Me: Knock knock. You: Who’s there? Me: I have a b— You: Me: 😊 You: 🙄 I have a b— who? 🧵

It's been my personal anecdotal experience that people who have gone no contact with a parent usually have done so for good reason, and that re-establishing contact on the parent's terms would do both parties more harm than good. defector.com/who-can-imag...

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...

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

(Oh look, here's my giant face yet again.) I spoke with @jennybartoy.bsky.social for @therumpus.net about SHE'S UNDER HERE. Just what you wanted to read on Xmas Eve, right? therumpus.net/2025/12/23/d...

“It was all bottled up inside for such a long time, and the desire to get it down on paper was overwhelming.” @jennybartoy.bsky.social interviews @karenpalmer.bsky.social about She's Under Here (@algonquinbooks.bsky.social). ➡️ buff.ly/6VhrcCu

Delighted that my personal essay was selected as a finalist in the nonfiction category of the 2026 Tucson Festival of Books Literary Awards competition! This essay is included in No Contact: Writers on Estrangement, edited by @jennybartoy.bsky.social, forthcoming from @catapultbooks.bsky.social.

Estrangement is not a trend. Estrangement has always existed, along with the abuse and toxic families that necessitate it. But we're *talking* about it now — that's the change! Thanks to the internet and the destigmatization of therapy, we now find support in #estrangement. This has/will save lives.

📵 COVER ANNOUNCEMENT 📵 We are so excited to share the cover of NO CONTACT: Writers on Estrangement, edited by Jenny Bartoy! Cover design by the fabulous Nicole Caputo ⭐ NO CONTACT will hit bookstores on April 28th and is available to preorder now: books.catapult.co/books/no-con...

"I’m endlessly curious about how people reconstruct and anchor their lives after a devastating and radical change." @jennybartoy.bsky.social's interview with Ivonne Lamazares on her new book “The Tilting House” (@catapultbooks.bsky.social) is out now. chireviewofbooks.com/2025/07/24/s...

i firmly believe one of the main messages we should be telling our students about this whole thing is that generative ‘AI’ by definition will *never* have an original idea, and if you use it, neither will *you*

The reason there's no working class representation in publishing is because publishing and writing currently pay so badly only people who are already financially stable can afford to do it. The problem is always, always money.

Taking a break from mental health to focus on social media. Just really looking to be as unstable as possible with everything going on right now, thx for understanding.

Literacy is activism. Reading is a political act. Books are tools for liberation.

Are you estranged from family? Do you have a story to tell about it? For the anthology Broken Free (Catapult, April 2026), I am seeking personal essays and flash nonfiction about a few specific topics. Please visit bit.ly/estrangedanthology for submission guidelines and more info. Deadline 3/9.

Are you estranged from family? Do you have a story to tell about it? For the anthology Broken Free (Catapult, April 2026), I am seeking personal essays and flash nonfiction about a few specific topics. Please visit bit.ly/estrangedanthology for submission guidelines and more info. Deadline 3/9.

I adored this book, and my conversation with the author. Climate dystopia, beyond relevant for our times, written with deep humanity and gorgeous prose — highly recommend. @eirencaffall.bsky.social @chicagorevbooks.bsky.social

Fantastic piece about estrangement. “When one person steps away, it is easy to cast them as the breaker of the family, when in fact the family was broken already.” @huffpost.com

A historical mystery set in 1920s French-colonial Vietnam, THOSE OPULENT DAYS is the elegant debut of Vietnamese-Australian author Jacquie Pham. My interview with Pham for @crimereads.bsky.social was my last publication of 2024. You can read this deep and compelling conversation at the link below.

Deal announcement! BROKEN FREE: WRITERS ON #ESTRANGEMENT will be published in 2026. I’m thrilled to work with @catapultbooks.bsky.social on this important book, with an amazing list of contributors. So grateful to my agent @mlwyd.bsky.social and everyone who has supported this project. 1/

I so enjoyed my conversation with Paula Hawkins for CrimeReads. Her new psychological thriller, THE BLUE HOUR, tackles themes both complex and universal, including feminism, art, violence, and obsession. Ingeniously layered like paint strokes across canvas, this novel thrilled me and made me think.

