Madi Haab

@madihaab.com

597 Followers 424 Following

late-diagnosed beluga mermaid 🐚 words in Haven Spec, Augur, Baffling, carte blanche, and more ✒ queer, AuDHD, half-MENA. TiohtiĂ :ke/MontrĂ©al. she/her/elle. banner art of my story “Blabbermouth” by linktr.ee/laurel_llewellyn đŸ«Š

Clocks Launch Reading / June 23rd at 7 p.m. PST / 10 p.m. EDT Speculative & Dark Stories Emerging and established authors from around the world Online via Vintage Books
an orange and white cat loafing on a red patio chair, surrounded by plants and shrubs.
a teaser picture for the upcoming Clocks anthology by Little Key Press, to be launched on Kickstarter on March 24. it shows a preview of the paper and electronic copies on a pink circle, over a close-up of clock gears in grayish green tone. the text reads: sign up to be notified before launch 17 stories / emerging & established authors
a stainless steel sculpture called "the Lori" made by Glen LeMesurier, standing on a wooden table next to a letter printed on QWF stationery. in the background a tortoise shell cat is lying on the same table.
graphic shamelessly stolen from the carte blanche magazine instagram account, which reads: Launch of carte blanche Issue 51: July 22nd 6:30 at #204 170 rue Jean-Talon Ouest, The Rocket Science Room, with Jem Woolidge, Eli Doering, Neil Smith, Madi Haab, Willow Little, Jean-Guy Forget, D.M. Bradford & Dominique Russell
a Scintillation 6 name tag for Madi Haab (she/her), with black and pink stamps representing a chipmunk, fox and manatee, a Rilakkuma pin and a pin made to look like a banner that says "WORRIERS"
a dark tortoiseshell cat with yellow eyes loafing on the kitchen table. she has one paw stretched out in front of her and a bit of pink tongue sticking out in an adorable blep.
a pile of books by Indigenous authors on a wooden table: -A body more tolerable: Poems by Jaye Simpson -La vallĂ©e de l'Ă©trange de J. D. Kurtness -BĂątons Ă  message: Tshissinuatshitakana de JosĂ©phine Bacon -Kanatuut de Natasha KanapĂ© Fontaine -Ni kistisin / Je me souviens de Édouard Itual Germain -Born Sacred by Smokii Sumac -La course de Rose de Dawn Dupont
an assortment of stationery and writing goodies, including stamps, ink bottles, notebooks and washi tape, in pink and neutral shades.
a close-up of the Sistine Chapel chimney billowing white smoke; two adult seagulls can be seen on the roof, along with a chick covered in gray down. the chyron below reads "Un nouveau pape est nommé" (a new pope has been named).
La devanture de la librairie Le port de tĂȘte Ă  MontrĂ©al.
a small bird of prey, possibly a Cooper's hawk, perched in a bare tree in front of a clear blue sky.
a yellow warning sign with a stylized flying squirrel. the Japanese reads "watch out for crossing flying squirrels"
a copy of novelette "All the Songs" by Caitlin Sweet on a wooden table. the cover represents the silhouettes of two whales that appear to be swimming above a building covered in green plants.
three fishermen standing on a pebbled shore by the water in Yatsushiro, Japan. there is a large piece of driftwood in the foreground; the sky is clear and blue with a few wispy clouds, and mountains can be seen on the far shore.
a moodboard made up of nine images, from top to bottom and left to right: 1) two women in traditional Japanese pilgrim garb walking in a dark forest; 2) a painting of demons torturing the damned while dogs lick their blood; 3) close-up of a redhaired woman with tattoos on her neck, shoulder, arm and hand; 4) a naked woman tied up with red bondage rope; 5) red spider lilies on a dark background; 6) close-up of a suit of Japanese armour in black, red and gold; 7) a painting of a golden hawk on a leafy branch; 8) a still of Lady Kaede (portrayed by Mieko Harada) from the movie Ran, dressed in a robe of red, black and gold; 9) thin red rope on a black background.
