R. Haven

@rhaven.bsky.social

625 Followers 418 Following

I write about trauma. Parent. Sensitivity reader. Rep'd by Kaitlyn Katsoupis of Belcastro Agency. Anti-oppression, anti-fascist, anti-AI. BLM. Dismantle colonization and capitalism. He/him. Website at www.theirritablequeer.com

A picrew of a smiling white man with auburn hair and blue eyes. He has a square jaw and facial hair. He's wearing a dark grey shirt and a white jacket. The background is light grey.
A picrew of a conventionally attractive white woman. She has flowing auburn hair and blacked-out eyes, a drop of blood running from one down her cheek. Her hand is poised in front of her. She wears a beige shirt and a cross necklace. The background is a bisexual flag.
A picrew of a conventionally attractive young white woman, with long blonde hair and blue-grey eyes. She's wearing a black and red plaid shirt and holding a phone. The background is that of the bisexual flag.
An aesthetic board, images listed from left to right: A woman in a white dress holding a sword; a long, red-carpeted staircase curving down; a close-up of a camera lens; a fair-haired woman with blood red lipstick holding a bloody knife by her face; a dark-haired woman wearing a crown and exhaling smoke; a woman with blue and pink paint streaked down her face, a butterfly over her mouth; a woman's chest bound in rope with three bloody nails hammered into them; a smoking gun; a red moon in a nearly-black sky.
R. Haven sits at a table covered in a Pride flag. There are several books of ‘The Other Face of Sympathy’, as well as merch like stickers, pins, and temporary tattoos.
A flyer for Glad Day Lit's Queer Zine and Local Author Book Fair. It says to save the date Sunday, Nov 30, 12pm-6pm at 32 Lisgar St in Toronto, Ontario. Unique gift ideas, free entry!
A person in a white plague mask and bloodied monk’s robe stands holding two books, ‘The Other Face of Sympathy’ by R. Haven and ‘Choices: An Anthology of Reproductive Horror’ edited by Dianna Gunn. He stands in front of a gravestone reading ‘pet cemetery’ with skeletal birds and a ram’s skull.
Teriyaki sushi rolls in red sushi boats, with soy sauce in the end compartments.
Certificate from Inkwell Literary Festival's short story contest. It says '2nd Place Red Haven Berry for Legend Half-Recalled', category ages 25+, presented October 4 2025.
Red paint background with the cover for Choices: An Anthology of Reproductive Horror on the left. The cover lists the editor, Dianna Gunn, the author of the foreward, Alex Woodroe, and the names of the authors: R Haven, Ondine Mayor, Enoli Lee, Ash Vale, Justine White, Kelli Etheridge, Ava Victoria Black, Allay Rei, Soyam Siddha, Sam Rosewilde, A.H. Davison, Meg Calendaria, KT Wagner, Anne Wilkins, Bogi Takacs, Amanda Cecelia Lang, Elise Scott, Mia Dalia, Raluca Balasa. The right side says: “As the horrors close in around us, we turn to story to process our fears, our desires, and our futures. In Choices: An Anthology of Reproductive Horror, nineteen writers whose reproductive rights are under threat explore the stories of those who, like them, have had their choices stolen from them: The horror of being forced to carry a child you don’t want. The catharsis of taking revenge on a man who stole your right to choose. The terror of being threatened by the world for having a baby you do want because you’re “the wrong gender”. These stories serve as a reminder of the power of choice and the importance of fighting for every human’s right to choose their own future.”
A bowl of sushi rice and a stein of Coca Cola.
Art of a banshee by Hutch Holloway (https://linktr.ee/trapnaster). The banshee is a ghostly woman in long, flowing rags, hair streaming behind her as she clutches at her face. Her mouth is agape in a scream. Her eyelids droop over her eyes.
R. Haven's book, THE OTHER FACE OF SYMPATHY, on a fancy black backdrop. A skeletal hand and wire-wrapped skull sit around chains that surround the book.
Author R. Haven holding a physical copy of his book, The Other Face of Sympathy.
A skull atop books, with overlay text reading: 'I'd never looked at St. Vincent de Paul's from a place of privilege before.' - The Other Face of Sympathy
A clipart aesthetic board, mostly in black and white. From left to right: the grim reaper reaching out, a red splotch of blood, a little girl looking scared of her shadow, vampire teeth, the front of a bookstore, drama masks, an egg-shaped monster holding a book, a tree with a face, and a spiderweb. Again, this cannot be stressed enough: it is all clipart.
Art by sutexii of a woman in a hoodie pulling her face off to unmask the horrifying living veins underneath.
Text from the book 'The Other Face of Sympathy'. Searching for the term ‘Skinmother’ didn’t get me anything of use, and I rolled my eyes when most of the pages that came up were pornographic. ‘Kuchisake-onna’ gleaned some links, though: information about a Japanese ghost dating back to the seventeenth century, her slit mouth hidden under a mask. Yuma’s diary was from the eighties. She couldn’t have been the Kuchi- sake-onna from mythology. I wanted to think that invalidated the theory as a whole, but that didn’t explain anything about the books returning to the shelf or being indestructible. So, it was Conscience, or gathering more evidence.
The book cover for R. Haven’s ‘The Other Face of Sympathy’, where a young man surrounded by books is sitting on the floor. Shadowy hands reach towards him.
A painted miniature of a Dungeons and Dragons character with silvery skin and a couple of crossbows. There is a grey cat by his feet ready to pounce. The mini is in front of some ‘potion’ bottles and some Fruits Basket manga.
