Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a safe and happy holiday season whatever you celebrate, and if you don’t celebrate anything, I hope you got a few days off work where you could rest and recharge.
Maybe it’s just me, but I feel fiercely hopeful for 2025. We’re heading for a lot of change, but as we all know, transformations can be difficult but ultimately positive. We just have to stay strong, stick together, and protect the most vulnerable among us.
The guild has dropped Twitter/X completely, since that platform no longer feels appropriate for the furry writing community. While our Telegram and Discord are most active, we have moved to Bluesky and it seems like a pretty good place at the moment. If you’re a guild member who has also joined Bluesky, and the guild account hasn’t followed you back, feel free to drop an email or message to let us know your handle. This is also a good time to update your contact information if your email has changed or if there’s anything else we should update in the guild membership records. Don’t forget to update your available works too! There’s a link to the right that you can fill out.
I used to never set new year resolutions (except one in 2011 that I still keep, to floss my teeth every day. Yay healthy teeth and gums!), but these days I like the idea that the new year is a reset button. If I decide to make a change in my life that others will notice–the way I dress, my hairstyle, pronouns used, etc.–people are more likely to accept this change as normal right after the new year. Sometimes the hardest part of being one’s true self is worrying about what others will think. That’s truer today than it has been in my entire lifetime, unfortunately.
So, what are some of your resolutions for 2025? I have plans to change jobs later this year and move to another state to go back to school in fall, which has me really excited (and scared)! Along the way I want to finish the three writing projects I’ve been working on, including the novella I started in October.
As for guild stuff, we have lots coming up! We still don’t have the firm publication date for the Blood & Water anthology, except that it should be verrrrry soon, but we definitely have the Cóyotl Awards coming up! Later this month I’ll post the dates for nominations and voting, along with the link for the pre-nomination phase: the recommended reading list! That’s specifically for 2024 works that are eligible, and it’s a great way to find works that you missed last year.
We also have guild elections coming up in April, but if you’ve been considering stepping up to an officer position, we can really use your help sooner than that. Three officer positions are currently vacant: vice president, treasurer, and Cóyotl Awards Chair. I am acting president but would really like to step down to treasurer instead. While I’m pretty good at the back-end details of updating the website and so forth, I don’t feel I’m the right person to lead the guild. We need someone with vision and enthusiasm who can devote time to the position and not (as a totally random example) neglect social media to sew fursuits to fund her upcoming move and tuition.
Whatever your writing goals for the new year, the Furry Writers’ Guild will be there to support you!
Check out the Kickstarter campaign for a new pro-paying furry/furry-adjacent story market, Plott Hound Magazine!
Here are the current open markets for your short stories:
Spirit of the Wolf – Deadline March 31st 2025
The Second Hayven Celestia Anthology – Deadline July 15, 2025
Indecent Exposure – Deadline When Full
This Is Halloween – Deadline When Full
Children Of The Night – Deadline When Full
Furry/Lovecraftian/Erotic/University Themed Anthology – Deadline When Full
Please also check out the latest book releases from our members:
Shadow Sun, by Jess E. Owen. Released August 30th, 2024.
Legend of Ahya: Broken Empires, by Matthew Colvath. Released October 2nd 2024.
Space Dragons: Luxorian’s Crew, by Veo Corva. Released November 12th 2024.
Catfish and Other Stories, by K.C. Shaw. Released November 30th 2024.
Wolf Tech 3: The Alphas, by Adam Webster. Released December 10th 2024.
Happy writing!
Kate Shaw
Furry Writers’ Guild 