James Patrick Kelly (1) (1951–)

Author of Rewired: The Post-Cyberpunk Anthology

For other authors named James Patrick Kelly, see the disambiguation page.

104+ Works 2,221 Members 74 Reviews 1 Favorited

About the Author

James Patrick Kelly is on the faculty of the Stonecoast Creative Writing MFA Program at the University of Southern Maine, and is the Vice Chair of the Clarion Foundation, which oversees the Clarion Science Fiction Workshop.

Image credit: Roger H. Goun

Works by James Patrick Kelly

Popular Recent

Rewired: The Post-Cyberpunk Anthology (2007) — Editor — 385 copies

Feeling Very Strange: The Slipstream Anthology (2006) — Editor — 309 copies

The Secret History of Science Fiction (2009) — Editor — 197 copies

Burn (2005) 169 copies

Think Like a Dinosaur: And Other Stories (1982) 144 copies

Look into the Sun (1989) 131 copies

Wildlife (1994) 113 copies

Strange But Not a Stranger (2002) 81 copies

Freedom Beach (1985) 69 copies

Nebula Awards Showcase 2012 (2012) — Editor — 68 copies

Planet of Whispers (1984) 52 copies

Digital Rapture: The Singularity Anthology (2012) 47 copies

The Wreck of the Godspeed and other stories (1657) 36 copies

The First Law of Thermodynamics (Outspoken Authors) (1996) 21 copies

Think Like a Dinosaur {novelette} (1995) 20 copies

James Patrick Kelly Masters of Science Fiction (2016) 19 copies

King of the Dogs, Queen of the Cats (2020) 18 copies

10¹⁶ to 1 18 copies

The Promise of Space and Other Stories (2018) 17 copies

Undone {novelette} 14 copies

Mr. Boy [short fiction] (1990) 13 copies

Heroines (1990) 12 copies

Men Are Trouble (2016) 12 copies

Rat (short story) (1986) 11 copies

Ninety Percent of Everything (2001) 11 copies

Bernardo's House {novelette} (2014) 10 copies

Itsy Bitsy Spider [short fiction] (1997) 9 copies

Breakaway, Backdown {short story} (1996) 9 copies

Mother Go (2017) — Author — 8 copies

Faith(Annotated) (1989) 8 copies

Monsters (1992) 7 copies

Plus or Minus [Novelette] 7 copies

Pogrom [short fiction] (1990) 7 copies

The Prisoner of Chillon [short fiction] 7 copies

Going Deep 6 copies

Standing in Line with Mister Jimmy (1991) 6 copies

Solstice (2005) 6 copies

Home Front [short fiction] (1988) 6 copies

James Patrick Kelly - The Propogation of Light in a Vaccuum (1990) 5 copies

Glass Cloud [short fiction] 5 copies

Dancing With The Chairs (1989) 5 copies

Crazy Me (2011) 4 copies

Surprise Party (2019) 4 copies

Dividing the Sustain (short story) (2007) 4 copies

Big Guy (1994) 4 copies

The Edge of Nowhere 4 copies

Grace's Family (2018) 4 copies

Heroics (1987) 4 copies

Fruitcake Theory 4 copies

The Best Christmas Ever [short story] 3 copies

Don't Stop 3 copies

Candy Art 3 copies

One Sister, Two Sisters, Three [short story] 3 copies

Crow (1984) 3 copies

Chemistry 3 copies

Friend 3 copies

The Last Judgment (2012) 3 copies

The Pyramid of Amirah 3 copies

What It Means To Be A Car: A Tor.Com Original 2 copies

The First Law of Thermodynamics {short story} 2 copies

Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine, June 1987 2 copies

The Dark Side of Town 2 copies

Someday 2 copies

Uncanny 2 copies

The Promise of Space [short story] 2 copies

Feel the Zaz 2 copies

Miss Nobody Never Was 2 copies

The Biggest 2 copies

Lovestory 2 copies

James Patrick Kelly's Strangeways Number 2 (2011) 2 copies

Tourists 2 copies

Unique Visitors 2 copies

Luck (2015) 2 copies

Saint Theresa Of The Aliens 2 copies

Death Therapy [short fiction] 2 copies

The Leila Torn Show 2 copies

The Cruelest Month 1 copy

Selfless 1 copy

Could Be Worse 1 copy

Grandma +5 ° C 1 copy

A Fistful of Dinosaurs (2018) 1 copy

Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine, January 1991 (Vol. 15, No. 1) 1 copy

