Attention MENA writers!
As part of our mission to uplift your voices, we’ll be running a brand new pitch event for MENA writers this April - just one of the ways in which we hope to put your work in front of more readers, writers, agents and editors! ☺️
See 🧵for details ->
Getting ready to shout about all your soon to be favourite MENA authors! Watch this space for our new interview series - MENA Muses - that shines a light on the amazing MENA authors writing & publishing such a diverse range of fresh, exciting stories! Coming VERY SOON!
i know we're all busy but i just overheard a plumber say "parlez-vous français ? non ? you motherfuckers don't even speak french, do you" to a pair of french bulldogs
Price list: Flat Fee + First 10k words $50 Per Page Past 10k $0.5 Any Additional Trans Character +$0.5 Previous clients 10%OFF
I'm kicking off the new year with my sensitivity reading services!
If you're writing a transmasc character and are in need of a sensitivity reader, feel free to reach out!
👀👀👀 ❤️
IT’S HERE! 🎉
Congratulations to the 2026 Round Table Mentor mentees! Our mentors are SO excited to get started and will be personally reaching out to their chosen mentee via email to kick things off, so keep an eye on those inboxes!
**See more details below 👇**
Duane Kearns Puryear, holding his panel for the AIDS Memorial Quilt. It reads, in block letters: "My name is Duane Kearns Puryear. I was born on December 20, 1964. I was diagnosed with AIDS on September 7, 1987 at 4:45 PM. I was 22 old. Sometimes, it makes me very sad. I made this panel myself. If you are reading it, I am dead..." There are several great resources to learn about Duane, his advocacy, his family, his panel, and the politics of memory and re-creation, especially this one by The Dallas Way: http://www.thedallasway.org/stories/written/2021/9/19/duane-puryears-and-the-quilt-panel Duane Puryear died in 1991.
It's your birthday, Duane.
French publishing house Harlequin decided to use AI translation instead of human translations.
All their freelance translators (some of whom had been working with Harlequin for +30y!!!) were told they would no longer receive work from Harlequin
'you can generate a different ending every time you view a movie!'
'you can have endless text conversations with NPCs in games!'
'you can summarize a novel, you don't have to read it!'
the pitches for genAI really reveal how much the people behind it just... hate art.
like. *hate* art. deeply.
SO excited to be able to share the US cover of THE SEA HIDES ITS DEAD! Coming July 2026, from @orbitbooks.bsky.social
Trapped in an underwater cave, a group of academics searching for the cult of the mythical Leviathan learn that the only way out of her ever-changing cloister… is further in. 👀🌊🔪
WriteHive’s silent fundraiser is open & I’ve donated a signed copy of Twin Tides. Plenty of bookish & writing goodies to bid on to support their amazing free & virtual programming 🙌🏽 #amwriting
www.32auctions.com/organization...
I really liked The Transition by Logan-Ashley Kisner!! Fair warning that it does get pretty gross at times
I also read both of James Acker's YA contemporaries this year (The Long Run and Teenage Dirtbags) and really enjoyed those
Dum Boc is fundraising for emergency assistance to those affected by the floods in Central Vietnam. I’ve donated a signed copy TWIN TIDES which is available for purchase online 💖👀 #yabooks ko-fi.com/s/776a3c35cb
Bong Joon Ho took a characteristically radical approach when questioned on his thoughts around the rise of Al technology at the jury press conference of the Marrakech Film Festival on Saturday. The Korean director, who is president of the jury, gave two responses, one measured, the other deeply personal. "My official answer is, Al is good because it's the very beginning of the human race finally seriously thinking about what only humans can do. But my personal answer is, I'm going to organize a military squad, and their mission is to destroy AI," he said.
Bong Joon Ho hit me up for the squad you legend deadline.com/2025/11/bong...
“Prohibited words and concepts: Equity, diversity, & inclusion; anti-racism; Bias; Critical race theory; implicit bias; oppression; intersectionality; prohibited discriminatory practices; racial privilege; promoting stereotypes based on personal identity characteristics.”
