Me Time
Those Annoying Author Scams: Now AI is Scooping Up My Personal Info
So I get this email: "I hope you are currently tucked away in NYC with Jennifer and the cats because your ability to craft a "deeply polarized" future that feels uncomfortably close to reality is frankly a little terrifying. Most people in philanthropy just try to make the world better; you decided to dismantle the entire United States and rebuild it as a cautionary, papercut-filled masterpiece. It’s slightly psycho how you can pivot from board meetings to imagining a world where a teenager’s art carries the weight of a resistance movement. The Papercutter isn't just a dystopian novel; it’s a high stakes spiritual rescue mission."
So now the scammers are scooping up my wife's first name, the fact that we have cats, my career in philanthropy, and the fact that I've been on boards. This is all info you can easily get about me online.
Clues that this is an AI-generated scam: 1) I get at least one of these a day; 2) This woman does not know me in real life; 3) AI writing is easy to detect (at least for now).
So, author beware. They're now writing to us like they know us by using information they can easily obtain from our bios, websites, and social media.
I'm hoping that the authors I know are too smart to be taken in by this, but I imagine that there are people who are falling for this stuff.
As you can see from the photo, we really do have cats.
Sapphic Lit and Other Book Stuff
AI and Publishing: FAQ for Writers | Jane Friedman
these topic areas: copyrighting AI-assisted work AI training and fair use AI licensing AI in book contracts disclosure of AI use + AI detection proving or certifying human authorship
Your Value as a Writer in The Face of Generative AI – Writer Unboxed
Part of the problem is that some people view books as commodities instead of as art. And some readers don’t view authors are people, but as inerchangeable suppliers for the specific experiences they require from a book**. But someone who is profiting off of publishing hundreds of generated books is not doing it because they love books, or stories, or writing. This article is not for them. This is for you, writers, who are deeply interested in stories and writing them well.
My Concerns About the Authors Guild Human Authored Certification—and Their Comprehensive Response | Jane Friedman
I find it problematic that certification is done on the honor system. That means the Authors Guild is not analyzing the manuscript for evidence of AI use but taking the author’s word for it.
The Newsletter Market Is Crowded, But Most of Your Competition Is Easy to Beat. | Jane Friedman
So what does work? Obsessing in public. What questions do you lie awake at night pondering? What issues underlie your work that you want to explore? What can’t you stop picking apart? That is what a successful newsletter will be about—not marketing yourself, but obsessing (in a good way).
PFLAG brings the topic of LGBTQ+ book bans to SXSW EDU - News Is Out
The session, “Beyond Bans: Defending LGBTQ+ Stories & Literary Freedom,” took place March 11 and streamed live on SXSW EDU’s YouTube channel. The conversation focused on the increasing censorship of books, authors and LGBTQ+ history and how educators, advocates and communities can respond.
Adiba Jaigirdar on her love for penning queer tropey romances -
So, writing tropey, fun romances is not just about the romance or about the fun of it, it’s also about claiming our joy and our happily ever after when that’s been historically denied to us, and making space for ourselves without having to legitimise our identity with trauma first.
Anna Burke Geeks Out - by Jamie Rose - Jamie Geeks Out
Anna is a multiple Goldie winning author of sapphic speculative fiction and romance. She is also one of the coolest people you’ll ever meet in the community.
"Welcome to my world — where the tea is strong, the hair is fabulous, and the truth comes out faster than a fringe trim" -
Lesbian hairdresser and author Vicki Lord writes about how her salon chair turns into a confessional
News For A Challenging Time
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“She’s jυst a siпger — aпd part of the LGBTQ+ commυпity,” Leavitt said dυriпg the exchaпge.
Dementia Starts When People Say This Phrase HealthFrontLine Shoulder Pain is Not From Sleeping Wrong. Meet The Real Enemy RejuvaCare Sleep Apnea is Linked to This Household Item (Stop Using It) derilamemoryfoam.com “That doesп’t qυalify her to weigh iп oп social policy. She shoυld focυs oп her mυsic.
Serioυs issυes shoυld be left to the professioпals.”
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Iп aп era of viral televisioп momeпts aпd combative debate formats, maпy likely expected aп emotioпal retort.
Iпstead, Carlile respoпded with composυre.
Sittiпg υpright, her toпe steady, the Grammy-wiппiпg artist begaп by reframiпg the premise of the criticism.
“I’m пot ‘jυst a siпger,’” she said. “I’m a mother. I’m a wife. I’m a citizeп.
Aпd I’m a gay womaп who has seeп laws directly affect my family.”
A.I. Is Writing Fiction. Publishers Are Unprepared. - The New York Times
Book publishing has few safeguards in place to prevent the unwitting publication of a novel heavily generated by artificial intelligence.