Proof of the Existence of God 1 copy

Your Boyfriend Experience [short fiction] 1 copy

Asimov's Science Fiction, June 2004 1 copy

Hubris 1 copy

The True History of the End of the World 1 copy

Barry Westphal Crashes the Singularity 1 copy

James Patrick Kelly's Strangeways Number 1 (2011) 1 copy

James Patrick Kelly's Strangeways Number 5 1 copy

Serpent 1 copy

Suspicious 1 copy

And No Torment Shall Touch Them 1 copy

Why the Bridge Stopped Singing 1 copy

Writers' Workshops (Writer's Chapbook 25) 1 copy

Mother 1 copy

Daemon 1 copy

The Ice Is Singing 1 copy

Oneness : A Triptych {short story} 1 copy

Grandfather Christmas {short story} 1 copy

Declaration 1 copy

A Small Skirmish In The Culture War 1 copy

Why School Buses Are Yellow 1 copy

James Patrick Kelly 1 copy

Work Explorer

Associated Works

Mirrorshades: The Cyberpunk Anthology (1986) — Contributor — 1,619 copies

The New Space Opera (2007) — Contributor — 554 copies

The Year's Best Science Fiction: Twenty-Second Annual Collection (2005) — Contributor — 531 copies

The Year's Best Science Fiction: Twenty-Third Annual Collection (2006) — Contributor — 528 copies

The Year's Best Science Fiction: Nineteenth Annual Collection (2002) — Contributor — 523 copies

The Year's Best Science Fiction: Seventeenth Annual Collection (2000) — Contributor — 511 copies

Masterpieces: The Best Science Fiction of the Century (2001) — Contributor — 450 copies

The Year's Best Science Fiction: Fifteenth Annual Collection (1998) — Contributor — 434 copies

The Year's Best Science Fiction: Thirteenth Annual Collection (1996) — Contributor — 418 copies

The Year's Best Science Fiction: Eighth Annual Collection (1991) — Contributor — 377 copies

The Best of the Best: 20 Years of the Year's Best Science Fiction (2005) — Contributor — 367 copies

The Hard SF Renaissance (2003) — Contributor — 345 copies

Year's Best SF (1996) — Contributor — 341 copies

The Mammoth Book of Extreme Science Fiction (2006) — Contributor — 315 copies

The Norton Book of Science Fiction: North American Science Fiction, 1960-1990 (1993) — Contributor — 315 copies

Year's Best SF 2 (1997) — Contributor — 262 copies

Year's Best SF 3 (1998) — Contributor — 259 copies

The Year's Best Science Fiction: Sixth Annual Collection (1989) — Author — 253 copies

Redshift: Extreme Visions of Speculative Fiction (2001) — Contributor — 251 copies

Year's Best SF 11 (2006) — Contributor — 235 copies

Year's Best SF 10 (2005) — Contributor — 230 copies

The Year's Best Science Fiction: Third Annual Collection (1986) — Contributor — 227 copies

Writing Science Fiction & Fantasy (1991) — Contributor — 224 copies

Modern Classic Short Novels of Science Fiction (1994) — Contributor — 202 copies

The Best of the Best, Volume 2: 20 Years of the Best Short Science Fiction Novels (2007) — Contributor — 202 copies

The Year's Best Science Fiction: Fourth Annual Collection (1987) — Contributor — 201 copies

The Best Science Fiction of the Year #8 (1979) — Contributor — 200 copies

The Year's Best Science Fiction: Fifth Annual Collection (1988) — Author — 192 copies

Future on Fire (1991) — Contributor — 188 copies

The Year's Best Science Fiction: Thirty-Second Annual Collection (2015) — Contributor — 171 copies

The Year's Best Science Fiction: Thirty-First Annual Collection (2014) — Contributor — 168 copies

