I’m participating in SFWA’s MG/YA Constellation Series mini-conference and so can you! The Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA) Middle Grade/Young Adult Committee is hosting a FREE virtual Constellation Series mini conference March 21-22 with workshops, presentations, and readings by Tracey Baptiste, Darcie Little Badger, Christine Taylor Butler, Vanessa Ricci-Thode, and other creators of speculative fiction for young readers. Please see the link below for the full fabulous lineup and the link to register! It is free and open to the public…a great opportunity to connect and engage with fellow writers.

https://www.sfwa.org/events/mg-ya-constellation-series/

Spica

A new piece written in February 2026, dedicated to the brightest jewel of the spring sky: Spica.

The spring sky may not be as crowded with stars as the winter one, but when the snow begins to melt, three stars command the attention of the Northern Hemisphere. Spica, the alpha of the constellation Virgo, takes center stage in this celestial dance.

This melody is my tribute to her. Spica is a truly fascinating system—more than just a single star, it’s a complex world of its own that scientists are only just beginning to understand.

Listen to the music and gaze at the stars!

Yours, Andrey Klimkovsky

A few ConStellation moments

Baby Harvey staffing the Ad Astra Institute table at ConStellation 15

this is his first con, and two years ago this con is where we learned he was on the way

spacial limited ConStellation Edition of my new book at the table! (copies arrived hot off the press at the con hotel just a day in advance of our arrival - whew!)

lemme know if you want a copy of the book, btw! I’d be delighted to sign it to you or a friend (just drop me an email or dm here)

me at Opening Ceremonies unwrapping my Author Guest of Honor gift from the con - this lovely vintage brass telescope inside a little treasure chest!

the con-runners and guests of ConStellation were all so kind and welcoming and thoughtful. I very much recommend this event - plus it’s not too big, only about 300 attendees

in addition to the gift, another generous perk is that “Guests of Honor are always Guests of Honor at future ConStellations,” and receive complimentary membership any time they want to come back

so I’ve already registered all three of us - Harvey included! - for next year, and also reserved a table for the Ad Astra Institute

one of the most-moving moments for me was a talk by scholar Michael Page - who served as Toastmaster - about my novel, Transcendence. he made me cry so many times. that kind of brilliant interpretation and appreciation of one’s work is why artists do what we do. he even made himself teary at the end when he talked about what the future might hold, and read a quote from the book about our children - and how it meant so much more now that he’d met Baby Harvey

I’ve gotten rights to the novel back, so I think I’ll make another run, and ask Mike if he’ll let me use his paper as an introduction

this event reminded me why I love cons ❤

EP 326: The Sun and the Moon; The Fire Dogs; The Seven Stars of the North (Jeong)

Listen Here

Watch Here

The Sun and the Moon

Long, long ago there was an old woman who had two children, a son and a daughter. One day, she walked to the next village to work for a rich man. When she finished her work she was given a big wooden box containing buckwheat puddings, also known as halwa in Turkiye. She carried the box on her head, and walked quickly back home to her children. 

On…

EP 326: The Sun and the Moon; The Fire Dogs; The Seven Stars of the North (Jeong)

Same Stars /The Last Rule

Outside the windows, the night murmured in distant sirens and sleepless neon. But inside your office, it was a war room. Your PC humming softly beneath the muted screen. The only light was the one that came from the small constellation lamp beside you—dim, casting soft golden stars over your notes and evidence boards. You sat forward, elbows on the table, eyes downturned from hours of combing…

Same Stars /The Last Rule

Side of the knee is spicy, but not as spicy as the back and the lines are fairly short so it wasn’t bad at all. And I’m in love with my Orion tattoo!! (The bruises are courtesy of my dog who smacks me a lot)

Saw Orion constellation after so many years. Happy to see them despite the pollution.

Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa. De Occulta Philosophia. 1533.

Sigils of the fixed stars and constellations. In the Hermetic tradition — which holds that hidden correspondences link celestial bodies to earthly phenomena — sigils were signs constructed from geomantic figures. These were patterns generated by making random marks and reducing them to rows of dots. Connecting them in various ways produced a unique shape assigned to a star or constellation and used in talismans and rituals to invoke those bodies’ power.

Pictured top to bottom: Caput Algol, Pleiades, Aldebaran, Hircus, Canis Major, Canis Minor, Cor Leonis, Cauda Ursae, Ala Corui, Spica, Alchameth, Elpheia, Cor Scorpii, Vultur Cadens, and Cauda Capricorni.

Internet Archive

Taurus

Today on February 22nd is “Cat Day” in Japan.
In the past, there was actually a constellation called “Cat” in the night sky. (This is no longer in use today.)
Legend has it that Joseph-Jérôme Lefrançais de Laland, an 18th-century French astronomer who loved cats, created this constellation based on his own pet.
While there are now officially 88 recognized constellations, creating your own original constellation based on something you love sounds like a lot of fun, doesn’t it?

