July postcard: Say hello to Poppy.
Posted: July 1, 2026 Filed under: Uncategorized Leave a comment
I asked for help last month, and you answered, in spades.
Within a week, through a combination of donations, merch purchases, and advance payments for commissions, consultations, and workshops, I was able to buy a car.
She’s a 2023 Hyundai Kona EV. I took the bus down to Galway to buy her, and, through the fast work of the folks at Healy Insurance Group, drive her home. I named her Poppy because of her color, and also in honor of the sweet pup I took care of in Wellington. She was discounted because her battery’s state of health isn’t quite as high as it should be for her age (89.5%), but it’s also under warranty for a good long time, so if it goes sideways, I’m covered.
It’s hard to overstate how much having a car has transformed my life here, already. For example–I was able to drive to Dublin, to teach my class; and to Dingle, to see my sister. In each case, I could drive door-to-door (or nearly so)–meaning the number of times I had to transfer or carry heavy stuff was way, way less than it would have been. My neck is already healing–I still have some paresthesia, but a lot less pain, and I’m able to work at my desk again instead of being propped up against pillows. The first time I went to buy groceries with it, I was so excited I took pictures:
And note….it’s charging in that photo, too! I had to figure out all that real quick. I drove to Dublin/Dingle THE DAY AFTER I bought the car, which meant I was on a HUGE learning curve in all the ways an EV is different from a gas-powered car. (My last car was a 2015 Chevy Impala–gas, of course, and no fancy touchscreen or anything like that.) It meant plotting out where charging points were all across the island, and also learning very quickly how my range was affected by things like, uh, climate controls. (I am never touching those again.) When I grew up, I heard along with everyone else that doing xyz would drain your battery/fuel faster, but now I can actually SEE it happening on my dashboard. So I’m much more energy-conscious now. Which, as EV enthusiasts say, is part of the whole point. Even better, I just got a home charger installed, which makes my weekly energy bill somewhere in the single digits. I paid for it, but then my landlord said he’d pay for it instead, because, as he sensibly pointed out, “you can’t take it with you, can you.”
But in addition to the car being such a practical godsend, it gives me so much more freedom. To, for example, spend my day off at Aughris Head–a place I’d never be able to reach on public transportation.
I was also able to drive a visiting friend all over town, including to Gibraltar Rocks, seen here at low tide with Benbulben in the distance. (This would ordinarily be a half-hour walk, for me–not possible if I’m carrying swimming gear.)
It’s also just so FUN to have a car again. I plan to stick it with a “tell your dog I said hi” decal as soon as I can find it (it got buried in the move, ugh). But I did what I could. I stuck it with a Resist AI sticker, of course…
…..and a nazar from Greece…..
….and my LAST remaining Art Is Work bumper sticker…..
….and, finally, Star Trek: Next Generation decals that were a gift from a dear friend, last summer. When my first friend visited me in Sligo, I had them pick out an avatar. They chose the Borg Queen. I chose Troi. Here we are, immortalized.
Apparently, Irish people don’t go big for bumper stickers and decals. But we USians wear our identities on our sleeves, don’t we? When Irish drivers follow me (or, just as likely, pass me, because I won’t be going faster than 90km/h to conserve battery), they’ll know they’re following a nerd.
And that’s a GOOD thing.
Thank you again, everyone. And I’m leaving this post open because there were a few people who contributed whose emails I don’t have. So, this is for you too.
Much love and more soon,
Monica
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Thank you for reading! My work is only possible because of subscribers like you. Please visit here to join on Patreon, Substack, or Fractured Atlas!
June’s work: News from the blonde wood palace.
Posted: June 30, 2026 Filed under: Uncategorized Leave a comment
“Blonde wood palace” was the phrase that came to mind when I first moved into my rental in Sligo, because all the woodwork is a lovely golden color. I’m feeling especially settled here because I finally, finally, finished unpacking–and that included hanging up pictures, like the painting you see on the wall behind me. I made it when I was fourteen, under the guidance of Jenny Paulson, a local artist who gave art lessons to neighborhood kids at $15/hr (!). It was one of my first acrylic paintings (and last, come to think of it). It’s not especially accomplished, but it’s very special to me–a girl in a gauzy dress, with her back against a pillar, looking out at the full moon rising over the sea–inspired by the paintings of Maxfield Parrish.
And now it hangs in my writing study in Sligo.
Here’s what I did with your generous support in the last month:
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Building the world of “Golden Rule.”
