Aeden Romeyn
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pyrophobicpoet.bsky.social
Aeden Romeyn
@pyrophobicpoet.bsky.social
100 followers 60 following 420 posts
Queer & Disabled Artist 🎨 Writer 📖 Purveyor of Hopeful Horrors 🫀
Read my work for free at
aedenromeyn.wordpress.com
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pyrophobicpoet.bsky.social
When creatures from the garden exchange her daughter’s baby tooth for a diamond, a struggling mother sees a path to a better future 🦷💎 Part 1 of my horror short story “Diamonds, Debt, & Baby Teeth” is available now, free to read on my Substack!

#booksky #reading #shortstory #horror #writesky
Line art of a sketchbook page filled with concept art for my short story, sort of looks like tattoo flash. Includes teeth, diamonds, clove, fantasy bugs, and the monstrous tooth fairies from the story.
August 19, 2026 at 8:57 PM
pyrophobicpoet.bsky.social
Hauntings are real. It’s just not always paranormal.

Read Dead Willow Diaries on my Substack for insights into the story, writing process, the real-life inspiration, research, and all I’ve learned writing this novel. Read on my Substack!

#writesky #writing #booksky #horror #reading #authors #WIPs
August 11, 2026 at 4:49 PM
pyrophobicpoet.bsky.social
“Here Lies and Inspiration,” a poem about expectations of performing wellness for the comfort of the able-bodied, is out on my Substack now!

open.substack.com/pub/pyrophob...

#disability #disabledpridemonth #chronicpain #neurodivergence #poetry #poetrysky #writesky #poems #writing #trauma
A sharpie doodle of a graveyard overlaid with words: “Here lies an inspiration: Trauma is only artful post-mortem: as a disabled person, every detail of my life is seen as trauma dumping.”
July 7, 2026 at 6:35 PM
pyrophobicpoet.bsky.social
From one broke and overworked writer/artist to another … if you need a book cover or illustration for your project, but can’t afford to pay a fellow struggling artist, don’t resort AI. Try these instead!

#fuckai #writingcommunity #artcommunity #trading #writesky #artsky #booksky
From one broke and overworked writer to another … if you’re thinking about using AI for a book cover because you can’t afford to hire an artist, don’t! I’ve got you covered. There’s about a thousand other free options that don’t involve remixing other people’s art without their permission (and destroying the environment in the process). Here are some options you can try: Trade with an artist (many artists like myself are happy to trade art for other goods & services—money is not our only currency, and artists help each other) Befriend artists (friends also like to help each other) Photographs (they don’t even have to be good, you can use those plastic cameras and it can work): nature, still lifes of relevant objects, long-exposure photos, textures, photos of art, etc. Collages (with fair use images of course) Public domain paintings and photographs Go to a flea market, buy up a bunch of antique photos, use as you please Shitty doodles (seriously, this is actually a thing with some covers) Make a patterned cover using stamps, fabric, etc. Use a flat color and bold, eye-catching fonts (there are online resources for good font pairings, and free online lessons on simple graphic design) Use one of your other skills—Are you also a carpenter? An engineer? Do you knit? Are you photographer? Do you like bug pinning? Use your other skills to make a cover. Burn paper! 🔥🔥🔥 Cut paper! ✂️✂️✂️ Paint paper! Just for the texture and color! 🎨🎨🎨 ^^Do any of that to public domain images! Learn to use Canva or other free graphic software Learn to draw! (That’s what I did! If you really really really want that full original art for a cover, you’ll learn a new skill for it) Poverty is hard, I know, especially as a writer trying to make it. But it’s not an excuse to tear down other artists. It’s not an excuse to be an asshole. You have other options, and you have other artists to lean on. You just have to put in the effort. … From one broke and overworked writer to another … if you’re thinking about using AI for a book cover because you can’t afford to hire an artist, don’t! I’ve got you covered. There’s about a thousand other free options that don’t involve remixing other people’s art without their permission (and destroying the environment in the process). Here are some options you can try: Trade with an artist (many artists like myself are happy to trade art for other goods & services—money is not our only currency, and artists help each other) Befriend artists (friends also like to help each other) Photographs (they don’t even have to be good, you can use those plastic cameras and it can work): nature, still lifes of relevant objects, long-exposure photos, textures, photos of art, etc. Collages (with fair use images of course) Public domain paintings and photographs Go to a flea market, buy up a bunch of antique photos, use as you please Shitty doodles (seriously, this is actually a thing with some covers) Make a patterned cover using stamps, fabric, etc. Use a flat color and bold, eye-catching fonts (there are online resources for good font pairings, and free online lessons on simple graphic design) Use one of your other skills—Are you also a carpenter? An engineer? Do you knit? Are you photographer? Do you like bug pinning? Use your other skills to make a cover. Burn paper! 🔥🔥🔥 Cut paper! ✂️✂️✂️ Paint paper! Just for the texture and color! 🎨🎨🎨 ^^Do any of that to public domain images! Learn to use Canva or other free graphic software Learn to draw! (That’s what I did! If you really really really want that full original art for a cover, you’ll learn a new skill for it) Poverty is hard, I know, especially as a writer trying to make it. But it’s not an excuse to tear down other artists. It’s not an excuse to be an asshole. You have other options, and you have other artists to lean on. You just have to put in the effort. …
June 17, 2026 at 3:48 PM
pyrophobicpoet.bsky.social
A short and sweet, hopeful dystopian fairytale & a love letter to the Sonoran Desert, the only place I can call home.

