Mirella Stoyanova
LightNews LightNews
banner
mirellastoyanova.bsky.social
Mirella Stoyanova
@mirellastoyanova.bsky.social
1K followers 810 following 45 posts
Writer, therapist. Recovering perfectionist. Adoptee.

Words @writeordiemag @huffpost @businessinsider & more.

Mostly on IG @mirellastoyanova.

mirellastoyanova.com
Posts Replies Media Videos
mirellastoyanova.bsky.social
This story is about how we hold complexity for difficult truths and learn to see beyond pain and cultural stereotypes.

By far, my most vulnerable and challenging piece yet.

#writing #ptsd #adoption

www.huffpost.com/entry/father...
I Was 3 When I Watched My Father Kill My Mother And Himself. Years Later, I Uncovered The Truth Of What Happened.
"The explanation complicated the narrative that I had come to understand throughout my upbringing — the one that had kept me from wanting to know more."
www.huffpost.com
July 17, 2025 at 4:55 PM
mirellastoyanova.bsky.social
Wonderful conversation with Stephen Robinson, aka
@playtyperguy.com, about cross-cultural adoption, identity, and the memoir that I am querying. Thanks again for having me on, Stephen.
playtyperguy.com Stephen Robinson @playtyperguy.com · May 2
I spoke with writer @mirellastoyanova.bsky.social about her experience growing up in a less-than-diverse environment (1990s Seattle) and how she’s worked to reclaim her identity. Full interview at www.playtyperguy.com
May 3, 2025 at 9:18 PM
mirellastoyanova.bsky.social
I’ve been asking my family to pronounce my name correctly for 18 years, which is over half of my life. They still can’t do it. This essay is about how we honor who we are and where we come from when the people who we love can’t (or won’t).

www.businessinsider.com/my-family-ca...
I was adopted as a child by an American family. They still can't pronounce my name correctly.
I was adopted when I was 5, and my parents Americanized my name. I've been trying to correct my family for 18 years.
www.businessinsider.com
February 22, 2025 at 7:10 PM
mirellastoyanova.bsky.social
Biggest thank you to Kailey Brennan DelloRusso and Ashleah Gonzalez for selecting my essay to be featured in this month’s issue of Write or Die Magazine.

writeordiemag.com/elliptical-l...
Loss, Side Effects May Include — Write or Die Magazine
In Bulgaria, where I am born and live until the age of five, I lose my life. You never hear it referred to in such a melodramatic way, but that is what it feels like to be adopted at an age you remem...
writeordiemag.com
February 10, 2025 at 2:36 PM
mirellastoyanova.bsky.social
I have to believe something good can come of this. I have to believe, because the minute I stop believing is the minute I lose my ability to do anything about it.
#inauguration
January 20, 2025 at 6:01 PM
Reposted by Mirella Stoyanova
thesusanito.bsky.social
Loved having two adoptee meetups this week! 🥚@saraeasterlyauthor.bsky.social @mirellastoyanova.bsky.social
Two smiling women in glasses overlooking the water and an island in the distance Two smiling women one in graying chin length hair and glasses and the other with long curly dark hair, standing next to a white curtain
January 12, 2025 at 5:11 PM
mirellastoyanova.bsky.social
One week later and it still hasn't set in. After 3+ years, my manuscript of my debut memoir is finally query ready. #writingcommunity #amwriting #amquerying
January 6, 2025 at 5:41 PM
mirellastoyanova.bsky.social
smashfizzle.bsky.social Ashley C. Ford @smashfizzle.bsky.social · Dec 27
If you’re the kind of person who easily forgets what you’ve accomplished, you need a practice for reminding yourself. Count the years, the finished projects, the progress, the praise, count it all up and use it as evidence against the ever present criticism in your head that you’re not doing enough.
December 28, 2024 at 1:43 PM
Reposted by Mirella Stoyanova
alicestephens.bsky.social
Thank you to @raisingmothers.bsky.social for publishing my review of ADOPTION UNFILTERED, a much needed, first-of-its-kind resource on adoption's complexities for everyone in the constellation.

