Diane Callahan
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quotidianwriter.bsky.social
Diane Callahan
@quotidianwriter.bsky.social
260 followers 360 following 150 posts
Writer. Editor. YouTuber. Arts Marketer. I eat stories for breakfast. THE SHIP AND THE STORM—debut poetry collection out now! www.quotidianwriter.com
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quotidianwriter.bsky.social
"I have been here every year of my life.
I've run these paths in the rain,
cursed mosquito bites in these forests,
been held bridal style in those tulip beds,
made scavenger hunts of counting stones,
worn the misty shroud of the secret garden."

— "Inniswood," from "The Ship and the Storm"
Diane in a blue floral dress sitting on a bench outdoors, holding and smiling while looking up from the book "The Ship and the Storm." A pair of hands holding up the book "The Ship and the Storm" by Diane Callahan and David Dixon against a background of purple flowers.
November 5, 2025 at 3:01 AM
quotidianwriter.bsky.social
New author pics, courtesy of Caroline Chidester and taken at Inniswood Metro Gardens, which deserved its own ode in my poetry collection! Growing up, I'd go for walks there with my dad, run, ride bikes, plant geocaches, and take family photos, and now I've posed for the next chapter of my life.
Diane in a blue floral dress sitting on a wooden bench outdoors, smiling and holding a hand near her hair. Diane in a blue floral dress sitting on a bench outdoors, reading the book "The Ship and the Storm." Diane standing and smiling among tall purple and red flowers in a sunny garden. Diane in a blue floral dress smiling while sitting on a rock in front of dark green evergreen trees.
November 5, 2025 at 3:01 AM
quotidianwriter.bsky.social
Obsessed with these photos of my poetry collection from the brilliant Caroline Chidester! 😍

The paperback and hardback versions of The Ship and the Storm are available at Bookshop.org, Barnes & Noble, and Amazon, with an audiobook in progress.💕 www.amazon.com/dp/B0FB12WK8L
white cover of The Ship and the Storm poetry collection with a collage of Adam and Eve against floral elements; the book sits on a rippled navy-colored satin with a white carnation to the left and two pinned butterflies in frames to the right blue cover of The Ship and the Storm poetry collection with a collage of Adam and Eve against floral elements; the book sits on top of two blue China plates depicting ships and floral patterns sitting on a dark blue satin white cover of The Ship and the Storm poetry collection with a collage of Adam and Eve against floral elements; the book sits on top of a pile of old poetry books, and beside it is a bouquet of white carnations, a framed pinned moth, and a blue and white China plate with a ship and candle blue cover of The Ship and the Storm poetry collection with a collage of Adam and Eve against floral elements; the book sits on a round wooden platform next to a white carnation and baby's breath with old Tennyson poetry collections beside it
September 25, 2025 at 2:58 AM
quotidianwriter.bsky.social
Nobody told me Jack London wrote poetry. What a writer! (From “The Call of the Wild.”)
And not only did he learn by experience, but instincts long dead became alive again. The domesticated generations fell from him. In vague ways he remembered back to the youth of the breed, to the time the wild dogs ranged in packs through the primeval forest and killed their meat as they ran it down. It was no task for him to learn to fight with cut and slash and the quick wolf snap. In this manner had fought forgotten ancestors. They quickened the old life within him, and the old tricks which they had stamped into the heredity of the breed were his tricks. They came to him without effort or discovery, as though they had been his always. And when, on the still cold nights, he pointed his nose at a star and howled long and wolflike, it was his ancestors, dead and dust, pointing nose at star and howling down through the centuries and through him. And his cadences were their cadences, the cadences which voiced their woe and what to them was the meaning of the stiffness, and the cold, and dark.
August 25, 2025 at 1:18 PM
quotidianwriter.bsky.social
I’m super excited to share that THE SHIP AND THE STORM—my debut poetry collection with @dixondaver.bsky.social
—is now available for ebook preorder! It'll also be available in paperback, hardback, and audiobook on September 1, 2025. (I can't get over the cover art!)