Dragon Age II
Bonjour M. Legault, Je vous Ă©cris en tant qu'Ă©lectrice de [circonscription]. J'ai passĂ© les derniers jours dans un Ă©tat d'apprĂ©hension et d'anxiĂ©tĂ© Ă  suivre les dĂ©veloppements des menaces de tarifs douaniers de Trump, heureusement repoussĂ©s jusqu'au mois prochain, du moins pour le moment. Toutefois, le soulagement a Ă©tĂ© bref. J'ai Ă©tĂ© choquĂ©e d'apprendre que vous comptez toujours octroyer un contrat Ă  Starlink, compagnie appartenant Ă  Elon Musk. Je vous rappelle que ce dernier s'immisce dans des gouvernements Ă©lus autour du monde et les dĂ©stabilise, prĂŽne les discours haineux et radicaux sur sa plateforme X, et est au coeur de ce qui semble ĂȘtre un coup d'Ă©tat administratif aux États-Unis. Comme de nombreux autres QuĂ©bĂ©cois.es et Canadien.nes, j'ai fait ma part en me dĂ©sabonnant de nombreux services amĂ©ricains et en choisissant des alternatives locales pour mon Ă©picerie et autres achats. J'ai par ailleurs supprimĂ© mes comptes X, Facebook, Instagram et TikTok et je n'achĂšte rien sur Amazon, justement pour ne pas soutenir ces milliardaires qui bĂ©nĂ©ficient de l'instabilitĂ© politique et dont les algorithmes enveniment les tensions sociales, au dĂ©triment des plus vulnĂ©rables de notre sociĂ©tĂ©. La moindre des choses serait que notre gouvernement se batte Ă  nos cĂŽtĂ©s et s'oppose Ă  Musk, un homme dont les valeurs vont complĂštement Ă  l'encontre de celles du QuĂ©bec et qui a dĂ©montrĂ© maintes fois son dĂ©dain pour la dĂ©mocratie. Continuer Ă  faire affaire avec lui est un risque flagrant pour notre souverainetĂ©, et je vous implore de mettre fin aux contrats de Starlink et de plutĂŽt encourager des compagnies quĂ©bĂ©coises Ă  dĂ©velopper l'infrastructure nĂ©cessaire pour desservir le QuĂ©bec en internet haute vitesse. Il serait Ă©galement pertinent que le gouvernement du QuĂ©bec et ses reprĂ©sentants cessent d'utiliser la plateforme X. Merci. Cordialement, [signature]
a potted rhododendron with one yellow leaf and a couple more that are starting to turn yellow as well. a long stretch of stem is bare where leaves fell previously, but the rest of the leaves are green and look healthy.
Suite Ă  la dĂ©cision de Meta de se dĂ©barrasser des vĂ©rificateurs d’information et de permettre les discours haineux contre la communautĂ© LGBTQIA2S+ et les genres marginalisĂ©s, j’ai dĂ©cidĂ© de supprimer mes comptes Facebook et Instagram le 1er fĂ©vrier prochain. C’est dĂ©jĂ  chose faite avec mes comptes X, Threads et TikTok. Alors que leurs propriĂ©taires financent des gouvernements rĂ©pressifs tels que la prĂ©sidence de Trump, les plateformes de rĂ©seaux sociaux comme Facebook, X et tout rĂ©cemment TikTok jouent un rĂŽle majeur dans l’érosion de nos droits et de la dĂ©mocratie, l’augmentation de la dĂ©sinformation et la radicalisation de l’extrĂȘme droite. Je vous invite Ă  rĂ©flĂ©chir Ă  la complicitĂ© et Ă  l’approbation tacite dĂ©coulant de l’utilisation continue de ces plateformes. -Maude alias Madi
Madi Haab, a white woman with dark brown curly hair and glasses. she is wearing a black knit sweater and smiling in front of a floral wallpaper in shades of pale gray and charcoal.
a chapbook of "And When She Shatters, a trans bildungsroman fairytale by Kerry C. Byrne." the cover represents a bouquet of watercolour flowers in a crown on a white background.
a copy of The Book of Love, a novel by Kelly Link.
an artificial Christmas tree decorated with yellow lights and golden-brown bagels. a star made of sesame bagel sits at the top of the tree.
a copy of the novel Toward Eternity by Anton Hur on a dark wood desk. a large moon is displayed on the cover, with fantastical plants in shades of pink, purple and blue in the foreground.
authors Mélodie Joseph, Raphaëlle B. Adam and Josée Bérubé in conversation at the Joie de Livres stand at the Salon du Livre de Montréal. a red couch, velvet curtains and vintage lamp give the stand an antique and cozy atmosphere.
a few zines and books on a black desk, including three issues of Heart Lines Spec, The Stygian Collection anthology, a poetry chapbook by Sahand Farivar, and photography zine called "For A Free Palestine."
five print-outs fanned out and a teal ceramic jack o' lantern on a black desk.
authors Jeff Vandermeer, a white-haired man, and Chris Bergeron, a dark-haired woman, talking on a pink-lit stage before a crowd. behind them are posters for the novel Absolution and the Montreal bookstore Pulp.