Nebula Awards Showcase 2011 (2011) — Contributor — 152 copies

The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year Volume Five (2011) — Contributor — 149 copies

Lightspeed: Year One (2011) — Contributor — 139 copies

The Wesleyan Anthology of Science Fiction (2010) — Contributor — 134 copies

Year's Best Fantasy 3 (2003) — Contributor — 133 copies

The Very Best of the Best: 35 Years of The Year's Best Science Fiction (2019) — Contributor — 131 copies

The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year Volume Four (2010) — Contributor — 128 copies

The Year's Best Science Fiction: Thirty-Fourth Annual Collection (2017) — Contributor — 126 copies

Exploring the Matrix: Visions of the Cyber Present (2003) — Contributor — 121 copies

Science Fiction: The Best of 2003 (2004) — Contributor — 119 copies

Eclipse 4: New Science Fiction and Fantasy (2011) — Contributor — 116 copies

Universe 1 (1990) — Contributor — 114 copies

Nebula Awards Showcase 2007 (2007) — Contributor — 107 copies

The Mammoth Book of the Best of Best New SF (2008) — Contributor — 104 copies

The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year Volume Eight (2014) — Contributor — 102 copies

Nebula Awards 33 (1999) — Contributor — 100 copies

The Year's Best Science Fiction: Second Annual Collection (1985) — Contributor — 100 copies

Science Fiction: The Best of 2004 (2005) — Contributor — 99 copies

Armageddon (1990) — Contributor — 98 copies

Science Fiction: The Best of the Year, 2006 Edition (2006) — Contributor — 95 copies

Science Fiction: The Best of 2001 (2002) — Contributor — 95 copies

Nebula Awards Showcase 2008 (2008) — Contributor — 91 copies

Visions of Wonder (1996) — Contributor — 91 copies

Nebula Awards 31: SFWA's Choices For The Best Science Fiction And Fantasy Of The Year (Nebula Awards Showcase) (No… (1997) — Contributor — 91 copies

Nebula Awards Showcase 2003 (2003) — Contributor — 90 copies

Beyond Singularity (2005) — Contributor — 86 copies

Between Worlds (1989) — Contributor — 84 copies

Skylife: Space Habitats in Story and Science (2000) — Contributor — 84 copies

Paragons: Twelve Master Science Fiction Writers Ply Their Crafts (1996) — Contributor — 81 copies

The Year's Best Science Fiction & Fantasy, 2014 Edition (2014) — Author — 77 copies

The Year's Best Science Fiction & Fantasy, 2015 Edition (2015) — Contributor — 74 copies

Rip-Off! (2012) — Contributor — 65 copies

Intersections: The Sycamore Hill Anthology (1995) — Contributor — 65 copies

Why I Left Harry's All-Night Hamburgers and Other Stories from Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine (1992) — Contributor — 64 copies

Mash Up (2012) — Contributor — 62 copies

The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year Volume Nine (2015) — Contributor — 62 copies

The Final Frontier: Stories of Exploring Space, Colonizing the Universe, and First Contact (2018) — Contributor — 58 copies

The Orbit Science Fiction Yearbook: No. 2 (1989) — Contributor — 58 copies

Not One of Us: Stories of Aliens on Earth (2018) — Contributor — 57 copies

Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine: 30th Anniversary Anthology (2007) — Contributor — 56 copies

Christmas Magic (1994) — Contributor — 55 copies

Flying Cups and Saucers: Gender Explorations in Science Fiction and Fantasy (1998) — Author — 54 copies

Space Opera (2007) — Contributor — 54 copies

Nebula Awards 27: SFWA's Choices for the Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year (1993) — Contributor — 53 copies

The Best Science Fiction of the Year #16 (1987) — Contributor — 50 copies

Isaac Asimov's Christmas (1656) — Contributor — 49 copies

The Future We Wish We Had (2007) — Contributor — 47 copies

Isaac Asimov's Valentines (1999) — Contributor — 44 copies

The Best Science Fiction of the Year: Volume 6 (2021) — Contributor — 43 copies

The Silver Gryphon (2003) — Author — 42 copies

Season of Wonder (2012) — Contributor — 40 copies

The Stories: Five Years of Original Fiction on tor.com (2013) — Contributor — 38 copies

