Activity
Mon
Wed
Fri
Sun
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
What is this?
Less
More

Memberships

The Unexpected Shape Café

Public • 447 • Free

30 contributions to The Unexpected Shape Café
Debut Novel Available for Pre-order!
Hi folks, I'm happy to announce that my debut novel Dear Haider is scheduled for publication on June 1, 2024, by Baraka Books! https://www.barakabooks.com/catalogue/dear-haider/ It's one of those stories that came to me fully formed in a flash, as I was recovering from a severe mental health crisis. I was at the time in school, but had a break between undergrad and grad school, and wrote most of the first draft in that two month period. I wasn't fully satisfied with my draft however, and due to the demands of grad school, left the manuscript alone for almost 5 years. Then, a close friend of mine, who works as a medical copywriter, generously offered to edit my manuscript with me. It was the pandemic, so we went on Zoom every Sunday and worked on 2-3 chapters for a few hours at a time, for a period of four months. I will be forever indebted to her. Then, I think I did things quite backwards. Instead of trying agents and big publishers first, which I didn't have confidence to shoot for, I submitted to two small presses. One of them, whose founder happened to be my parents' friend and neighbour, immediately made an offer. And the rest is history. I'm happy to share more about my writing/publishing journey, so if you're interested, let me know and feel free to ask questions!
10
9
New comment Jun 6
1 like • Mar 4
Congratulations, Lili! Thank you so much for sharing!
What are you reading?
Right now, I’m reading and rereading Astrid Parker Doesn’t Fail, which is a comfort read for me—a sapphic romance novel. It’s interesting to go outside of my usual genres; I never read romance novels until very recently. At the same time, I’m reading a forthcoming memoir by Morgan Parker. What are you reading, and how are you feeling/thinking about it?
13
186
New comment Jun 3
2 likes • Jan 16
@Barb Natividad That's on my TBR as well! Just managing my mental health for now as the things Pat writes about are triggering for me.
1 like • Jan 16
@Sara Habein Ooh putting this in my to read list as well!
The daily pet thread
I thought it might be nice to have a daily pet thread. Here's Daphne, whom some of you might already know about. She's about 11 years old and an incredible sweetie (unless you're another dog or the USPS).
22
176
New comment Aug 25
The daily pet thread
3 likes • Dec '23
@Barb Natividad Orange cat goodness! Thank you for sharing
2 likes • Jan 14
@Aubrie Warner aww hello cuties!
Tin House Summer 2024 Residency
https://tinhouse.com/workshop/residencies/ Fiction (novel/short), Nonfiction, Poetry, and Graphic Novel, as well as the translation of any of those genres. When applicable, applicants may be under contract to publish the book they are applying with. International writers may apply. Former Residents may not apply. Former Scholars and past Workshop faculty may apply. You must be 21 years of age or older by the start date of the residency you are applying for. Trans Author Residency June This residency is intended for any writer who identifies as trans and is working on a full-length manuscript. General Residency July This residency is intended for any writer working on a full-length manuscript. First Book Residency August This residency is intended for debut writers who have not yet published a full-length book. Applicants may be under contract but cannot be scheduled to publish their debuts until 2025. Chapbooks and self-published works do not count toward this requirement.
5
6
New comment Jan 12
2 likes • Dec '23
So, I got my first rejection in my applications to residencies: I wasn't selected for the Tin House residency. It was a form letter, I'm sure, but it was written so honestly that I don't feel bad about it. There were six spots and they were transparent about how many applications they received (thousands). It was truly shooting my shot, and I'm glad I did it. It also sent me back looking over my drafts with a new perspective. There are two things I took away from this that I can apply to my improvement: *How might my writing be more clear and "competitive" in the sense that the message stands out among other memoirs of similar topic? *How might I improve my writing (or at least my sample writing) so that it immediately convinces readers that I am the right one (and a mature enough writer) to write the story? Did anyone else apply to the Tin House residency?
0 likes • Jan 12
@Susannah D I just read this! Yes, I heard good things about their residency from a author who was accepted and was published by Tin House. It was very competitive, apparently: over 1,000 applications and only six spots this year. I'm proud of us for trying. Let's keep submitting!
Midwinter and New Year's reflections
I wanted to share my recent post with you all and also take the opportunity to thank you all for being here and to thank Esmé for making this space available to us. In the post I share some of my reflections over the transition into a new year. I would be so happy if any of you felt like sharing your thoughts or approaches! https://chaiselongue.substack.com/p/and-2023-was-falling-down-and-2024
3
2
New comment Jan 12
1 like • Jan 12
@Danne Jobin I like the idea of setting an intention. I was trying to do a word of the year kind of new year transition, but I'll think about intention-setting, too!
1-10 of 30
Neva Talladen
5
299points to level up
@neva-talladen-8015
Neva is a multi-passionate writer and editor in Rockaway Beach, NYC. Currently writing her memoir, Home is a Moving Thing.

Active 17d ago
Joined Sep 17, 2023
powered by