New short story available on my Substack: open.substack.com/pub/pyrophob...

#writesky #shortstory #naturesky #booksky #southwest #sonorandesert #climatechange #climatecrisis
June 16, 2026 at 3:14 PM
pyrophobicpoet.bsky.social
A poem I wrote about turning 26 and realizing you didn’t grow up too early—you just skipped key developments and now have to make up for lost lessons

#poetry #poetrycommunity #mentalhealth #writing #writingcommunity #writesky #poemsky #booksky
HAND-ME-DOWNS Thirteen yesterdays ago I thought I was grown I wore ripped jeans and open wounds Tearing at the seams from the Kind of wisdom and rage that Should only come with age I was desperate to escape That cage constructed from My skin and bones Thirteen tomorrows have passed Since then and now I’m twenty-six Still feeling like a little kid Wearing clothes far too big for me Stomping in my mother’s shredded shoes And my father’s cigarette-scented coat All this time, playing dress-up with ghosts I think I died thirteen years ago today And have only just begun to grieve All these fading hand-me-down scars No longer fit me like they used to
June 16, 2026 at 3:10 PM
pyrophobicpoet.bsky.social
New Substack Article: Don’t Drag my Disabilities into AI Art Debate. Read at —> open.substack.com/pub/sacredhu...

#writesky #writingcommunity #disability #fuckai #opinion #chronicillness #accessibility #substack #article
“DON’T DRAG MY DISABILITIES INTO AI ART DEBATE” in bolded yellow on a photograph of the Lascaux Cave Paintings, depicting aurochs. “DON’T DRAG MY DISABILITIES INTO AI ART DEBATE” from the Sacred Hurts Crip Lit Zine. Photograph of the Lascaux Cave Paintings, depicting aurochs.
May 26, 2026 at 3:44 PM
pyrophobicpoet.bsky.social
For nearly six years, I could feel the rain coming before the sky so much as darkened. I wrote this poem from my porch on a rainy day about four and a half months after beginning a quarterly treatment for migraine.

Available on my Substack!

