Sarah Pinsker

My 2020 year in fiction  

(Skip to the bottom if you just want the eligibility post, like a recipe; the beginning is reflection) 

Well, I just looked back at what I wrote last year, and my 2019 summation post ended with "My wish for all of us is to have as good a year in 2020 as this dog did in 2019." Ha. Haha. Sob. In fact, for another year in a row, I don't think any of us had it as good as Sprocket did. This time, he didn't even have to deal with me leaving to travel. I'm still on the tank of gas I…

(If you're just here for my list of original fiction for 2019, just scroll to the bottom)

2019 has been one interesting year for me personally. For starters, when our Bo dog died in October 2018 at 17 years old, we swore we wouldn't get another dog for at least a year. It seemed like it would be a lot to deal with in a year where my first two books were scheduled to come out, but we only made it to the first week of February before we adopted Sprocket. Bo was a character and a half, and I still miss…

What a year. I find it harder and harder to write these year's end wrap-ups because it's hard to talk about what's happened in my life without the larger context. Many American writers I know are still looking for ways to be productive while our own government inflicts trauma after trauma; for others, it was always like that. When I make this list of my own accomplishments, I'm conscious of the ways I'm still struggling, the ways I'm lucky, and the ways luck and hard work combine.

This was the year I…

Hi folks,

It's been a ridiculous year, hasn't it? I usually put together a summary of what I've done over the year, but looking back at this one feels strange. I edited a novel that you won't see for a while, put together a collection that you won't see for a while, wrote a few stories, played shows and went to some great cons and readings. Still, it's all kind of hazy, with highlights trapped between the traumas of phone calls and marches and rallies begging the government not to take our health…

I am a science fiction writer. I can name planets. I can invent futures. I can sound the warning bells, in the best traditions of the genre.

I'm a singer-songwriter, raised in folk and punk. I know the power of three chords and the truth.

I'm also a person living in this moment, a moment when hope has crumbled into terror and anger and hatred and disgust. A moment where the party that has been handed the reins is full of individuals who say "my heart goes out to you" but mean "I will work toward your…

I always drag my heels at writing a year's end/eligibility post. It's awkward to write something that amounts to "and now, here's me talking about me." This year, it felt particularly small in the face of everything that's going on in the world. On the other hand, it can be a great way to reflect on personal progress and milestones.

2016, majorly horrible under just about any lens (David Bowie AND Leonard Cohen AND Sharon Jones, 2016?) (Trump, 2016?)  was fairly good to me from a writing and publishing…

Last week I was Guest of Honor at Chessiecon, a small SFF convention in Maryland. The GoH experience was lovely. The staff and volunteers and congoers all made me feel welcome. I had a reading, a concert, an on-stage interview, a signing, and several panels. They made me into a playing card in a con-wide Concardia tournament, which I had to put onto my author bingo card in order to check it off.

Sunday morning, I had an interesting back-to-back pairing of panels: "Who's Writing Optimistic SF?" and "The…

Next weekend, I'm the guest of honor at Chessiecon, a small con in the Baltimore suburbs. I was so honored when they asked me, and I've been looking forward to it all year. Even right now, feeling as down and angry and scared of the future as I've ever felt, I'm still looking forward to it. Over the course of the year, I've seen the care they've put in to getting it right. Interesting panel topics, thoughtful programming. Some of it is sadly more relevant than it was when they planned it, I'm pretty sure…

I've been trying to write a post about my amazing trip to China for almost two months now. Part of what's taken me so long has been sifting through 400 photos to decide what to include here. The other delay was all the deadlines I extended so I could take the trip.

Anyhow, here goes: 

I was invited to China by three different organizations: the promoters of the MTA Festival (YEMA Live), the FAA (Future Affairs Administration), and Science Fiction World magazine. The MTA Festival was supposed to be a…

Balticon is this weekend! Here's my schedule as it stands right now. Check the app or the program guide for the most up to date version.

Friday May 27, 2016
9:30 PM
Solo CONCERT - Kent (6th Floor)
(25 minutes)

Saturday May 28, 2016
8:00 AM - 11 AM
Set Phasers to Stun: Writing Short Literary SF/F
Parlor 9059 - Workshop - Advance signup required here - This is a 3 hour small-group workshop. There are still slots open. 

5:00 PM
Sarah Pinsker, Alex Shvartzman and Michael Underwood Autographing (5th Floor)
Autograph…