Thank you so much again to everyone who has donated or shared the GoFundMe! It has been so heart-filling seeing the care and kindness for our family. (1/?)

In exactly two weeks! Gettin literary with friends and a slew of fantastic writers! Pinch me.

AWP things 804 reading on Saturday at 5! Fox City and Night Ginkgo on Thursday at 5! Reading for Ette Wednesday at 6!

I had a dream about spitting out teeth and now I’m scared.

"Whatever memories come to me at night before sleep, I close the door on them and I’m back to what I’ve known for the last six decades ..." @nikigjoni.bsky.social in @gonelawn.bsky.social gonelawn.net/journal/issu...

It feels surreal and absolutely awesome to see my novel-in-progress’ prologue—my protagonist, Drita’s name—published for others to read. Eternally grateful to @gonelawn.bsky.social for accepting this for their excerpts issue! gonelawn.net/journal/issu...

Christmas sweater party with the 804 squad and other friends too!

I love this little prose poem so much. It came out furiously in one sitting in my notes app after a late night walk with the pup, thinking and feeling a whole lot of things. Grateful to @mosspuppymag.bsky.social for publishing it. If you have 30 seconds for a read! ⤵️ mosspuppymag.com/issue-9-echo...

My theory about Joyce Carol Oates is that all her bad posts are her charging up like Godzilla's spines until she lets loose with a radioactive blast that leaves the world's richest Nazi a pile of ash

#Frankenstein is gothic, gorgeous, lush. All the hallmarks of a @realgdt.bsky.social movie. I can’t wait to rewatch and feel heartbreak again 😩😩😩

I'm starting to see multiple threads where bluesky folks are trying to raise money for their local food banks because of the shutdown of SNAP starting November 1... can we get a thread going for people to find each other? Drop your link and put your city in front, let's coordinate city by city!

Batteries: recharged ✔️ “I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.”

This piece came out of a prompt from last year's 804 writing retreat. All the thanks to my friends for creating a space that is lax and fun (and funny!) and creative. It's a super short one if you have the time! "Small Fortune" out in Lover's Eye Press. www.loverseyepress.com/post/fiction...

Nearly ONE YEAR after I wrote this little piece at 804’s Labor Day weekend writing retreat…it’s finally found a home! Coming out in Lover’s Eye Press first full print issue…so excited to see “Small Fortune” in print.

I am so grateful to Blue Mountain Review for picking up this story that was inspired by a sick, late night Instacart order. If you have 5 mins! t.co/suJ3SgFHcZ

Excited to be on this list! If you’re in the area and want to have oysters and drinks w/ a side of literature, this is calling your name…

In one week and day, I’m hosting this workshop at Kramers! There are still a handful of tickets left, so if you want to get creative on a Tuesday and meet with other local writers, come on out! www.kramers.com/events/27229...

A day filled with art and vintage shop hopping in Richmond.

I’m so grateful to @bulbculture.bsky.social for publishing a second piece of mine! This CNF piece is near and dear to me and this commentary about it has me 🥹🥹🥹🥹

Power naps with this dude are my favorite 😭

So, so, so thrilled to be hired as the editor for the second volume of Bowie State University's journal, Freedom - A Journal of Research in Africana Studies. The articles featured in there are fucking fantastic and interesting and I can't wait to dig in.

Every time someone admits they use any form of AI, I want to claw my eyes out. It’s becoming a knee jerk reaction at this point, my wincing and wtf-ing.

I guess I’m headed to France?! I’m absolutely flabbergasted. After years of following their page & pining from a distance & two almost-submitted applications, I finally just did the thing & applied this year. And my immediate response was “is this a joke?” WHY are we like this?!

My favorite weekend afternoons look like this

I love the energy when a storm is brewing.

My engagement on Twitter has been sucky for a while now after it took years & years to get the steady bit of interaction I did have. This place completely blows, I’m starting from scratch. Yelling down an empty hallway & all that. Plus no bookmarking feature to track announcements. C’est la vie 🫠

Andddd everything always hits at once. No more bombardments until the summer! I love this layout so much, I’m stupid excited to be in The Emerson Review with a vulnerable little flashback piece from when I was just a wee little immigrant child.

It's that time of year again. My mom's birthday is today and she's halfway around the world in Albania. I wrote this a few years back; it came out just in time for her birthday then. It's definitely a favorite of mine. 🎈 newflashfiction.com/nikoletta-gj...

If you missed this on Friday and want a quick read with your Sunday coffee, my story, “Radium Girl Dreams in Technicolor,” came out in @tinymolecules.bsky.social. The whole issue is fantastic, so have at it!

I’m SO excited to have this piece in @tinymolecules.bsky.social. Born out of a writing retreat with the 804 gang last year. I love this one. www.tinymolecules.com/issues/twent...

It’s the little things 🥲 I can’t wait for this issue! Being published alongside all these fabulous writers!

So excited to be in this lineup. So excited to be in L.A. in one week.

It’s no secret I’ve been doing editing and one-on-one workshop sessions for a while now, but as of late, I’ve been very keen on making it a more regular thing. Officially added info to my writer site. Read! Share! Reach out! I’m happy to answer questions. www.ngjoni.com

I spent much of today visiting my most favorite college professor and his wife. He still teaches at UMBC, she’s a curator at the Walters Art Museum—they’re ~cool.~ We had lunch and wine and caught up and it was a perfect way to spend a cold, dreary day. And also this! 👇🏻 🥹💖

Nothing beats a physical copy of a publication. Was feeling kind of low one day last year when I wrote this and was so pleasantly surprised when the excellent @laurelreview.bsky.social picked it up. Can’t wait to dig into this issue!

I’ve reached out to indie bookstores & art schools & community orgs & the MoCo library to pitch creative writing workshops for young writers, particularly ESL kiddos & maybe I’m naive but damn, I thought there would be more interest to get something going. But…crickets. Boo.

❄️on and on and on❄️

Two years ago today, my grandpa passed away in Albania. He was simply *the best.* I wrote this last year and was--and still am--so thrilled that @bendinggenres.bsky.social gave it a home. bendinggenres.com/on-summer-mo...

Another one down. When does it stop?! 2025 🥂

In 2025, I'm hoping to do even more artsy things that a) help fuel my creativity or b) relax me. I'd really like to begin piano lessons, for one. And Fri night, a friend wanted to do something crafty, so we did. And I REALLY ENJOYED STITCHING THIS LITTLE FOX. I want more.

I’m so excited to have one of my favorite previously published pieces accepted for publication. I love this little essay about visiting the Badlands and driving through South Dakota and being in a space that is so completely different from home. My third piece slated to come out in 2025 💫💫💫💫💫

Coffee mate

Friends talking about writing, life, holidays, family, shit. I love these two so incredibly much. And Indian food.

It’s a little baby under a monstera canopy

We love a statement coat

✨The only acceptable way to begin the week✨

Capping off a weekend of cooking and baking with…more cooking and baking. Leftover pie crust and leftover turkey calls for turkey pot pie. Even after 4 days off, I’m sitting here with the Sunday scaries. Go figure.

here's the prize-nominated story in question if you wanna check out something freaky & beautiful over @matchbooklitmag.bsky.social 🦇⚡

Did I have a slice of cake with my coffee this morning? Yes. Did I eat a random meal comprised entirely of leftovers at 2:30pm? Also yes. No rules apply in this narrow window of festive and gluttonous behavior.

This jerk swiped two uncooked Italian sausages off the counter last night and woke me up at 4am to run outside and handle business. I love him and am grateful for his companionship, even when he’s being a fiend and when I become hangry.