Extrait de la chronique « La lune sanctuaire : AssaSynth et la reprĂ©sentation neuroatypique dans la SFF » parue dans Brins d'Ă©ternitĂ©, no 62, automne 2024 : En effet, je n’avais aucun intĂ©rĂȘt Ă  devenir astronaute, du moins jusqu’à ce que j’apprenne que la microgravitĂ© affecte la densitĂ© osseuse : enfant, j’imaginais mon squelette rapetisser dans l’espace, me transformant en l’une de ces filles jolies et menues, aux traits dĂ©licats, que je rĂȘvais d’ĂȘtre. Un peu plus tard, lorsque j’ai eu ma phase « sorciĂšre », courtoisie du film de 1996 Magie noire (The Craft), dans lequel des adolescentes parviennent notamment Ă  changer leur apparence grĂące aux pouvoirs magiques qu’elles se dĂ©couvrent, je rĂȘvais de pouvoir faire de mĂȘme. À dĂ©faut de sorcellerie et de voyages dans l’espace, je m’efforçais plutĂŽt de copier la personnalitĂ©, le comportement et les vĂȘtements de ces personnages ... Plus rĂ©cemment, j’ai appris que le fait d’imiter ou de copier le comportement de personnages fictifs est une caractĂ©ristique du trouble du spectre de l’autisme.
Excerpt from "Syringa vulgaris," published in Augur Magazine, Issue 7.2: <Begin log> Neural activity detected. Establishing neural link . . . failed. Establishing neural link . . . failed. Establishing neural link . . . failed. Establishing neural link . . . failed. Establishing neural link . . . failed. Establishing neural link . . . OK. Neural link established. Initiating contact . . . Initiated. > Hello, Vess. >> Who are you? Who is this? > I am LifeSys, your on-board life support unit. >> What? What do you mean? > You are in a coma, Vess. By interfacing directly with your brain, I can activate the neural pathways required for this conversation. >> Okay, hold up. What the fuck?
Excerpt from "Ghost Apples," published in Haven Speculative, Issue 15, May 2024: Another dead rabbit had grown out of the snow. Cathilde pulled her foot back, shuddering at the sight. The rabbit was just outside the tent, laid out like an offering. Beady brown eyes stared up at a sky the colour and texture of meringue; its soft white fur rippled in the crisp wind, and a spray of red berries grew out of its mouth, covered in a thin lace of frost. The first time it happened, AglahĂ© had sliced open the rabbit's—seemingly innocuous—belly to reveal a furl of pale flowers growing between its organs. The second time, a tangle of roots had grown overnight next to their tent, a white pheasant encased in its coils. The third, they had opened a handful of chestnut shells, only to find quail chicks nestled inside.
Excerpt from "Heat Devils," published in Hexagon Magazine, Issue 17, Summer 2024: Reaching our target is the easy part. I’m the muscle of this two-woman operation, here so Nayeli can work her magic and break through security. Cloaked by her strings of code, we navigate the classified underground maze till we reach our destination. A command from her stolen NeuroNet handheld module, and the blast-proof gates open with a hiss and a gust of synthetic-smelling air. My first thought is that we’re being doused with some nerve agent or chemical spray. Then I realize what the sensation is: I’m cold, which is altogether not unpleasant after a lifetime in this anthropogenic desert, bled dry by corporations.
Madi Haab (@lamotdite) 2024 Award Eligibility Short fiction: "Heat Devils," Hexagon Magazine, Issue 17, Summer 2024. "Ghost Apples," Haven Speculative, Issue 15, May 2024. "Syringa vulgaris," Augur Magazine, Issue 7.2.
a woman dressed in black, sitting on a wooden chair. a black veil conceals her face, and a porcelain doll sits on her lap. the doll's bulging eyes and cracked, asymmetrical face give her an uncanny appearance.
the customizable player character of Dragon Age: The Veilguard. she is a dark-skinned elf with freckles and reddish brown curls tied into a ponytail and braids.
a small pink suitcase lying open on the floor. a tortoiseshell cat is loafing on one side; books and clothes are visible on the other side, including Pale Grey Dot by Don Miasek and a Shadowrun novelization.
a pond covered in lily pads and small artificial islands from which iris leaves are growing. across the pond, the tea pavilion stands before a blue sky and surrounded by tall trees.
the keep of Kumamoto Castle and two adjacent pavilions sitting at the top of tall stone ramparts in front of a clear blue sky. trees are growing at the bottom of the ramparts, and white billows of water vapour create a dramatic effect.
