author of SEARCHES, THIS IS SALVAGED, & THE IMMORTAL KING RAO. pulitzer finalist. journalist. mentor at the lighthouse writers workshop's book project. contact me: dm, signal (@vauhinivara.82), or my website (vauhinivara.com).
Doing this made me learn that “water park” didn’t exist before my birth year?! people aged, say, 50 and up: what in the world did you call water parks before they were water parks?!
Merriam-WebsterFind the 5 words from your birth year that perfectly describe YOUR vibe ⬇️ www.merriam-webster.com/time-traveler/
I love this essay and the hilarious conceit of sharing two openings of a book that’s been published and asking readers to vote on them. the comments are also excellent: readers chiming in to be like, “I hate both,” or “Here’s my edit!”
Is a Novel Ever Finished? Many Writers Say No.After finishing his latest book, Karan Mahajan couldn’t decide which opening passage was best. Vote below for the one you prefer.www.nytimes.comi'm happy there's a story collection on here, but obama's reading consultant — is this a thing? i'd like to believe it is? — needs to give him more books from independent presses & international authors! see: @deepvellum.bsky.social, @transitbooks.bsky.social & @archipelagobooks.bsky.social.
Barack ObamaIt’s that time of year again: here are some of the books I’ve enjoyed this summer. If you’ve read any good ones, let me know!
The biggest difference between the scandal over Shy Girl being partly AI-generated and the new allegations over Daggermouth seems to be that the Shy Girl author acknowledged AI involvement (tho blamed someone else) while the Daggermouth author denies it. So now what? Nice @willoremus.com piece.
Is This What Comes After AI Slop?Daggermouth could be the first best-selling novel partly written by a chatbot.www.theatlantic.comHere are 10 must-reads about AI from CBC, including SEARCHES!
10 essential reads to understand the impact of AI | CBC BooksAs conversations around AI use continue to grow, it can be challenging to stay informed about the impact AI is having on society and our role as consumers. CBC Books has compiled a list of books from ...www.cbc.ca🐋💔
Orion Magazine“We have so much to understand, so much to destroy. And surveying the wreckage can be so poignant.” For Vauhini Vara whales are an obsession. So when gray whales began washing ashore in what scientists were calling an “unexplained mortality event,” she devised to get to the bottom of it.
WANT TO TALK ABOUT WHALES??? JOIN US!!!!!!!! 🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋
Orion Presents The Deep Dive: Our History and Future with the World’s Largest Mammals - Orion MagazineJoin Orion magazine to celebrate the launch of our Summer 2026 issue, The Deep Dive: Our History and Future with the World’s Largest Mammals.orionmagazine.orgVauhini Varain 2020, i visited baja to report on a mysterious die-off of grey whales. people were only sort of worried then: this happened, sometimes. Seven years later, though, the whales keep dying — their entire population has nearly halved. And now we know why. my latest, for @orionmagazine.bsky.social. 🐋
in 2020, i visited baja to report on a mysterious die-off of grey whales. people were only sort of worried then: this happened, sometimes. Seven years later, though, the whales keep dying — their entire population has nearly halved. And now we know why. my latest, for @orionmagazine.bsky.social. 🐋
Unusual Mortality Event - Orion MagazineThe mysterious die-off of eastern North Pacific gray whalesorionmagazine.orgAnother @willoremus.com banger: an interview with Jamir Nazir, the winner of the Commonwealth Prize — published in Granta — accused of using AI. 🤯
Thoughts on AI, From a Prizewinning Writer Accused of Using AIJamir Nazir, the controversial winner of a prestigious literary award, tells his side of the story.www.theatlantic.comthis just in. ruthkillickcouk.sharepoint.com/sites/Manusc...
A really interesting article about my essay "Ghosts"—as an entry point for considering the relationship between AI and communication—from @tahneeroksman.bsky.social. Sharing it particularly for those who teach "Ghosts" and might find this useful to pair with it.
static1.squarespace.comI thought I was writing an essay explaining a decision to stop using the em dash — or least use it way less — because of how AI chatbots have appropriated it. Instead, I found myself arguing passionately in favor of it. 😑
Humans vs. Bots — Who Does the Em Dash Better?www.nytimes.comCome for @bcmerchant.bsky.social's take on how Anthropic infiltrated the Vatican (and subscribe to his Substack to read about it, while you're at it), and stay to hear me talk about AI turning up in books and magazines!
On the Media📻 Show’s up! Featuring @bcmerchant.bsky.social, @vauhinivara.bsky.social, and David Garrett on-the-media.visitlink.me/mMfPo1
I think it could be even more insidious still than deleted material. Here’s what happened when I wrote critically about OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and asked OpenAI product ChatGPT to suggest edits. (The full transcript is in SEARCHES & gets even more dystopian.)
Jason Koeblergoogle has injected its gemini AI bullshit into our google docs and i just highlighted an article i wrote and told it to "refine" to see what it would do and it deleted the entire thing
🥳🥳🥳 meet THE BRIDGE: an ambitious & exciting project from Look2Justice, which supports incarcerated writers & is led by currently & formerly incarcerated people. i'll be directing their book fellowship, supporting three accomplished authors! www.look2justice.org/the-bridge
Ok I fell behind on the AI slop discourse but this one is really clear-eyed and good
Will OremusGift link to my story today on how the rise of AI-assisted writing is blurring the lines between human authorship and slop — and leading some writers to feel pressure to overrely on tools that still have serious, albeit increasingly subtle, flaws. www.theatlantic.com/technology/2...
I’m sorry what??? Great reporting from @knibbs.bsky.social on the author who used AI to write his book about AI and the future of truth. 🤯 www.wired.com/story/future...