Posted: June 12, 2026 Filed under: Uncategorized Leave a comment
Last week, Jason Lloyd at Issues of Science and Technology interviewed me about the process of writing my new story “Golden Rule.” It was a great conversation, and pushed me (in a good way) to articulate things out loud that I hadn’t quite brought to the surface–for example, that it takes place in an alternate timeline, not the future of our own. I also talk about the research I did, the stories behind the characters, and why I love making up scholars that don’t exist.
It’s only half an hour long–go have a look/listen! And read the story if you haven’t yet, and the terrific response essay, here–by a post-conviction attorney, no less, who knows a thing or two about theories of punishment.
Much love and more soon,
Monica
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Thank you for reading! My work is only possible because of subscribers like you. Please visit here to join on Patreon, Substack, or Fractured Atlas!
A new story: “Golden Rule.”
Posted: June 3, 2026 Filed under: Uncategorized Leave a comment
Artwork by Rey Velasquez Sagcal.
CW: mentions of rape, abuse, intimate partner violence.
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Whatever violent crime you commit against another person, will be committed against you in turn….but you never know when.
That’s the premise of my new short story, “Golden Rule.”
I’ve had such a good time collaborating with the folks at Issues in Science and Technology this past spring—especially Ed Finn, who was a crack editor on a tough subject matter, and pushed me to come to a logical conclusion I wouldn’t have on my own. (The team at ASU are building an incredible stable of short fiction that delves into the consequences of new technologies–they’ve also published stories by Indrapramit Das and Annalee Newitz, among others–so do follow them.)
The “new technology” in my story is a new theory of punishment. In a future where society seeks to phase out prisons, Golden Rule is a pilot program of non-carceral remedy. I thought of it because of reading A New Ireland: How Europe’s Most Conservative Country Became Its Most Liberal by Niall O’Dowd–and in particular its chapters on the horrific systemic abuse in Ireland’s religious institutions. Would these priests and teachers have abused these children if they knew they’d someday be abused in the same way?, I wondered. And then I wanted to write a story that explored that question in a step-by-step way, as realistically as I could.
I will say, there are some places I didn’t want to go. So I chose a crime that I could stomach replicating; or rather, describe replicating, and one that had no moral grey area and a fundamentally unrepentant offender. There was still plenty of moral territory to explore. To wit, our protagonist is Robin Taft, one of the people recruited–from among former victims–to become a minister of Golden Rule; that is, to carry out punishments. Only former victims can become ministers. But they don’t punish their own perpetrators, only others’.
You see where it might get interesting.
As I wrote, I kept thinking of Mona Eltahaway’s famous appearance on Australian national television, which has since been scrubbed from the network. It’s always incredible to me how proposing commensurate remedy for the rape epidemic is a cause for outrage, but the rape epidemic itself is not. My story is an attempt to grapple with that.
So go give “Golden Rule” a read, and also the fantastic response essay “The Purpose of Punishment,” by ASU School of Law attorney Randy McDonald. And finally, if you’d like to hear me talk more about all of the above, I’m going LIVE to discuss the story with Managing Editor Jason Lloyd on Friday! Go here to join the conversation at 12 noon ET.
Much love and more soon,
Monica
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Thank you for reading! My work is only possible because of subscribers like you. Please visit here to join on Patreon, Substack, or Fractured Atlas!
June postcard: I blame Godspell.
Posted: June 2, 2026 Filed under: Uncategorized Leave a comment
Today I was thinking about what to write for the June postcard, and then I thought “Why don’t I write about whether I’m a woman or not anymore,” and then thought, wouldn’t that be perfect for Pride Month? So here I am.
When I was in Godspell in high school—as much a watershed experience as I’ve ever had, developmentally—the director was pairing us off for a dance number. I had the sudden thought:
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May’s work: Train Daddy mad?*
Posted: May 31, 2026 Filed under: Uncategorized Leave a comment
Hello everyone. I’ve been writing from bed for the last week, which is easier on my neck for now. It’s honestly a blessing to be able to work from home at all! Also, my housedress matches my pillows today.
I wrote you all with a serious ask a few days ago. And while I don’t want to count my chickens before they hatch, I can say, as of now (Friday), with amazement and gratitude, that through purchases, donations, and a new teaching gig, I think I have almost as much as I need to buy a used EV. Which will make my life here easier in countless ways. You all have completely blown me away with your generosity. I can’t thank you enough.
