New substack with news on the hardcopies of the anthology, @meganc.bsky.social's Best Movies of 2025 list, and a new extracurricular by @katprow.bsky.social on Crystal Waters! open.substack.com/pub/marchxne...

I’ve said this before and I’m gonna say it again: @mdbell79.bsky.social’s REFUSE TO BE DONE, specifically his second draft rewriting and weasel words, changed my life! (And I say this because I just got done cutting a disgusting amount of justs, verys, looks, and sees from this new story)

My novel coming out in February is called Burn, and my story collection is I'm Glad You Didn't Drown Yourself. Just casual dealings of feeling consumed/being consumed by others and your own self. Anyway, happy holidays!

I love @stephanieaustin.bsky.social's writing, and I can't wait to read her story collection. Congrats, Stephanie! So glad we've got another great Arizona book coming next year.

NEWS! My story collection I'm Glad You Didn't Drown Yourself will be published with BOA Editions in 2027.

I walked out of Fry's today between a fireworks and a Coors Light display while "Walking in a Winter Wonderland" played overhead, and it's 80 degrees in December in Phoenix.

Shocked, thrilled, all the things to find my book of stories on this long list. 😳

HUGE CONGRATS!!

Congratulations to @asuenglish.bsky.social MFA grads @haydenmcasey13.bsky.social and @jonathanin2k.bsky.social, both longlisted for this year's PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize for Debut Short Story Collection!

Mail day! Can’t wait to read this by @vanwinkle.bsky.social and avoid holiday shopping!

Today, in spite of me never having interest in Dick Van Dyke, my IG timeline is filled with Dick Van Dyke. Apparently he is 100 today and can do a lot of sit-ups, and Conan said some nice about things him.

Looking around for an event space for my book launch in February. There's divey bar scenes, so I thought it would be cool to launch in a divey bar. One place said I had to BUY OUT THE BAR if I wanted to use a microphone. Ma'am, I just need 20 minutes on a mic. I'll do it my own back yard.

I spent a solid 30 minutes scouring my house for my current favorite hoodie. Checking backs of chairs, back of the couch, etc. I went through all my dirty laundry thinking maybe I'd tossed it in and forgotten. Reader, I found it hanging in my closet.

So incredibly proud of everything on SSL. The "most popular" 3 of the year (per whatever weird substack metrics, lol) — from @ambersparks.bsky.social, @anniejowrites.bsky.social, @amystuber.com — are an esp strong trifecta; they belong in all the year best anthologies. ashortstorylong.substack.com

I played Jacob Marley in my high school's production of A Christmas Carol. I dropped my voice a few octaves and tried to sound like a ghost. There are no pictures or video, so you'll have to take my word for it. I think I did pretty good.

I liked a video on Instagram where a guy showcased Slash's guitar and Duff McKagan's bass separately to show how they worked together AND NOW I am getting targeted ads to attend GNR's World Tour. I know we know this, but, like, the algo needs to stop taking it to an 11.

So excited to be included among The New Yorker's Best Podcasts of 2025! www.newyorker.com/culture/2025...

Asking for blurbs is such a scene. HI! 🙃 Would love for you to read my book then write about how awesome it is and btw make it poetic and sassy xoxoxoxoxo.

The 100 Notable Small Press Books of 2025 was a delightful project to be part of, and I'm always so thrilled to help boost and support the small press community. Thank you to @literaryhub.bsky.social for hosting this project. lithub.com/100-notable-...

Only two match-ups remain before we move on to the final round! Vote in our What Was Literary Twitter? bracket to determine the greatest moment of the literary internet.

Only eight remain in our What Was Literary Twitter? bracket. What will the final four look like? Vote here to find out!

Very proud of this one and I hope you will listen

Capitalizing on the *cold and rainy week we're having in Phoenix by putting on a new sweater every other hour to make sure I get a chance to wear them all before it's 110 again. *It is 60 degrees

After some first round upsets, 32 iconic Literary Twitter moments remain! Vote in the next round of our What was Literary Twitter? bracket to push your favorite discourses to the top.

This is a heart tugger.

