Pulitzer finalist for THE GREAT BELIEVERS; new novel, I HAVE SOME QUESTIONS FOR YOU, out now. Artistic Director at StoryStudio Chicago. Trying to give everyone the benefit of the doubt. You should, too. rebeccamakkai.substack.com https://rebeccamakkai.comhttps://bsky.app/profile/rebeccamakkai.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/rebeccamakkai.bsky.social/post/3mvbkpwehjk2iI 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/582442026091811 Sep 2026 21:57 +0000at://did:plc:e44ghqztcyf2c5pcjbwpohc2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mvbkpwehjk2ihttps://bsky.app/profile/rebeccamakkai.bsky.social/post/3muzdgxnmjc2nI 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=true08 Sep 2026 15:25 +0000at://did:plc:e44ghqztcyf2c5pcjbwpohc2/app.bsky.feed.post/3muzdgxnmjc2nhttps://bsky.app/profile/rebeccamakkai.bsky.social/post/3muiu3z6c522xOne 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!02 Sep 2026 02:08 +0000at://did:plc:e44ghqztcyf2c5pcjbwpohc2/app.bsky.feed.post/3muiu3z6c522xhttps://bsky.app/profile/rebeccamakkai.bsky.social/post/3mu6m2ockvc2rDolly 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?29 Aug 2026 00:18 +0000at://did:plc:e44ghqztcyf2c5pcjbwpohc2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mu6m2ockvc2rhttps://bsky.app/profile/rebeccamakkai.bsky.social/post/3mu62ybqlic2kCome 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-2/28 Aug 2026 19:12 +0000at://did:plc:e44ghqztcyf2c5pcjbwpohc2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mu62ybqlic2khttps://bsky.app/profile/rebeccamakkai.bsky.social/post/3mtkrk2ptkc2cYee-haw! [contains quote post or other embedded content]21 Aug 2026 03:03 +0000at://did:plc:e44ghqztcyf2c5pcjbwpohc2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtkrk2ptkc2chttps://bsky.app/profile/rebeccamakkai.bsky.social/post/3mtkqbte5tc2iWas trying to search my photos for my dog and it turns out my phone is exceptionally bad at dogs.21 Aug 2026 02:40 +0000at://did:plc:e44ghqztcyf2c5pcjbwpohc2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtkqbte5tc2ihttps://bsky.app/profile/rebeccamakkai.bsky.social/post/3mthitaxtlc2xWhen @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/232131219 Aug 2026 19:49 +0000at://did:plc:e44ghqztcyf2c5pcjbwpohc2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mthitaxtlc2xhttps://bsky.app/profile/rebeccamakkai.bsky.social/post/3msgxqt7yzc2nI’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/#mentors06 Aug 2026 21:18 +0000at://did:plc:e44ghqztcyf2c5pcjbwpohc2/app.bsky.feed.post/3msgxqt7yzc2nhttps://bsky.app/profile/rebeccamakkai.bsky.social/post/3ms4qrsqtok22Two 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/02 Aug 2026 19:47 +0000at://did:plc:e44ghqztcyf2c5pcjbwpohc2/app.bsky.feed.post/3ms4qrsqtok22https://bsky.app/profile/rebeccamakkai.bsky.social/post/3mrsrqnh5cc2sYes, @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!29 Jul 2026 20:37 +0000at://did:plc:e44ghqztcyf2c5pcjbwpohc2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mrsrqnh5cc2shttps://bsky.app/profile/rebeccamakkai.bsky.social/post/3mrkhew3qak2uObsessed 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!" 