bornstein on there!)

2025-06-06 17:51:47 UTC

Heck yeah!
I love Bustle's list of the best books to look out for this summer — so many great reads here.
And I'm utterly, fabulously stonked that they included Lessons in Magic and Disaster. 💘💝💖
https://www.bustle.com/entertainment/best-new-books-summer-2025

2025-05-23 22:56:21 UTC

I love this new addition to Clarion Alley in SF
https://stockroom.wandering.shop/media_attachments/files/114/559/607/658/520/468/original/73e624322dfb7f32.jpg

2025-05-13 18:23:47 UTC

Laetitia Pilkington's no-good husband threw her out on the street, penniless. Most women would have disappeared.
But Laetitia survived, thanks to a sparkling wit and a willingness to spill ALL OF THE TEA in print. She's my hero and she should be yours, too.
https://buttondown.com/charliejane/archive/she-was-the-best-stand-up-comic-in-18th-century/

2025-05-08 19:16:43 UTC

Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell casts a huge shadow over the book world. I'm seeing a flood of books that borrow its genre-hopping, generation-spanning format.
So in my latest newsletter, I wonder: is Cloud Atlas becoming a genre on its own?
https://buttondown.com/charliejane/archive/has-cloud-atlas-become-a-genre/
To find out more, I talked to four authors who play in the Cloud Atlas sandbox:
Namwali Serpell (The Old Drift)
Khan Wong (Down in the Sea of Angels)
Charles Soule (The Endless Vessel)
Roisin Dunnett (A Line You Have Traced)

2025-04-29 22:07:57 UTC

Americans confused by the Canadian election need to learn the two types of democracies:
1) a Parliamentary system
2) a Funkadelicary system
In a Parliament, Dr. Funkenstein summons the Mothership to defeat Sir Noze
In a Funkadelic, freeing your mind allows your maggot brain to create one nation

2025-04-27 18:51:20 UTC

This month in the @npub1wep…xvdk I'm reviewing three science fiction/fantasy books that are damn near perfect and should be on everyone's TBR pile:
https://wapo.st/4cR9Iik
New books by A.E. Osworth, Isaac Fellman and Akwaeke Emezi!

2025-04-25 19:54:37 UTC

Can't do work, there's a cat in my lap
Basically I'm purr-crastinating

2025-04-15 18:23:35 UTC

"The world is full of voices telling adolescents they don’t matter and don’t understand anything, so a good YA book shouldn’t talk down to teens or portray them as helpless. One huge challenge in writing for this audience is creating a protagonist who has a lot to learn, without ever letting the narrative judge this hero."
I wrote about how writing and reading young adult fiction made me a way better adult author: https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/books/story/2025-04-14/ya-literature-young-adult-festival-of-books-2025

2025-04-13 03:58:12 UTC

"She was an exquisitely woven, beautifully tasseled, multicolored floral doormat." #amwriting #amwritingfantasy

2025-04-12 23:25:02 UTC

#ootd
https://stockroom.wandering.shop/media_attachments/files/114/327/570/337/122/176/original/7d0a8dcdbf092d38.jpg

2025-04-06 14:39:29 UTC

So freaking grateful.
The wonderful Underground Books in Carrollton, GA read an early copy of my novel Lessons in Magic and Disaster.
They just posted their thoughts on Instagram. 🙀😻🐯
https://stockroom.wandering.shop/media_attachments/files/114/291/529/852/675/701/original/4348a192caf970ae.png

2025-04-01 02:43:13 UTC

- reply

More details here:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/trans-nerd-meetup-april-2025-tickets-1298147015669?aff=oddtdtcreator

2025-04-01 01:25:39 UTC

This Saturday: TRANS NERD MEET UP!
It's just what it sounds like. If you are gender non-conforming and like to geek out, you are welcome. @zeitgeist_sf from 12:30 until whenever. Please forgive the terrible flier I made! <3
https://stockroom.wandering.shop/media_attachments/files/114/260/095/668/144/064/original/04542dcec6eed9f3.jpg

2025-03-31 17:15:06 UTC

Happy #TransDayOfVisibility! In my newsletter, I wrote about a time when I decided to be *less* visible as a trans person — and how it allowed me to come back twice as hardcore.
https://buttondown.com/charliejane/archive/i-took-a-break-from-being-publicly-trans-then-i/

