@rebeccamakkai.bsky.social - Rebecca Makkai

30 Sep 2026 15:44 +0000

Youngish Chicago artists (Writers! Musicians! Visual artists!) you need to apply to Luminarts Cultural Foundation. If you are 18-30 years old, and live within 150 miles of the Chicago Loop, you are eligible to win a $10,000 fellowship to support your work 🧵 luminarts.submittable.com/submit

28 Sep 2026 16:46 +0000

So I genuinely thought, for several days, that I was seeing headlines about Meryl Streep playing someone Asian. Liberals defending it, the Xian right getting upset, which did seem a little weird. I need new reading glasses.

21 Sep 2026 18:19 +0000

Once in a while I have some @storystudiochicago.bsky.social classes that I reallllllllly recommend but they're not from regular instructors so I need to and make sure you're listening 🧵

25 Sep 2026 20:48 +0000

North Shore (of Chicago) folks! On Sunday (9/27), I’ll be in conversation with @patrickryannyc.bsky.social to discuss his latest book BUCKEYE, at the Lake Forest Library at 2pm. BUCKEYE is a family epic of the highest and most enjoyable order… www.lakeforestlibrary.org/node/66158 https://www.lakeforestlibrary.org/node/66158

22 Sep 2026 20:09 +0000

For years, everyone else in Chicago has known Sara Levine & I just never managed to cross paths with her, to the point that I was convinced she was everyone’s imaginary friend. I am thrilled to say I am now not only going to meet her but am going to interview her about her incredible book THE HITCH!

21 Sep 2026 18:19 +0000

Once in a while I have some @storystudiochicago.bsky.social classes that I reallllllllly recommend but they're not from regular instructors so I need to and make sure you're listening 🧵

17 Sep 2026 20:36 +0000

TONIGHT at 7pm CT is @storystudiochicago.bsky.social's Virtual Open House! You’ll learn about our upcoming classes, programs and community events (some online, some in person in Chicago). It’s free, but register at the link below, & I hope to see you on Zoom tonight! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScEtNBHG2qpuTv29imiP3bKvcwNAXdnw1i0C3nTjxP6cS8TiA/viewform

15 Sep 2026 17:34 +0000

This might be the funniest one of these I've received. Joe Rogan apparently VERY moved by The Great Believers! 😂 I imagine it was my endorsement of the carnivore diet that sealed the deal.

11 Sep 2026 21:57 +0000

I am so excited to be in conversation with Ankur Thakkar, whose debut novel BLOW YOURSELF UP is already long-listed for the Center for Fiction’s First Novel prize… 🧵 https://citylitbooks.com/events/5824420260918

08 Sep 2026 15:25 +0000

I have outlined my last three novels in my Google calendar. I highly recommend it. Subst*ck below! https://rebeccamakkai.substack.com/p/write-your-novel-in-a-calendar?r=2iqnm&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

02 Sep 2026 02:08 +0000

One of the five (!) interesting robots who reached out to me today to offer to expose my work to book clubs is ROBERT, ORGERNIZER. He can balance a plastic cup on one suspender! Classy!

29 Aug 2026 00:18 +0000

Dolly Parton’s birthday was 1/19. What if we decide that Dolly Day every year involves gifting books to people? Like St George’s Day in Catalonia. Is anyone already on top of this?

28 Aug 2026 19:12 +0000

Come one, come all! @storystudiochicago.bsky.social is having a virtual open house on September 17th, and you’re invited whether you actually live in Chicago or if you live in the mountains of Virginia or in LA or even in Berlin… Now I’m just naming places🧵 https://www.storystudiochicago.org/free-events-at-storystudio-2/

21 Aug 2026 03:03 +0000

Yee-haw! [contains quote post or other embedded content]

21 Aug 2026 02:40 +0000

Was trying to search my photos for my dog and it turns out my phone is exceptionally bad at dogs.

19 Aug 2026 19:49 +0000

When @devintoshea.bsky.social was my MFA student at Northwestern, he was writing a juicy novel about real secret society in St. Louis. That novel evolved into a deep dive nonfiction book that spills ALL the secrets 🧵 https://events.haymarketbooks.org/events/haymarketbooks/2321312

06 Aug 2026 21:18 +0000

I’m headed to TUSCANY in 2027 with Kevin Anderson & Association to teach writing and you can (and should!) join me 🧵 https://www.ka-writing.com/kaa-writers-retreat-powerful-storytelling/#mentors

02 Aug 2026 19:47 +0000

Two online August writing classes you should sign up for TODAY! 1) Single-session class with the brilliant Daniel Levine on writing cinematic scenes (on the page)🧵 https://www.storystudiochicago.org/classes/classes/the-cinematography-of-fiction-with-daniel-levine/

29 Jul 2026 20:37 +0000

Yes, @storystudiochicago.bsky.social StoryBoard Fest IS this much fun. Yes, The Newberry Library IS this beautiful. But, most importantly yes, you CAN still buy tickets Chicago locals (and out-of-towners), this is the perfect place to learn about craft, make friends, and connect with instructors!

26 Jul 2026 13:10 +0000

Obsessed with this part of the Time Magazine Wikipedia entry: Timestyle made regular use of inverted sentences, as famously parodied in 1936 by Wolcott Gibbs in The New Yorker: "Backward ran sentences until reeled the mind ... Where it all will end, knows God!" 1/

21 Jul 2026 21:02 +0000

We are so lucky to have 'Pemi Aguda author of GHOSTROOTS and ONE LEG ON EARTH as our keynote speaker for @storystudiochicago.bsky.social's StoryBoard fest this year. I’ll be in conversation with her at the gorgeous Driehaus Museum in downtown Chicago (Near North Side) 🧵

18 Jul 2026 22:15 +0000

In 2014, I stayed @ucrossfoundation.bsky.social with an amazing group that included Stephen O'Connnor, whose work I now love... https://www.manchestervermont.com/event/northshire-bookstore-stephen-oconnor-we-want-so-much-to-be-ourselves-with-rebecca-makkai/

20 Jul 2026 23:30 +0000

Stop 👏🏼 telling 👏🏼 children 👏🏼 they 👏🏼 can’t 👏🏼 make 👏🏼 a 👏🏼 living 👏🏼 in 👏🏼 the 👏🏼 arts 👏🏼

18 Jul 2026 22:15 +0000

16 Jul 2026 14:52 +0000

I’ve been saving you some Zillows to make a giant summer Zillow post. Here they are! https://open.substack.com/pub/rebeccamakkai/p/summer-zillowing?r=2iqnm&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

06 Jul 2026 22:39 +0000

@storystudiochicago.bsky.social's StoryBoard Festival 2026 is quickly coming up (August 14th and 15th in Chicago!) and now’s a great time to get your tickets. Here’s what you can look forward to… 🧵 https://www.storystudiochicago.org/writers-festival-2/