Several items have already sold out on the Merch Menu, but there are still a handful left of the rarest and most popular items:
- 1 signed actor’s edition of What Every Girl Should Know
- 1 signed German edition of The Girl in the Road (Die Brücke)
- 2 signed limited edition storybooks of “The Comedy at Kualoa“
- 2 signed hardcovers of The Melleray Alphabet
- 3 signed paperbacks of The Girl in the Road
- 4 polar bear art notecard packs
- 14 ART IS WORK T-shirts and tank tops
….so go have a look if you haven’t yet!
And now, here is what I did with your generous support in the last month:
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Thank you for reading! My work is only possible because of subscribers like you. Please visit here to join on Patreon, Substack, or Fractured Atlas!
Fortune favors the funded.
Posted: May 18, 2026 Filed under: Uncategorized Leave a comment
Do you remember when, in September, I decided to audit the theatre design course at ATU-Sligo, in the hopes that I would get to present my design for OHIO! at Ireland’s national theatre in May, and thereby spark interest in the play itself?
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Thank you for reading! My work is only possible because of subscribers like you. Please visit here to join on Patreon, Substack, or Fractured Atlas!
Only THREE SPOTS left in my Writing Workshop for the Age of Emergency!
Posted: May 5, 2026 Filed under: Uncategorized Leave a comment
Hey all! Just a quick note to say there are only THREE real-time spots left in my upcoming Writing Workshop for the Age of Emergency, starting this Saturday, May 9th, 1-3pm ET. If you’ve been meaning to sign up, register here! The fee is sliding scale.
If that time doesn’t work for you, you can also take the course as an asynchronous auditor–meaning, you get access to recordings after the fact. Just choose “Asynchronous Enrollment” from the drop-down menu on this page. There’s no cap to how many can enroll asynchronously.
And finally, if you don’t know what the heck I’m talking about, here’s a description of the course:
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Instructor: Monica Byrne | 3-Weeks | Saturdays | May 9-23 | 1:00-3:00 PM ET | ONLINE
We’re living through an Age of Emergency: a time of massive global upheaval. But, as in any time of change, there’s as much potential for good as for bad.
How can we access that potential?
The first and foremost answer is imagination, the root of all social change. To make a better world, we first have to imagine it.
In this workshop, moving from the deep past to the far future, we will reconnect with our natural human faculty of imagination—to remember all the ways humans have thrived in the past, and to re-envision the world as it could be in the future. The workshop is open to ALL. You don’t have to be a writer. You just have to want to use imagination as a social tool, to uncover the vast possibilities of human existence that fascism would have us to forget.
There will be short readings provided before each class, by Kelly Hayes, Mariame Kaba, David Wengrow and David Graeber, Diane di Prima, Aaron Bady, Octavia Butler, and possibly more.
Online, 1 PM ET
May 9: The Past
May 16: The Present
May 23: The Future
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See you there!
Much love and more soon,
Monica
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Thank you for reading! My work is only possible because of subscribers like you. Please visit here to join on Patreon, Substack, or Fractured Atlas!
May postcard: It’s not your fault.
Posted: May 1, 2026 Filed under: Uncategorized Leave a comment
I took this photo on the 6am train to Dublin. You can see my reflection in the suitcase.
That suitcase contained everything I’ve inherited that I hoped might be worth something. I wanted to try to sell it so I can save up for a car (a used EV–which, though more expensive, feels like a safer investment these days, especially if I want to be a trustworthy pet-sitter on an island vulnerable to petrol disruptions). This is one of the reasons I brought my things over from the U.S. The whole train ride, I was thinking about my relatives–my grandmothers, my mother, my aunt–all of whom inhabited a very different time, the apex of domesticity, when trinkets were assets. I felt them with me. I liked to imagine them cheering me on, but maybe that was just wishful thinking.
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Thank you for reading! My work is only possible because of subscribers like you. Please visit here to join on Patreon, Substack, or Fractured Atlas!
April’s work: The final stage of grief is a Masters degree.
Posted: May 1, 2026 Filed under: Uncategorized Leave a comment
A friend posted this video yesterday and I thought it hilarious. Yes, the final stage of grief is getting a Masters degree. We will not explain further. (Though, what is getting a PhD, then? Perhaps masochism.)
I am sick, alas. I inhaled something when unpacking, and I’ve been wheezy and crud-filled ever since. I’ve been medicating and neti-potting though, too, so let’s hope it goes away. But in the meantime: this is why I’ve been pretty quiet this month, and am writing to you from my couch.
That said, this month was just as full of work as the previous! GAAHH! Here’s what I did with your generous support in April:
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Thank you for reading! My work is only possible because of subscribers like you. Please visit here to join on Patreon, Substack, or Fractured Atlas!
monica byrne 