raisingmothers.substack.com/p/review-ado...
Review | Adoption Unfiltered: Revelations from Adoptees, Birth Parents, Adoptive Parents and Allies
"By flattening the adoption experience and upholding principles of patriarchy, capitalism, racism, and classism, these tropes do real damage to everyone in the adoption constellation."
raisingmothers.substack.com
December 16, 2024 at 6:59 PM
mirellastoyanova.bsky.social
💯 this.
hopebastine.com Hope Bastine @hopebastine.com · Dec 16
Trauma tells a child: the world is unsafe, and no one will protect you. But when a parent fights for justice, they rewrite that narrative: ‘You are safe, you are valued, and we will always stand up for what’s right.’ 💖✨ #HealingTogether #GenerationalResilience
a woman wearing glasses and a black jacket says i 'll protect it with my life
ALT: a woman wearing glasses and a black jacket says i 'll protect it with my life
media.tenor.com
December 16, 2024 at 5:54 PM
mirellastoyanova.bsky.social
It’s all fun and games until suddenly you’re drafting a book proposal. 😂😅
December 6, 2024 at 2:59 PM
mirellastoyanova.bsky.social
This past Tuesday, a record-breaking storm knocked out the two tallest trees on our property and I was reminded not to wait to express my gratitude, not even for a national holiday. #thankful
Poem: “Don’t Hesitate” by Mary Oliver If you suddenly and unexpectedly feel joy, don’t hesitate. Give into it. There are plenty of lives and whole towns destroyed or about to be. We are not wise, and not very often kind. And much can never be redeemed. Still, life has some possibility left. Perhaps this is its way of fighting back, that sometimes something happens better than all the riches or power in the world. It could be anything, but very likely you notice it in the instant when love begins. Anyway, that’s often the case. Anyway, whatever it is, don’t be afraid of its plenty. Joy is not made to be a crumb.
November 25, 2024 at 8:13 PM
Reposted by Mirella Stoyanova
thesusanito.bsky.social
If anyone would like a personally inscribed book for a gift, I’d be happy to do that. 🥚
Book cover of "I Would Meet You Anywhere: a memoir" by Susan KIYO Ito, showcasing a tranquil indigo scene with embroidery of origami cranes that evokes a sense of connection. Silver sticker that says National Book Critics Circle Award Finalist.
November 25, 2024 at 6:21 PM
Reposted by Mirella Stoyanova
amygrier.bsky.social
Up to 75 resilient survivors writing about trauma and family estrangement! Still room for more if you'd like to be included in the pack. #memoir #memoirists #writingcommunity #amwriting #CPTSD #trauma #resilience #writingsupport #estrangement

go.bsky.app/MG3fqTH
November 22, 2024 at 2:31 PM
Reposted by Mirella Stoyanova
kayleighj.bsky.social
“We can disagree and still love each other unless your disagreement is rooted in my oppression and denial of my humanity and right to exist.”

- Robert Jones, Jr.
November 17, 2024 at 11:42 PM
Reposted by Mirella Stoyanova
joonae.bsky.social
One of the most important things to me now is boosting this fundraiser for my Habibi, Tamara Abu Dayer. Please donate what you can! gofund.me/19d38c48
Donate to Escaping Genocide :Gaza Evacuation for My Family., organized by Tamara Abudayer
O free people of this world I am Tamara Ashraf Abu Dayer. I am 25 y… Tamara Abudayer needs your support for Escaping Genocide :Gaza Evacuation for My Family.
gofund.me
November 16, 2024 at 7:43 PM
mirellastoyanova.bsky.social
November 16, 2024 at 2:31 PM
Reposted by Mirella Stoyanova
linalau.bsky.social
It's like a breath of fresh air over here.
November 13, 2024 at 9:05 PM
mirellastoyanova.bsky.social
Although I am mainly preoccupied with completing my memoir (while parenting a toddler), I am proud of this piece I published @huffpost.bsky.social in September, and look forward to writing more short-form pieces in the future. #amwriting #writingcommunity #writing

www.huffpost.com/entry/son-ne...
I Spent Years Fighting For Control. Then My Son Nearly Died In Childbirth — And I Was Forced To Face A Painful Truth.
"While trauma may have altered my upbringing, I am proud that it doesn’t have to alter his."
www.huffpost.com
November 15, 2024 at 7:09 PM
mirellastoyanova.bsky.social
Migrating a few of my favorite picture-posts from the old country. This one feels especially relevant these days. #writingcommunity #art #illustration
A list of ways to build community, surrounded by colorful illustrations of a city community. List is as follows: Turn off your tv, leave your house, know your neighbors, greet people, look up when you're walking, sit on your stoop, plant flours, use your library, play together, buy from local merchants, share what you have, help a lost dog, take children to the park, honor elders, support neighborhood schools, fix it even if you didn't break it, have pot lucks, garden together, pick up litter, read stories aloud, dance in the street, talk to the mail carrier, listen to the birds, put up a swing, help carry something heavy, barter for your goods, start a tradition, ask a question, hire young people for odd jobs, organize a block party, bake extra and share, ask for help when you need it, open your shades, sing together, share your skills, take back the night, turn up the music, turn down the music, listen before you react to anger, mediate a conflict, seek to understand, learn from new and uncomfortable angles, know that no one is silent though many are not heard, work to change this.
November 14, 2024 at 12:02 AM