Autumn Watts

“The approximate six months I’ve been a part of Lit Match Collective have been my most productive for writing since attending college a decade ago, hands down. It’s incredible how much wind in your sails a bit of literary community can give you.” - Justin Gibson

Although AWP will be over soon, you don’t have to give up the sense of community! Become a member of Lit Match Collective, and you’ll get all the benefits of AWP (panels, connections to writers & organizations), and more– see what one of our members has to say. Sign up at litmatchcollective.com.

Exclusive: US investigation points to likely US responsibility in Iran school strike, sources say Military investigators believe it is likely that U.S. forces were responsible for an apparent strike on an Iranian girls' school that killed scores of children on Saturday, two U.S. officials told Reu...

Reuters Exclusive

"U.S. military investigators believe it is likely that U.S. forces were responsible for an apparent strike on an Iranian girls' school."

"The strike would rank among the worst cases of civilian casualties in decades of U.S. conflicts in the ​Middle East."

I don’t think I’ll get over the rage I feel that we traded relative prosperity, security, scientific advancement, the possibility of upward mobility, and somewhat functional democracy for the protection of a felon child-rapist. Incandescent, unending rage.

Preventing STIs with Doxy PEP Per a court order, HHS is require this website to its version as of 12:00 AM on January 29, 2025. Information on this page may be modified and/or removed in the future subject to the terms of the court's order an implemented consistent with applicable law Any information on this page promoting gender ideology is extremely inaccurate an disconnected from truth. The Trump Administration rejects gender ideology due to the harms and divisiveness it causes. This page does not reflect reality and therefore the Administration and this Department reject it.

this isn't new or anything but the HHS is so deranged it's actually funny.. this very normal page about DoxyPEP proclaims that HHS doesn't promote "gender ideology" and that the page describing DoxyPEP "does not reflect reality"

I guess anti-biotics are just some woke made up pronouns shit now?

So I guess it was either World War III or drag queens reading books to our children.

‘Nazi heaven’: Inside Miami campus Republicans’ racist group chat The chat is the subject of a Florida International University police investigation.

Every word of this is worth reading. These people are our national disease, and it's only going to get worse. www.miamiherald.com/news/politic...

The video of a United States Senator joining the violent removal of U.S. marine from a hearing and hideously breaking his arm in a door is an example of what has been unleashed in this country. They’re tapping in to get in on the violence.
And then he bragged about it on X later.

Guided Writing Studio is back once again! Join us on March 10th at 9 am ET or on March 11th at 8 pm for one of our monthly, guided writing sessions, led by Editor Autumn Watts @autumnwatts.bsky.social. More info over at Discord. Be there or be square. 🟧

Just wanted you guys to see “Riding in a golf cart fatly”

"all the somewhat best" 🔥🔥🔥

So anyway I guess this is what it feels like to be one of the tiny humans running through the streets while the giant supervillain monsters are fighting by throwing passengers trains and apartment buildings at each other

We’re gonna need you to get more specific, Tyler.

Well, it was either world war three or letting black people have jobs, so I see why people just went with the world war

arrested, and imprisoned with men, deprived of hormones. do the math on who they are going to target first (poor and POC trans people), and the situation has escalated extremely quickly in Kansas.

Nothing but silence from Democrats and I have seen very little outrage from cis liberals.

Didn't we just talk about book reviews with @adamdalva.bsky.social ...👀
AND I believe member Joy Manning was seeking review pitches for Cleaver Mag....👀👀

These dogs are having the time of their lives following this week's historic blizzard in the Northeast. Please enjoy. 14/10 for all

And we're so charming!

Chapter 1 of Moby Dick, page 1 The phrase ‘Call me Ishmael’, the first sentence of the book, is highlighted in blue, with careful highlighting on the very big C at the start. Above this, written in ballpoint pen ‘His name’

Love the glimpse into the beautiful mind that notated this used copy of Moby Dick I got

I know, reich?

The people most severely assaulted by ICE/CBP in Minnesota are dead, but glad someone from there will be at SOTU to represent the damage done.

Rep. Massie:  “I've not seen any arrests from the revelations in the Epstein files…Over two dozen people have resigned, CEOs, members of government worldwide. But I haven't seen any arrests or investigations here in the United States from this DOJ.”

One of the weirdest things about being a writer is that you still think other writers are profound when you should know that they’re just messy bitches. Like you.

Why spend thousands of dollars annually on a 3-day writing conference when you could spend less than $200 for the same benefits *all year*? Allow one of our members, Eleanor, to shed some light on what makes LMC such a unique writing community!

Think of book criticism as offering some kind of service. Reviews not only help readers decide whether to buy a book, but also stimulate intellectual & cultural debate/analysis, and ultimately offer necessary exposure to books that might otherwise slip through the cracks. It goes beyond “Goodreads” – each published review depends on a long-form development of a critical eye that compares books across a spectrum (and often in conversation).

Sort through publishers’ catalogs and online systems to request ARCs (Advance Reader Copies). Select a book that’s worth reviewing – one you personally connect to, speaks to larger cultural themes, and/or is a literary underdog or unsung hero. Write your pitch or the argument for why the book should be reviewed by you and at a specific publication. Annotate, analyze, and begin writing!

To put it plainly: developing a critical eye often makes you a better reader and, thus, a better writer. Reviewing forces you to read closely and widely, expand your tastes, and build the literary muscle to read & write on deadline. Publishing criticism allows you to make connections with staff and fellow writers you may otherwise not have encountered or had access to. Lastly, you get to champion the books you love (or don’t) in service of advancing art!

Want more of the juicy deets? Read more in #treasure-chest in our community Discord

If you couldn’t make our chat with Adam Dalva on Wednesday night, we’ve synthesized his advice on book reviewing into a few main points! Read on to learn what constitutes a book review, how to write one, and what the creative/professional benefits are.

Members: see the full conversation on Discord!

Join us on Feb. 28, at 1 pm ET for our 2nd “Revise With Purpose” workshop in collaboration with Kathy Fish’s 3-in-90 flash workshops.

Submit 1 passage/piece of flash + 1 question and we’ll address as many as we can via live edits & mini craft chats. Or just come! Register at buff.ly/zUd8sZH

Registration is open for Kathy Fish’s 3-in-90 Workshops, including a *bonus* workshop with OKD fiction editor Steve Chang and former Guernica editor Autumn Watts on Saturday, Feb. 28, at 1 pm ET. Sign up at docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

This made me happy

Graphic acknowledging the start of Ramadan and highlighting three books by queer Muslim authors: "We Have Always Been Here: A Queer Muslim Memoir" by Samra Habib, "Hijab Butch Blues" by Lamya H., and "If You Could Be Mine" by Sara Farizan.

Ramadan Mubarak! This month, pick up a book by a queer Muslim author.

A 2-month-old baby who was detained with his mother and subsequently fell sick with bronchitis while in detention - to the point of requiring hospitalization - was just deported, still sick.

Mia Valentina Paz Faria A 7-year-old from Venezuela who was living in Austin, Texas Detained for 70 days “I don’t want to be in this place I want to go to my school.”

UPDATE: Staff at the ICE concentration camp in Dilley, Texas have begun raiding the dormitories of kids and their parents to confiscate and destroy letters from the children. This is in response to the ace reporting by @micarosenberg et al for ProPublica:

“I don’t want to be in this place I want to go to my school.”

- 7 year old imprisoned by ICE for 70 days in a concentration camp in Texas.

Today, after @propublica.org published this story, the camp was raided to confiscate letters from the children.

www.propublica.org/article/ice-...