Our latest free post on Patreon touches on what Andrew Gifford's next #PatreonExclusive Series will be about! buff.ly/zwhhLun

My essay was selected as a finalist in the nonfiction category of the 2026 Tucson Festival of Books Literary Awards competition. It's an honor to be here in Tucson with so many authors I admire. #writingcommunity #writing #writinginspiration

Our #writing assignment for this week is to go outside. Many of my best ideas arrived when I was away from my writing desk. The portal to your unconscious is easiest to open when you are relaxed. #writingtips #writingcommunity #creativewriting #writinginspiration 53m

I’ll be at the Tucson Festival of Books on March 15. I hope you’ll stop by and chat!

Today's #writing prompt is inspired by the first signs of spring. Set a timer for 10 minutes and do a #freewrite starting with "The first signs..." #writingprompts #writinginspiration #creativewriting #writingcommunity

I'm very grateful to have received advanced copies of @jennybartoy.bsky.social's anthology, NO CONTACT: Writers on Estrangement. I brought one with me today to #AWP26 in Baltimore. NO CONTACT: Writers on Estrangement, edited by Jenny Bartoy, published by @catapultbooks.bsky.social on April 28.

See you tomorrow (3/7) in Baltimore at #AWP26! #writingcommunity #writing #writinginspiration #creativewriting

Only four copies left of THE WEST FACADE by @laurencjohnson.bsky.social at Booth 529 #AWP26! You do not want to miss out on this book. Spin by and grab it ASAP!

We are at AWP today through Saturday. Stop by to hear about new initiatives at The Rumpus, our redesign, buy amazing books from my imprint and merch and also we have candy and swag! Booth 1240.

Up next: Introduction to Playwriting at the #Delaware Art Museum. #Playwrights will explore ideas from Ancient Greece to new plays on Broadway and beyond as they begin drafting their own short plays. Register in advance by visiting DelArt.org.

Visualize your story as a window. The story has a life of its own and is already in action before and after the reader peers through the window. At what point in the story does the reader arrive at the window? #writingtips #writing #writingcommunity #writinginspiration #creativewriting

ACTION ALERT: Massachusetts readers, ask your legislators to protect the freedom to read by supporting H.3594, An Act Regarding Free Expression. This bill would strengthen protections for libraries & students’ right to read. Send a message today: https://act.pen.org/a/mass-action-alert-h3594

Spaghetti and Meatball wish you a cozy and productive #writing weekend!

It was just round 1. It is not over. It’s time to resist. We will APPEAL this ruling in North Dakota. Energy Transfer’s intimidation lawsuit is a billionaire-backed attack on the right to protest. We won’t back down. Learn more: www.greenpeace.org/usa/what-tod... #TimeToResist

I'm gathering micro and flash stories to share in my creative #writing class this weekend. What are some of your favorites?

I had a wonderful weekend in DC and now I'm hoping to beat the blizzard and return home to my adorable #writing assistant.

“I only know that I will never again trust my life, my future, to the whims of men.” —Toni Morrison

I hope you will consider pre-ordering No Contact: Writers on Estrangement, edited by Jenny Bartoy. @jennybartoy.bsky.social's forthcoming anthology, published by @catapultbooks.bsky.social, is a powerful and compassionate collection. books.catapult.co/books/no-con...

“My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.” ~ Maya Angelou

And in part 3 of Andrew Gifford's Responsible Author #Patreon series, he's tackling the hardest part of it all: not admitting defeat. buff.ly/NZVf0bu Get WE ALL SCREAM here: buff.ly/sEEo8Jo @susanschulman.bsky.social

As part of the recent “Fall of Freedom” action, we invited our members to write a poem using some of the 350+ words banned or restricted by the federal government, or a piece of fiction or nonfiction responding to current threats to free expression and culture. Read more: pen.org/writers-crea...

Happy Valentine's Day from Meatball!

Winnie-the-Pooh was born in a poem on this day in 1924. The story of the real-life baby bear who inspired A.A. Milne's beloved protagonist:

An awesome anthology relevant to exactly this is dropping this Spring, editor @jennybartoy.bsky.social bookshop.org/p/books/no-c...

Warm up with a #writing class this winter at the #Delaware Art Museum! Please register in advance at DelArt.org. I hope to see you there!

Pretty freakin stoked to have this interview with the fantastic @rachellayown.bsky.social out at @chicagorevbooks.bsky.social. We got to talk about @sfwp.bsky.social and all the cool folks I work with there. Dig it!