2025-03-14 17:48:18 UTC

ICYMI I'm working on a sequel to All the Birds in the Sky.
There's a Kickstarter to support me writing this sequel, which includes a hefty sneak peek of it.
The Kickstarter is called "pre-order my upcoming novel Lessons in Magic and Disaster."
Details here: https://buttondown.com/charliejane/archive/everything-you-need-to-know-about-my-next-novel/

2025-03-11 20:16:35 UTC

sometimes I feel like people who freak out about keeping science fiction and fantasy separate and distinct are like that little kid who doesn't want the peas and carrots to touch on their plate. It's all imaginative fiction, folks. Most science fiction is a little bit fantasy and most fantasy is a little bit science fiction. It's all good and categories are fake.

2025-03-03 23:20:28 UTC

birdwatching
https://stockroom.wandering.shop/media_attachments/files/114/101/054/620/799/223/original/91a2cce5a2513127.jpeg

2025-03-03 17:49:32 UTC

You can't write a fictional character unless you're super curious about them and want to peel back their shiny mystique. But what if you already feel like you understand a character perfectly and there are no more secrets to uncover?
My latest newsletter:
https://buttondown.com/charliejane/archive/how-to-fix-a-character-whos-starting-to-bore-you/

2025-02-25 04:48:50 UTC

still the best media company
https://stockroom.wandering.shop/media_attachments/files/114/062/706/226/219/566/original/61f4fffe520b4834.jpg

2025-02-20 22:15:30 UTC

Fictional villains: my motivation involves a complex backstory around lost love and a deep yearning to be understood
Real life villains: being cruel makes me feel like a big strong man

2025-01-22 17:54:16 UTC

Hot damn! Ms. Magazine named my upcoming novel Lessons in Magic and Disaster one of the most anticipated feminist books of 2025. (And yeah, it is pretty dang feminist, come to think of it.) Thanks so much to Karla J. Strand!
Read the list here: https://msmagazine.com/2025/01/21/anticipated-feminist-books-2025-women-feminist-lgbtq-writers/
https://stockroom.wandering.shop/media_attachments/files/113/873/265/451/433/813/original/09881fffbee54605.png
https://stockroom.wandering.shop/media_attachments/files/113/873/265/430/731/638/original/ff9bb77c9ac04ba6.png

2025-01-21 17:10:20 UTC

Historians have long believed that native Hawaiians greeted Captain James Cook as a god... until a spicy debate broke out 30 years ago.
In my newsletter, I look into why neither side of this infamous debate included any Hawaiian perspectives. And why it matters.
https://buttondown.com/charliejane/archive/they-debated-hawaiian-beliefs-but-didnt-listen-to/

2025-01-06 18:57:58 UTC

The other day, Google Maps told me it was safe to walk across a four-lane highway. No overpass, no underpass, no crosswalk.
In my latest newsletter, I muse about what it means that tech companies are trying to warp our sense of reality itself.
https://buttondown.com/charliejane/archive/google-told-me-to-walk-into-traffic/

2025-01-02 21:58:13 UTC

This Saturday! The Trans Nerd Meet Up welcomes everyone who self identifies as gender non-conforming and likes to geek out about anything. Zeitgeist SF from 12:30 until whenever 🏳️‍⚧️🚀
https://stockroom.wandering.shop/media_attachments/files/113/760/997/236/862/273/original/92eb28ec119eeeab.jpg

2024-12-31 21:30:50 UTC

This coming Saturday afternoon is the first Trans Nerd Meet Up of 2025!
We got a huge turnout in December. It was so joyous.
If you have modded or customized your gender in any way, and you like to geek out about anything, please join us at Zeitgeist in SF.
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/trans-nerd-meetup-january-2025-tickets-1125882227049?aff=oddtdtcreator

2024-12-30 02:01:58 UTC

We're doing an *emergency* Bookstore and Chocolate Crawl on Saturday Jan. 11.
We'll visit Medicine For Nightmares and Adobe, which suffered massive flood damage recently.
Then we'll hit East Bay Booksellers, recovering from a fire. Plus Pegasus!
Details/RSVP: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/emergency-bookstore-and-chocolate-crawl-tickets-1125903199779?aff=oddtdtcreator

