Shantell Powell
mastodon 4.7.2Elder goth/swamp hag in Kitchener. Aurora finalist. Brave New Weird winner. Work in Augur, The Deadlands, On Spec, Prairie Fire, ALOCASIA, Nightmare, Feminist Studies Journal, Arc Poetry, & more.
Neurodivergent, antifascist, Indigiqueer, disabled. Raised on the land & off the grid. Ex JW-kid/army brat. Retired dancer, industrial DJ, & model. Addicted to learning—may be turning into a witch.
#LandBack #Foraging #Gothic #Nature #Folklore #Fairytales #Mythology #Accessibility
I just unsubscribed from a newsletter I've been following for more than a decade.
Why?
Because the author was talking about how she gets medical advice from ChatGPT.
I can't watch. It's like a horror movie in real life.
Oh my gosh. Another one of my stories just shortlisted for a contest. This is my stoner horror comedy that's been rejected by a billionty-three magazines and anthologies already. Crossing my fingers! #WritingCommunity
Are you an emerging BIPOC author in Canada? You have until August 3 to apply for this. https://writersunion.ca/bipoc-writers-connect #CanLit #WritingCommunity #BIPOC
I'm almost finished filling out the promotional paperwork for my debut book. It feels like this part is taking as long as writing the book did! #WritingCommunity
#ScribesAndMakers April 22: "What fictional character (from any media) do you find the scariest?"
Begbie from Trainspotting. He's probably my alltime favourite villain.
My poem "Eclipse" was just published by Roses & Wildflowers magazine. https://societyforritualarts.com/rw/2026-spring/eclipse/ #poetry #PoetryCommunity
And it's official. My stoner horror comedy Ethel's Bones is shortlisted for The Temz Review's London Literary Prize. https://www.thetemzreview.com/the-london-literary-prizes.html #WritingCommunity
I have two new poems out in ALOCASIA today. https://alocasia.org/2026/04/22/shantell-powell-cyanotype-of-a-burning-world-and-weeds/ #poetry #PoetryCommunity
I've begun a new short story for my collection of Jehovah's Witness horror. I'm tentatively calling this one "Myrtle McKenzie's Angels." #AmWritingHorror #AmWriting
I'm trying to come up with a list of comps for my upcoming collection of deconstructed fairytales, folktales, & terrors. Any ideas? It's got everything from shapechanging grannies, feminist cannibals, gay corvids doing crime, and robotic polar bears rampaging a post-apocalyptic Arctic wasteland. #WritingCommunity