The must-read equivalent of a deep breath. I found this Substack article very helpful. And I just ordered Sheehan’s What Does the Constitution Actually Say? from @bookshop-org.bsky.social 🤩 @bensheehan.bsky.social

I still grapple with this, many years into family estrangement, but the more I let go, the healthier and more authentic I feel. Whitney Goodman LMFT (@sitwithwhit on most socials) produces amazing content about #estrangement. I recommend giving her newsletter and podcast a follow.

(From October 2024) My interview with the incomparable Louise Erdrich appeared in the Seattle Times. THE MIGHTY RED is her best novel yet and I so enjoyed getting to pick her brilliant brain about it.

This is a fantastic explanation of dysfunctional family dynamics. Gossip-fueled drama (and assorted lies) is exactly why I cut ties with my father and subsequently became #estranged from the siblings who maintain a relationship with him. Gossip makes healthy relationships unsustainable.

All 5 points are true for me. I think the last one was the most instrumental in my #estrangement from my father. This seems especially relevant in the context of widespread post-election cutting of ties. Accountability matters.

(From August 2024) I had the privilege of interviewing @lizmoorebooks.bsky.social about her riveting THE GOD OF THE WOODS for @chicagorevbooks.bsky.social . A double mystery set in the 1950-70s, this novel delves into class, gender, survivalism, and more in the majestic Adirondack Mountains.

Often #estrangement stems from incompatibility with our family of origin. This resonates.

(From June 2024) For CrimeReads, I had a great conversation with Henry Wise about HOLY CITY. His impressive debut honors the Southern gothic tradition with a lyrical and gritty thriller rooted in rural Virginia.

(From May 2024) I devoured REUNION by @elisejuska.bsky.social . You can read my review of this deeply relatable novel about a post-lockdown 25th college reunion at @chicagorevbooks.bsky.social . 📚

(From April 2024) I interviewed author Gabrielle Zevin for the Seattle Times. So fun to revisit her brilliant novel TOMORROW, AND TOMORROW, AND TOMORROW. We spoke about success and its aftermath, the difference in writing friendship vs romance, and what greatness means to her.

Truth. “People don’t become estranged from people they feel safe with.” @natepost.bsky.social

(From April 2024) My review of SOCIOPATH: A MEMOIR by Patric Gagne, PhD, appeared in @bostonglobe.bsky.social. Gagne, a diagnosed sociopath, tells a compelling and candid tale of life with this “emotional disability” as she describes it. This thought-provoking book is still on my mind.

This is my family of origin in a nutshell and the reason why I am now #estranged from several of them.

Sharing a few oldies: (March 2024) I had the thrill of interviewing queen of crime fiction Tana French about her latest novel THE HUNTER. In our fascinating Q&A for CrimeReads, we discussed her creative process, her characters, writing about police work, family estrangement, and more.

Posting some oldies: (Feb 2024) TOUCHING THE ART by @mbsycamore.bsky.social opened my eyes to a new way of writing memoir, memory, and the self. My interview with Mattilda appeared in @hippocampusmag.bsky.social — a nuanced conversation about trauma, creativity, and the myths that families uphold.

Posting a few oldies: from January 2024, my profile of the delightful @lauriefrankel.bsky.social and her equally delightful novel FAMILY FAMILY for @seattletimes-rss.bsky.social! This book cracks open the discourse on adoption, with positive representation and fresh perspectives on the topic.

Hello friends! A brief intro: I’m a French American writer and editor based in the PNW. My book Broken Free: Writers on Estrangement is forthcoming from Catapult (2026). I often interview authors and review books. I (re)post about writing, estrangement, motherhood, and progressive/leftist politics.❤️