2024-12-29 23:13:30 UTC

Writing the last bit of a new novel and I came up with what I think is an excellent putdown: "he was two birds short of a turducken"
#amwriting

2024-12-23 20:12:34 UTC

What is book criticism, and why do we need it?
What makes book criticism good?
Should book critics just praise excellent books, or harshly criticize the books that fall short?
My latest newsletter opens a can of (book)worms.
https://buttondown.com/charliejane/archive/what-are-book-critics-for/

2024-12-19 20:21:03 UTC

Don't forget: it's almost time to stop writing 2024 on forms and instead drawing a picture of a skull with blood pouring from its eye sockets

2024-12-19 19:44:13 UTC

Just a reminder that my upcoming novel LESSONS IN MAGIC AND DISASTER is on Edelweiss! https://www.edelweiss.plus/#sku=1250867320&page=1
Includes:
* a trans woman trying to help her mother return to life
* the secrets of a mysterious novel from 1749
* lots of queer joy
* how to survive grief/trauma
Please review!

2024-12-18 03:28:28 UTC

Bay area book-lovers! Please support East Bay Booksellers, which just reopened after a fire (and is reporting slower than usual holiday sales, sigh).
Also please support Medicine for Nightmares, Mission Comics and Adobe Books in the Mission, all of which got flooded a while back.
These shops rock. Please help them thrive!

2024-12-04 01:47:39 UTC

I was looking for something else and stumbled on this fascinating 1979 BBC panel discussion with Douglas Adams, Harry Harrison (amazing facial hair!) and Peter Nicholls.
Stop what you're doing and watch this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RZ0Cs9G70o&t=42s

2024-12-03 19:40:35 UTC

Here's your daily reminder that bookstores keep the love of reading alive — but they also keep neighborhoods beautiful. They are places to gather, to celebrate stories, to find community.
Please do your holiday shopping at your local independent bookstore, if you are lucky enough to still have one.

2024-12-01 02:40:02 UTC

Bay Area peeps! A few local bookstores REALLY need your help right now.
In the Mission, Medicine For Nightmares and Adobe were both flooded during that intense rain. Details:
https://missionlocal.org/2024/11/mission-businesses-flooding-storm-aid/
Also, East Bay Booksellers is reopening after a nasty fire: www.ebbooksellers.com
PLEASE HELP AS MUCH AS YOU CAN. (BY BUYING STUFF)

2024-11-19 17:56:55 UTC

Here are the best science fiction and fantasy books of 2024, according to me!
Gift link: https://wapo.st/3YZnwRl

2024-11-14 22:21:59 UTC

- reply

This made me so happy, thank you for sharing <3 I am so glad my talk was helpful!!! I was so nervous about it so this means a lot.

2024-11-08 01:19:15 UTC

A good title for a movie about undercover cops at a furry convention would be HOT FURSUIT

2024-11-07 01:43:57 UTC

"Trans people have been fighting forever, with bricks and rocks and fists and kisses and dancing feet and songs and poems and lessons and DIY healthcare. The world has never been able to handle us. You have to live in this world, and that means holding your head up when people call you out of your name and tell lies about you. One day, we may finally build a future where people realize it's no big deal to be trans — but until then, we have to see the beauty in each other." #amwriting

2024-10-30 15:54:26 UTC

I know you probably don't want to click on a link to the Washington Post right now, but these three books I just reviewed deserve endless love:
https://wapo.st/3YsnMId
(The books are Heir by Sabaa Tahir, The City in Glass by Nghi Vo and Immortal Dark by Tigest Girma.)

2024-10-29 16:50:25 UTC

Twenty years ago, I interviewed a bunch of people who ran for president and lost. I asked them what was the most surprising thing they learned from running for president. Here's what they told me.
https://buttondown.com/charliejane/archive/they-ran-for-president-what-did-they-learn/

2024-10-22 19:19:42 UTC

I did the thing!
https://stockroom.wandering.shop/media_attachments/files/113/352/682/987/932/569/original/8be89dcb83ec7a4c.jpg

2024-10-17 02:44:58 UTC

- reply

That makes me so freaking happy <3

2024-10-16 18:17:13 UTC

- reply

Wow I'm so glad that was helpful!