a stone statue of Katƍ Kiyomasa, one of the lords of Kumamoto Castle, seated in front of green trees and a clear blue sky. he is dressed in samurai armour and wearing a tall hat representing a snake.
the castle of Matsumoto seen from across the moat, where a single white swan is swimming. it is a five-story building with black eaves, sitting on a stone rampart where pine trees are growing. people and buildings can be seen in the distance behind the castle.
a mossy stone lantern before a large, red shrine gate. plants and moss are growing on the roof of the gate, and the path is lined with tall cedars. a person is standing in front of the gate, their back to the viewer.
a room in the Zenkoji temple lodging: there is a futon and duvet on the tatami, a scroll and incense burner in an alcove, a closet, and a large, round ceiling lamp.
a yellow road sign with a cartoony silhouette of a flying squirrel. "watch out for crossing flying squirrels" is written in Japanese below.
part of the house of Takai Kozan, Hokusai's patron in Obuse, a two-story wooden house with a balcony and verandah, and a stone path circling a large tree.
a Japanese garden seen from the verandah of a traditional building: the garden is made up of green shrubs and trees, and mountains are visible in the background. the eaves and verandah of the building are visible on the right.
a Japanese inn comprised of four or five buildings, surrounded by mountains covered in evergreens. on the right side, steam from a geyser rises. the sky is gray, and fog billows on the farthest mountains in the background.
a black and white signboard with "Vaccination" written on it and an arrow pointing right
a hard copy of a manuscript titled "Where Spider Lilies Bloom" on a desk, with miscellaneous items around it.
A white page printed with a message in serif font that reads: "Hey awesome, you made it!!! How does it feel to have finished WSLB at last? All the years of effort have paid off, and now it's time to bask in the sweet sweet glow of accomplishment. You ROCK and don't you forget it! ❀❀❀"
screenshot from Must Read Short Speculative Fiction: June 2024 by Alex Brown, published on Reactor, which reads: “Heat Devils” by Madi Haab Two women, Nayeli and Shan, break into a vault full of storage units owned by the corporate overlords GenesiX. It’s a fun little adventure story that starts with its foot on the gas and never lets us. Taking back power from your oppressors is always a good time. (Hexagon Magazine—Summer 2024; issue 17)
a pizza covered in tomato sauce, arugula, prosciutto and flakes of cheese
screenshot from a work in progress that reads: They kissed until they were panting for breath; they kissed hard enough, soft enough to make up for all the time that was taken from them. Their hands and mouths sought every square inch of bare skin; they tugged at sashes and collars, shed their clothes like a cicada does its shell, so that all they knew was each other, and together they stumbled laughing into the warm embrace of the sea, towards the fire that burned in the distance. END
a moodboard made up of nine images, from top to bottom and left to right: 1) two women in traditional Japanese pilgrim garb walking in a dark forest; 2) a painting of demons torturing the damned while dogs lick their blood; 3) close-up of a redhaired woman with tattoos on her neck, shoulder, arm and hand; 4) a naked woman tied up with red bondage rope; 5) red spider lilies on a dark background; 6) close-up of a suit of Japanese armour in black, red and gold; 7) a painting of a golden hawk on a leafy branch; 8) a still of Lady Kaede (portrayed by Mieko Harada) from the movie Ran, dressed in a robe of red, black and gold; 9) thin red rope on a black background.
a screenshot of the game Alan Wake II, showing the titular character standing before a plot board for the fictional novel "Initiation".
a display of tall, red votive candles with embossed crosses and gold leaf-shaped stands. there is a credit card reader at the front of the display to pay the ten-dollar fee.
picture of a table at a Korean barbecue restaurant: there is a grill in the middle of the table with pork, beef and egg cooking on it, surrounded by multiple individually plated side dishes. one of the people seated around the table is using scissors to cut a strip of pork.
the Bode-Museum and the Spree River in Berlin, before a cloudy gray sky. the roof of the museum has a dome structure that appears to be undergoing some repairs; there are bare trees and some flowering shrubs in the foreground on the left, and a street with blue and orange roofs on the right.
Asexual Love Sonnet by Madi Haab: I thought it natural that eyes should land On brighter corollas and dusty stamens; But there, trellised by your delicate hand, A late-blooming flower in the garden. While on the patio, long past midnight, The cat curled up in the yarn stash, between Half-knitted skeins of black, purple and white, And Baldur’s Gate paused on the TV screen. Caught unawares by sleep coming unbid, My head on your shoulder—a hook catching A dropped stitch, unnoticed until you did, Like the wine I spilled on your couch, laughing. Still I wonder, is this enough for you? My hand in your hand, bare toes, morning dew.