#WriteSky #writesky #poetry #disability #migraine
A rainy day through a window
May 4, 2026 at 5:41 PM
pyrophobicpoet.bsky.social
A blackout poem using Executive Order 14160. Birthright citizenship is not a right we’re willing to lose. #politics #protestpoetry #immigration #blackoutpoetry #politicalpoetry #donaldtrump #supremecourt #trumpvbarbara #humanrights
A blackout poem: BIRTHRIGHT Executive Order 14160–Protecting the Meaning and Value of American Citizenship By the authority of State Purpose a priceless and profound gift is repudiated solely based on race. The United States has always excluded from birthright persons born not subject to the privilege of a white father or mother. Under the auspices of the State it is policy that no government shall recognize … true children of the Homeland. All agencies consistent with this order disrespect the public. Definitions mean nothing to the authority of the people United. By Aeden Romeyn @pyrophobicpoet
April 1, 2026 at 6:54 PM
pyrophobicpoet.bsky.social
My new short story zine “Ornithology of the End Times” sold out at Zine Fest—and in just three hours! I truly didn’t think anyone would read it, I compile books of poetry to be more consumable, and just try to convince people to read my short stories. This is incredible. #writesky #WritingCommunity
A black and white zine cover for “Ornithology of the End Times” by Aeden Romeyn. A heavily detailed bird (raven-like with a swallows tail) carries a luminescent ring in its beak. It flies past a rubble wall of stone and rebar. Black smoke billows in the background.
March 30, 2026 at 4:38 AM
pyrophobicpoet.bsky.social
A poem about how when you’ve experienced great tragedy or disability, nobody wants you to actually talk about it. To others, talking about your day is trauma dumping. #writingcommunity #writesky #poetsky #poetry #disability #chronicpain #chronicillness #mentalhealth
A poem of four stanzas on a white background. Poem starts: HERE LIES AN INSPIRATION I learned in school to abhor trauma porn As gouache and graceless tripe written by those Too talentless to create sincerely The pen in my exoskeletal hands Trembled because I had nothing to write But tragedy When praying as a child, I always strived To sound grateful for every suffering I was taught that God favors not complaints That pain was proof the prophet bled for us And I should bear it as he bore the cross To Calvary Someone I once called ‘friend’ told me that Trauma dumping is impolite and crass When friends ask about my day, honesty Shatters small talk like cartilage in a Car crash because nobody wanted to Really listen Trauma is only artful post-mortem When our souls are weighed against our value And dead silence permits them to perform Empathy they otherwise would not have Offered while we still were alive to cry “Please, don’t leave me Alone with this”
March 12, 2026 at 5:28 PM
pyrophobicpoet.bsky.social
Listen to your children. It’s their world you’re building, not yours. You won’t live to see the full consequences of your misdeeds, but your children will, and they all know it. #poetry #poems #politics
March 10, 2026 at 12:35 AM
pyrophobicpoet.bsky.social
First part of a series exposing the twisted language of oppressors and how they use it to justify their actions.

#poetry #poems #writesky #writingcommunity #politics #poetrycommunity #poetrysky #leftist #humanrights
NAMES I Once you have named an injustice That name will be demeaned Devils drink the blood of language And spit it back unclean Their disingenuous tongues twist Hatred into belief In the mouth of the oppressor Truth will be blasphemed Aeden Romeyn, @pyrophobicpoet
March 2, 2026 at 2:36 PM
pyrophobicpoet.bsky.social
History is a muse, always watching, and we can’t help but perform for her. The only question is what story she will tell of us. #Poetry #Writesky #WritingCommunity #Politics
February 9, 2026 at 2:56 PM
pyrophobicpoet.bsky.social
A Christian asks where you were when Obama was deporting immigrants.
#PoetryCommunity #WritingCommunity #WriteSky #PoetrySky #Political #AbolishICE #Arizona
February 5, 2026 at 9:38 AM
pyrophobicpoet.bsky.social
Reposting for the #GeneralStrike We all pay the cost of resistance one way or another, you can only hope that you get to choose when.

No work. No school. No shopping. Melt ICE off our streets ☀️

#ImmigrationProtests #AbolishIce #WriteSky #PoetrySky
THE COST OF RESISTANCE How tight will the noose get before your lungs stop breathing? How hard will the boot press before your jugular bursts? When the bullet hits your throat will your flesh let you scream loud enough to make someone hear? How pure must a migrant be to earn human dignity? How white must a woman seem for her death to mean something? When the gun is to your head, will you stay so calm and kind in the face of certain death? How many lives must be lost to get your resistance? How many sons will it cost to buy God’s forgiveness? When the fire you lit yourself licks hungrily at your door who will be left to save you but those you saved before? Aeden Romeyn | @lettucealone
January 30, 2026 at 5:49 PM
pyrophobicpoet.bsky.social
Poem WIP excerpt. #abolishice #poetry #WriteSky #poems
January 20, 2026 at 10:33 PM
pyrophobicpoet.bsky.social
A poem on silence, compliance, and inaction. #ReneeGood was not the first and is already not the last. Pay attention.

