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melisfluous.bsky.social
Melissa Ren
@melisfluous.bsky.social
2.8K followers 260 following 1.4K posts
SFF & literary | Chinese-Canadian
Tin House | senior editor @augursociety.bsky.social | publicity @psychopomp.com

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melisfluous.bsky.social
Melissa Ren @melisfluous.bsky.social · Sep 12
Some news! 👀

In a crazy ass turn of events, I have somehow found myself ✨AGENTED!✨ I'm THRILLED to now be represented by Hana El Niwairi @hel-no-wai.bsky.social. I cannot wait to see what shenanigans we get up to together. 🥰
cookemcdermid.bsky.social CookeMcDermid @cookemcdermid.bsky.social · Sep 12
We are so thrilled to welcome @melisfluous.bsky.social to CookeMcDermid! She is represented by Hana El Niwairi.
A black and white photo of Melissa Ren from the middle of her face down with a dark grey border around it. In the upper left corner, white bold sans-serif font in all caps reads "Welcome to CookeMcDermid," followed by, in a white serif font in all caps, "Melissa Ren." In the background, the photo of Melissa Ren blurred out with a dark grey filter overtop. On top of that, white serif font reads: "Melissa Ren is a Chinese-Canadian writer whose narratives tend to explore the intersection between belonging and becoming. She is a prize recipient of Room Magazine's Fiction Contest, a Tin House alum, and a senior editor at Augur Magazine. She is a grant recipient of the Canada Council for the Arts, the Ontario Arts Council, the Toronto Arts Council, and the Access Copyright Foundation. Find her at linktr.ee/MelissaRen or follow @melisfluous on socials. She is represented by Hana El Niwairi."
melisfluous.bsky.social
The moon, though.
November 5, 2025 at 2:38 AM
Reposted by Melissa Ren
melisfluous.bsky.social
Oh hello, I am in this 🫣
stanchion.bsky.social Stanchion @stanchion.bsky.social · 14d
@lindzmcleod.bsky.social's collaborative craft writing book An Honour & A Privilege "offers us both a testimony as to what can be done together and a guide on how to do it."

This is a craft book like no other. It will amaze you and inspire your writing.

www.stanchionzine.com/product-page...
I spent a while trying to figure out how to classify An Honour & a Privilege. Viewed through one lens it might not seem an important question: classification is mostly helpful for shelving decisions. But genre also dictates how one reads a thing. Whether you think of this book as an anthology (many authors), a collection (one common author), or a craft book (the reflective duets) may affect your perception of the whole. I struggle to compare this work to any of those three genres. The project in front of you reveals more about its craft than other anthologies. It's more authentically connected to strong exemplar material than other craft books. It's more heteroglossic than any collection I recall. The best way to think of An Honour & a Privilege may be to regard it as a genre all its own, one which depends significantly on its many interconnections, one which marks both an occasion and an invitation, one which offers us both a testimony as to what can be done together and a guide on how to do it.
October 31, 2025 at 3:14 PM
Reposted by Melissa Ren
thesuiway.bsky.social
a new month, a new giveaway!!

my publisher is giving away 75 print ARCs of The Iron Garden Sutra!

enter by November 15th! 👇

www.goodreads.com/giveaway/sho...
A bright yellow book is depicted against a dark space background. An orange banner has the words "75 winners" on it. The poster is promoting a goodreads giveaway for 75 print ARCs of The Iron Garden Sutra. Enter the giveaway by November 15th for your chance to win. Open to US entrants only.
November 1, 2025 at 11:43 AM
Reposted by Melissa Ren
lindzmcleod.bsky.social
Also, the pre-order is on sale atm! Get it while it's hot!
An Honour & A Privilege | Stanchion
In collaboration with eleven writers, including The Handmaid's Tale screenwriter Lynn Renee Maxcy, Sunday Times bestseller Thomas D. Lee, and Nebula/WFA finalist Eugenia Triantafyllou, award-winning a...
www.stanchionzine.com
October 31, 2025 at 3:16 PM
melisfluous.bsky.social
Oh hello, I am in this 🫣
stanchion.bsky.social Stanchion @stanchion.bsky.social · 14d
@lindzmcleod.bsky.social's collaborative craft writing book An Honour & A Privilege "offers us both a testimony as to what can be done together and a guide on how to do it."

