We all know to be afraid of the woods. But have you learned to fear the desert? Monica Robinson’s to rule the desert - an eerie, mystical, violent yet tender queer odyssey - will certainly take you there as it traverses the secrets and horrors of the American southwest.

It’s that time of year (at least in the northern hemisphere) where it’s dark and cold outside, the nights are long, the fires are high, and there’s very little as satisfying as curling up in a pile of blankets with a steaming hot beverage and a good book. But where do you start? Are there holiday classics you make a tradition out of rereading, or do you find yourself craving a new and different winter’s tale?

As a writer, I will be the first one to tell you that drafting things? Absolutely sucks. That first stage of getting a perfect idea out of your head and onto a not-so-perfect page can be full of frustration, disappointment, and self-doubt. But when you turn it into a month-long party/sport/community building exercise, it somehow transforms from a chore to something I look forward to every year - because here, the point is not perfection, but having fun and challenging yourself.