www.amazon.com/dp/B0FB12WK8L
front cover of the ship and the storm with a collage of adam and eve interspersed with a painting of a ship and flowers and moths in the background
June 29, 2025 at 3:43 AM
quotidianwriter.bsky.social
I love YA fiction and these local authors, so I’m super excited to ask them questions and buy tons of books. Hope to see my fellow bibliophiles there!
Ohioana Book Festival May 3, 2025 10:00 am - 5:00 pm Free Admission State Library 274 E. First Ave. ohioana.org With illustration of a mouse driving a cart filled with books
April 24, 2025 at 6:02 PM
quotidianwriter.bsky.social
I’ll be moderating the "Writing for Young Adult Readers" panel discussion at 2:30 PM featuring Kristy Boyce, Ashley Hope Pérez, Rafael Rosado, Skye Quinlan, and Mar Romasco-Moore.
Writing For Young Adult Readers Panel Discussion Moderated by Diane Callahan Panel and Q&A May 3, 2025 DATING and DRAGONS puale -Bom OHIOANA BOOK FESTIVAL State Library of Ohio Photos of authors next to their books: Kristy Boyce, Ashley Hope Pérez, Rafael Rosado, Skye Quinlan, and Mar Romasco-Moore.
April 24, 2025 at 6:02 PM
quotidianwriter.bsky.social
I’m looking forward to being a book fair exhibitor with Story Garden Publishing and panel moderator at this year’s Ohioana Book Festival! Check out the *free* event at the State Library of Ohio on Saturday, May 3 from 10 AM–5 PM.
Meet the AUTHORS UNDER AN EMERALD SPELL Jordan Riley Swan & Diane Callahan JORDAN RILEY SWAN May 3, 2025 10:00 am - 5:00 pm Free Admission OHIOANA BOOK FESTIVAL State Library 274 E. First Ave. ohioana.org @ohioana.library #OhioanaBookFestival
April 24, 2025 at 6:02 PM
quotidianwriter.bsky.social
Is it too much to ask the universe to have Lana Del Rey cover Sylvia Plath’s villanelle “Mad Girl’s Love Song”?
Mad Girl's Love Song "I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead; I lift my lids and all is born again. (I think I made you up inside my head.) The stars go waltzing out in blue and red, And arbitrary blackness gallops in: I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead. I dreamed that you bewitched me into bed And sung me moon-struck, kissed me quite insane. (I think I made you up inside my head.) God topples from the sky, hell's fires fade: Exit seraphim and Satan's men: I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead I fancied you'd return the way you said, But I grow old and I forget your name. (I think I made you up inside my head.) I should have loved a thunderbird instead; At least when spring comes they roar back again. I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead (I think I made you up inside my head.)"
April 12, 2025 at 12:43 AM
quotidianwriter.bsky.social
Attended a delightful author talk with @scalzi.com and @maryrobinettekowal.com! They got mad at how good each other's books are, and Mary narrated John's cheese-moon novel in the sexiest way possible. I loved how Mary took the water pitcher and quietly filled John's glass before her own. 🥺
Mary Robinette Kowal and John Scalzi sitting on a stage and holding up each other's books
March 23, 2025 at 10:10 PM
quotidianwriter.bsky.social
"Small Things Like These" by Claire Keegan is for you if...

+ Christmastime makes you a little sad
+ The prose must mesmerize you
+ You're at least 1/16 Irish
+ "Won't you be my neighbor?" is your life philosophy
+ You want to read a short story and count it as a novel on your reading list
Cover of the book Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan, which features a green background with the roofs of houses covered in snow
March 21, 2025 at 5:47 PM
quotidianwriter.bsky.social
Very excited to share the cover art for my forthcoming poetry collection, THE SHIP AND THE STORM! This piece was created by the wonderful Emily Morgan, AKA Lovely But Dead, a Columbus-based collage artist.

Up next—lettering and cover design so I can start preorders for the 9/1/25 release!
March 19, 2025 at 7:45 PM
quotidianwriter.bsky.social
Picking back up my podcast! This episode is a companion piece to my worldbuilding video. How do you avoid "infodumping"? What's the best way to differentiate fictional cultures and subcultures? How do you know where to start and stop worldbuilding?

creators.spotify.com/pod/show/quo...
Quotidian Writer logo with an open book + Episode 3: Worldbuilding
March 6, 2025 at 2:47 AM
quotidianwriter.bsky.social
Sounds about right.
Library search page that says "I'm looking for _____ annihilation"
January 21, 2025 at 5:03 PM
quotidianwriter.bsky.social
It was awesome to hear people's writing goals for 2025 during my second workshop livestream! 💖

Watch the recording here:
youtube.com/live/FgbnJiD...