2024-10-15 20:31:31 UTC

"Please be a book hipster! And by that I mean: Please go out of your way to hunt down the books that hardly anyone else is talking about, the gems that have been passed over in favor of the handful of books that usually get celebrated."
My latest newsletter: https://buttondown.com/charliejane/archive/please-be-a-book-hipster/

2024-10-14 17:20:27 UTC

Here's the cover of my next novel, Lessons in Magic and Disaster (Aug 2025)!!!
A young witch named Jamie teaches her mother Serena how to do magic. But Jamie doesn't understand all the reasons Serena has been hiding from the world.
Meanwhile, Jamie uncovers the scandalous secrets of a novel from 1749, whose author may just have been a powerful witch.
https://stockroom.wandering.shop/media_attachments/files/113/306/915/202/137/431/original/684d3ade89c729db.jpg

2024-10-12 19:35:07 UTC

"You know, tender has two meanings. You can be tender, as in a gentle touch and a kind presence. Or you can be tender, like a fresh bruise, that other people have to handle with care. Most of the time, people can be one or the other — but you're both at once." #amwriting

2024-10-11 22:23:54 UTC

Delivering the final talk at the last ever XOXO was a huge responsibility, a tremendous honor, and an absolute joy.
I'm so stoked that now you can watch the video of me explaining why nothing lasts, and why this gives me hope we can create moments that'll help change the world and save each other.
https://xoxofest.com/2024/videos/charlie-jane-anders/

2024-10-08 00:44:37 UTC

Huzzah! The SF League of Pissed Off Voters endorsements are out:
https://www.theleaguesf.org/voter_guides
I usually find these are pretty close to my own preferences, and I get a lot out of reading their analysis. If you're also Pissed Off, please check it out.

2024-10-07 17:08:01 UTC

My latest newsletter is about the toxic so-called "superfans" who torment Hollywood.
Why are they such a problem? Because they have the power to hurt movies and TV shows, but they have zero power to make anything successful.
https://buttondown.com/charliejane/archive/why-are-toxic-superfans-such-a-nightmare-for/

2024-10-03 21:04:26 UTC

- reply

I want to walk around SF and see tons of affordable housing everywhere I go.
A friend had an all-affordable building go up near her place and immediately the neighborhood had more families, more kids, less crime, better socializing.

2024-10-03 20:24:28 UTC

Here's some actual good news. A cruddy run-down DMV office in the Panhandle in SF will become a big affordable housing complex. More like this please! (Gift link.)
https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/sf-dmv-affordable-housing-19812270.php?utm_source=marketing&utm_medium=copy-url-link&utm_campaign=article-share&hash=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2ZjaHJvbmljbGUuY29tL2JheWFyZWEvYXJ0aWNsZS9zZi1kbXYtYWZmb3JkYWJsZS1ob3VzaW5nLTE5ODEyMjcwLnBocA%3D%3D&time=MTcyNzk4Njk5MTg1MQ%3D%3D&rid=OGU4ZGRlMjAtYjIwMy00ZmU3LThmNDgtOWJhZGVkYjRlNjc1&sharecount=MA%3D%3D

2024-10-03 19:01:40 UTC

Diego Gomez (@designnurd on Insta) is one of my favorite artists in San Francisco. This queer Mexican-American artist creates incredible street art and flamboyant queer superheroes (including some lovely X-Men fan art).
He was assaulted and is in the ICU. Please help if you can!
https://gofund.me/a2eca01f

2024-10-03 18:50:22 UTC

Here's my latest book review column for [@washingtonpost](https://mstdn.social/@washingtonpost )! I utterly adored all four of these books, which feature strange transformations and complex relationships. I highly recommend reading all four of them IMMEDIATELY.
Gift link: https://wapo.st/4eRbNdZ

2024-10-02 04:03:18 UTC

It's happening again! The Trans Nerd Meet Up is this Saturday at Zeitgeist in San Francisco, from 12:30 to whenever.
If you self-identify as trans/nb/gnc and enjoy geeking out about absolutely anything, we'd love to see you! Please spread the word! <3
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/trans-nerd-meetup-october-2024-tickets-1036521903917?aff=oddtdtcreator