This is a craft book like no other. It will amaze you and inspire your writing.

www.stanchionzine.com/product-page...
I spent a while trying to figure out how to classify An Honour & a Privilege. Viewed through one lens it might not seem an important question: classification is mostly helpful for shelving decisions. But genre also dictates how one reads a thing. Whether you think of this book as an anthology (many authors), a collection (one common author), or a craft book (the reflective duets) may affect your perception of the whole. I struggle to compare this work to any of those three genres. The project in front of you reveals more about its craft than other anthologies. It's more authentically connected to strong exemplar material than other craft books. It's more heteroglossic than any collection I recall. The best way to think of An Honour & a Privilege may be to regard it as a genre all its own, one which depends significantly on its many interconnections, one which marks both an occasion and an invitation, one which offers us both a testimony as to what can be done together and a guide on how to do it.
October 31, 2025 at 3:14 PM
Reposted by Melissa Ren
brandoncrilly.bsky.social
Can*Con is done, but another event looms! In Toronto!

Join me and @thescreambean.bsky.social as we talk messy found families at @bakkaphoenix.bsky.social on November 15. This'll be my first bookstore event for CASTOFF, and my first ever event at Bakka!
October 26, 2025 at 2:12 PM
Reposted by Melissa Ren
angelaliu.bsky.social
This is my longest (and favorite) story out this year. Would love if you checked it out 🙏

What if you could relive your favorite memories through a haircut? What if you were the one cutting the hair? This is a story about class, intergenerational trauma, and how far we’d go for the perfect cut.
October 22, 2025 at 8:23 PM
Reposted by Melissa Ren
ecatherine.com
Have you SEEN this issue? Come grab it in digital for $2, or print for $5. www.patreon.com/the_deadlands
Issue 40 of The Deadlands, guest edited by Vajra Chandrasekera, cover art by Carly A-F, a golden maze of coins stretches toward a skull against a scarlet sky.
October 19, 2025 at 5:01 PM
Reposted by Melissa Ren
sillysyntax.bsky.social
I'm a big fan of Terese and I can't wait to read all the stories in this book. Canlit and Canspec should get right behind this. A speculative anthology filled with Black writers from Canada?

Let's go.
uguelphcwmfa.bsky.social University of Guelph Creative Writing MFA @uguelphcwmfa.bsky.social · 28d
Congratulations to Guelph MFA alum @teresempierre.bsky.social on the release of #ASTHEEARTHDREAMS (House of Anansi), out now!

Edited by Terese Mason Pierre, this groundbreaking anthology of speculative fiction uplifts the spectacular imaginings, reflections, and hopes of Black writers in Canada.
[Image description: The book cover of AS THE EARTH DREAMS: BLACK CANADIAN SPECULATIVE STORIES is centered against a vibrant purple background with bees decorating the corners of the image. At the top, turquoise text reads “OUT NOW WITH HOUSE OF ANANSI.”]
October 16, 2025 at 10:58 PM
Reposted by Melissa Ren
mariebilodeau.bsky.social
We are getting close to @canconsffh.bsky.social and I am taking a moment to say that I have the best crew anyone could ever ask for. Ever. Lemme go on for a bit. You need to know how amazing they are, and they deserve it to be seen.
October 14, 2025 at 12:49 AM
Reposted by Melissa Ren
sillysyntax.bsky.social
My unhinged literary opinion is that you should buy all my small press and indie pub friends books.

ALL.
October 13, 2025 at 11:51 PM
Reposted by Melissa Ren
stanchion.bsky.social
Last book of '25 is by @lindzmcleod.bsky.social + a cast of collaborators incl The Handmaid's Tale screenwriter Lynn Renee Maxcy, Sunday Times bestseller Thomas D. Lee & Nebula/WFA finalist Eugenia Triantafyllou.