1/26 Jul 2026 13:10 +0000at://did:plc:e44ghqztcyf2c5pcjbwpohc2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mrkhew3qak2uhttps://bsky.app/profile/rebeccamakkai.bsky.social/post/3mr6pfiofek2dWe 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) 🧵21 Jul 2026 21:02 +0000at://did:plc:e44ghqztcyf2c5pcjbwpohc2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mr6pfiofek2dhttps://bsky.app/profile/rebeccamakkai.bsky.social/post/3mqxc3pswhk2pIn 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/18 Jul 2026 22:15 +0000at://did:plc:e44ghqztcyf2c5pcjbwpohc2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mqxc3pswhk2phttps://bsky.app/profile/rebeccamakkai.bsky.social/post/3mr4h7u2nk223Stop 👏🏼 telling 👏🏼 children 👏🏼 they 👏🏼 can’t 👏🏼 make 👏🏼 a 👏🏼 living 👏🏼 in 👏🏼 the 👏🏼 arts 👏🏼20 Jul 2026 23:30 +0000at://did:plc:e44ghqztcyf2c5pcjbwpohc2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mr4h7u2nk223https://bsky.app/profile/rebeccamakkai.bsky.social/post/3mqxc3pswhk2pIn 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/18 Jul 2026 22:15 +0000at://did:plc:e44ghqztcyf2c5pcjbwpohc2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mqxc3pswhk2phttps://bsky.app/profile/rebeccamakkai.bsky.social/post/3mqrifmlitk2uI’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=true16 Jul 2026 14:52 +0000at://did:plc:e44ghqztcyf2c5pcjbwpohc2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mqrifmlitk2uhttps://bsky.app/profile/rebeccamakkai.bsky.social/post/3mpz5tauwec2n@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-2/06 Jul 2026 22:39 +0000at://did:plc:e44ghqztcyf2c5pcjbwpohc2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mpz5tauwec2nhttps://bsky.app/profile/rebeccamakkai.bsky.social/post/3mpcynupwic2qEverythings sucks, but the Texas giraffe was found "fat and happy" today after 2 weeks on the lam, and Giraffe Rumspringa is my new favorite genre28 Jun 2026 03:08 +0000at://did:plc:e44ghqztcyf2c5pcjbwpohc2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mpcynupwic2qhttps://bsky.app/profile/rebeccamakkai.bsky.social/post/3mnwuenmfm22fCautionary tale: I guess if you resisit TikTok long enough people just pretend to be you? So I made a real one. I promise to post stuff at least twice (maybe thrice!) if you help by following this so that people can find the real account. 🙏🏼 https://www.tiktok.com/@rebeccamakkai4?_r=1&_t=ZT-975zpDSoidR10 Jun 2026 13:54 +0000at://did:plc:e44ghqztcyf2c5pcjbwpohc2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mnwuenmfm22fhttps://bsky.app/profile/rebeccamakkai.bsky.social/post/3mnnzrmxvw223Our classes are bigger than skyscrapers! [contains quote post or other embedded content]07 Jun 2026 01:37 +0000at://did:plc:e44ghqztcyf2c5pcjbwpohc2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mnnzrmxvw223https://bsky.app/profile/rebeccamakkai.bsky.social/post/3mnkok4da7c2tHey look, it’s Hot Class Summer! @storystudiochicago.bsky.social just dropped our summer classes and we’ve got short ones, long ones, online ones, Chicago ones: An intro to creative writing with Sheree Greer that’s pay-what-you-can, Peter Mountford on the Publishable Personal Essay... 1/05 Jun 2026 17:38 +0000at://did:plc:e44ghqztcyf2c5pcjbwpohc2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mnkok4da7c2thttps://bsky.app/profile/rebeccamakkai.bsky.social/post/3mncyrnx4ss2aWriters and readers and even editors have so many misunderstandings about how book prizes work. I’m not going to give anyone a stroke by revealing secrets of the judging room, BUT I want to tell you a whole lot of stuff that you probably don’t know 🧵 https://open.substack.com/pub/rebeccamakkai/p/book-prizes-dont-work-how-you-think?r=2iqnm&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true02 Jun 2026 16:20 +0000at://did:plc:e44ghqztcyf2c5pcjbwpohc2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mncyrnx4ss2a