Taffeta Chime

RuCo Dec Lit News and Events, Yays, and Gift Ideas for Bookish People — Rutherford Arts Alliance From author events to fundraisers, from local awards to publications, from gift ideas for readers and writers to everything in between—check out what’s happening in the literary community of Rutherfor...

The Rutherford Arts Alliance December blog is up! Featuring ...

📢 news and events
🎉 celebrations
🎁 gift ideas for all the writers and readers in your life

Check it out!! www.rutherfordartsalliance.org/news/2025/11...
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#WritingCommunity #LocalAuthors #rutherfordarts #SupportLocal #BookishLife

a man in a suit is pointing at the camera with the words `` it 's you '' written below him . Alt: a gif of one of those guys from Britain's Got Talent pointing at the camera with the words "it 's you'' written below him. That's right. You. Especially you, if you're reading this alt text. I sometimes like to leave little Easter eggs in the alt texts just for cool kids like you. So let me tell you a story. I'm in the US, and like many US-ers, I was at my parents' this weekend for Thanksgiving. My mom told me she had a desk that my great-grandmother used to write letters, and she was hoping to give it to me eventually. Last night I took it for a test run. It's super uncomfortable and definitely NOT a writing desk. Come to find out it's a French provincial vanity from the mid-20th century, to sound fancy about it. This made me laugh because it says a lot about my great-grandmother and, in fact, many of the women in my family: we care way more about what we write than how we look. So I'm on the fence if I want to keep the desk or not. Maybe for a conversation piece more than an actual writing desk. Comment and let me know what you think. Or don't. As my daughter said when she was four, "You are your brain." And I'm glad you and your brain are here. Have a great day and keep being awesome.

Soooo want to know what I'm thankful for this year?
#alttext

Somehow I feel like I'm hitting the deadlines but also really behind? Anyone else feel that?

I've already asked my husband--if he can watch the girls tomorrow and give me a full day of work tomorrow, I think I ought to feel caught up. Maybe? Possibly?? Hopefully???

#writers #november #worklife

Also, she seems to understand my depression better than anyone. Here I am, in bed now that the toddler is napping, and she immediately comes and lies down right on top of me, as if telling me to take the opportunity to rest. Animals really just are the best.

I had the other day that just said "Dear :" and "Sincerely, "

Here's a cute picture instead to mentally cleanse and remind us all to get off the internet:

When the depression hits hard and I feel like I'm not good enough, I try to remember that when my cat is looking for comfort, she will find something that smells like me and lie down on it. To her, just my scent is enough. No effort. No conditions.

#mentalhealth #cats #pets #animals #depression

Meetinghouse Issue V —Meetinghouse Literary Journal Meetinghouse Volume 5

Grab a copy of the issue here: www.meetinghousemag.org/store/p/meet...
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#MeetingHouseMagazine #DartmouthWriters #ShortStory #FictionWriter #ContemporaryFiction #LitMag #PublishedAuthor #TaffetaChime #WriterLife #Storyteller #LitCommunity #WritersCommunity #BookLaunch #AmWriting #unboxing

My contributor copies arrived from Meetinghouse Magazine!
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“Hustlers of the Second Grade,” blends gangster tropes with “elementary economics”: cafeteria trades, playground deals, bus stop negotiations, all that. It was so fun to write, and I’m so honored it's in Meetinghouse’s issue V!

#AuthenticCooking #FoodWriting #TheUpside

Because my husband is Chinese and we’re raising two Chinese American daughters, I cook Chinese food several times a week and have for over a decade. 🍚🥢

So I wrote for The Upside by @vitacost about how to make authentic Chinese dishes right here in the US: www.vitacost.com/blog/how-to-...

MTSU Write Conference, Author Signings, New Bookstores, and More! — Rutherford Arts Alliance Get up to date on local literary events, whether you’re an avid reader, writer, or both!

Yes, I know it’s been live for a week ... but better late than never, right? 😅 The November Rutherford Arts Alliance blog is full of local lit news, events, and creative highlights. Give it a read! www.rutherfordartsalliance.org/news/2025/10...

Chill Subs Free database of 3000+ literary magazines, 1200+ writing contests, a submissions tracker, and other tools to make your writing life not so freaking exhausting.

If you’re into creative writing, you NEED to know about @chillsubs.bsky.social ! It’s the best resource out there for lit mag submissions, contests, & tracking your work. I use it daily!