Isaac Asimov's Mother's Day (2000) — Contributor — 37 copies

Fantasy: The Best of 2002 (2003) — Contributor — 35 copies

Isaac Asimov's Father's Day (2001) — Contributor — 33 copies

Universe 12 (1982) — Contributor — 32 copies

Robots, A Science Fiction Anthology (2005) — Contributor — 30 copies

Entanglements : tomorrow's lovers, families, and friends (2020) — Contributor — 30 copies

Sense of Wonder: A Century of Science Fiction (2011) — Contributor — 30 copies

Isaac Asimov's Skin Deep (1995) — Contributor — 27 copies

Kafkaesque: Stories Inspired by Franz Kafka (2011) — Editor — 27 copies

The Big Book of Cyberpunk (2023) — Contributor — 27 copies

The Year's Best Science Fiction & Fantasy, 2019 Edition (2019) — Contributor — 25 copies

Super Stories of Heroes & Villains (2013) — Contributor — 24 copies

Asimov's Science Fiction: Vol. 35, No. 10 & 11 [October/November 2011] (2011) — Contributor — 23 copies

Isaac Asimov's War (1993) — Contributor — 23 copies

The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction November/December 2013, Vol. 125, Nos. 5 & 6 (2013) 23 copies

The Savage Humanists (2008) — Contributor — 22 copies

Asimov's Science Fiction: Vol. 41, No. 11 & 12 [November/December 2017] (2017) — Contributor — 20 copies

The SFWA Handbook: The Business Side of Writing, By Writers, For Writers (2010) — Contributor — 20 copies

Best Short Novels 2005 (2005) — Contributor — 20 copies

Tor.com Short Fiction: Summer 2023 (2010) — Contributor — 19 copies

Asimov's Science Fiction: Vol. 20, No. 12 [December 1996] (1996) — Contributor — 19 copies

Flavors of My Genius (2006) — Introduction, some editions — 18 copies

Clarkesworld: Year Eight (2016) — Contributor — 18 copies

Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine: Vol. 8, No. 6 [June 1984] (1984) — Contributor — 18 copies

The Book of Silverberg (2014) — Contributor — 18 copies

Asimov's Science Fiction: Vol. 33, No. 8 [August 2009] (2009) — Contributor — 17 copies

Lightspeed Magazine, Issue 92 • January 2018 (2018) — Contributor — 17 copies

Asimov's Science Fiction: Vol. 41, No. 9 & 10 [September/October 2017] (2017) — Contributor — 17 copies

Future Fiction: New Dimensions in International Science Fiction (2018) — Contributor — 17 copies

Mere (2004) — Introduction — 16 copies

Asimov's Science Fiction: Vol. 35, No. 8 [August 2011] (2011) — Contributor — 15 copies

Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine: Vol. 14, No. 6 [June 1990] (1990) — Contributor — 14 copies

The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction August 1984, Vol. 67, No. 2 (1984) — Author — 14 copies

The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction June 1985, Vol. 68, No. 6 (1985) — Contributor — 14 copies

Asimov's Science Fiction: Vol. 31, No. 6 [June 2007] (2007) — Contributor — 14 copies

Asimov's Science Fiction: Vol. 18, No. 14 [December 1994] (1994) — Contributor — 14 copies

Future Media (2011) — Contributor — 14 copies

The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction June 1979, Vol. 56, No. 6 (1979) — Contributor — 14 copies

Asimov's Science Fiction: Vol. 35, No. 6 [June 2011] (2011) — Contributor — 14 copies

Asimov's Science Fiction: Vol. 37, No. 6 [June 2013] (2013) — Columnist — 14 copies

Asimov's Science Fiction: Vol. 27, No. 12 [December 2003] (2003) — Contributor — 13 copies

Galaxy's Edge Magazine Issue 1, March 2013 (2013) — Contributor — 13 copies

Asimov's Science Fiction: Vol. 38, No. 4 & 5 [April/May 2014] (2014) — Contributor — 13 copies

Asimov's Science Fiction: Vol. 36, No. 3 [March 2012] (2012) — Contributor — 13 copies

