Eman Quotah

This is where I’ll be Friday night: www.citylitproject.org/event/hard-t...

Going to AWP for the first time next week. Will be commuting 40+ minutes each way to Balt up I-95 each day.

Writers, give me other bad advice for surviving the massive lit conference.

I think there was one with two women with telepathy…

Loved her suspense and was obsessed with the Merlin books.

For a story: I'm looking to speak to people of all ages about how uncertainty around access to SNAP and high cost of food is impacting mental health and well-being, especially as new restrictions/work requirements have taken effect. rainesford.alexandra@gmail.com, Signal rstauff.20

See you there!

Art and Disillusionment in Saleem Haddad's Floodlines Layla AlAmmar examines the Arab melancholy, tragedy and grief at the heart of Saleem Haddad’s second novel.

Book criticism is not dead. This review by Layla AlAmmar nearly moved me to tears.

themarkaz.org/art-and-disi...

"The plight of the Post is simply the inevitable result of journalism under a corporate structure. ... With the death of traditional media outlets comes an opportunity for the birth of new ones, built on a healthier business model."

Amen

That can only go well ... oy.

Ramadan Kareem, ya Gaza “Gaza does not resemble herself in Ramadan.”

Another Ramadan essay. Across the Ummah, Gaza is always on our minds.

@alaaalqaisis.bsky.social

arablit.org/2026/02/19/r...

How the Deprivation of Ramadan Helps Care for the Spirit (Published 2019)

In honor of Ramadan, here's one of my favorite articles about fasting. I may share a few others over the month.

"Being hungry is clarifying. It forces a kind of focus."

www.nytimes.com/2019/05/21/s...

Looks so cute, and perfect if you’ve ever wanted a residency that could include a visit to the John Waters Restrooms at the Baltimore Museum of Art …

Guns don't kill people. Martyrs kill themselves.

Yes I think I saw you (and/or Sara) there!

One of the best.

The End of Books Coverage at the Washington Post Becca Rothfeld, a former critic at the Washington Post, on the death of the paper’s books section.

"A consumer is a person whose preëxisting tastes you strive to satisfy over and over; a reader is someone you hope to change, convince, and surprise."

Must-read explanation by Becca Rothfeld of what we are losing with Book World's shuttering: www.newyorker.com/books/page-t...

If The Post is going to stop covering the things that matter to me, as a resident of the DMV, the US, and the world, then ... I finally cancelled my subscription, guys.

The Post Books section coverage was the only one that could reach everyone I ever knew in the DC area, including my old land lady.

For those looking for freelance work in the wake of WaPo layoffs: I'm an editor at large overseeing Ideas & Culture at Bloomberg, including our Books coverage. Find me at skillingswo2@bloomberg.net

A friend of mine used to call the fabric store “the pet store”

So The Post is becoming The Hill? Is that what’s happening?

Baltimore and environs people: see you at the Mess & Friction Reading tonight?

As a novelist I say: It was also a career high for me to have my debut novel reviewed at the Post.

As someone who’s reviewed books: Book criticism is being kept alive by smaller, scrappier publications.

@markaz-review.bsky.social @thenewarab.bsky.social

Wow, that’s an amazing list!

We used a hammer

“The breakthroughs behind ChatGPT and similar tools began in academic research, where using copyrighted material for training is broadly accepted, [a source] said, but researchers continued the practice even as AI models were commercialized.”

How Silicon Valley built AI: Buying, scanning and discarding millions of books Court filings reveal how AI companies raced to obtain more books to feed chatbots, including by buying, scanning and disposing of millions of titles.

New reporting on AI cos. theft of copyrighted material.

www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...

Cover for Eman Quotah's THE NIGHT IS NOT FOR YOU. It features a woman facing you, bathed in red, and her hair covering half of her face.

Cover for Stephen King's THE SHINING. The top third shows a snowy day, with a face barely visible in the middle, screaming. The bottom third features the Overlook hotel, with a standing lion and a sitting lion guarding as a woman holds the hand of a young boy as they head into the murder hotel.

Cover for Gwendolyn Kiste's THE HAUNTING OF VELKWOOD. The top third has a figure facing what looks like a neighborhood, and the bottom, two figures are upside down, but appear to be standing at water's edge.

Cover for Nick Roberts' THE EXORCIST'S HOUSE: RESURRECTION. It's covered in red, with a being rising up from the remains of a burnt church in the Jesus pose.

It's cold, you're stuck inside, and you need something to read. Here are some #Kindle deals! Nothing over $2.99 w/ works by @emanquotah.bsky.social, @stephenking.bsky.social, @gwendolynkiste.bsky.social, @spookywv.bsky.social, @tananarivedue.bsky.social, & more! #ad #booksky

amzn.to/3Kj4Uoq

1/17, 2pm, A Literary Celebration of Muslim American Heritage Month, Brigadier General Charles E. McGee Library with Authors Eman Quotah and Majda Gama REGISTER: mcpl.events/muslim-american Quotah will discuss her new visceral and captivating horror debut, The Night is Not for You, and her earlier family saga set in Saudi Arabia and the United States, Bride of the Sea. Gama will engage around her body of poetry, including the Winner of the 2023 Wandering Aengus Press prize, In the House of Modern Upbringing for Girls. It is bound to be a captivating conversation that you will not want to miss!

Happening soon in the DMV! 1/17, 2pm, A Literary Celebration of Muslim American Heritage Month, Brigadier General Charles E. McGee Library with Authors Eman Quotah and Majda Gama @emanquotah.bsky.social @mcpllibraries.bsky.social #poetry #fiction #DMV

REGISTER: mcpl.events/muslim-american

A book on a silk floral design carpet. The book cover says Bride of the Sea: a novel, Eman Quotah, and features a woman's face looking up from the sea. The title and her face and hair are decorated with beads.

Who needs book reviews? My novel has been beadazzled. 🪩