Use code TAFFETA for 10% off any paid plan: chillsubs.com/?via=taffeta

#WritingCommunity #LitMags #WritersLife

two women standing next to each other with the words together we stand written on the bottom ALT: two women standing next to each other with the words together we stand written on the bottom

Together we stand. Or sit. Or lie down. Or recline. Or maybe all of the above, twenty minutes at a time.

a close up of a ground squirrel holding a pumpkin ALT: a close up of a ground squirrel holding a pumpkin

Side note: I love the idea of "beavering" on a WIP 😂 Here's hoping chapter 8 shows up somewhere in the dam!

Dude, for real. Escapism has been my jam for the past ... dare I say decade?

Mid-life writer problems: If I sit at a desk to write for too long, my feet start to swell. If I lie down on the bed to write and keep my feet elevated, I get sleepy. A recliner is not enough space to spread my work out. What is the Goldilocks writing space? 😭
#help #homeoffice #wfh #writer #midlife

We have a tree like this in our neighborhood, and the very tippy top starts turning orange in August, which gets me excited for fall. Now it's about half red, with the bottom half still green and yellow. But soon it will be like this, a blazing red and orange. Gorgeous. ♥️♥️♥️

I've always said writing is the closest thing to world domination. 😆

Tried sleeping in a satin bonnet for the first time. My curls? Hydrated. My ego? Slightly dented. My laughter? Uncontrollable. 🤣

Any tips would be appreciated because I'm still learning how to tame this beast 😆😆

#CurlyHairProblems #BonnetLife #MorningChaos #curlyhairjourney #curls #curlyhair

Heyyyy thanks to the 300 of you hanging around on this little corner of the Internet. I still don't really know what I'm doing how or how to really engage on here ... So I'm especially thankful to those of you who have made being here worth it! 😅
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#thankyou

#ThePoetryLighthouse #LiteraryPublication #PoetryFeature #PublishedWork #ContemporaryPoetry #WritersCommunity #WritingLife #LiteraryArts #PoetryMagazine #ModernPoetry #PoetsAndWriters #SmallPress #CreativeCommunity #PoetryWriting #pregnancy #pregnancyloss #miscarriage #ppd #taffetachime

So glad to share that I had three poems published in The Poetry Lighthouse last week! Read them here! (CW: pregnancy loss, perinatal depression/anxiety)
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www.thepoetrylighthouse.com/poems?author...

You are not alone 😆

I've noticed that so many of my titles are either one word or, like, a full sentence 😆😆😆

#mooncakes #midautumnfestival #chinesefestival #festivalseason #foodreview #thekitchn #chinesefood #asiandessert #falltraditions #sweettooth #taffetachime

These “Delicious” Mini Cakes Are So Good, I Buy 30 at a Time They’re a big part of tradition.

For the Mid-Autumn Festival, I wrote a review for @thekitchn.bsky.social about some of my favorite mooncakes and where you can find them here in the US! From budget-friendly picks to more high-end treats, these are the ones worth trying.

Check it out here: www.thekitchn.com/rong-shing-m...

#LiteraryCommunity #WritingCommunity #PoetryCommunity #SouthernFestivalofBooks #AmWriting #WritersLife #BookLovers #TaffetaChime

It's a Busy October for Book People! — Rutherford Arts Alliance We have already established that I am a basic you-know-what who loves fall. October brings autumn in full swing, and it always seems like October is one of the busiest months for bookish things—which ...

So many great lit events this October! From MTSU’s In Process series to the Southern Festival of Books (with a strong Rutherford County presence), plus Writers Mingle, Poetry in the Boro, and more—it’s a great month to celebrate stories and community.
🔗 www.rutherfordartsalliance.org/news/2025/9/...

Bian Pao Zai Shan Ding/Firecrackers on the Mountaintop - Lunch Ticket Taffeta Chime's multilingual poem is mindful and observant, mixing English with Mandarin to create an effect reminiscent of what a foreigner might understand and not understand.

Exciting news! My poem "Firecrackers on the Mountaintop" was just published in @lunchticket.bsky.social ! 🎆

It’s a bilingual English/Mandarin piece about life as a foreigner in China—navigating what you do (and don’t) understand.

Read here: lunchticket.org/bian-pao-zai...
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#poetry #poem #poets

It was a pitch, not a submission. It would have been a fun one to write, but the timing just didn't work out because the coverage for the event was this summer and this editor didn't start taking pitches until the fall. But anyway! The rejection was gorgeous! Hehe