Pre-order now with UK Saver Shipping to save £! www.stanchionzine.com/product-page...
October 10, 2025 at 5:13 PM
Reposted by Melissa Ren
thedeadlands.com
it's here, The Deadlands fundraiser 💀

buy your very 2026 coin for the ferryman and help support us

we've got signed books, deadlands issues + psychopomp book bundles, and more coming soon!

please like + RT this to help spread the word

psychopomp.com/the-deadland...

behold!
Illustration of a white skull partially obscured by colorful mushrooms and plants. Different fungi sprout from and around the skull, including red mushrooms with white spots, yellow fan-shaped mushrooms, gray cluster mushrooms, and orange bulbous mushrooms, with green and purple plants filling the background. A ribbon at the bottom of the skull reads “ADMIT ONE.”
October 6, 2025 at 8:04 PM
Reposted by Melissa Ren
lmanusos.bsky.social
ICYMI I finally dove back into my newsletter, in which I talk about my novella's birthday, @psychopomp.com awesomeness, and some most excellent short fiction recommendations.
October 4, 2025 at 1:53 PM
melisfluous.bsky.social
Cyberpunk love... ♥️
lkcreations.art LK @lkcreations.art · Sep 18
Serenity is not freedom from the storm, but peace amid the storm.
💙❤️

#art #artsky #procreate #cyberpunk #digitalart #artist #photo #photography #noai #kpop #aespa
Digital portrait of a woman with short hair looking down. The background blends into the portrait. It's a collage of digital paintings and photos of city life. Red and blue tones. Cyberpunk style. Digital paintings made on Procreate Collage made on Affinity Photo Photos taken with an Olympus camera
September 21, 2025 at 12:06 AM
melisfluous.bsky.social
Obsessed.
kingcobey8.bsky.social Cobey | Commissions open! @kingcobey8.bsky.social · Sep 18
Artist! Quote with your night art! 🌌
September 21, 2025 at 12:05 AM
Reposted by Melissa Ren
angelaliu.bsky.social
ICYMI. Reading tonight at 9PM EST!
angelaliu.bsky.social Angela Liu @angelaliu.bsky.social · Sep 13
Excited to join the launch for @fabulistmag.bsky.social’s weird romance anthology STAR CROSSED on 9/17!

I’ll be reading from my story "The Angel Talks of Beethoven's Genius,“ about someone who sleeps with an angel, alongside other wtf bizarre love stories. Sign up for the free virtual event here:
Launch party — STAR CROSSED vol. 1: Tales of Strange Love & Weird Romance
Join our livestream, with readings by Angela Liu, Loren Rhoads, Elizabeth Stix, Jenny Bitner, Jyotsna Sreenivasan, Alethea Eason and more!
www.eventbrite.com
September 17, 2025 at 1:09 PM
Reposted by Melissa Ren
angelaliu.bsky.social
Ahhh, Melissa's a fantastic writer and one of my favorite people and now she’s AGENTED. Can’t wait for y’all to read her books! 🎉
melisfluous.bsky.social Melissa Ren @melisfluous.bsky.social · Sep 12
Some news! 👀

In a crazy ass turn of events, I have somehow found myself ✨AGENTED!✨ I'm THRILLED to now be represented by Hana El Niwairi @hel-no-wai.bsky.social. I cannot wait to see what shenanigans we get up to together. 🥰
cookemcdermid.bsky.social CookeMcDermid @cookemcdermid.bsky.social · Sep 12
We are so thrilled to welcome @melisfluous.bsky.social to CookeMcDermid! She is represented by Hana El Niwairi.
September 12, 2025 at 4:45 PM
Reposted by Melissa Ren
melisfluous.bsky.social
Some news! 👀

In a crazy ass turn of events, I have somehow found myself ✨AGENTED!✨ I'm THRILLED to now be represented by Hana El Niwairi @hel-no-wai.bsky.social. I cannot wait to see what shenanigans we get up to together. 🥰
cookemcdermid.bsky.social CookeMcDermid @cookemcdermid.bsky.social · Sep 12
We are so thrilled to welcome @melisfluous.bsky.social to CookeMcDermid! She is represented by Hana El Niwairi.
A black and white photo of Melissa Ren from the middle of her face down with a dark grey border around it. In the upper left corner, white bold sans-serif font in all caps reads "Welcome to CookeMcDermid," followed by, in a white serif font in all caps, "Melissa Ren." In the background, the photo of Melissa Ren blurred out with a dark grey filter overtop. On top of that, white serif font reads: "Melissa Ren is a Chinese-Canadian writer whose narratives tend to explore the intersection between belonging and becoming. She is a prize recipient of Room Magazine's Fiction Contest, a Tin House alum, and a senior editor at Augur Magazine. She is a grant recipient of the Canada Council for the Arts, the Ontario Arts Council, the Toronto Arts Council, and the Access Copyright Foundation. Find her at linktr.ee/MelissaRen or follow @melisfluous on socials. She is represented by Hana El Niwairi."
September 12, 2025 at 4:28 PM
melisfluous.bsky.social
Some news! 👀