A red and black book cover, the shape reminiscent of an X-ray of a pelvis with the ovaries and uterus visible. The book's title is 'Choices: An Anthology of Reproductive Horror', edited by Dianna Gunn.
A calico kitten lies on her back like a baby, cradled in a man’s arm. She is trying to catch a mechanical pencil with her paws as the man writes in a notebook.
A calico kitten lying in a bundle of blanket. Her position is weird.
An open book with a stamp for 'Otherside Book Exchange' in the right corner. Text crosses the pages: “I am going to show you,” Conscience replied. “I have surmised that you need convincing. I think that if you see my true face, you will have an easier time accepting the truth for what it is.” “I will request that you try not to scream.”
A bedroom door is opened and the camera pans across the floor and up to a garment rack. A calico kitten screams repeatedly from on top of the rack. She is not supposed to be there.
A video of a purring 2 month old kitten licking the tattooed wrist of her owner
A feminine figure with folds of skin over her eyes, clutching her face as she screams. Her flowing hair is immense, and her dress falls in the wind.
The book cover for R. Haven's 'The Other Face of Sympathy', with tropes listed: Trans rep, Haunted diaries, Ulterior motives, Stories within stories, Mysterious bookstore, No escape, Trauma and tragedy, and Monsters
Off-white and grey puzzle pieces covering the book cover for 'The Other Face of Sympathy' by R. Haven.
A crying young woman dragging her fleshy mask off her true face, which is a mass of veins and elongated teeth. She's wearing a hoodie and has chin-length hair. The image is a rusty red on a black background. Artwork was done by https://sutexiiart.weebly.com/
A figure with an hourglass in place of an abdomen. It has long bloodied fingers reaching out in front of its face, which is covered in sand. It has a sack on its back.
Two books, one from On Spec Magazine, one titled ‘Through the Portal: Tales From a Hopeful Dystopia’
A meme from The Good Place. Janet is labelled 'Writing'; underneath, Michael is saying 'I want to see the book's theme.' The second panel has him saying 'Is it the way we cope with trauma again or is it something new?' Janet says 'It's something new.' Michael says 'Excellent! Please give me the theme', only for Janet to hand him a cactus labelled 'Trauma and coping' in the last panel.
A golden sword hilt modelled after the sun, bearing a gold crest, a geometric jaguar face. It has red beads and red dripping from the guard. The blade is pale, fiery yellow.
A completed puzzle with 299 cat pieces and 1 dog piece.
An indigo backdrop with an iridescent title, 'The Wishing Maiden'. There are stars and snowflakes in the background, a well emitting magic, and tangled tree roots in the foreground. There is a key hovering above the well.
To all my writer friends that use MS Word - Microsoft has turned their AI bits and bots on to automatically go through anything done via Word. Here's how to turn it off. File > Options > Trust Center > Trust Center Settings > Privacy Options > Privacy Settings > Connected Experiences Edit: I just set the post to public. Feel free to share.
Alt text: A notepad that says: Starting off write. We're kicking off our program with a bluesky/twitter chat November 15 @ 5pm CST. Come chat about preparations for a month-long novel writing challenge in January. Bluesky: @startingoffwrite.bsky.social Twitter: @startoffwrite
An aesthetic board featuring images of brides looking dirty, despondent, or bloody, alongside a picture of wedding rings, two women in a romantic embrace, one woman comforting another on the floor, and photos of a woman running away and another captured in a dark room.
A book cover for ‘THE CUT’ by C.J. Dotson. A tentacle creeps across the page, coming up from a silver drain.
WriteHive 2024's 'Achievement Unlocked' image. There is an astronaut reading a book with 'Mars' on the cover, against a space backdrop.
An attendance badge for WriteHive Annual Conference 2024. Against a space backdrop, an astronaut holding a small rocket lies on a half-moon above the Earth.
An olive-skinned woman in a glittery, translucent black dress with a high slit up the side. She is wearing a white underbust corset, shorts, and thigh high boots. She is armed with several daggers, one between her cleavage, one in her boot, and one in her hand. She has long black hair and white eyes. The background is an enormous opal, framed by several more opals.
A pigeon. It is dark brown with white feathers on its head and tail. It is a perfect bird.
A large dog (breed not known) fast asleep, lying across the priority seats on the Toronto Transit Commission subway.
Orange creamsicle flavoured cookies on a baking sheet.
A sleeping grey cat, lit by red light.
A man dressed as Luigi, with a green hat, shirt, and blue overalls with oversized yellow buttons. His moustache is fake but glorious.
A pumpkin pie and lemon meringue pie.
A homemade menorah, with painted thread spools serving as the bases for the candles. There are decorative mushrooms, berries, flowers, and butterflies. Three stones in the middle read ‘Joy’, ‘Strength’, and ‘Luck’.
A brown tabby cat reaching up a kitchen counter. The cat looks expectant.
A close-up of a cicada on a tree.
A little brunette girl dressed as Princess Peach, hugging a Princess Peach plushie bigger than she is.
A screenshot from the computer game ‘Cosmo’s Cosmic Adventure’ from 1992.