J.D. Moyer

science fiction author, beatmaker, against fascism

Recovering from World Fantasy Convention in Oakland

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On October 25, 2026

In Creative Work/Career, Oakland, Writing

I’m resting up after three days at World Fantasy in Oakland. Overall, I’m glad I went, but I also had a few low points…

I’ll start with the bad/uncomfortable:

  • Some of the smaller conference rooms were poorly ventilated (though no fault of the organizers)
  • Some cringey social awkwardness among adults who are enthusiastic about make believe, myself included (but that’s par for the course when going to sci-fi and fantasy cons)
  • There was no way to purchase a ticket if you didn’t pre-register, which excluded a friend who was happy to pay
  • Getting hard-pitched by an author in the expo hall trying very hard to sell me his epic fantasy series

But many highlights!

  • Listening to Ted Chiang talk about the ideas and philosophies behind his stories, as well as how the movie Arrival got made
  • Listening to an interview with Robert Silverberg (Lord Valentine’s Castle was one of the novels that inspired me to write SFF)
  • Attending a reading where my friend Beth Dawkins read two excellent stories
  • Another reading where I heard some intriguing work in progress from Paolo Bacigalupi
  • Learning about the career and artistic process of artist Stephanie Law
  • Meeting some new writers and getting to know others a bit better, despite the fact that I wasn’t feeling particularly social or extroverted

I rarely write fantasy, and this was my first fantasy-only con. But attending was a no-brainer since it was so ridiculously convenient, and both friends and favorite authors attending.

Next up, maybe ’27 Nebulas in Seattle (again, pretty convenient).

The Portishead Tunnel (Biolibertas)

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On July 1, 2026

In Creative Work/Career, Fiction Writing

For my current novel-in-progress “Saint Arcology”, I made up a Latin-y word, Biolibertas, to refer to a philosophical/civilizational movement towards increased freedom via intentional biology. In this world, both humans and artificial sentient entities pursue freedom from the economic chains of poorly regulated capitalism by taking advantage of enhanced biological capabilities and specialized engineered organisms and symbiotes (enabling human photosynthesis, regeneration, reverse-aging, biologically created housing structures, etc.).

(To my half-dozen or so fiction fans who’ve done a deep dive into my N.E.N.T. theory of everything, this corresponds to the Gensynth evolutionary layer.)

I’ve been toiling away, developing characters and stories around these ideas, for years now (two-and-half yet-to-be published novels worth). But we’ve had a breakthrough! LaShawn Wanak, editor of the esteemed GigaNotoSaurus web magazine (and also author), saw some value in my recent novelette “The Portishead Tunnel,” and picked it up. It’s live as of today, and free to read.

Also, a huge thanks to Beth Dawkins who provided some early, extremely helpful feedback on this story.

Read The Portishead Tunnel on GigaNotoSaurus.

It’s a long one! Hope you enjoy.

Cultivating Boredom

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On June 19, 2026

In Mental Health, Metaprogramming, Personal Updates

New rule for self, as of today: no news, Reddit, YouTube, chess, social media, scrolling, or entertainment of any kind during weekdays (with exceptions for being outside walking–I don’t want to quit Pokemon GO).

It’s not that these activities are inherently bad, or even that they take up time, attention, energy, and willpower (though they certainly do). The main issue–at least for me–is that the endless entertainment and distraction made available via the internet too easily satisfies my mind’s constant need for novelty and stimulation.

So I’m never bored, or even close to bored. And that’s a problem.

When I’m bored or close to bored, the creative hallucinations set in. That’s what I want! The endless stream of ideas, both good and bad, that results from my mind trying to entertain itself.

As well as the desire to get up and move, even if it’s just to do chores or take a walk.

In the past I’ve tried rationing screen time, or setting up timers that block certain sites after x amount of minutes. But that never works. What I need is a simple rule, a commitment, that changes my mindset.

And I think understanding my why will help.

Wish me luck and perseverance!

New Story Acceptance

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On June 6, 2026

In Creative Work/Career, Fiction Writing

I’m excited to announce that my novelette The Portishead Tunnel will be published by GigaNotoSaurus on or around July 1st. LaShawn M. Wanak’s esteemed zine of long short fiction is one of the few publications to accept submissions of the awkward lengths where my stories often end up, and I’m extremely pleased that she’s pickup this one up.

The Portishead Tunnel will be the first published fiction in the Saint Arcology world that I’ve now been developing for several years. What happens when progressive eco-radical geneticists go rogue and start engineering anti-capitalistic solutions? This world explores that scenario.

Please visit GigaNotoSaurus for free online reading and/or to load up your e-reader with great fiction, and I’ll update this post when the story goes live.

My Big Weekend

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On June 1, 2026

In Creative Work/Career, Electronic Music, Personal Updates, Writing

My big weekend actually began on Thursday, sitting in the customer lounge of Albany Subaru, calculating how much time I had to finish the first draft of a remix. John Digweed was scheduled to play in San Francisco the following night, and thanks to some networking done by my friend and music collaborator Mark Musselman, we had a channel to get him some tracks. But I hadn’t made much progress on the remix, and it would take something of a miracle to get it into shape. You don’t want to send one of your favorite DJs something half-baked!

But then I remembered my 2026 motto. For the past few years I’ve been doing an annual motto instead of resolutions. A theme for the year, a few words to encapsulate what I’m focusing on or going for or just trying to remember. My 2026 motto is “Swing Big,” and when I remembered that I realized I had to at least try to finish a draft of the remix. Better to swing and miss than to let an easy pitch go by…

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