Emma Sloley

Thoughts & prayers to the EPA :(

A man asked me last night what publishing needs to do for literary fiction to begin appealing to men again. I said, as nicely as I could, that, with over 2,000 books published every Tuesday, of which many would appeal to men, it’s not a publishing problem, it’s a men problem.

Timeline cleanse Central Park coyotes howling along to sirens

What Not Reading Does to Your Writing More thoughts on "TV brain prose" and why reading is, yes, useful for your writing.

Since everyone is (sigh) debating if writers benefit from reading books, I dissected a passage shared as “evidence” that non-readers can write great prose: countercraft.substack.com/p/what-not-r...

Do you have a book coming out in 2026? Tell me about it!

Tote bag reading "Library Kids' Club, Split Lip Magazine" in a pink text against a black background. Socks reading "Keep Writing" in a rainbow text. Stickers reading: "Thicker Skin Rejection Cream," "Split Lip," "head down, keep writing, don’t be an asshole." Pins reading: "plot twist," "page-turner energy," and "prose before bros."

We are so excited to share our new AWP MERCH! ✨ 📚 The Library Kids' Club is inspired by our very own staff member Daniel Garcia. 💕🙌 buff.ly/9G7kYSV

Difficulty Isn’t a Wall, It’s a Doorway Podcast Episode · Vibe Check · February 20 · 45m

I’m so happy to share my conversation with Namwali Serpell about her brilliant new book ON MORRISON. In addition to discussing the late great novelist, we also talk about how professors are failing students by not assigning more books. “Difficulty isn’t a wall, it’s a doorway.”

Illustration of a trippy wizard with a raven on his shoulder. He has a star-like beard and is casting "hex"s across the top of the page. Text: hex offsite Friday 3/6 6:30pm Ruth Joffre Meghan Phillips Richard Mirabella Exodus Oktavia Brownlow Ryan Habermeyer Julian Martinez Wendy Oleson Skyler Melnick Current Space * 421 N. Howard Incredible flyer by Joe Aguilar and Kate McIntyre

hex literary is excited to announce our 3rd official AWP offsite reading! If you'll be in Baltimore in a few weeks, we invite you to an evening of flash-fire readings from some of our incredible contributors. We'll be @ Current Space on Friday (3/6). Doors @ 6. We hope to see you there!! 🧙

Meet the Rubinsteins. They’re Messy, but They’re Mensches.

It's been a minute since I wrote an actual book review but it was a pleasure to review Allegra Goodman's latest for the NYTBR www.nytimes.com/2026/02/07/b...

Services — Allison Alexander Allison offers manuscript critiques, developmental editing, line editing, and query package critiques for writers of fantasy, sci-fi, and horror.

If you want a set of professional eyes on your query before you send it out, I offer this as a service! www.aealexander.com/services #Querying #Editing

Hello Writing Community! We are delighted to announce our Second Official Bluesky *** #MSWL Day *** February 26, 2026. 🎉🎉🎉

Agents + editors can post what they ✨wish✨ they had in their inboxes; writers can find their next best fit for querying.

Learn more: manuscriptwishlist.com/2025/01/the-...

Huge news for me today! My book about coastal erosion will by published by Harper Collins Canada in 2027. This project started 2+ years ago when I found a human skull on a beach that had rolled down from an eroding graveyard and has evolved into a global exploration of risk and loss and resilience.

congratulations, Monica!! 🎊🌟

With the WP book section closing and other publishing news, I think literary people really need to adopt a punk rock mindset. It's DIY or die these days.

IT'S KINDA PUNK ROCK TO WRITE ABOUT JOY: AN INTERVIEW WITH AARON BURCH by Kirsti MacKenzie Part of the fun of being a writer, and learning from other writers, is seeing what others leave of themselves on the page. To follow their work and discover their signature—the intangible that makes s...

really loved getting to have this chat with @keersteemack.bsky.social for @xraylitmag.bsky.social. and she's incredibly kind in the intro!

"Tacoma has all the hallmarks of a Burch book—nostalgia, magic, fun, optimism, friendship, and more heart than almost any other writer doing it today."

Chappell Roan in Mugler at the Grammys. More red carpet later on our site.

going to do a rewatch of Sinners on the big screen (a projector + a wall at home 😊)

If you’re in Atlanta I’ll be doing an event there on April 30. Details TK.

I feel you - today really got me despair-wise 💙

DETECTIVE HARRY HOLE: Its me, norways famous detective, Harry Hole. in Norway it's a normal name.

POLICE CHIEF: Hole, I'm glad you're here, and that your name is normal, in our culture. this is a hell of a murder

Crackdown Writing through history and heartbreak.

“Minnesotans’ relentlessness offers a blueprint for how to react when ICE inevitably arrives to stir up trouble where there was none; how to look violence dead in the eye and say not in my town; how to provide aid laterally when you know those at the top won’t be passing any down.”

My latest—

Big news that I'm delighted to no longer be keeping a secret: Next week I join @wired.com as a senior writer!

As everyone knows, this is a top-tier publication and indispensable record of digital life today. I'll be covering internet culture in all forms, as I have for almost 15 years now.

GOOD NEWS. My novel--a retelling of Hansel & Gretel in which the parents are addicted to opioids--originally titled Abandon & now titled A THOUSAND WAYS TO DISAPPEAR, will be published by Cornerstone Press (Univ. of Wisconsin) in February 2028.

hooray, Cheryl, congratulations!! This sounds amazing 🎊💙

I wrote about how the success of the story feels, to me, a little bit like getting some revenge.

Defector Worker-Owners Join the conversation

We're doing a partnership with Bluesky where a bunch of us will be posting about the conference championship games. Follow everyone at Defector on Bluesky here:

‘I’m Witnessing a Lot of Emptiness’: How ICE Uprooted Normal Life in Minneapolis WIRED talks to a postal worker, a teacher, two US citizens detained by federal agents, and six more Minnesota residents about life in an occupied American city.

WIRED talks to a postal worker, a teacher, two US citizens detained by federal agents, and six more Minnesota residents about life in an occupied American city.

DreamHaven Books owner Greg Ketter emerging from a cloud of tear gas that ICE agents fired into the streets of Minneapolis.

Remember the other day when I was saluting my friend Greg Ketter, owner of Minneapolis’ DreamHaven Books? This is him the following day. Greg will never say this, so I will — now is a great time to buy books from DreamHaven. Support Americans who stand up vs. 🧊. dreamhavenbooks.com

Cool news on ACCOMPLISHMENT SUNDAY 🎉 Contributor Renny Gong sold his novel PING PONG KIDS (excerpted in the paris review: buff.ly/2vmAg4H ) to Ecco Books!!

There’s a rally going on in Boston rn and they’re chanting “we’re not cold, we’re not afraid, MN taught us to be brave!” and I might cry