Tom McAllister

My book, IT ALL FELT IMPOSSIBLE, in which I wrote a short essay for each year of my life, is officially out today (paperback & ebook). I think it's the best writing I've ever done, the most I've ever sounded like myself on the page. Full details, reviews, etc: rosemetalpress.com/books/it-all...

Now, though new works emerge constantly, the conversation remains unchanging, and it is clear to me that it is utterly exhausted.

It seems to me that over the past decade “books coverage” became a quest to find ways of talking about books that did not actually necessitate any reference to books. Books as gossip. Books as cultural vibe. Books as vague indicator of the state of things.

unfortunately, the Eagles will only have appeared in 3 Super Bowls in 10 years and won 2 of them, this is my cross to bear

instrumental anthems only from now on, save the voice stuff for the decadent nightclubs and karaoke bars

journalism

one time I got a free appetizer at Cheesecake Factory because we were sitting outside and one of the propane tanks on the outdoor heaters was leaking. I wonder if Barack Obama knew about that

Friends, I’m so excited & proud to say: I have a spicy flash fiction in The Rumpus! 🥰 It’s got outdoor sex office loneliness a bevy of f-bombs 🍻🥳📚🌼✨ Enjoy & share widely pls! 🪴 therumpus.net/2026/10/23/f...

me watching the Sixers game

me watching the Sixers game

Is it even possible to follow the Sixers this season without Rich’s newsletter? I say no. Give this man your email and thank me later. He is the best Sixers writer in the city (in addition to all the other great stuff!).

ok this is a beautiful essay from @tmcallister.bsky.social on the giant yard skeletons. i take back everything i said. www.thesunmagazine.org/articles/278...

Low-key fascinated by the sign in front of an off-campus student apartment complex. What exactly is the angle here.

I wrote about becoming editor of @storyquarterly.bsky.social, and as always it turned into me just thinking about what the whole point of publishing and editing even is storyquarterly.substack.com/p/20-thought...

In all the hoopla, I didn't even think about how LeBron being the inbounder on ATOs is going to exorcise a decade worth of Sixers demons for me

Hey, my book is a book today! 🧙‍♀️🫈👻🖤

I am re-reading ABBOT AWAITS by Chris Bachelder and, wow, what a book. One of the best books a person can make

I am a 63 year old retired machinist in Dubuque, Iowa. I live on a fixed income because of injuries I sustained on the job. My grocery bill is higher than ever, and my son hasn't spoken to me in 10 years. The only thing I care about is that the pedophile President be allowed to build his ballroom.

I'm not mad at Ben Simmons anymore; man was trying to play for the Kings, he was redefining rock bottom as it is

had a dream that my teeth started falling out of my mouth, but I got invited to do a paid lecture on how spontaneous tooth loss affected my writing process, so you could say my career is on the right track

There are more 1-day conferences out there than when we started, and quite a few that on the surface look pretty similar to ours, but we feel strongly that we remain the best value in this space, and we've been honing this thing for a long time www.barrelhousemag.com/conference

Our conference in DC returns to American University on April 24, 2027! Registration is open now. We're still filling out the program, but we guarantee you a high-energy day full of practical writing advice and meaningful connections with local writers & editors www.barrelhousemag.com/conference

If I were Diddy, I would simply not get into a prison fight with the Jamaican drug lord Dudus

Attn science writers, journalists, essayists, nature writers: You can (and should!) nominate your own work for The Best American Science and Nature Writing! (Editors et al, you're welcome to nominate, too.) Everything you need to know is here: jaimegreen.net/basn

Friend shared this pic of Yiyun Li with Terry Gross (and a third person?), and I immediately flashed to the 2nd pic

Bona/Barlow/Jabari Walker mural coming right up

I just overheard someone use the glorious idiom, “But you know, like, nothing beats a dead horse.”

I probably have a different perspective than most on the "why don't men read more" thing, which is that I believe masculine eyeballs are too powerful for the page; when a man concentrates very hard on a book his eyes burn literal holes into it, and this can actually be quite dangerous for bystanders

Tim Reid agreed to an interview with Seth Borgen, which is ostensibly about Frank's Place, but it covers a whole lot of ground. That's up on the site today too www.barrelhousemag.com/blog/going-g...

I grew up watching literally reading TV Guide cover to cover every week. Watched any old slop you could get on the major networks (never had cable). Somehow never even heard of Frank's Place till will get this submission.

Tonight (6 PM) in Fishtown at Lot 49 Books-- the first stop of @adamoprice.bsky.social's tour for his excellent new book OBJECTS OF DESIRE. I promise to be a good host (he's also reading at Rutgers Camden tomorrow night, if you can't make this)

Eagle-eyed readers might note the almost total lack of hyperlinked evidence for this paragraph's many sweeping generalizations. Among them, that young readers want TOUGH GUY cultural objects that are cruelly being denied them by all these meddlesome women, when, in fact...