Analysis: Anthony v. Taylor on Early Pastoral Economies of the Eurasian Plains
What came 1st, horse (riding) or cart (pulling)? Comparing theories of early pastoral economies & horse domestication on the Eurasian plains.
Recent Articles
3 Theses, 3rd Thursday: Managing Things
Let’s re-brand the TBR pile. Will I ever learn pivot tables or Linux? Plus—a bonus epiphany about people who focus better with the TV on.
Reading Roundup: Women, War & Weird Beliefs
Micro-reviews of media I consumed recently, articles about powerful women in history, and reflections on travelogues and war.
Ancient Princesses: Diplomatic Agents & Religious Leaders
Ancient Princesses from the Levant region served as advisors, diplomats, and independent religious leaders — unlike their Egyptian counterparts.
Five SFF Stories That Shed Light on Obscure History
Echoes of history reverberate through SFF, parallels that can be hard to pick up on, but which still inform how we think about the world. (published at tor.com)
Using Obsidian For Writing Fiction & Notes
A roundup of resources for using the markdown-based notetaking app Obsidian.md to write fiction and manage worldbuilding-related notes.
Five Unconventional Economic Systems as Imagined in SFF
Just because we’re stuck with capitalism & currency-based economic systems doesn’t mean that’s all we can find in our fiction (or history!). (On Tor.com)
3 Theses, 3rd Thursday: On Writing
Are SF&F interchangeable? Is “plotting vs. pantsing” real? Which is better: minimalist or lush, lyrical prose? Everybody has an opinion — including me!
Reading Roundup: Edible Entrails & Self-Fermenting Wine
Micro-reviews of media I consumed recently, articles about non-western foods, textbooks about the Bronze Age, & the Citibank v. Revlon case.
Fiction Publication Announcement: Beetle Siege
My flash fiction piece “Beetle Siege” was published in v5i1 (p.18) of Worldbuilding Magazine, along with the research that led to the story.