In a crazy ass turn of events, I have somehow found myself ✨AGENTED!✨ I'm THRILLED to now be represented by Hana El Niwairi @hel-no-wai.bsky.social. I cannot wait to see what shenanigans we get up to together. 🥰
cookemcdermid.bsky.social CookeMcDermid @cookemcdermid.bsky.social · Sep 12
We are so thrilled to welcome @melisfluous.bsky.social to CookeMcDermid! She is represented by Hana El Niwairi.
A black and white photo of Melissa Ren from the middle of her face down with a dark grey border around it. In the upper left corner, white bold sans-serif font in all caps reads "Welcome to CookeMcDermid," followed by, in a white serif font in all caps, "Melissa Ren." In the background, the photo of Melissa Ren blurred out with a dark grey filter overtop. On top of that, white serif font reads: "Melissa Ren is a Chinese-Canadian writer whose narratives tend to explore the intersection between belonging and becoming. She is a prize recipient of Room Magazine's Fiction Contest, a Tin House alum, and a senior editor at Augur Magazine. She is a grant recipient of the Canada Council for the Arts, the Ontario Arts Council, the Toronto Arts Council, and the Access Copyright Foundation. Find her at linktr.ee/MelissaRen or follow @melisfluous on socials. She is represented by Hana El Niwairi."
September 12, 2025 at 4:28 PM
Reposted by Melissa Ren
teresempierre.bsky.social
This October, @houseofanansi.bsky.social will publish my first edited anthology, "As The Earth Dreams: Black Canadian Speculative Stories."

Haunting. Reflective. Charged. And everything in between. 💜🩵🖤

Preorders and contributor list at the link below!
houseofanansi.com/products/as-...
As the Earth Dreams
A ground-breaking anthology of haunting speculative stories by contemporary Black Canadian writers that explore growth, futurity, and joy. This bold and innovative anthology of speculative short ficti...
houseofanansi.com
July 13, 2025 at 8:36 PM
melisfluous.bsky.social
Oh.... Hey! I have a story in this! 🥰 Thanks so much to @takahemagazine.bsky.social for taking such great care of my work. ❤️
takahemagazine.bsky.social takahē magazine @takahemagazine.bsky.social · Aug 29
Out now! The 114th issue of takahē is free online for everyone to enjoy.

www.takahe.org.nz/takahe-114/

This issue is a little slimmer, but just as carefully curated with new words and art to challenge, stimulate and engross. We hope you love it.

Let us know your favourites! 🖤
August 30, 2025 at 1:17 PM
Reposted by Melissa Ren
angelaliu.bsky.social
Met several readers at Worldcon who were interested in shorter fiction but just didn’t know where to look for it and who/which stories they might like. It definitely feels like there is an audience, but there isn’t a bridge connecting them to the magazines + short fiction authors they’d love.
thebookseller.com The Bookseller @thebookseller.com · Aug 27
Publishers are noting a shift in industry mindset around short stories as readers embrace shorter works, with a number feeling like “something is slowly shifting” and that “there’s a real excitement around stories again” 👇 #BookSky
Publishers say 'mindset around short stories shifting’ as readers embrace slim fiction
ebx.sh
August 27, 2025 at 8:15 PM
melisfluous.bsky.social
I am THRILLED to be in this along side all of these amazing writers! 🎉
lindzmcleod.bsky.social Lindz McLeod - THE UNLIKELY PURSUIT OF MARY BENNET is out now! @lindzmcleod.bsky.social · Jun 16
HERE WE GOOOOO!

I'm unbelievably excited to bring you such a wildly ambitious craft book; each month for the last *year* I wrote a story collaboratively with an amazing writer, accompanied by a non-fiction piece about how and why we wrote what we did. It's both a tremendous collection of fiction &
stanchion.bsky.social Stanchion @stanchion.bsky.social · Jun 16
Excited to reveal the cover of & open up pre-sales for the final book of 2025, @lindzmcleod.bsky.social's groundbreaking collaborative craft writing book, An Honour & A Privilege f/ a Handmaid's Tale screenwriter, Sunday Times bestseller & more amazing talents!

www.stanchionzine.com/product-page...
June 26, 2025 at 7:54 PM