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newsletter issue #3; spring/summer 2022 preview

tanvi berwah
Oh look, it’s actually the third edition of this, and I’m very excited!
Mostly because I thought, and kinda knew, that this was going to be an extra chore amid all the admin stuff that writers have to do apart from their actual writing. Maybe it’ll have to be pared down later, but for now, I’m very content doing this monthly. Like what else do I have going on? I miss theaters.

UPDATE
Happy August, friends! Let’s all take a moment and thank Taylor Swift for inventing the month of August!
Now that you’re having an incredible start to the new month, with some salt air and rust on your door, let’s move on. FIRST!! I was included in my publisher’s spring/summer 2022 preview! Love them!!!
Plus, upcoming debut writers for next year had a little introduction thing going on over at IG and Twitter (#22debuts). I did, like, some of the prompts but probably shared more about MONSTERS than I have in two whole months rip. So if that’s your thing (and I hope it is pls) check out my last posts on IG (@tanviberwah)!
Now the very dedicated among you might notice the changed format of this thing; from writers + readers we’re now using update, and here’s why! Because it makes no sense for me to plead the fifth every time under the ‘readers’ heading!
Like, things are moving along!! Believe me, please lol. In fact this time, I am writing this on the ripe old evening of July 31st, because for once I had a lot on my plate and forgot to actually plan this (which surprises no one, I think. The forgetting, not the busyness). Something super cool is going on, and I’d love for things to work out, so cross your fingers for me, send your prayers and dua, or the good vibes of Ye Olde Universe please!
Now when exactly can I reveal stuff? who knows, not me!
If you just murmured oh my god tanvi shut the fuck up you say that every time, you are not wrong to throw tomatoes at me booing as you do. It is the official publication motto, after all. I’m as baffled as you at how long publishing timeline truly is, even though I have literally worked in publishing before and thought I was ready.
Friends, you are never ready.
When I told my dad this bts news, he actually congratulated me (very rare) and asked when I’ll be able to announce. The conversation kinda went like this:
Dad: so when?
Me: huh
Dad: you said it’ll be in some time.
Me: yea…
Dad: okay so how long?
Me, mumbling: a while
Dad: what’s a while? six months? a year?
Me, laughing in despair: no
That’s the magic of publishing folks! We go insane and time gets warped and then we’re sobbing to our readers instead of giving them actual useful information!
LINKS
  1. On Writing, with a day job: We all have different ideas of what our writing lives might look like, whether we want to write full time—and that’s the fantasy, isn’t it?—or whether we want to write essays or nonfiction for good old literary columns. But the reality is always different. Here’s one account.
  2. Rachel Yoder on Navigating Chronic Pain Through Storyelling: The author of Nightbitch talks about living with chronic pain, being dismissed, and trying to listen to our own bodies and articulating what it’s trying to tell us in words. This rumination isn’t just for people with chronic illnesses, it’s a good read for everyone for simply being in-tune with our bodies, especially during a pandemic time, and especially for writers looking for that perfect phrase, those perfect words, to say what they mean.
  3. Searching For the Words to Describe Myself: One of my favorite writers, Safia Elhillo, discusses her intersectional identity and how words fall short of encompassing who she is: A Black person, a Sudanese person, someone who speaks Arabic. I am someone who does not like the idea of nation-states and borders established by man, but my passport clearly puts me in one category despite myself, so this resonated deeply with me. Identity in today’s time is convoluted and I feel, even trying to know yourself for yourself, is a radical act.
In terms of origin, my people are Sudanese, but there is no precision to be found in identifying myself in terms of country—the nation-state is the great imprecision of our world. What is less precise than a border? Than a made-up country? Those barriers are fluid, and have been. They are drawn and erased, blurred with the back of a pencil.
Shoutout
My friend, Kaitlyn Hill, had her book’s cover reveal and isn’t it the cutest thing you’ve ever seen? :sobs:
Kaitlyn Hill
🥳COVER REVEAL for my feminist foodie rom-com (nom-com), LOVE FROM SCRATCH!🥳 meet Reese and Benny, rival cooking show interns who def don't want to kiss...!

PRE-ORDER (4.5.22): https://t.co/icWJEMjvs4

Designer: @reginaflath
Illustrator: Ana Hard
@GetUnderlined @DelacortePress https://t.co/brSoBPqbaA
Recs
  1. The View Was Exhausting by Mikaella Clements and Onjuli Datta: Now how do I put how much I ADORED this book into words? Romance written by a real-life couple! Fake relationship! Rich good-looking people! Hollywood backdrop! Identity questioning! Indian-descent lead! Never believing Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck are actually a thing again after reading this :)
  2. She Who Became The Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan: Oh this book. Took my heart out and stomped on it. It’s a reimagining of the rise of the Ming dynasty, but unlike any historical/alternate history book I’ve ever read. It’s piercing, and lyrical, and gentle, and agonizing—so much that I’m breaking my rule and rec'ing this even though I’m only halfway in. I’m taking so long reading this because every image the prose conjures is so vivid that I can immediately visualize it. It’s as if I’ve stepped into the world, as if I can watch this story happen around me. It’s incredible. Also Ouyang is baby ;__;
Ha, this was much shorter than I intended, which I’m sure you don’t exactly hate so idk why I’m mentioning it. ANYWAY, as I’m settling into the rhythm of writing this thing—and I cannot believe yall let me into your inboxes every month yelling about books and what not—I’m hoping the content of this is both more personal and more useful for the writers in you guys. For me, writer newsletters have always been useful in not just exact craft advices, but also learning about their lives as they navigate the industry. So, hopefully, yall can glean something from this for yourselves too.
AND TELL YOUR FRIENDS ABOUT MY BOOK (barks)
Love and light. Take care <3
Monsters Born and Made by Tanvi Berwah
Monsters Born and Made by Tanvi Berwah
Monsters Born and Made book. Read 6 reviews from the world’s largest community for readers. Annie Berger at Sourcebooks Fire has acquired, at auction, wo…
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tanvi berwah
tanvi berwah @tanviberwah

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