Eleni Vlachos

I'm talking about the Fight Club Breaking rules with Chuck Palahniuk

My favorite part of #FightClub arrived in the Afterward, which might imply this was a one-star book for me, but the actual takeaway from my reading like a writer experience was more complex than star rankings:
elenidvlachos.substack.com/p/im-talking...

#WriterSky #onwriting #readerwriter #booksky

My First Rescue Can! The case for canimal rights.

Just published: My First Rescue Can! A satirical look at one reaction to the rescue movement. Spoiler: It involves canimal rights. Thanks to Laughs not Slaughs for publishing!
medium.com/laughs-not-s...

#humorwriting
#veganhumor

The joy of finding your audience Reading Audition, Katie Kitamura's lovely disorienting novel

While writing, I often forget the mundane—plates, pens, tissue boxes—in favor of the central drama or dialogue. In so doing I miss a large part of what makes us human: our accessories and what we do with them.

On reading #Audition by #KatieKitamura as a #writer:

open.substack.com/pub/elenidvl...

Hello! Earlier this AM I did my daily ten-minute yoga. The instructor always asks viewers to set an intention. Mine is predictably always the same: WRITE! Thank you for asking.

A Message from Your Federal Overlords “Even as videos emerged that contradicted the government’s account, the Trump administration was in a race to control the narrative around the kill...

"While it may have looked like a shooting, it was actually a 'rapid de-escalation outcome.' We recognize that phrases like that may sound invented, which is why we ask you to repeat them anyway."

The Cruel Conditions of ICE’s Mojave Desert Detention Center How immigration authorities have weaponized medical neglect to encourage self-deportations.

A class-action lawsuit notes that detainees refer to the California City ICE Detention Facility as a “torture chamber” and “hell on Earth.” An attorney said that conditions are so terrible that those held there are resigning themselves to self-deportation. newyorkermag.visitlink.me/2qOQj9

We humans love a good mess Reading Denis Johnson's Jesus' Son

Recently, I listened to an excellent #HiddenBrain podcast episode “Murder Mystery” exploring why we are drawn to true crime.

I just finished Jesus’ Son by the late Denis Johnson. You will understand why this is a segue if you’ve read him:
open.substack.com/pub/elenidvl...

#nowreading #writers

Courage to write like a Samurai The permission I received from Helen DeWitt's classic

Whether we call it imposter syndrome or low-self esteem, many writers struggle pursuing individual voice...
Regardless of the supposed requirement to toss aside the need for permission, reading adventurous works eschewing conventional standards gives me courage:
open.substack.com/pub/elenidvl...

2025 in Books How did your reading go? Did it inform your writing?

A year in books--what were your top reads in '25?

"Absorb as many stories as you physically can. Introduce yourself to lots of great writing. To lots of mediocre writing too. This is your most important task.” —Haruki Murakami

elenidvlachos.substack.com/p/2025-in-bo...

Thanks for asking! Just finished Like Life by Lorrie Moore, a collection of short stories from '89 I believe. Absolutely love her writing.

Just started #James by Percival Everett after slogging through the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

#currentlyreading #nowreading

Tho I must say, I personally always heard rap & hip-hop as music. First song I heard/loved: Roxanne's Revenge.

Also just reserved his book The Creative Act: A Way of Being. ✨

YouTube video by Freakonomics Radio Network Rick Rubin on How to Make Something Great (Update) | People I (Mostly) Admire

For all you creatives--such an inspiring interview w/ #RickRubin on the creative process. He also helped naysayers hear hip-hop as "music" by mixing the familiar with the lesser known in Walk This Way. Is the known/unknown marriage a key to creating idea accessibility?
youtu.be/QGKFVmxbGBw?...

Yes! I watched part of The Substance but could not finish. Then I spite-read a review echoing the one you posted here (including problems with the premise). Though I will say that on-the-nose or paint-by-numbers entertainment is not a new phenomenon, it can be discouraging!

Cover of book Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar

I am #currentlyreading Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar.

In the vein of Pound's observation "poetry is news that stays news," there is much to appreciate here in Akbar's astute observations. Have you read it?

#martyr #kavehakbar

Currently reading #LastExitToBrooklyn. A little rough around the edges (a little?) & most likely added "to read" due to author's lack of a guiding hand & my own novel's attempting same [(no use of " " -- even no apostrophes to avoid holding down the "shift" key (!) used "/" instead (eg, isn/t)].

Pelvis chickens 😆

Introducing...Paxon's Prose Pantomime! Interpretations of published prose

Introducing...Paxon's Prose Pantomime! A new weekly series where Paxon interprets prose from established literature via his pantomime talents. Up first: "they jog their hands around their waist..."

open.substack.com/pub/elenidvl...

Just finished reading #SelfHelp by #LorrieMoore. Picked up the collection after reading "How to become a writer." Such excellent work, published in 1985--how did I not know about this author/book? So good. Have you read any of her work?

I’ve made the (controversial) choice not to use quotation marks (speech tags) around dialogue in my #WIP. Should I die on this hill?

More in this short #Substack:
elenidvlachos.substack.com/p/dont-quote...

#litfic #literaryfiction #speechtags #writing #writers #howto #books #novels

Pictures of casinos on the book cover of Leaving Las Vegas

Finally bought this for my new #Kobo. How beautifully O' Brien breaks writing rules.

Admittedly, I was intrigued by the author's own life trajectory and autobiographical nature of this work. Have you read?

#nowreading #literaryfiction #litfic #writing #writers #books #novels #leavinglasvegas

In what other industry do we celebrate rejection?

My latest on tiered rejections: elenidvlachos.substack.com/p/for-the-lo...

Have you received a tiered rejection? ❌ Leave a comment below 📩

#tieredrejections #submitting #writers #writing #literaryjournals #literaryfiction

Thank you for the tip! I love Vuong's titles. I would be curious to give him another try. I ended up not enjoying The Emperor of Gladness as I got further into the story, but his writing can be so beautiful that I would give it another go.

Ah, interesting about the break! I felt the same way, but plodded on. Overall I ended up not enjoying the characters/story but the observations & language was still beautiful.

Ah! Enjoyed that book, overall. Maybe 3/4 of the way in I felt a bit lost/tired of the trajectory, but found my way back as I recall. Enjoy!

book cover with title The Emperor of Gladness, A novel by Ocean Vuong. Pic of a young man in orange slightly slouching.

Now reading! Enjoying the gorgeous prose so far ... have you read anything by Vuong?

#literaryfiction #vuong

Eleni D. Vlachos | Substack I write literary fiction exploring our need to be heard and the interplay between compassion, civilization, and wildness. Eleni's latest short story, A View of Hotel Poseidon, was published by Roi Fai...

Anyone else in the writing community here on Substack? Let me know your link. Mine follows:

elenidvlachos.substack.com?r=ez5db&utm_...

Stranger The word “xenos” translated as “stranger” in Greek embodies a range of meanings from possible enemy to a most welcoming “guest friend.”…

From my 2019 piece, Stranger.
"Xenos is the needle that weaves unknown threads into the fabric of civilization. Sometimes that needle is piercing, invasion, colonialism. Other times, it’s holding everything together — including our civilization."

medium.com/@elenivlacho...

Began #4321 by Paul Auster. Adjusting to 4 different lives of the protagonist, but enjoying overall. Have you read?

My husband thought it was Auster's own efforts to encapsulate his life's possibilities near the edge of his own end, which I find possible.

#nowreading #paulauster