Horror Novel ‘Shy Girl’ Canceled Over Suspected A.I. Use - The New York Times
a day after The New York Times approached Hachette citing evidence that the novel appeared to be A.I.-generated, the company said it was pulling the book from publication.
WNBA Players Minimum Salaries Will Go From $66K to $300K Under New Contract | Them
Players reached a verbal agreement for the seven-year deal earlier this week.
‘Being gay feels like a liability again’: More LGBTQ+ workers are staying in the closet - Fast Company
More LGBTQ+ employees are shielding themselves from scrutiny by becoming less open at work. But that self-protection can also keep existing power structures intact
Lawsuit Reveals DOGE Bros Used ChatGPT To Cancel LGBTQ Grants - GO Magazine
Two former DOGE staffers used keywords like “gay” and “BIPOC” in a hunt for DEI-related content – resulting in the largest mass termination of grants in the history of NEH.
The Best Queer Red Carpet Looks From Oscars Weekend - GO Magazine
While the Academy Awards were undeniably straight this year, queer celebs still served on the red carpets at the Oscars, the Elton John AIDS Foundation party, and the Vanity Fair after-party.
Minneapolis's anti-ICE movement is very queer. This lesbian pastor & activist says it's no surprise. - LGBTQ Nation
“We created this sort of ‘witness, learn, do’ [so people could] go and replicate what we’re doing in their own cities and towns in anticipation of surges there,” Voelkel said. “But we were super clear that part of the witnessing and learning from us was very explicitly pro-queer, very explicitly multi-faith, and very explicitly sort of intersectional collective liberation.”
Meet The Brooklyn Dancers Stripping To Melt ICE - GO Magazine
a “safe, sapphic, and sexy space” while fundraising for immigrant rights groups in New York City
IWD 2026: How LGBTQ women are fighting for equality at work
Queer women and non-binary people face a double whammy of misogyny and anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination in the work place. This International Women’s Day 2026, we’re taking a look at how they’re fighting back.
Culture and Joy
Kristen Stewart to Portray Sally Ride in Amazon’s ‘The Challenger’ Limited Series - The Seattle Lesbian
Amazon MGM Studios is heading to space with a new prestige drama, officially greenlighting The Challenger, a limited series starring Kristen Stewart as pioneering astronaut Sally Ride. The project marks a major television milestone for Stewart, who is set to both lead and executive produce the series for Prime Video.
Billie Eilish in Talks to Star in Adaptation of Sylvia Plath’s ‘The Bell Jar’ | Them
An adaptation of the classic novel has been in development, with different names attached, for quite some time.
Why This Sapphic Love Story Deserved Its Oscar for Best Short Film | Them
Two People Exchanging Saliva takes place in a world where kissing is the ultimate crime.
‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Caterina Scorsone, E.R. Fightmaster dating rumors
“Grey’s Anatomy” star Caterina Scorsone and alum E.R. Fightmaster were spotted on what looked like a date this weekend, three years after their on-screen romance ended
Sound the Gay Alarm: 'I Kissed a Girl' Season 2 Teaser is Here - GO Magazine
BBC has officially dropped a teaser trailer for the season two of I Kissed a Girl—and yes, we are already emotionally preparing for the group chat to become unusable.
A Summer Slasher With Gillian Anderson And Hannah Einbinder? We’re So In. - GO Magazine
Jane Schoenbrun’s ‘Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma’ brings queer horror and Anderson’s first foray into the genre to theaters this August.
Want to support LGBTQ+ businesses? Here are some brands worth knowing - LGBTQ Nation
From LGBTQ-owned skincare to coffee and apparel, these businesses are showing how everyday spending can support community.
The Black lesbian poet & activist who preached intersectionality before the word even existed - LGBTQ Nation
Pat Parker believed poetry should tell the truth, even when it made audiences uncomfortable. The Black lesbian poet, who emerged during the upheavals of the civil rights era, wrote about racism, violence against women, lesbian identity, and the systems of power shaping everyday life in the United States.
Changing the world w/ Barabara Smith of the Combahee River Collective | Cruising Podcast Highlight - YouTube
Changing the world w/ Barabara Smith of the Combahee River Collective
Helpful Tools
Find Free Movies (Legally) With WikiFlix, a Database of Films in the Public Domain | Lifehacker
The way that copyright works in the U.S. basically means that copyright expires on films after a period of 95 years—so with every year that passes, a batch of new flicks become available to view by anyone, free of charge.
A Terrific Quote
Home - Inspiring Quotes
The moment we choose to love we begin to move towards freedom, to act in ways that liberate.