The estate of O.J. Simpson has agreed to pay nearly $58 million to the father of Ron Goldman, court documents show, decades after Simpson was acquitted of killing Goldman and Simpson's ex-wife.

I love this so much.

I'm reading submissions of short solstice writing for the next few days, so hold up your candles and walk into the woods.

Think you got a BINGO!? Find out with the full bingo card at the link! buff.ly/BGy3gNl

Me: Do you know what this song is? 10yo daughter: Me: It's from the 90s. 10yo daughter: Me: 10yo daughter: That's all you ever say about songs in this car.

"To face unafraid...the plans that I actually made for myself on purpose," is my 2026 NYE resolution.

I have a fun micro Halloween story up over on IG today at @mugshot_writers2, curated by @stephanieaustin.bsky.social. Give it a quick read.

Yay @ladiwoods.bsky.social !!

Washington, D.C.'s vending machine LitBox distributes books, with a serving of hope as local writers struggle with arts funding cuts. n.pr/4nYSLHq

I gave a barista, a young woman, my name for my order, and she said, "My mom's name is Stephanie." And I said, "That means she was born in the 70s/80s. Stephanie is a dying name. You don't know any baby Stephanies, do you? DO YOU?" And the barista said, "I need to help the next customer, so...."

Had the incredible opportunity to lead yesterday’s DNRS panel, “What We Write About When We Write About Arizona,” with Arizona authors Oscar Mancinas, @stephanieaustin.bsky.social, @sabrinahicks.bsky.social, and of course, Arizona Poet Laureate, Alberto Rios!

Thank you everyone who came out to Rift Wine Bar & Taphouse last night! And thank you to all the other readers for making it such an awesome experience! @stephanieaustin.bsky.social @mdbell79.bsky.social @shipraagarwal.bsky.social @haydenmcasey13.bsky.social @sabrinahicks.bsky.social

What a joy to hear Phoenix writers read this afternoon : @mdbell79.bsky.social @stephanieaustin.bsky.social @shipraagarwal.bsky.social @sabrinahicks.bsky.social @haydenmcasey13.bsky.social @jonathanin2k.bsky.social !!! 👏👏👏👏

Tomorrow!

Next up in my all of 2025 interview series is with the fantastic Jonathan Ames. Author of books such as YOU WERE NEVER REALLY HERE (made into a film by Lynne Ramsay.) He also wrote the fantastic HAPPY DOLL series @jonathanames.bsky.social Click on the link to read mrbullbull.com/newbull/the-...

Been bopping around online looking for second-person essays and found "Second Person" by Christine Boyer from a few years ago. I guess lately I'm just really into meta stuff? Anyway, second-person in essays > second-person in fiction? tahomaliteraryreview.com/selections/f...

Save the date! Next Saturday will be the 1st Desert Grit Reading Series at Rift Wine Bar & Taphouse in Scottsdale! Oct 4th at 3 PM! Readings from @mdbell79.bsky.social @shipraagarwal.bsky.social @sabrinahicks.bsky.social @haydenmcasey13.bsky.social @stephanieaustin.bsky.social And me!

Wonderful to attend a reading by @andrewporter01.bsky.social and @sallywenmao.bsky.social moderated by @mdbell79.bsky.social at Changing Hands in Tempe yesterday. And it was great to see you @stephanieaustin.bsky.social @sabrinahicks.bsky.social @rudribhattpatel.bsky.social @karakahnke.bsky.social 💜

I learned SAD GROWNUPS was removed from consideration for Kansas Notable Books (along w other books the deciders worried might endanger future federal funding). This isn't a bitter post. More sad that libraries feel compelled to make choices like these in these censor-y times.

Thank you again Melissa!

Please join us in congratulating our Best of the Net 2026 Nominees! Good luck everyone!

This story nails it in every single way.

Oh, the newest story on Short Story, Long, from @ambersparks.bsky.social, reminds you of one of my fave stories of all time? 🥹

Arizona friends, I’ll be reading with Sally Wen Mao as part of Virginia G. Piper Center Distinguished Visiting Writers Series at Arizona State University in Tempe. September 25, 2025 at 7 PM at Changing Hands Bookstore, followed by a conversation moderated by @mdbell79.bsky.social!