Research Research for Writing: An Introduction to Rusyns in the Slate Valley What's a Rusyn Anyway? Growing up, my dad and his brothers spoke what I thought was a secret, made-up language. My dad and uncles rarely named their language. When they did, they all seemed to have a different label – Czech, Slavish, Hunky, Slavonic. I often understood what
Bookselling Deep Dive Interview: Book Buyers Emilie Sommer and Amy Andrews One of the most important roles at any indie bookshop is that of the Book Buyer. Last week, I had the opportunity to sit down and chat with my colleagues, Emilie and Amy, about what it's like being a Book Buyer at an indie bookshop in Washington DC.
Opportunities 3 Fully Funded Weeklong Residencies for Writers Like most writers I know, I don't have the time or resources to attend multi-week and/or multi-month writing residencies. Even the residencies of this length that do offer stipends still present significant logistical and financial barriers. Over the past 2 years, I've attended
Reflections Coming Back After Some Not-So-Literary Months Ok, so I've been on a bit of a hiatus. I wasn't planning on taking a break from Billow Talk so early in the game, but it happened. To be honest with you all, life has been kicking my ass lately. Over the past few months,
Reading List Queer Books I've Read & Queer Books I Want to Read From June 2024 to June 2025, I've read a lot of queer books. In honor of this year's Pride Month, I've gathered some of my favorite LGBTQIA+ reads from the past year and some queer books I plan to read by June 2026 🌈 ! Queer
Reflections 4 Lessons I've Learned Working at an Indie Bookshop I didn't grow up around many bookshops and the one room local libraries were always at least a 30 minute drive away. As a kid, getting to spend time surrounded by so many books was a special treat—even now, I find these places to be sources of
Introducing Billow Talk Ok, ok...I'm doing it. I've been waffling. I've been wrestling with perfectionism. The world is on fire, I'm hopping on the newsletter train and no one can stop me now. For those who don't know me, hello! I'
