Jen Sookfong Lee
@JenSookfongLee
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Mostly an author, an occasional podcaster, often an editor, kind of an adequate mother. Out now: SUPERFAN.
Joined November 2012
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Pinned Tweet
TODAY IS THE DAY. Superfan is everywhere! If you can stand it, I write about myself.
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I walked by an Aviation Gin display but I'm just going to tell people Ryan Reynolds and I are best friends.
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Hello, I'm an Asian woman in a movie and I'm Scarlett Johansson.
Hello, I'm a professor in a movie, I only reach the main point of my lecture right as class is ending. Then I yell at students about the reading / homework as they leave.
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Daniel Kwan of The Daniels: "This is for my mother who is a creative soul, who wanted to be a dancer and singer and actor, but who couldn't afford that life path and instead she gave it to me." I weep, and so does every other artist with immigrant parents.
#Oscars
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If Bryan Adams wants to blame my people for the pandemic then at the very least we get to blame him for making our elementary school dances tedious and torturous.
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I'll say it again: the reason Everything Everywhere All At Once is so good is precisely because it is deeply weird and chaotic. It made the space for Asian creatives to be wild, to take artistic risks, and to be released from the burden of sad trauma stories. What a gift.
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My mom's power went out and she called me from under a fleece blanket and said, "I have to go now. My phone's battery may not last through this disaster. I love you." Friends, she lives in East Van, a 5-minute walk from a T&T, a 7-11, and 17 ramen restaurants.
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On this, James Joyce's birthday, I will light a candle for that boy I dated in university who told me I wasn't a real reader or writer because I didn't like Ulysses, and then I will use that candle to illuminate my pile of published books while I cackle into the cold morning air.
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As I was walking the dog, my neighbour, a very pleasant and mild-mannered man who gives out full-sized chocolate bars at Halloween, yelled at me from across the street, DON CHERRY GOT FIRED ALL THE SHIT'S GETTING CLEANED UP JEN, my neighbourhood is a delight, that is all.
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Imagine if the book you wrote about Asian women, identity, and pop culture representation is going to be published in one week, and then Gwen Stefani literally says in an interview, "My God, I'm Japanese." I guess Gwen is my special troll now.
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I'm in the middle of updating my CV and the total number of books I have published or that are contracted to be published is 10. TEN BOOKS. I don't have an MFA, my parents are immigrants, and I'm an East Van girl who used to play Donkey Kong at the 7-11. I am proud, damnit.
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Maybe you don't know this, but each time the trolls come for me for being a woman, for being Chinese, for daring to voice an opinion, a small part of me withers, and it takes me weeks to get back up to say what I feel needs to be said. It hurts. None of us is immune.
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I can't stomach this. She needs to resign by end of day tomorrow.
NDP minister
@selinarobinson
justifying genocide by calling Palestine “a crappy piece of land with nothing on it”. Hateful, bigoted remarks that should result in her immediate resignation
@Dave_Eby
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Every time I publish a book, my high school creative writing teacher, Ms. Sullings, sends me an email after she buys and reads it, and tells me how proud she is and how she always knew I could do it, and I just got one of these this morning and I didn't know how much I needed it.
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I see you, Harried Single Mothers of Summer. It's ok if you can't provide enriching experiences every day, if your kid is in daycamp so you can get shit done, if you put on a movie for some silence. You're doing just fine and I think you're swell.
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Climate activists: Reuse your ziploc bags! Buy in bulk! Eat beans! Wear a sweater and turn down the heat! USE EVERYTHING FOR AS LONG AS POSSIBLE!
Immigrant parents: And...?
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I have been laughing at this pic from Coachella for two hours. Billionaire desperation is my favourite kind of desperation.
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When people smugly describe their constant travelling as the only way to be open to other cultures and you want to yell JUST FOR RICH PEOPLE WHO CAN'T SEE BASIC HUMANITY IN THE OPPRESSED COMMUNITIES OF THEIR HOME CITIES but you just drink your wine and rage silently instead.
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What is so relatable about Jagmeet Singh being removed from the House of Commons for calling a racist a racist is that we have all been there, tired of playing the diplomatic BIPOC role, tired of listening to casual comments about our race for the 700th time. 1
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The people who use travel as a personality are back.
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If you're an author who is uncomfortable with public protest or the expression of political and social outrage, then you're not very good at your job, which is literally to engage with ideas, to meet humanity's tragedies and mistakes with a respectful witnessing.
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The
@VancouverSun
was perfectly happy to cover me and my book, but then publishes a column poorly titled "Woke Watch" with a photo of Dr. Amy Tan, positioning her as a dangerous leftist. This is a dog whistle for racists, for anyone who hates Asian Canadians. It's shameful.
