John Picacio

When they tell us "there is no alternative," what they mean is "stop trying to think of alternatives." To imagine radically is to move beyond the helplessness of prediction: a radical imagination dares to insist that history is what we make, not what happens to us.

I tried to negotiate when Asimov's accepted a poem of mine last year. It did absolutely no good. They left me no choice but to pull it. It was one of my dream publications. Don't let the dazzle disorient you. The contracts from MRM are terrible. An unpublished piece is better than their "offer."

Setting up in the @wfc2026.bsky.social Dealers Room. Get your Lotería Grande Cards and Posters + Original Art here starting at 12 noon. Through Sunday! ✊🏽 #wfc2026 #worldfantasy

Come see me Tuesday at 7:00pm! I'll be reading from Precious Children, a book about bad people who cloned themselves and created possibly worse people! (debatable, and I hope you will!)

TODAAAAAAAYY! I’m signing THE INVISIBLE PARADE at Heroes & Fantasies in San Antonio (281 location) from 2pm-4pm. See you there, 210! 🚀✊🏽 #díadelosmuertos cc: @expressnews.com @mysapl.bsky.social

Marvel Halloween costumes - 1976! This would’ve been on the stands in September - I turned 10 the previous June. By that point I was too refined to tolerate a Hulk costume with a picture of the Hulk on the shirt. And… who remembers the condensation inside those masks? So gross. 🤢

Stoked to be part of the official MURDERBOT graphic novel team. I’m one of the cover artists and this book is gonna be beautiful. 🔥🔥🔥🔥 Join the campaign! Score your copy today! ✊🏽🚀

My new Genre Grapevine covers the continuing issues with Must Read Magazines, the new owner of Asimov's, Analog and F&SF. Must Read Magazines has pushed the patience of the science fiction and fantasy genre with secrecy, silence, bad contracts, and bad statements. www.patreon.com/jasonsanford...

Campaign is now LIVE for @rebeccaroanhorse.bsky.social’s Between Earth & Sky RPG from @montecookgames.com! Get in early! Proud to be one of the featured artists for this stellar gaming experience.

Brooklyn people! Come say hi one week from today!

Publishers Weekly called today, asking questions about the Must Read Magazines contract situation. Did a 38-minute interview w/ them. This story isn’t going away. ICYMI: I’ll fight just as hard for the rights of the kid entering the industry as I will for my own. Don’t f**k w/ artists’ rights.

Proud to be part of the #Murderbot graphic novel team! ✊🏽 Can’t wait to draw my first @marthawells.com cover. This book is gonna be special. Kickstarter launching soon! 🚀

Evergreen.

Solid thread on short story rights by @wiswell.bsky.social. Worth reading all of it, whether you’re an artist or writer. ✊🏽

Correct. One time use allows the publisher a period of time for exclusivity for FIRST PUBLICATION, usually a year. After that: the right is non-exclusive and not restricted. This is AGREED UPON in advance, in the contract. Artists respect first publication limitation, this is standard.

I own copyright on the vast majority of cover art I’ve created. And yes, I own the right to make prints of that art. But even when fans demand I make prints upon book release, I don’t do it @ that time. Why? Because I want the author and publisher to make $$$$$. But those art rights remain mine.

Picacio, Giancola Publicly Reject Must Read Magazine Contract Terms file770.com/picacio-gian...

This is also a reminder that several SFF mags *with* author-and-artist-friendly contracts are Kickstarting RIGHT NOW and backing/supporting THEM is a great way to show MRM that they will lose this argument.

Don’t forget @kristinerusch.bsky.social was editor of THE MAGAZINE OF F&SF back in the ‘90s and *she* called out the predatory contracts of Must Read Magazines when she encountered them. Thank you, KKR. Like I said yesterday, walk away from ASIMOV’s, ANALOG, F&SF and any MRM-owned publication.

You are royalty. THANK YOU. I’m posting most of this on my phone while on deadline, and I typed that note with a graphics program. Copy-and-paste to B’sky wasn’t an option. Appreciate you! cc: @karistinalafae.northsky.social 🙏🏽

Watch for my signal. #Incoming ✊🏽

Question for any authors who have had recent contract dealings w/ Must Read Magazines & ASIMOV’S. Have they asked you to surrender copyright of your stories to them? They want me to create new cover art & they want to own copyright of the art. Seems like a pretty outrageous rights grab.

Calling for Indigenous Artists for Between Earth & Sky: the Roleplaying Game! Help us illustrate the Meridian, setting of Native author Rebecca Roanhorse’s bestselling and Hugo Award-winning Black Sun trilogy! Seems like you’d be a good fit? Apply here → www.montecookgames.c...

Scored the new Shaun Tan book at @nowherebookshop.bsky.social. Looking forward to this one. 💪🏽

Monte Cook Games, publisher of the hit Old Gods of Appalachia Roleplaying Game, The Magnus Archives Roleplaying Game, Numenera, Cypher, and others, and author Rebecca Roanhorse are excited to announce the Between Earth and Sky: The Roleplaying Game, crowdfunding soon. 1/2

🧵➡️"But the story does not end with Schmitt, because his story is part of a larger story – a conspiracy, you might say – to stop the public from fully understanding what the president did in the wake of his defeat to Joe Biden, which is to say that he's guilty of treason."

Issues like this one are why I subscribe to LOCUS. Don’t take this magazine for granted. It’s never ever been better, month after month. Applause to everyone at @locusmag.bsky.social. 🔥🔥🔥

I’m seeing a weird spike of Tom Cruise videos in my feeds. Clips of him going out of his way to be kind, while cameras are magically in position. Why do I feel like this is PR to get ahead of a bad headline? I know he’s got a new film, but still — Spidey Sense is tingling.

My favorite month of the year is here. Can already smell the cempasúchil. Crows are coming. IYKYK. Announcement of October signing appearances soon. #TheInvisibleParade #PictureBook #SpookySeason #DiaDeLosMuertos #PuraBelpre

One of this century’s best fantasy series is about to become a legendary RPG. That’s my art for FEVERED STAR pictured on the left — I’ll be one of the artists illustrating this epic gaming experience. ✊🏽 Sign up *today* for campaign launch notification!

We're nearly at 1800 sign-ups! All of whom will get access to *the special stuff*! #Murderbot www.kickstarter.com/projects/cos...

If anyone uses the term Super Intelligence I can only conclude they’re an idiot.

Jack Smith: "History teaches that the rule of law is rarely destroyed all at once. It's often weakened by attacks on the institutions and the public servants sworn to uphold it. Since January 2025, we have witnessed precisely such an effort."

If I was in Brooklyn on October 20th, I would hit the Iris Van Herpen exhibition at @brooklynmuseum.org, and then see @marygthompson.bsky.social @angelluiscolon.com and company at @bklynbooksbooze.bsky.social by night. youtube.com/shorts/uSBtP...

Yup, I’m part of the artist roster for this much-anticipated RPG based on @rebeccaroanhorse.bsky.social’s epic BETWEEN EARTH AND SKY series. 🔥🔥🔥 Sign up today for the campaign’s launch notification. 🚀 www.backerkit.com/c/projects/m...

Have YOU signed up to be notified when the BETWEEN EARTH & SKY roleplaying game backerkit launches? Because you should!! www.backerkit.com/c/projects/m...