本日2月22日は日本では「猫の日」です。
昔は夜空に「ねこ座」がありました。(現在は使われていません)
猫好きの18世紀フランスの天文学者ラランドが、自分の飼い猫をモデルに星座を作ったそうです。
現在星座は88個と決まっていますが、自分が好きなもののオリジナル星座を作ってみるのも楽しそうですね。

that’s my orion chat 😭

“The most glorious pictures of stars in any part of the heavens.” The wonder and the glory of the stars. 1927.

Internet Archive

Orion’s Nebula /The Last Rule

Liam hadn’t been here in years.

The lawn was perfectly trimmed—neat. The kind of care that meant someone still came here often. As he walked past the low fence, there was a strange tug in his chest. A hint of familiarity. Of.. nostalgia. 

He glanced up, and the sky was dull.No stars in sight tonight.He knew then— 

She wouldn’t be outside.

So he kept walking. The pathway beneath his shoes felt…

Orion’s Nebula /The Last Rule

Lieutenant Sopek and the constellation Pavo

Last but not least of our crewmember, let us explore the symbolism between the constellation Pavo and Lieutenant Sopek of Vulcan.

To begin, the constellation Pavo represents none other than a peacock. Peafowls, especially the males, are striking birds, with a bright plumage and impressive tail feathers. They represent beauty, inspiration and wisdom, qualities that to some degrees can be associated with Sopek. He is quite precise about his appearance, and as a scientist and a follower of the principles of Surak, follows a path of curious research and aspire to wisdom attained by logic.

In addition to that, due to their impressive displays of feathers and colours, peacocks are also symbols of pride and of showing off, which undeniably, Sopek does. Much like a peacock and his iridescent display, Sopek can often be seen showing off his discoveries, and it has been said jokingly before that he believes he is the best thing since Surak. Obviously, through the course of Eridani, he learns to balance this ego, but still, it draws an interesting parallel between him and the peacock constellation.

This conclude our analysis of Sopek and our constellation series!

Tactical Officer Terrance Riley and the constellation Ursa Minor

The constellation of Ursa Minor and Terrance Riley have a lot more in common than what one might see on the immediate surface.

Firstly, the constellation represent a bear cub, with it’s name meaning the Lesser Bear. This is first and foremost a parallel to his friend and mentor Elliot Stockton, who is also represented by the constellation Ursa Major. As an ensign on the U.S.S. Eridani, Terrance is among the youngest crewmember, and coming from a big family where the attention was often split between him and his sibling, it was almost a draw of fate that Stocky would take him under his wing, as a father of many children himself. Often, the two are seen sparring together, and his time spend with Stockton allows Terrance to learn a great deal, both about himself and the world.

To continue, as a tactical officer, Terrance Riley is eager to prove himself, much like how a young bear, just starting to roam and hunt in the wild, would. He wants to show to the crew and to the Captain that he is not only capable, but also a creative problem solver and a real asset to the Bridge crew. While it does not always work, it still draws a parallel between him and the image of the Lesser Bear constellation.

Lastly, one of the most important stars in our sky is situated within the constellation Ursa Minor, and that is Polaris, the north star. In relation to Terrance, this star in particular. The north star is a very widely known navigational mark, used by sailors and travellers for hundreds of years. As a person, Terrance Riley is someone who follows through with his goal and goes head-along into the unknown to accomplish them. He is following his star, metaphorically.

And that completes our parallels between Terrance Riley and Ursa Minor.

Nurse Anise Freeman and the constellation Monoceros

Let’s explore the similar symbolism between the Constellation Monoceros and Anise Freeman. Monoceros is the unicorn constellation!

The unicorn, in medieval stories, is representative of wonder, hope and purity, only ever showing itself and allowing itself to be pet by a pure maiden. These qualities can be drawn in relation to the cleanliness (sterile equipment and whatnot) and pure task that is healing and coming to another’s aid, which Anise constantly accomplish in her task as a nurse on the Eridani.

Additionally, other unicorn symbolism depict this creature as much more than soft and vulnerable, and rather as fierce and indomitable, facing great danger or foes. This is rather representative of Anise Freeman’s depth as a person. Yes, she is kind, she is caring and funny, but she can also be fierce, and has overcome many great hardship, all the while retaining this profound gentleness, not letting them harden her. And while the losses she face never made her less kind, they did make her more weary to open up to love again, like the skittish unicorn waiting for someone worthy of trust to show itself.

To continue, the literal constellation Monoceros is among the least noticeable of constellation, being comprised on less bright stars, but it is also situated near the stellar equator, making it available for viewing in good conditions from most places on Earth. This aspect, of being discreetly everywhere underlines the vital importance of nurses in the medical field, even if they can be less noticed than the more renown doctors. On the U.S.S. Eridani, Anise Freeman shows how much of an invaluable crewmember she is on many occasions, giving weight to this additional symbolic link.

This completes the parallels to be drawn between Anise Freeman and Monoceros.