The next live workshop on my channel will be Sunday, April 27 at 2:00 PM ET, and it's all about Finding Your Narrative Voice!
Diane holding a Blue Yeti microphone with the text "finding your narrative voice livestream workshop"
January 5, 2025 at 10:49 PM
quotidianwriter.bsky.social
I'll be teaching a six-week virtual course on Writing Speculative War Fiction with Literary Flair for CONSEQUENCE! The course includes guaranteed editorial feedback from me, peer critique, and group discussion, plus weekly craft and fiction readings.

consequenceforum.org/workshops
Writing Speculative War Fiction with Literary Flair with Diane Callahan A fiction workshop focused on a broad range of speculative fiction, from fantasy, sci-fi, and horror to magical realism and fabulism Online: Sundays, Feb. 23 - March 30 7p-9p ET consequenceforum.org/workshops
December 16, 2024 at 6:17 PM
quotidianwriter.bsky.social
Upcoming Livestream!
Setting Your Writing Goals for 2025
Sunday, Jan. 5, 2:00 PM ET

Through casual conversation and guided activities, you’ll identify your values, choose a mission statement, set SMART goals, and outline milestones you can use to achieve those goals.
www.youtube.com/live/FgbnJiD...
Set your 2025 writing goals livestream workshop with a photo of Diane gesturing toward a weekly planner
December 16, 2024 at 6:10 PM
quotidianwriter.bsky.social
A new video format for me—a livestream interactive writing workshop! Across 90 minutes, I'll share tips and tricks for blending genres in fiction with interactive discussions in the chat, plus three writing exercises at the end.

Sunday, Dec. 15 at 8:00 PM ET!

www.youtube.com/live/itgzmTK...
Picture of Diane holding a stack of books (The Poet X, Pale Fire, and Slaughter-house Five) with the text Blending Genres Live Writing Workshop
December 13, 2024 at 5:35 AM
quotidianwriter.bsky.social
New cover image, who dis.
Quotidian Writer logo with the tagline Keep Writing on a photo of Trinity College Library in Dublin, Ireland
December 13, 2024 at 3:32 AM
quotidianwriter.bsky.social
It’s always a good day when a new local bookstore springs into existence. ✨
Storefront of Clintonville Books, with glass windows showing holiday book displays Interior of the bookstore with wooden floors and white cube bookshelves in the middle in walls lined with books Children’s section of the bookstore with a reading nook covered in pillows and tables with toys Two books translated from Spanish—Pedro Páramo and Brickmakers
December 10, 2024 at 1:35 AM
quotidianwriter.bsky.social
I’m pretty pleased with my #SpotifyWrapped this year! I love that Joy Oladokun says, in their message to the top 0.5% listeners, “I hope you’re okay.” Talk about knowing your audience. 😂 Excited to see them in concert in January!
Top Artists 1 Joy Oladokun 2 Coldplay 3 ABBA 4 Lake Street Dive 5 Sabrina Carpenter Minutes Listened 28,033 Top Songs 1 Nothing Matters 2 Following the Sun 3 Idea 10 4 Good Luck, Babe! 5 Pepper
December 5, 2024 at 3:28 PM
quotidianwriter.bsky.social
A big part of my day job as a marketing manager at an art gallery is working EVENTS! I love the annual Design Winter Market, where the students design and produce unique products.

The visual communications majors even sold notebooks with short story covers they designed. 😊
Vendors selling products on a university campus Sweatshirt that says hot girls read and please don’t talk to me while I’m reading Wooden cup with three leaf pillows called Sproutmates The Veldt a short story by Ray Bradbury with a creepy design of two silhouettes of children
December 4, 2024 at 5:48 PM
quotidianwriter.bsky.social
In my happy place of cuddling with the kittens on the couch while reading art exhibition proposals for my amazing job as it rains outside.
Fluffy cat on a blue couch covered in orange fall pillows, with another fluffy cat sitting at the window farther away
November 27, 2024 at 11:01 PM
quotidianwriter.bsky.social
Some kind of dragon from this book of Traditional Czech Puppets!
Book cover for Traditional Czech Puppets, featuring two small, somewhat creepy puppets and the title in Chinese characters
November 27, 2024 at 7:11 PM
quotidianwriter.bsky.social
I think one POV helps focus the plot so it’s not too much info for a prospective reader to take in, similar to a query letter. I’ve also seen books with dual POVs that manage to describe two (often romance). I’d say three max or just mention character roles (e.g., the alchemist seeking revenge).
Book description for Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo: Ketterdam: a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be had for the right price-and no one knows that better than criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker. Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. But he can't pull it off alone... A convict with a thirst for revenge A sharpshooter who can't walk away from a wager A runaway with a privileged past A spy known as the Wraith A Heartrender using her magic to survive the slums A thief with a gift for unlikely escapes Six dangerous outcasts. One impossible heist. Kaz's crew is the only thing that might stand between the world and destruction-if they don't kill each other first.
November 27, 2024 at 7:06 PM