This week, I withdrew from a speaking engagement at a public university because they sent me a list of prohibited “words & concepts.” I will not humor this censorship. It does a disservice to the stories I’m discussing & the audience, who deserve unfettered access to information & conversation.
![Excerpt from a BBC article: ""We usually work, 10, 11 or 12 hours a day," says a 49-year-old woman from Jiangxi unwilling to give her name. "On Sundays we work around three hours less."
She is in an alleyway, where a dozen people are huddled around a row of bulletin boards.
They are reading the job ads on the board, while examining the stitching on a pair of chinos draped over it.
This is Shein's supply chain. The factories are contracted to make clothes on order - some small, some big. If the chinos are a hit, orders will ramp up and so must production. Factories then hire temporary workers to meet the demand their permanent staff cannot fulfil.
The migrant worker from Jiangxi is looking for a short-term contract - and the chinos are an option.
"We earn so little. The cost of living is now so high," she says, adding that she hopes to make enough to send back to her two children who are living with their grandparents.
"We get paid per piece," she explains. "It depends how difficult the item is. Something simple like a t-shirt is one-two yuan [less than a dollar] per piece and I can make around a dozen in an hour.""](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:ks3gpa6ftoyaq7hmf6c4qx4c/bafkreiber7g4o5pujmzmjjzsp5dkz7blfexburuwjispfpv6dki7akjb7a@jpeg)
Excerpt from a BBC article: ""We usually work, 10, 11 or 12 hours a day," says a 49-year-old woman from Jiangxi unwilling to give her name. "On Sundays we work around three hours less." She is in an alleyway, where a dozen people are huddled around a row of bulletin boards. They are reading the job ads on the board, while examining the stitching on a pair of chinos draped over it. This is Shein's supply chain. The factories are contracted to make clothes on order - some small, some big. If the chinos are a hit, orders will ramp up and so must production. Factories then hire temporary workers to meet the demand their permanent staff cannot fulfil. The migrant worker from Jiangxi is looking for a short-term contract - and the chinos are an option. "We earn so little. The cost of living is now so high," she says, adding that she hopes to make enough to send back to her two children who are living with their grandparents. "We get paid per piece," she explains. "It depends how difficult the item is. Something simple like a t-shirt is one-two yuan [less than a dollar] per piece and I can make around a dozen in an hour.""
The people who make Shein's clothes labor for ten to twelve hours per day (in violation of China's labor laws), some up to seven days a week, and earn as little as 15 to 30 cents per t-shirt.
Psst. You’re into spooky stories about feminine rage, ghosts & a messy Viet family? My YA debut, Twin Tides, is available for preview. Read the first 10 chapters before it drops Dec 9 to see if it’s your vibe 👀 #yabooks
books.google.com/books/about/...
a graphic that says "announcing NAT & CAMI'S GUIDE TO RUNNING AN UNDERCOVER GSA - June 23, 2026 - An indie publishing endeavor from Me, Myself, and I - Head to karisrogerson.substack.com for more information!"
the graphic says: "Casey McQuiston meets Heartstopper in this sapphic young adult debut romance. Cami is a 15-year-old lesbian, one of the few out queer students at her conservative boarding school for international students in Italy. She just wants to focus on getting her paintings in a student gallery and kickstarting a vaunted art career—but first, she’ll have to survive the next two-and-a-half years of bullying. Seeking respite from her roommate’s cruelty one night, she hides out in a bathroom—only she’s not the only one there. Nat is a senior, closeted even from herself, whose homophobic, missionary parents are pressuring her to win valedictorian. A year younger than her peers at 16, she’s still the head of her class, the fastest runner on the cross country team, and the captain of the girls’ soccer team, but her depression and insomnia keep her up all night. She takes refuge in the ground-floor bathroom where Cami shows up one night. As they spend time together over the following nights and Cami shows Nat how poorly the school treats queer people, the two girls concoct a mildly hare-brained scheme: to create an undercover Genders & Sexualities Alliance (GSA) where queer students and allies can bond. They don’t expect so many kids to find a home with them. And they certainly don’t expect to fall for each other."
