William Shunn

@shunn@mastodon.online
133 Followers
73 Following
285 Posts
Hugo and Nebula Award nominee • Author of The Accidental Terrorist • Poet • Programmer • Puzzlemaker • Harlem, NYC
Pronounshe/him
Webhttps://www.shunn.net
Substackhttps://shunn.substack.com
Gravatarhttps://gravatar.com/williamshunn
William ShunnFeb 17
My father, who passed away in 2008, would have turned ninety today. I inherited his Hummel figurine of St. George fighting the dragon, and I wrote this poem about it. https://dogb.us/dragon
Sympathy for the Dragon

They battled on my father's mantel more than half a century ago. Now they battle atop my writing desk. The conflict looks much different to me now than it did then.

William Shunn’s Main Wish Null
William ShunnFeb 13
In observance of Friday the 13th, I posted an old short story of mine on Substack. https://shunn.substack.com/p/a-strong-premonition-of-death-struck
A Strong Premonition of Death Struck Me This Morning

Some days, no matter how hard you try, you just can’t shake that sense of impending doom. Fiction for a Friday the thirteenth.

William Shunn’s Main Wish Null
William ShunnFeb 2
When I lived in Denver, I met a group of federal employees who embodied what it means to labor for a better nation. The Trump administration has tried to erase them and their work. https://dogb.us/mint
Mint Conditions

A display of United States quarters brings back memories of an extraordinary group of federal employees in Colorado.

William Shunn’s Main Wish Null
William ShunnDec 19
What’s a young departing Mormon missionary supposed to do with his secret stash of vinyl? https://dogb.us/shelves
The Scouring of the Shelves

Facing two years of forced asceticism, a prospective missionary contemplates an exorbitant offering as proof of his devotion. Or maybe as self-flagellation.

William Shunn’s Main Wish Null
William ShunnDec 5
Some thoughts on trying to find a better health insurance plan. https://shunn.substack.com/p/feeling-sick-about-feeling-sick
Feeling Sick About Feeling Sick

With expanded Affordable Care Act subsidies about to expire, what options do affected Americans have for safeguarding their families’ health? No good ones.

William Shunn’s Main Wish Null
William ShunnNov 18
Heading to the Cutting Room tonight to see a @michaelianblack comedy special taping. The last time I attended one was almost exactly ten years ago. I will try not to raise my hand this time, because stealing the show twice would just be bratty.
William ShunnNov 17
I wrote a little poem inspired by some recent headlines: https://dogb.us/gash
Gash

No metaphor can be as simplistic as this one seems. The tale of a monster and the holes it ripped in democracy and decency.

William Shunn’s Main Wish Null
William ShunnNov 12
Back in 2019, I published this prose poem by Roger W. Hecht in The Piltdown Review, sadly still relevant today. https://dogb.us/toetag
Donald Trump’s Toe Tag

Poem by Roger W. Hecht. Donald Trump's toe tag will be the most glorious toe tag. It will have class like you've never seen before.

The Piltdown Review
William ShunnNov 10
My memoir *The Accidental Terrorist: Confessions of a Reluctant Missionary* came out ten years ago today. To observe this milestone, I’ve reposted something I wrote back in 2001, when I thought I was nearly done with the book but was really just getting started. Plus, the ebook is on sale! It’s all here: https://dogb.us/milestones
A Journey of a Thousand Milestones

It was ten years ago today that my memoir, The Accidental Terrorist, first appeared in print. This reminiscence from 2001 celebrates an end to the project that was really just a first step.

William Shunn’s Main Wish Null
William ShunnOct 31
For Halloween, a short story of mine from 1993. https://shunn.substack.com/p/colin-and-ishmael-in-the-dark
Colin and Ishmael in the Dark

A prisoner and his jailer play a game of cat-and-mouse in total darkness—but which is the hunter and which the hunted? Fiction for Halloween.

William Shunn’s Main Wish Null