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I wish I could say I am speechless, but I have spent my entire career writing about Asian women, about the ones who are perceived as respectable and the ones who are perceived to be not. I am tired of justifying our humanity beyond fetish and rage. STAND UP FOR US.
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There is a dude at this bus stop doing a full 90s style hiphop dance routine in the snow to only the rhythm in his heart and bless his soul.
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A BRAND NEW ESAAY BY ME. About my anxiety disorder, my father's fight with cancer and my mother's depression, and how Anne of Green Gables saved my life. The hardest thing I have ever written.
What Anne of Green Gables Taught Me about Grief
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I see you, fellow high-functioning anxious women. Has anyone asked you how you're doing today? Because I know we always seem just fine. How are you, friends?
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What if Mother's Day wasn't about tulips and brunch, but was instead a day of vengeance during which all mothers get to smite all who have betrayed them? That's my dream.
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I can't help but think that the rise of misinformation is related to the lack of critical reading skills that has come with the shift away from literature education to more "practical" areas. Maybe reading Chaucer isn't relevant but learning to discern evidence from lies sure is.
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I just organically dropped Roch Voisine into a conversation and then I googled Roch Voisine and HE IS A MATURE SNACK.
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Suzy passed away last week, after a long battle with Alzheimers, and Sue, for the first time in 65 years, is without her Suzy. Their friendship saw so much and lasted so long. I hope we all have the same when we reach the end of our lives too. 3
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My mom received her vaccine today and is acting quite giddy at the prospect of rolling around town, so if you see a Mazda 3 full of Poh Pohs gleefully drinking takeout boba and singing along to Blackpink, that's Mrs. Lee living her life as she should.
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When my mother was 19, she met her best friend, who was 21, on a boat sailing from Hong Kong to Canada. Both of them were coming to Vancouver to marry Chinese Canadian men they had never met in person, a way to escape the looming threat of China's governance of Hong Kong. 1
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As many of you know, I have been writing and editing stories of sexual assault and abuse for most of my career, and it has never been easy to do so. I've felt sick and sad all weekend and, if you feel the same, just know I am here with you and I am proud of your tender heart.
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I think it's time for Asian women to brag about their accomplishments instead of performing the humility expected of us. Here, I'll start: I HAVE NICE HAIR AND WROTE A LOT OF BOOKS.
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Omg I just booked a vaccine appointment for tomorrow, I'm going to cry.
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Canlit really tricks us all into thinking that trauma-based literary fiction is the only thing worth writing.
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I'm pretty sure I've written several whole books about how this statement is 100% false.
Canada doesn't have 'systemic, deep roots' of racism that U.S. does, Doug Ford says
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I haven't seen my 81 year old mother since March 9th and today I called to say I would bake a cake and the kid and I would bring it to her on Mother's Day and she clapped her hands and shouted, MY HEART IS SO HAPPY, and maybe this tiny celebratory tweet will brighten your day.
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It ceases to be a peaceful protest the moment they fly a Confederate and a Nazi flag.
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I can see that many of you are struggling right now with personal, systemic, or career demons, so let me remind you that you are great, that the you who takes a break and eats candy on a park bench is just as amazing as the you who accomplishes your biggest goal. I see you. XO.
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I started The English Patient 3 times before I realized I had no moral obligation to wade through the monotone voice that novel was written in. Pretty sure Ondaatje doesn't need my good opinion.
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I just found out that Frances Bean Cobain and Riley Hawk, son of Tony, are dating and I think my inner 90s teen just swooned.
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Sure, it's book prize season, but Oscar winner Michelle Williams decided to narrate the Britney Spears audiobook and basically roast Justin Timberlake every time he is mentioned with just her TONE and this is the victory I am celebrating.
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Here we go! My horoscopes for the year of the Water Tiger 2022! It will all be in this thread, starting with a general forecast for the year. ARE YOU READY? 1
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UPDATE: The bike shop bros were very condescending, took my bike to the neighbourhood garage shop, run by three pre-teen siblings, bike is fixed beautifully, so moral of the story is bros = bad, 11-year-olds with sweet smiles = excellent.
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The best revenge is writing your best work and making space for others to do the same. I am working on many projects--as an editor, teacher, and writer--and the next few years will be the new CanLit shaking the dust of the old off our kickass shoes. Join me?
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So excited to share the cover for my new kids' book, FINDING HOME: THE JOURNEY OF IMMIGRANTS AND REFUGEES, illustrated by Drew Shannon. It's my hope that this book will help caregivers and educators with conversations about race, privilege, and migration. Coming Spring 2021!