✨ANNOUNCEMENT✨
A white and blue poster that says, "MENTEE APPLICATIONS ARE OPEN NOW UNTIL NOV 21!". In the background are book graphics and at the bottom is a line that reads, "To apply, please visit: www.roundtablementor.com/apply."
The time has come🥳Mentee applications are now open until November 21st! Interested parties should head over to www.roundtablementor.com/apply and feel free to DM for any questions!
We can't WAIT to dive into your submissions!!!! ❤️
Tagline “Something is coming” over the hardcover image of the cover of Piper at the Gates of Dusk. “From the iconic world of Chaos Walking”. And release date 7 April 2026.
And here’s the cover itself! Piper at the Gates of Dusk, the first book in a new Chaos Walking trilogy, out 7 April 2026 worldwide. Something is coming…
— MAIDEN & CRONE
A witch cursed from birth, a monster hunter and a sorcerer with magic he hates all have secrets to bury. The only way to do so is to find and make a deal with a ancient hag.
🌿MultiPOV
🍂WLW and MLM Romance
🌿 Witch Trials
#QuestPit #A #W #F
red wallpaper background, to the right is art by @nelsnote of a man looking up holding a bloody book, the light on him is coming from an angel wing and there are eyes in the dark behind him. he has an awestruck expression. to the left is, in gothic print, adult queer gothic horror romance, underneath that says ready for betas December 31, then under that the title forbidden fruits, with a honey drip underneath.
to the left a red and black-themed moodboard: around the top border and right border: someone falling through red-tinged clouds; someone in white embracing a dark shadow with a halo behind them; someone standing at the top of some stairs, surrounded by giant red bulging eyes; a faded black and white photo style picture of a dark smudge shadow and the shape of someone hooking their head over the shadow’s shoulder, crying dark tears; red-toned painting of an angel with three eyes. The left space is occupied by a text image, gothic white on red, that reads ‘the problem with angels is sometimes they talk back’ over and over again. on top of that picture, picture of a painting of an eye with a large gold star growing in it. to the right, pitch written in gothic print. the pitch: why do you need an angel? according to the codex his teacher wrote, that’s the most important question to ask when summoning them. simon knows his answer: there’s someone he worships—the teacher he built a cult around—and he won’t stop until he has him.
dark red wallpaper background. top left says comps, underneath are pictures of the covers for THE DEATH OF JANE LAWRENCE by Caitlin Starling and EVOCATION by S.T. Gibson. under that is a cream coloured drawing of a wolf. top right says elements in gothic print. elements: angel summoning as dark magic, corruption arc, epistolary dual timeline, violent longing has consequences, Victorian secret societies, he’s not dead until I say so. to the left is an angel statue.
dark red wallpaper background. top left says feedback so far in gothic print. feedback is snippets from discord, saying: 1. THE KIND OF LOVE THE BIBLE TALKS ABOUT might be in the apocrypha BUT STILL. and arguably, arguably, God so loving the world he gave his one and only son IS HONESTLY THE KIND OF OBSESSION WE’RE TALKING ABOUT HERE I GET YOU. 2. I feel like I was completely ignorant of what horniness even is before I met Simon and his whole deal. like, Jesus Christ, that dude. 3. I need to eat the fruits they are too tempting and beautiful. In the centre is a statue of lucifer. on the right is snippet in gothic print. the snippet: “I miss you desperately. I toy with effigies and cannot make myself reshape you in wax or clay. it’s you I want”
presenting the #agentsguide for my adult queer gothic horror romance wip featuring:
🥀 angel summoning cult
🥀 corruption arc(s)
🥀 extremely unreliable narrator
🥀 it’s all a metaphor for ocd
the problem with angels is, sometimes, they talk back.