Clarkesworld: Year Seven (2015) — Contributor — 13 copies

Asimov's Science Fiction: Vol. 33, No. 6 [June 2009] (1909) — Contributor — 12 copies

Asimov's Science Fiction: Vol. 19, No. 7 [June 1995] (1995) — Contributor — 12 copies

Asimov's Science Fiction: Vol. 24, No. 7 [July 2000] (2000) — Contributor — 12 copies

Pwning Tomorrow (2015) — Contributor — 12 copies

Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine: Vol. 14, No. 13 [December 1990] (1990) — Contributor — 12 copies

Asimov's Science Fiction: Vol. 24, No. 8 [August 2000] (2000) — Contributor — 12 copies

Asimov's Science Fiction: Vol. 33, No. 10 & 11 [October/November 2009] (2009) — Contributor — 12 copies

Infinity Plus One (2001) — Contributor — 11 copies

Asimov's Science Fiction: Vol. 24, No. 6 [June 2000] (2000) — Contributor — 11 copies

Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine: Vol. 15, No. 14 [December 1991] (1991) — Contributor — 10 copies

Fires of the Past: Thirteen Contemporary Fantasies About Hometowns (1991) — Contributor — 10 copies

Vital: The Future of Healthcare (2021) — Contributor — 10 copies

Asimov's Science Fiction: Vol. 38, No. 10 & 11 [October/November 2014] (2014) — Contributor — 10 copies

The Loch Moose Monster: More Stories From Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine (1993) — Contributor — 10 copies

Asimov's Science Fiction: Vol. 24, No. 10 & 11 [October/November 2000] (2000) — Contributor — 9 copies

Asimov's Science Fiction: Vol. 25, No. 1 [January 2001] (2001) — Contributor — 9 copies

Clarkesworld: Issue 095 (August 2014) (2014) — Contributor — 9 copies

Asimov's Science Fiction: Vol. 38, No. 3 [March 2014] (2014) — Contributor — 9 copies

Asimov's Science Fiction: Vol. 23, No. 5 [May 1999] (1999) — Columnist — 9 copies

Second Hand Planet. Internationale Science Fiction Erzählungen. (1990) — Contributor — 8 copies

Lightspeed Magazine, Issue 9 • February 2011 (2011) — Contributor — 8 copies

Ikarus 2002 (2002) — Contributor — 8 copies

Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine: Vol. 13, No. 13 [Mid-December 1989] (1989) — Contributor — 8 copies

Geek Theater (2014) — Contributor — 8 copies

Nature Futures 2: Science Fiction from the Leading Science Journal (2013) — Contributor — 7 copies

Bifrost n°35 (2004) — Contributor — 7 copies

Mothership Zeta, Issue 1 (2015) — Contributor — 6 copies

Heyne Science Fiction Jahresband 1991. 8 Romane und Erzählungen prominenter SF- Autoren. (1993) — Contributor — 6 copies

Wassermans Roboter (1988) — Contributor — 6 copies

Clarkesworld: Issue 163 (April 2020) (2020) — Narrator, some editions — 5 copies

Asimov's Science Fiction: Vol. 25, No. 12 [December 2001] (2001) — Contributor — 5 copies

StarShipSofa Stories Volume 3 — Contributor — 4 copies

Johann Sebastian Bach Memorial Barbecue. Internationale Science Fiction Erzählungen. (1990) — Contributor — 4 copies

Die wahre Lehre — nach Mickymaus (1993) — Contributor — 4 copies

Asimov's Science Fiction: Vol. 43, No. 5 & 6 [May/June 2019] (2019) — Contributor — 4 copies

Futuredaze²: Reprise (2014) — Contributor — 4 copies

Clarkesworld: Issue 143 (August 2018) (2018) — Contributor — 3 copies

Asimov's Science Fiction: Vol. 45, No. 3 & 4 [March/April 2021] (2021) — Author — 3 copies

Supernovæ (1993) — Contributor — 2 copies

Weird Dream Society: An Anthology of the Possible & Unsubstantiated in Support of RAICES (2020) — Contributor — 2 copies