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Please take the time to remember the people displaced by war this Remembrance Day--the children in detention separated from their families, the asylum seekers risking their lives crossing borders, the generations of families waiting at refugee camps. It's not just about poppies.
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I have been seeing arguments like, "He's not racist, he's an opportunist," but if he's willing to use racist rhetoric to seize opportunity, that's racism. He isn't just a power-hungry capitalist, he's a power-hungry capitalist who exploits racial resentment. That's racism 101.
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The kid: If you're a good writer, why do we live like this?
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Hey guess what? I feel bad! We all feel bad! This is the worst I have felt in years! I don't have covid but covid and racists and the irrevocability of capitalism have beaten down my feelings!
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Some very big news.
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@VancityReynolds
Ryan, I live in Vancouver and went to Eric Hamber in the 90s. So obviously our lifelong friendship was meant to be.
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Idk who needs to hear this, but if the pandemic and its subsequent isolation has brought you face to face with your old traumas, I am right here with you. I have no answers, but I am here in the trenches and I see you. XOXO.
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I keep waiting for someone to start a literary prize for authors who wrote a great book with no generational wealth supporting them.
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I'm so excited to announce that
@dorettalau
,
@lindsaymwong
, and I are starting a new information sharing and support group for emerging BIPOC writers! The goal of this group is to help make publishing and Canlit as transparent as possible. To join, DM any of us! 1
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Why on earth would I care about what someone is not BIPOC says about the term BIPOC?
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Do you know what he's done? Lunar New Year's Day is supposed to be full of food, family, and optimism for the year ahead. This one man has destroyed the victims and also all of the joy of the Asian diaspora on what is supposed to be the happiest, most hopeful day of the year.
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I have sufficiently recovered from my Lunar New Year dumpling fest, so that means it’s Chinese horoscope time! For 2021, the year of the Metal Ox! Like always, I’ll start with a general overview of the year and then get into each sign. Ready? YOU KNOW YOU ARE. 1
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Is anyone else experiencing a new wave of anxiety at the idea of loosening the distancing rules?
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Your girl finally made The Globe 100 for the FIRST TIME, after 11 books and two decades of publishing. This was the only accolade I ever cared about and now HERE WE ARE.
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Trudeau's ousting of key women and Atwood's continual complaint that people get angry and shout are both directly related to inclusion. True inclusion means multiplicity, conflict, a cacophony of voices. This noise really bothers those who are used to power. 1
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Is it ok that I don't want to video call anyone and just want to grump it up alone, am I monster?
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I don't know who needs to hear this, but I am very sad and walking around in a brain fog. Maybe you are too. Maybe we are not all shrouded in cocoons of sadness alone. Xoxoxo.
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I AM HOSTING ETHAN HAWKE for the Winter Book Club with the Vancouver Writers Fest! Is my 14-year-old self passed out on top of her Trapper Keeper while clutching a VHS copy of Dead Poets Society to her heart? YES SHE IS.
We're thrilled to announce the Winter Book Club with Ethan Hawke in Conversation with
@JenSookfongLee
on Sunday, March 14 at 4pm PT. Tickets are $40 which includes book and event. This is Hawke's exclusive Canadian stop on his tour so get your tickets now:
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I am now officially accepting submissions for fiction and non-fiction for
@ecwpress
! Surprise me with your brilliant manuscripts! Guidelines for what I'm into are in the link. Teaser: I believe complex identities yield rewarding, complex books.
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I guess I have some news. Yes, I did write a horror novel and soon you can read it.
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SUPERFAN is precisely about this, about how people like Gwen Stefani take from other cultures with no repercussions and without having to deal with the racist misogyny that Asian women walk with every single day. Stick to your red lipstick, Gwen. And leave us alone.
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Here it is, friends. My emotions about the last week. On Margaret Atwood and the new Canlit via
@openbookON
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I understand why people are sharing that video today of the white man violently shoving an Asian woman in downtown Vancouver, but also please be aware that many people, including me, will obsess over that video, lose sleep, and be afraid to walk outside alone because of it.
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If power can silence an award-winning, mid-career author at the peak of her success, imagine what that same power can do to students.
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I am in line for my booster at the Italian Cultural Centre and it smells like stuffed peppers and lasagna and this is by far the most pleasant smell I have ever experienced at a medical appointment.
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I am very disappointed in Canada Reads today, but I did want to write something about some of the criticisms of Denison Avenue, which I felt were based in what we think is traditional storytelling, and doesn't take into account how BIPOC communities approach narrative. 1
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I doubt very much racists follow my tweets, but please don't let the lifting of a mask mandate be the reason you harass Asian people who choose to still wear masks in public. My radar for predicting racist abuse is pinging very loud right now.
