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As Bluesky continues banning Palestinians, my friend Hani -- one of the kindest men you will ever meet -- and his family are starving on the street. Please donate if you can. chuffed.org/project/help...

My son is autistic, largely nonverbal. He reads a lot, is smitten with all things Lego. He excels in school. He finds his ways to communicate. There’s nothing wrong with autism. The rhetoric drives me mad. It’s on us to make the world easier for neurodiverse folks, not to push them to conform.

joining the war on autism on the side of autism

Probably gonna be a lot of autism misinformation tomorrow, so please, if you need anyone to talk to about it, it’s not me, because you’re a grown adult willing listening to that man who sounds like a garbage disposal with a Lego in it.

The way my heart shifts between “wow this moment I’m in would make a great personal essay” to “maybe not every piece of me needs to be consumed by the public in order for me to send an invoice” is really something.

Negotiations ranked by level of difficulty: 1. Pleading with a newborn to go to sleep. 2. Trying to convince a seven year old to get out of bed for school. 3. Publishing contracts.

Oh hey, Neighborhood Literary is six months old today! We’ve sold some cool projects, signed some wonderful people, and are continuing the goal of free, accessible local events to make publishing more accessible. Thanks for hanging in there with us. ❤️

Ugh this is so upsetting. Adore Loyalty.

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Just giving this lil’ workshop a bump. Still have some space! 👇🏽

gonna need a public mural of her in philadelphia STAT

I gotta collect screenshots of the staggering amount of publishing scammers that light me up on LinkedIn of all places. I thought the emails were bad but oof. Whole fake profiles. Careful out there, writer friends. If something seems too good to be true, check in with your community.

On my way to the Latinx Storytellers Conference for the weekend! If you’re there, be sure to say hi! 👋🏽

anyway, trans rights forever

I write Young Adult novels and run a literary agency that has a bonus focus on building writing communities. I try to be a good literary citizen every day. ❤️

Sarah does such amazing work. Just wait until we get her some books. 👇🏽

So proud of this one, friends. Stories are resistance, and so worth fighting for.

Are you a marginalized author (or the editor/agent/publicist of one) who has a trad pub YA or adult SFF/H book coming out Sept 2025 - March 2026? This book critic wants to know about it! Small press strongly encouraged. bookjockeyalex.com/contact/

I love when precious new babies have those adorable hiccups that tell you yes, they’re about to throw up on something you cherish.

Just so thrilled beyond measure to see longtime client and friend @kaylaancrum.bsky.social is longlisted for the National Book Award. So deserved. www.nationalbook.org/2025-nationa...

Hell yes. Go after all of them. www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/...

My God if LEGO Star Trek becomes a huge thing, I’ve got just the guy for those kids books. @mikechenwriter.bsky.social

Six months in (almost!) to launching this agency and we’re gearing up for some more really exciting bookish news. Thanks for supporting and responding so well to this, friends. ❤️

Just a reminder to check for your name in this list of books that OpenAI trained from. If your name is there, they probably owe you several thousand dollars. OpenAI cried that if everyone eligible author files, the company will go bankrupt, so I'm alerting every author I have ever spoken to.

Finally watched KPop Demon Hunters and I’m not sure if anyone on social media has said this, but it’s very good.

Love how laundry detergent says things like “good for six months of laundry!” when there should be a little asterisk under it with “unless you have children, in which case, five days max buddy.”

Today’s the National Book Festival at the Library of Congress. While I might not be there, my novel is, as the kid-lit selection for Pennsylvania. This book’s publishing journey has been wild, particularly with the imprint being shuttered. Thanks for showing up for it. ❤️

LOL. LMAO, even.

Darlings! Who wants to see the cover of Offerings for Ordinary Gods, coming July 2026 from @clashbooks.bsky.social? Spec horror ✔️ Mythic metaphors ✔️ Haunted cottage (or castle) read ✔️ Tarot cards✔️ Cover art by @katelanfoisy.bsky.social, btw!

Me to My Child: Hey no more iPad it’s time for bed, that’s not good for you. Me to Me: *falls asleep with the worst murder podcast ever on my iPhone*

We took the paywall down on this one. defector.com/how-the-fuck...

I updated my website! Please clap! alitrotta.com (Added a rep link for the incredible @ericsmithrocks.bsky.social / #NeighborhoodLiterary, recent poem links, and one thing that goes live...tomorrow. Mwhahaha! *ahem*)

While nudges and follow up emails are always welcome, please note this is how I’m reading manuscripts lately. I’m behind, but I’ll get to you. ❤️

trying to do book marketing, 2025 edition www.barnesandnoble.com/w/payal-meht...

I participated in @ericsmithrocks.bsky.social’s summer query and first pages webinar and it was fantastic! Eric was so helpful and supportive. If you’re working on a nonfiction book proposal, I 💯% recommend!

Hm, are agencies launching profiles on here? I’ve seen a few, and all Neighborhood really does is Instagram. Is this a thing?

Any time I work with a nonfiction client, I ALWAYS refer them to Eric’s resources. If you’re writing nonfiction, this workshop is absolutely sure to be gold.

Since my summer query one went so well, I’m doing another workshop in the winter. Come hang! The goal is to help get a nonfiction book proposal wrangled up and polished. These workshops will help fund my free events in the New Year. www.ericsmithrocks.com/blog/2025/9/...

I get to work with THE @cindypon.bsky.social?! 🥹

The uptick in “our book club wants to read your book!” followed by expensive fees to share with their members is absolutely wild. Be careful? These scams wouldn’t be so prolific if they didn’t work every now and again.

One of my clients lives in my neighborhood and found out that I bake for fun, so I offered to swing by with a cobbler sometime and- My God. I just became one of those literary agents from every Lifetime and Netflix movie, dropping off baked goods for their authors.

I do love giving away free advice, friends! It’s all on there, just for you. ❤️

A favorite tradition a number of my dad friends started when we all became parents, is a random, out of nowhere text to say “hey, you’re doing great, Dad!” Big recommend. Never know when a little surprise like that might turn a hard day around. ❤️

Dear Democratic Leaders, If you won’t stand up for trans people and their rights, you’re tellling me you won’t stand up for *anyone* or *any rights* the second they come under attack. You’re telling me you don’t stand for anything at all. Also, they’re *people*. Grow a spine or get out the way.

wow

the horrors persist and so do my deadlines

You can tell I’m a literary agent who also writes because most of my client’s submission file names are things like Manuscript - Final Final Ver 2 - August.

Wow @beccapodos.bsky.social. Still can’t believe I get to work with this legend every day. 🥹

Authors: If you found out that your publisher(s) failed to register with the U.S. Copyright Office, we can help. We provide ongoing legal assistance to our members and advocate for their work, particularly in the face of ongoing AI-related theft.