Daily Science Fiction: June 2020 — Contributor — 1 copy

Tagged

anthology (2,714) calibre (30) collection (125) cyberpunk (277) done (65) Dozois (42) ebook (215) fantasy (393) fiction (1,481) Gardner Dozois (29) hardcover (73) James Patrick Kelly (40) Kindle (61) literature (47) magazine (157) non-fiction (54) own (76) owned (34) paperback (95) read (106) science fiction (4,229) Science Fiction Anthology (35) Science Fiction/Fantasy (68) sf (1,208) SF Anthology (43) SF Magazine (48) sff (244) short fiction (181) short stories (1,752) short story (41) signed (57) slipstream (37) space opera (62) speculative fiction (117) stories (51) to-read (913) unread (202) writing (98) year's best (106) Year's Best Science Fiction (39)

Common Knowledge

Other names: Kelly, Jim
Birthdate: 1951-04-11
Gender: male
Nationality: USA
Birthplace: Mineola, New York, USA
Places of residence: Portsmouth, New Hampshire, USA
Education: Michigan State University (1974)
University of Notre Dame (BA|English literature)
Clarion Writers Workshop (1974 & 1976)
Occupations: Faculty, Stonecoast MFA in Creative Writing, University of Southern Maine
columnist, Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine
Relationships: Kessell, John (friend)
Organizations: Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America
Agent: John Silbersack (The Bent Agency)

Members

Reviews

Think Like a Dinosaur: And Other Stories by James Patrick Kelly

James Patrick Kelly won a Hugo for “Think Like a Dinosaur” (Asimov's Science Fiction, June 1995). Intelligent dinosaurs from somewhere off-planet operate an interstellar transporter. But there is a cold-equations style catch that requires a human technician to act on occasion with cold-blooded efficiency.

Flagged

Tom-e | 4 other reviews | Feb 3, 2024 |

Grace's Family: A Tor.com Original by James Patrick Kelly

Kelly, James Patrick. Grace’s Family. Tor, 2018.
The folks at Tor called Grace’s Family a short story, but they published it separately. At 45 pages, it would probably have been the lead novelette in Analog or Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine. This awkward, between-the-stools length may account for the lackluster ratings it has received on Goodreads.
Grace is the AI on a starship that is part of a fleet exploring all the planets in the observable universe. Grace is not a self-directing AI. She requires a human crew to choose the next target, though a random walk is as good as any other plan. Their ultimate goal, in the words of Carl Sagan, is to help “the cosmos know itself,” to convert data into information and information into knowledge.
I will leave it there to avoid plot spoilers, but the intriguing premise alone gets James Patrick Kelly four stars from me.… (more)

Flagged

Tom-e | Feb 2, 2024 |

Feeling Very Strange: The Slipstream Anthology by James Patrick Kelly

This anthology isn't really a cohesive whole, and that's a good thing. The stories contained within are supposedly from a newish genre called slipstream. According to Bruce Sterling, slipstream's unifying force is cognitive dissonance. What this anthology demonstrated is that Slipstream isn't a genre at all, and that's there nothing new about it. It is, in fact, anti-genre, and a demonstration of how some our great young writers don't give a damn about genre boundaries. Much of the fiction here felt influenced by Borges and Kafka, with a hint of Calvino.

I was familiar with many of the stories here, but it was nice to see such a broad variety of stories in one Anthology. There are other names for the type of fiction contained in this book: interstitial arts seems to be the latest term. Don't be fooled: these stories are fiction without genre, and it works best when the authors aren't trying too hard. Highly recommended.… (more)

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dogboi | 14 other reviews | Sep 16, 2023 |

Men Are Trouble by James Patrick Kelly

A Creative Commons short story freely available from the authour's website, it starts out as an old fashioned Mike Hammer murder mystery.

Murder mysteries aren't my usual fare, and in this case, I didn't care about the case or the detective. Only the sci-fi near future background is actually engaging.

There's lots going on in here, but most of it ends up as hanging threads, not plotlines. I've read a lot of novels that would have been better cut down to short stories - this is the reverse. If it had been fleshed out more, I likely would have liked it better.… (more)

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furicle | Aug 5, 2023 |

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