#poems #poetry #fuckice #nooneisillegal
The Price of Resistance By Aeden Romeyn How tight will the noose get before your lungs stop breathing? How hard will the boot press before your jugular bursts? When the bullet hits your throat will your flesh let you scream loud enough to make someone hear? How pure must a migrant be to earn human dignity? How white must a woman seem for her death to mean something? When the gun is to your head, will you stay so calm and kind in the face of certain death? How many lives must be lost to get your resistance? How many sons will it cost to buy God’s forgiveness? When the fire you lit yourself licks hungrily at your door who will be left to save you but those you saved before?
January 17, 2026 at 11:27 PM
pyrophobicpoet.bsky.social
What should my next illustrated zine project be? I’m struggling to pick one to work on for the next month or so.
#WriteSky #ArtSky #Zines #Zinester #Writing #Art
January 11, 2026 at 10:41 PM
pyrophobicpoet.bsky.social
Miss Hally is the landlady of Serenity House and everyone’s symbolic grandmother. #WIPSnips #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #HorrorWriters #Writing #BookSky
Miss Lorelei Hally was a pale, willowy woman who couldn’t rightly be called old. She looked somewhere between sixty and ninety, and nobody in Sallowsgrove was going to ask the kind lady her age. She had salt-and-pepper hair braided over one shoulder, an abundance of laugh lines, and leathery fingers knotted like tree branches. She ripped a volunteer name tag off her sweater, folded it neatly, and put it in the pocket of her dress. “I must give my deepest apologies, Mr. Guidry,” Miss Hally drawled.
October 6, 2025 at 2:22 PM
pyrophobicpoet.bsky.social
From a flash piece “The Kennel.” I’m thinking of expanding this to be longer, as I am filled with rage over current events. #WIPSnips #WritingCommunity #WriteSky #Writing #HorrorWriters
Through the day and night, my cousins howl. I’ve never known a pack like this. There are so many of us in one place, but no mothers and fathers to lead, no brushing snouts, no tittering pups to teach. We call for unfamiliar creatures in tongues unknown to one another. I am surrounded by brothers and sisters but have never been so alone. What creature lives like this? At first, I thought of the salmon run, but even when the fish fall over each other, scraping fins and scales and pouring over rapids like a second river themselves, at least they are free.
October 2, 2025 at 4:43 PM
pyrophobicpoet.bsky.social
The main character of my post-apocalyptic ecological short story, the Half-Life of Giants, is named River! #WriteSky #Writing #WIPSnips #ShortStories #Sci-Fi
The giant faced River. A white goat leaped from a gap in its grinning teeth, pranced across the bone, and landed in the soft grass to graze. Vines crept up the giant’s arms and looped in complicated patterns around its rib cage. Behind the bone and foliage was its heart. It beat like a drum and glowed amber-orange in the giant’s chest. The giant reached out a colossal hand to yank an overgrown mushroom out of the ground, sending a cloud of white dust falling over River. She scrambled away and into the stream. The cover for the Half Life of Giants by Aeden Romeyn. It depicts a colossal skeleton in the rain
October 1, 2025 at 6:42 PM
pyrophobicpoet.bsky.social
Sometimes I get so in my head about how behind I am as a creator. Then my migraine tracker is like, “Hey, you had a 37-day-long migraine this time last year, and still made and published a short story zine that November, cut yourself some slack.” #WriteSky #Disability #ChronicIllness #Migraines
September 30, 2025 at 10:32 PM
pyrophobicpoet.bsky.social
Rest in Power, Assata Shakur

📕 Freedom is Constant Struggle, Angela Davis

#BookSky #WriteSky #Politics
“Assata’s legacy represents a mandate to broaden and deepen antiracist struggles. In her autobiography published this year, evoking the Black radical tradition of struggle, she asks us to “Carry it on. / Pass it down to the children. / Pass it down. Carry it on … / To Freedom!”
September 29, 2025 at 4:16 AM
pyrophobicpoet.bsky.social
Morpho didius | Giant Blue Morpho

I took a big pinning class and had an absolute blast.

#bugs #insects #butterflies #bugsky
September 23, 2025 at 6:43 AM