2024-09-30 16:30:53 UTC

"You have a group of the wealthiest people on the planet saying that they want to take control of our city. Do these handful of billionaires and tech folks own it, or do we? It’s not more complicated than that."
My latest newsletter:
https://buttondown.com/charliejane/archive/san-franciscos-next-election-is-a-referendum-on/

2024-09-28 03:45:57 UTC

- reply

Knowing that someone who'll never bother to read my work has decided to nevertheless fight to keep anyone else from reading it, because they don't want anyone to be aware of any other possibilities in the world besides what they'll allow, is just...
...there actually aren't any words.

2024-09-28 03:43:34 UTC

Seeing Victories Greater Than Death or All the Birds in the Sky on lists of books that book-banners have tried (or succeeded) to remove from libraries never stops giving me a nasty gutpunch. #bannedbooksweek

2024-09-27 16:57:18 UTC

- reply

Just a heads up...
I have a book coming out next summer. It's my first adult novel since 2019. I'm gonna be posting about it a lot from now on.
If you don't want to see me posting about my book, please unfollow me.
If you are offended by authors promoting their work, please block me. I won't mind.

2024-09-26 23:32:45 UTC

- reply

You can already pre-order this book wherever you get your books.
But if you want a signed and personalized copy, probably with some terrible artwork, you can pre-order via Green Apple Books, who ship everywhere in the US:
https://greenapplebooks.com/book/9781250867322

2024-09-26 18:03:50 UTC

If you see me out and about, you can totally get one of these stickers for my upcoming novel Lessons in Magic and Disaster.
It's about a young witch who teaches her heartbroken mother how to do magic. It's full of queer joy, tenderness, grief, trauma and forgiveness.
Pre-order link: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250867322/lessonsinmagicanddisaster
https://stockroom.wandering.shop/media_attachments/files/113/205/152/741/777/598/original/c3c9a0f24546a7f9.jpg

2024-09-19 03:29:09 UTC

Here are some pics from past bookstore and chocolate crawls! It's a lovely time where we swarm into bookstores, buy all the books we can carry, and then move on to the next store, sustaining ourselves with chocolate. Hope you can join us on Saturday!
Deets: https://welovebookstores.org/home-2/bookstorechocolate/
https://stockroom.wandering.shop/media_attachments/files/113/162/072/502/292/073/original/5a556ce93afadd46.jpg
https://stockroom.wandering.shop/media_attachments/files/113/162/072/674/294/971/original/6a738dc946b11a3a.jpg
https://stockroom.wandering.shop/media_attachments/files/113/162/072/926/540/004/original/1ebe2184023d32e6.jpg
https://stockroom.wandering.shop/media_attachments/files/113/162/072/949/119/586/original/7b2d4f0552fadfd1.jpg

2024-09-15 21:32:57 UTC

Shit, I had no idea the drought and wildfires in Brazil were so horrible.
Fucking around with the rainforests has led to some truly heinous finding out, but of course it's not evenly distributed.
Gift link: wapo.st/4e1I8Pe

2024-09-08 19:51:44 UTC

I need someone who gives a shit about the royal family to write a comic book where Elizabeth I and Elizabeth II team up to fight time-traveling vampire cyborgs

2024-09-02 19:47:56 UTC

The notion that opposing generative A.I. is "ableist" or "classist" is fucking ludicrous — poor people are exploited to make these LLMs work, and the environmental impacts of them will hurt so many poor people.
And working artists are hurt most by the plagiarism machine.

2024-09-01 00:55:49 UTC

Alien is about a woman who manages to avoid a monster pregnancy. Terminator is about a woman who fights to survive so she can get pregnant.
In the sequels, they both have kids. (Newt and John).

2024-08-30 17:06:34 UTC

My latest SFF book review column for the Washington Post covers three long-awaited books from some of the genre's best wordsmiths. These books feature heroes who are total screwups, amoral jerks, or both!
Gift link: https://wapo.st/3Z6PoVh

2024-08-08 10:19:16 UTC

Someone on my flight into Scotland was watching a Toy Story film and how is it that I never before realized that the toys in these movies are basically Weeping Angels???? They can only move when a human isn't observing them
#doctorwho