✨ready for betas in December 👀
#QuestPit #W #A #H
Water dripping off leaf, old motel sign, mountainside river, girl in leather jacket, wild howling, girl on computer, hand and wild print, foggy forest, missing posters, full moon
🌲Spooky mountainside town
📷 missing hikers
🌲 aloof and mysterious bartender with plenty of secrets to hide
📷 suspicious locals
🌲#ownvoice Indigenous, Queer, and Autistic rep
#Questpit #A #AG #PR #H #W
— RAVENSTONES
In a city where faith is law, a disciple of a death goddess must track down a magical killer, all while unravelling the dark secrets in his church and his past.
🩸Humorism based magic system
🗡️MLM romance
🩸Faith/Religion vs Science/Academia
#QuestPit #A #DF #H #W
APRIL????? This is so soon, idk why it was still years away in my head....... apologies for the person i will become when this book is in my hands
Announcing the cover of "Piper at the Gates of Dusk", the first book in a new CHAOS WALKING trilogy. Out 7 April 2026, worldwide. Something is coming...
✨Fullmetal Alchemist x Gideon the Ninth x Saving Private Ryan✨
THE NECROMANCER’S WIFE:
🏳️🌈wlw+queer chars (#sapphic MCs)
💀retired necromancer🩷💜💙
⚗️missing alchemist🧡🤍🩷
🪄magical intrigue
🚂dieselpunk
Rehash of the OG #QuestPit #W #A #SFF #RF #HF (art creds 🧵👇🏼)
green tree grove in the background. At the top, Green on black, it says KNOWING THE TWINS with an agent’s guide right underneath. lower left black paint swipe with green writing says: Upper MG Horror, multiple POVs, 1920s setting. lower right black paint swipe with green writing says: #RevPit 2025 winner, big 5 editor interest.
dark green background, title says THE PITCH. on the left are two green moodboards. the top one has weeping willows reaching water, a hand reaching from a tree trunk, a lake surrounded by trees, hands reaching for each other, a house surrounded by trees and a lake, someone running out of sight in a maze, a lake surrounded by trees, candlesticks on tree branches, and a pier jutting out into water. The bottom one has a hand reaching through tree bark; painting of Icarus as he falls by Gowy; a hand reaching to grasp berries; a lightbulb attracting butterflies; a tree grove; a piano in a greenhouse; Houasse painting of Daphne’s hand growing foliage; painting of crows on a branch; hands reaching through lily pads. on the left, over a white drawing of a crocodile: Summer, 1920. Eight children must play 14-year-old Alistair’s dangerous games, where understanding him may be the only way to outpace him—and escape the summer alive. How do you survive a puppet master when you’re his marionette?
light green background, title at the bottom centre says THE COMPS with tree drawings on either side. at the top centre are three pictures of three book covers. THE WRONG WAY HOME by Kate O’Shaughnessy has an arrow saying “internally-driven conflict & revelatory abuse”. LORD OF THE FLIES by William Golding has an arrow saying “adult-free environment & emergency hierarchy”. NOT QUITE A GHOST by Anne Ursu has an arrow saying “psychological stakes”.
dark green background. title in the top centre is THE THEMES. underneath is a list: abandonment, sibling opposites, parentification, reclaiming girlhood, dangers of a saviour complex, wanting to be closer to the monster, how to survive abuse, the ways fear transforms you, puberty a loss of freedom. behind the list is a drawing of a weeping willow. on the right is a drawing of a Manor House. on the left are drawings of an old 1920s phone, some berries and fire.
celebrating #questpit with a new #agentguide !!
Summer 1920. 8 children. 1 house. 1 games master. He’s a kid too, but this is his house, and it answers to him alone. Trapped in his games, they’ll have to get creative if they want to survive.
🐊 RevPit 25 winner
🐊 big 5 editor interest
#Q #MG #H
old church, girl running in cowboy boots, old bible, girl with lighter under tongue, old cassette, girl licking red off hands, fair at night, old field, old church and pews
Jennifer's Body x Together We Rot
Boys start to disappear in Lyric’s backwards backwoods town and her best friend/crush Eleanor was the last person they were seen with, leaving Lyric to investigate if something is monstrously wrong with her friend.
#Questpit #YA #AG #H #R #Ownvoice