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@zoegreenberg
@PenguinRandomCA
Zoe, we don't know each other but I edited the anthology Whatever Gets You Through: 12 Survivors on Life After Sexual Assault and if you ever need to discuss publishing and survivors and those intersections, I would love to help. I'm here.
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I know it's a small thing in a very bad world, but I did finish a complete first draft of my new novel, so there is that little happiness.
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I have one more thing to say on this New Year's Day: the Water Tiger's drama will demand that we take care, but self-care and community care are not mutually exclusive, they are the same thing. When we take care of others and the big picture, we are also taking care of ourselves.
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It's true! The Conjoined was just nominated for the International Dublin Literary Award! I'M GOING TO PASS OUT.
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Did I buy these flashy shoes to celebrate my new job? YES YES I DID.
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The conversation about the Kardashians and whether they've used Ozempic for weight loss is genuinely messed up. Listen, it doesn't matter in the end how Kim or Khloe look the way they do because most of us will never have access to their meds or trainers or dermatologists.
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My entire life I've been conditioned to believe that women should wear the smallest underpants possible but what if we should have been wearing the BIGGEST underpants possible this whole time?
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This is the precise problem that Canlit has and very few ever want to talk about. The institutions are governed by a core group with similar politics and they have not changed that governance for as long as I have been publishing, which is 20 years. The result? Silencing.
South-African Canadian author Kagiso Lesego Molope was just asked to leave the Politics and the Pen event for speaking on stage about the death toll in Gaza. She was interrupted by yelling, then after, was escorted out.
This event hands out the award for best political writing.
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What about the fledgeling careers of the people who tried to do the right thing? What books did we lose because they were hurt and silenced by the most powerful in our industry? That's the loss I'm grieving.
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Justin Trudeau running a press conference on Zoom and saying, "Nancy, you need to be closer to your mic," and "John, I think you're on mute," is all of us all the time right now.
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I am so over the moon to show you all the cover for my upcoming memoir, SUPERFAN: How Pop Culture Broke My Heart, publishing in January 2023. It's available now for pre-order in Canada and the US, link is here, . Now please tell me how great this cover is!
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Do you think the white man who asked if I "grew up white" sees himself in this crime? Or the white man who asked if I was "a good Chinese girl"? Or the white man at a literary event who asked if I gave hand jobs? Do any of these men feel guilt? I doubt it.
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I used to work at the PNE in garbage disposal when I was a teen and it would have been my job to clean up those wrecked slushy machines and port-a-potties and the vast gulf between the kids who made the mess and ones who clean it up is actually what we should be talking about.
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On the journey, they decided they needed English names, so called themselves Sue and Suzy, so they'd always be connected. Over the years, they lived next door to each other, helpes raise each other's children, and made each other laugh and laugh. 2
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Well, the secret is out! Here I am, doing my best smize on the cover of the April issue of Quill & Quire, for their poetry spotlight! Many thanks to Alia Youssef, the very patient and genius photographer, and Kaya Williams-Goudet, who did all that glam!
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I went horseback riding in the woods today and was assigned a horse named Ted who kept biting the ass cheeks of whatever horse was in front of him and then looking back at me with a conspiratorial wink and look out for the new buddy comedy SOOKFONG & TED in summer 2020.
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I had to lock my account because the idea that writers are supposed to witness and engage with humanity's struggles is too controversial a take in this, the year 2023.
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In case anyone is wondering how my mom is doing, yesterday on the phone I asked what she wanted for Mother's Day and she replied, "Flowers are a waste, get me a case of organic chicken legs."
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Radicalized, white supremacist, young men. These are the terrorists.
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When the people who have had the podium for a long, long time experience a lack of interest in their words, they complain about silencing in the most elitist venue, meanwhile forgetting about the generations of silence that others have lived with since the beginning of memory.
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Today seems like a good day to say that I am still committed to making space for emerging voices, to building a
#Canlit
that genuinely reflects the diversity of our country, and to rage at anyone who threatens the safety of people who just want to write and read. XO.
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Someone opened fire on people in Monterey Park near LA celebrating Lunar New Year--people who were DANCING in joy--and murdered 10 of them. Fuck you, man. Fuck you and your hatred of people who look like me expressing happiness.
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Ok friends, my
#LunarNewYear
horoscopes for the year of the Water Rabbit. Last year's Water Tiger was a roller coaster that was difficult to make sense of, and ended with tragedy, which, unfortunately is fitting for a Tiger year. But this year, 2023, couldn’t be more different. 1
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