Boundary keepers & path shifters: forest spirits in Filipino & Finnish folklore

As a kid, I was taught that certain spirits lived just beyond the edges of the path. In Filipino folklore, the nuno sa punso might curse you for disturbing its mound. In Finnish folklore, a type of haltija called a tonttu could guard your house and required certain behaviour. I grew up saying “tabi tabi po, nuno” in the forest to avoid a nuno’s curse, and I often wondered if my house’s tonttu would ever […]

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The sacred bear spirit in Finnish paganism

The bear spirit in Finnish paganism

In Finno-Ugric paganism, the bear’s true name was too sacred to speak aloud, lest you attract it. It was replaced with euphemistic, respectful names instead. Finnish euphemisms for “bear” Because speaking the true name of the bear was taboo to ancient Finno-Ugric people, they used terms of endearment and euphemisms like mesikämmen (“honey-paw”,) metsän omena (“apple of the forest”,) and metsän kuningas (“king of the forest”). One common name for the bear in Finnish paganism

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My first zine in over 20 years!

For my spring Undone Rituals Mixtape on Patreon, I made a zine! That sentence got an exclamation mark because I haven’t made a zine since I was 24. That’s over 20 years ago! Making a zine in 2025 was different in two main ways: 1) No longer having an office job where I could sneak photocopier time before everyone else arrived; and 2) Resisting the urge to lay everything out in InDesign and simply print

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Patreon giveaway w/author Katie Li

This month I had the honour of guest-editing the March edition of Katie Li’s incredible zine The Beautiful Worst, which shares thoughts on a different aspect of creativity along with prompts and ideas for readers to use in their own creative practice. My theme was “Creativity + Convergence,” and it was fun to examine the different forms my creativity takes and the way they all weave together.⁠ ⁠ As part of that issue, Katie and

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Introducing: the Undone Rituals Mixtape project on Patreon

I came of age on the late ‘90s internet, a very small world of DIY creativity and un-algorithmed self-expression. I’ve always loved exploring ideas and putting them out there, rough edges and all. So in 2025 I’m creating the Undone Rituals Mixtape project, a year-long creative experiment outside of my traditionally-published work, outside of algorithms and what’s expected of me (don’t get me wrong–I love creating the things that are expected of me, but I’ve

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historical inspiration for my fantasy novel: foreign rule in finland & the philippines

Historical inspiration for my fantasy novel: foreign rule in Finland & the Philippines

Why do I write historically-inspired SF/F set in societies that disregard personal autonomy? I admit, when I first noticed it I got a little concerned.⁠ Shouldn’t I be writing about dragons or something lighthearted and fun? ⁠ Then I took a step back and looked at the broad strokes history of my parents’ countries of origin. ⁠ ⁠ 🇫🇮 Finland: Under Swedish rule for hundreds of years, then ceded to Russia until full & formal

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Honoured to be the inaugural Captured Phantoms “Pay It Forward” Scholarship Award recipient

I’m honoured to be the inaugural Captured Phantoms “Pay It Forward” Scholarship Award Recipient. The fund was established by the wonderful book coach and editor Karen A. Parker, and I’m excited to work with Karen on developing Seeker of the Lost Song! The fund helps subsidize the cost of coaching, consultation, critique, and editorial services for systemically oppressed storytellers, and I encourage everyone to learn more about it. Learn more about the Captured Phantoms “Pay

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Event alert! “Creating Time and Space to Write” workshop at the Word on the Street

Join Farah Heron, Rebecca Mardon, and me at the Word on the Street’s “Creating Time and Space to Write” free (!) virtual workshop. We’ll share how we manage creative projects alongside children, households, day jobs, and more. You’ll learn tips, tricks, rituals, and mindsets to help you make time and space for your very own writing career. Bring a notepad! The Word on the Street Festival, presented with The G. Raymond Chang School of Continuing

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How I wrote my first short story in years

I’m excited to talk about this: I wrote a short story for the first time in years! ⁠Stone Grown is set in the greater world of a couple of works in progress. It’s historically-inspired, character-driven, and draws on Finnish and Filipino folklore and customs.⁠ Note: A slightly more detailed version of this post first appeared in my monthly newsletter, Deadmedia. Join us here if you want earlier access to posts like this one! It feels

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Sci-fi/fantasy worldbuilding process

How I start my worldbuilding process as an SF/F author

At my recent “World-building and Cultural Research for Storytelling” panel at the Filipino-Canadian Book Festival, one question asked where we start our respective worldbuilding processes. Here I’ll go into more detail about how I start worldbuilding as a sci-fi/fantasy author. /// Note: A slightly more detailed version of this post first appeared in my monthly newsletter, Deadmedia. Join us here if you want earlier access to posts like this one! /// How I start my

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