Treat your honey to a book shopping spree this #ValentinesDay when you get them a gift card to our Square store! buff.ly/Xh0nKyX

Looking to send us your POETRY? ✏️ Here's what we love: ✨ Your very best. (No word limit). ✨ Just one (‼️) unpublished poem. ✨ New, innovative works by fresh voices. Browse our archives for inspiration: buff.ly/QQ4bNsX

Whatever the federal presence looks like in the Bay Area on Super Bowl Sunday, we won’t allow it to stop us from exercising our First Amendment right to protest ICE violence. Before you head out on Sunday, here’s what you need to know about your rights to help you stay safe.

“Sooner or later people believe writers rather than the government.” —Gabriel García Márquez

This is online and FREE. Come hear CHIRB editors talk about how much we love books and the CHIRB and how important good criticism is.

I just registered for the Saturday portion of #AWP26 in Baltimore! I look forward to connecting with other writers. #writing #writingcommunity #writingconference

"In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act." ~ George Orwell

🔖 AWARDS SUBMISSIONS REMINDER ⁠ ⁠ There is currently 1 Red Hen Press Award open for submissions.⁠⁠ ⭐️ Ann Petry Award: March 31, 2026 Award is $3,000 + publication by Red Hen Press. ⁠ ⁠ visit the Submission Guidelines here for details 📎⁠ redhenpress.submittable.com/submit?fun_c...

NEW: Louisiana’s parole board freed 185 prisoners during Gov. Jeff Landry’s tenure, compared with 858 in the two years before he took office. Hundreds who would’ve been released under previous governors remain incarcerated with little chance of parole. W/ @veritenews.org

BREAKING: Federal agents just shot and killed a man in Minneapolis after brutally beating him in front of witnesses. We condemn this killing and demand ICE and CBP agents withdraw from Minneapolis immediately.

NEW: A federal judge restored voting rights to thousands of formerly incarcerated people in Virginia as a result of a class-action lawsuit filed by the ACLU of Virginia.

"The fear, chaos, and violence that ICE is perpetrating doesn’t only have a local impact through arrests, deportations, and disruptions to community life. The deployment of this paramilitary force... is (also) having an impact on the American artistic and cultural landscape" pen.org/ice-threat-t....

Despite the snow, a wonderful group of writers joined me in an exploration of the art of literary journalism, personal essay, and memoir. Recommended reading highlights include books pictured here and essays by Roxane Gay, Margaret Renkl, Megan Mayhew Bergman, and Hanif Abdurraqib. #writing

. @huffpost.com published my essay about how braiding my girlfriend’s hair helped me reclaim my femininity as an androgynous transgender person 🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈🫶🏻

An International prize run by @desperatelit.bsky.social in Madrid #prize #literature #fiction All the details: desperateliterature.com/prize/

More than 50% of US college students are enrolled in a state with at least one law or policy censoring higher education. Since PEN America began tracking this legislation in 2021, educational censorship has spread nationwide. Read our America’s Censored Campuses report at: pen.org/report/ameri...

Omgosh!! 😍😍😍

Katherine Applegate’s book has a controversial protagonist: a tree named Red. Red is both male and female, which trees often are — but the detail has still led to the cancellation of two community-wide readings of the book. Read our interview with @kaaauthor.bsky.social at: pen.org/katherine-ap...

Stella Wong's letter to America poem "Cenote" is a subtle, image-rich metaphor for the death of democracy. https://www.terrain.org/2026/poetry/letter-to-america-wong/ #poem #poetry #poet #politicalpoetry #lettertoamerica #cenote #turtles #dive

SPJ strongly condemns the FBI’s execution of a search warrant at the home of Hannah Natanson, a reporter for The Washington Post Congress passed the Privacy Protection Act of 1980 to prevent this. Press freedom isn’t a courtesy — it’s the law. 🔗Read more: bit.ly/4by2IIo

CAPITAL LOVE, our 2026 sampler, is NOW OPEN FOR SUBMISSIONS-- to writers from DC, Maryland, or Virginia, or anyone with connections to the DMV! $25.00/contributor copy. FREE to submit. www.washingtonwriters.org #writingcommunity ✍️📚💙🌈🏳️‍🌈

What are you doing in March? Why not write some mind-blowing micros with us? www.smokelong.com/smokelongs-m...

“There is no time for despair, no place for self-pity, no need for silence, no room for fear. We speak, we write, we do language. That is how civilizations heal.” Time for Toni Morrison: www.themarginalian.org/2016/11/15/t...