Writer of speculative fiction that's often queer, sometimes political, and always full of wonder.
Updates
New Story: A Portal
My latest short story is live in a flash fic episode of Cast of Wonders. This is one is short, sad, and sweet, a little sci-fi tale about a kid who just lost one of his moms, and the episode pairs it with another tale that works together with it beautifully.
Patreon Launch and Pause
I tried launching a Patreon, in the hope that it would give me a sustainable way to put more into, and share more of, my writing and art and my passion for queer and trans representation in sci-fi and fantasy. Perhaps unsurprisingly, I never got any patrons—I just don't have the social media clout or self-promotion skills. The Patreon is now on pause (no new posts), but if some wonderful soul decides to become my first patron, posts will resume immediately.
New Story: Imagine a Thief with Golden Fire in Their Voice
This one's in Beneath Ceaseless Skies, with a non-binary protagonist, a unique magic system, and a powerful exploration of abuse and the fight to reclaim one's voice in its aftermath. This might be my favorite of all the short fiction I've written so far.
New Story: Give My Body to the Moths
My first published story is live in Fireside! This poetic, anti-fascist flash fic looks at finding the will to fight back, even when you've already given in before.
About me
I'm non-binary, asexual, neurodivergent, and anti-fascist. I'm also a white settler living (until very recently) on Gayogo̱hó:nǫˀ (Cayuga) land. I say so because these things influence my writing. I believe in the value of representation for the disempowered, and I believe in the power of fiction to move people and ultimately move societies. So I tend to write stories with a lot of queer, PoC, neurodiverse characters, exploring themes of identity and family, survival and recovery, resistance, justice, and self-determination. And I like to wrap it all together with magic and majesty, physics and futures, with that speculative sense of wonder and vastness that reminds you we're all part of something bigger than ourselves.
I recently earned a PhD in linguistics and I'm currently doing copy editing for an educational non-profit. When I'm not writing queer fantasy and sci-fi, I also like to make art and conlangs (constructed languages), read books, ride bikes, and teach myself web development. (Like the site? Why thanks, I made it myself!)
Find me around
I've never been much good at social media, I'm afraid, but you can find me anywhere below or email me at riley.neither@gmail.com.
Pronouns & pronunciations
Gender-neutral pronouns, please. I'll accept most any (other than "it"), so if there's a set you're already familiar with (like singular "they"), feel free to use those for me. All else being equal, though, I prefer ze/zim/zer, and so do some of my characters. They work like this:
| ze | ~ she/he/they | Ze used to play flute. |
| zim | ~ her/him/them | You might still catch zim at it now and then. |
| zer | ~ her/his/their | Zer flute is old and tarnished. |
| zers | ~ hers/his/theirs | This flute is too shiny to be zers. |
| zimself | ~ herself/himself/themself | Ze tries not to take zimself too seriously. |
(If your screen is too narrow for this table, it scrolls horizontally. So do other tables throughout the site.)
As for the name, I pronounce Neither with the first vowel like "eye," not like "see."
© Riley Neither