A thread on publishing (and more!) based on the NYT summary of the Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster proposed merger and antitrust case. Readers and writers, are you following this story? /1 “During their testimony, Penguin Random House executives said that just 35 percent of books the company publishes are profitable.” That means 65% of authors don’t earn back their advance or make money for the publisher. Most books are a losing “gamble.” /2

1/ If you're interested in teaching What Happened Was: next fall in a creative writing or gender studies class, DM me. I have lesson plans on my website & am happy to do class visits at no charge if you're teaching the book. #poetry #teaching amleahy.com/teaching/ 2/ It's time for fall book orders. Here's a sample from What Happened Was: up at @WhaleRoadReview, in case this chapbook might work for your creative writing or gender studies class. DM me or @harbor_review to request a copy to review for teaching. whaleroadreview.com/leahy/

1/ THREAD. MFA in Creative Writing at Chapman University. Application deadline: February 1. That's MONDAY! Let me say a few things about our program first, and then I'll provide a CODE for an application FEE WAIVER at the end of this thread. #MFA #gradschool #creativewriting 2/ While some of our MFA students focus on one genre, many write across genres. @tryphena_yeboah published her first poetry chapbook last year with @AkashicBooks, has published stories @NarrativeMag, and is writing a thesis in fiction with thesis director Richard Bausch.

1/ VOTE: A THREAD. Register to vote NOW because each state as its own deadline for voter registration. Registering isn’t enough, but you can’t vote if you don’t register by your state’s deadline. If you're registered, great--but you also need to actually vote! #RegisterToVote 2/ Visit Vote.gov if you need information on how to register or how to vote in your state. Each state’s voting laws are handled by that state’s Secretary of State. You can contact your state’s office (look on the website) if you have questions. #Election2020

1/ Take a look. Sunday was the 30th anniversary of the ADA. What have you done—large or small—to help design the world to be more inclusive? #DisabilityPrideMonth

https://twitter.com/dougdechow/status/1287856981894545408

2/ Read more about the StoryCorps & Disability Visability Project. Get the book. Consider adding your story. @StoryCorps disabilityvisibilityproject.com/how-to-partici…

Yesterday, the president argued that COVID-19 is like car accidents, so we should accept it as a fact of doing business and get on with things. He’s wrong in several ways. Let me explain. #COVID2019 #COVID19 #caraccidents 1/x COVID-19 is not like car accidents because we have no prior experience with this virus. It’s new to humans. We don’t have drivers ed for COVID-19. And it’s contagious (more contagious than the flu). Car accidents are contagious only in freak pileups, but COVID-19 always is. 2/x

THREAD: I came across this little piece today, and it has me thinking a lot about how differently governors, university presidents, and other leaders are handling the global health crisis. #COVID19 #Leadership 1/x

kornferry.com/insights/artic…? Some leaders are excelling (I think my university's leaders are doing a really good job), while others--too many--are floundering, and the country's president has actually failed us.

"During crises, ambiguity becomes exponential." Good leaders handle that ambiguity well. 2/x

THREAD re: understanding social distancing and practical steps

Let's be clear about the severity of CoVID-19 & the potential impact so that we can help each other understand why we need to slow the transmission now, spread the inevitable cases over a longer period of time, 1/x and flatten the epidemiological curve. I talked with my aunt, who was planning to travel. She understood quickly once I explained in ways that made sense to her. Feel free to share this post--it's long and includes suggested actions. It's important to understand 2/x

#AWP20 Suggestions regarding the AWP conference. Feel free to share.

1) If you are on Twitter and not going to AWP, check out #AWPvirtualbookfair. 2a) #AWP2020 If you disagree with the decision that the AWP Board made to go on with the conference or are frustrated with the announcement delay today, I urge you to address your concerns to the AWP Board President Kathleen Driskell and cc at least one other board member

When you see a tweet that interests you and it’s by a woman, retweet it!

Twitter is rife with gender disparity. Let’s change that in #WritingCommunity #medtwitter #AcademicTwitter and more! #genderequity insidehighered.com/news/2019/10/1… Male reporters tweet male colleagues more often, and men are more likely to follow men on Twitter. It’s time everyone started amplifying women’s tweets too. #amplify10women qz.com/1556608/is-twi…

What should I order at 1909? I’m thinking several sides. #SaturdayNight #dinnerdate @1909temecula Caesar salad, ahi tuna, fries! Delicious!!! @1909temecula

Is it just me, or are editors clearing their desks (the decks) for the holiday season? Is anyone else seeing rejections pile up in your inbox this week? I tried to find a rejection gif that, like editors’ notes, did not actually say “no” or “reject.” The word in all my rejections this week is “unfortunately,” and here’s what Twitter suggests.

1/ So far this week...

Three white men awarded Nobel Prize in Physics.

Three white men awarded Nobel Prize in Medicine.

#NobelPrize #NobelPrize2019 #equity

nobelprize.org 2/ I wrote about the Nobel Prize and where were all the women several years ago for HuffPost. I’m still looking for the women and POC Nobel laureates these days. m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_36…

What are you reading this weekend?

I am sorting through lit journals from this year. I just read a wonderful essay by @sukrungruang in the Spring 2019 issue of @IowaReview. #amreading And just now I read this poem by @JennGivhan in the Summer 2019 issue of @MissReviewMag. #WhatIAmReading

Anybody (re)reading Bird by Bird? The new MFA students & I are talking about it in class tonight.

“Almost every single thing you hope publication will do for you is a fantasy...so if one of your heart’s deepest longings is to write, there are ways to get your work done.” 1/2 And Anne Lamott says that two of those ways to get the work of writing done are short assignments and shitty first drafts. “We are just going to take this bird by bird.” Yes, yes, we are.

Our MFA students, alums, and faculty are celebrating the opening of the academic year with Write to Read at Chapman Crafted. Here’s Jason Thornberry, new NFA student and traumatic brain injury survivor. @ChapmanU @ChapmanGRAdmit @CU_Wilkinson And here’s Sierra Ellison, who’s working on her MFA linked story collection with me but reading her poems here tonight. We’re rocking it. @ChapmanGRAdmit @ChapmanU @ChapmanCrafted @CU_Wilkinson @scarlit_witch