iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Anica Mrose Rissi @anicarissi.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

Got up before the sun to lead three more writing workshops in Ocean City, NJ. These creative 7th graders went deep on character, surprised themselves and me with their insights and ideas, and met every twist and challenge I threw their way. Also, today was hat day.

7th graders, many wearing hats, all facing away from the camera, busy writing by hand at long tables in a school library.

030

Anica Mrose Rissi @anicarissi.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

Making me feel like a slacker for not having voted yet, a full four weeks before the election. (Listen, poring over the local paper to weed out the scariest school board candidates takes time.)

010

Anica Mrose Rissi @anicarissi.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

I'm excited to return on Wednesday for a day of writing workshops with the 7th graders--most of whom I met (and invented stories with) two years ago, when they were in 5th grade. There are a few schools that invite me back to lead workshops year after year, and I treasure that experience.

Sticker on a classroom door: "Readers enter here."

010

Anica Mrose Rissi @anicarissi.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Spent a wonderful day leading writing workshops with curious and creative 5th graders in Ocean City, New Jersey. It was 100% worth waking up at 4:42am to get there.

5th graders writing stories in a library classroom, seated at long tables with their backs to the camera.

120

Anica Mrose Rissi @anicarissi.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

File under: Why Do I Do Anything Ever

000

Anica Mrose Rissi @anicarissi.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

Ha, did these show up as blank on everyone else's screens or just mine?

100

Anica Mrose Rissi @anicarissi.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

The Poetry Center at PCCC *does* still administer two poetry awards--the Allen Ginsberg Poetry Awards, for 5 unpublished poems, and the Paterson Poetry Prize, for a published book--and those submission windows are open now, so spread the word to any poets you know (though both have submission fees)

poetrycenterpccc.com

Contests & Awards — The Poetry Center at PCCC

000

Anica Mrose Rissi @anicarissi.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

Maris isn't necessarily talking about the smaller awards like the Paterson Prize for Books for Young People here, but in a crowded market, any boost in visibility--let alone in author morale--makes a difference. (The Paterson Prize also came with a few hundred dollars, which isn't nothing!)

100

Anica Mrose Rissi @anicarissi.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

Sad to see that the Poetry Center at PCCC seems to have discontinued the Paterson Prize for Books for Young People. Winning that award (in 2021 for LOVE, SOPHIA ON THE MOON and in 2024 for WISHING SEASON) meant so much to me as an author, and I always checked their lists for under-the-radar gems.

110

Anica Mrose Rissi @anicarissi.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Somehow skeeting this correct take 11 months ago did not cause it to happen?

020

Anica Mrose Rissi @anicarissi.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Would a photo of the creepy, angry babydoll I recently found in the attic of my parents' barn help? (Not blaming it--I too would be pissed if my arms were attached like this baby's and my maker gave me this hairdo.)

An old, naked porcelain doll, a few inches high, mostly bald except for a few random patches of light brown hair(?), painted red cheeks, eyes to the side, a pissed off expression, and its arms loosely attached with silver rings.

000

Anica Mrose Rissi @anicarissi.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Good job resting! I hope you feel better soon <3

110

Reposted by Anica Mrose Rissi

Preeti Chhibber @runwithskizzers.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Make some good (or bad!!) art with your own brain today just bc you can ❤️

625496

Reposted by Anica Mrose Rissi

Porter Square Books in Cambridge & Boston @portersqbooks.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Ok, you may not be thinking about holiday shopping but we sure are & shopping early is very helpful to small businesses. Sooooo, tell us about someone you're buying a book for this holiday season & we'll give you a recommendation!

85723

Anica Mrose Rissi @anicarissi.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Office buddy looking extra sweet today

020

Anica Mrose Rissi @anicarissi.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Anecdotally: spouse and I got our covid shots (moderna) on Tuesday, and neither of us had any side effects. Post-vax chicken dance to prevent sore arms ftw

010

Anica Mrose Rissi @anicarissi.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

You'll be sipping ham smoothies for months! (I am entirely accustomed to meal prep for two, yet still end up with more cucumbers than any number of humans can consume in a week...)

010

Reposted by Anica Mrose Rissi

Ivy @becauseivy.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

It's Thinking Thursday, delete your robots

216559

Reposted by Anica Mrose Rissi

Anica Mrose Rissi @anicarissi.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

This issue also includes a writing prompt; a process prompt; a quote about research, time, and choice (plus book and documentary recs); stunning cover cosplay photos; and a Tarot reading to capture the energy you might carry with you through this season and into the next stage of your project.

thisistheeavesdrop.com

Issue 5: Research

A quarterly conversation about process and craft with authors Anna-Marie McLemore, Emily X.R. Pan, Anica Mrose Rissi, Sara Ryan, and Nova Ren Suma.

001

Reposted by Anica Mrose Rissi

Anica Mrose Rissi @anicarissi.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

In Issue 5 of The Eavesdrop, A-M McLemore, @exrpan.bsky.social, @ryansara.bsky.social, @novarensuma.bsky.social, and I are discussing RESEARCH: the rabbit holes down which we fall (deliberately & not), what we find there and how we use it, and signs it might be time to climb out & return to the page

thisistheeavesdrop.com

Issue 5: Research

A quarterly conversation about process and craft with authors Anna-Marie McLemore, Emily X.R. Pan, Anica Mrose Rissi, Sara Ryan, and Nova Ren Suma.

121

Reposted by Anica Mrose Rissi

Sara Ryan @ryansara.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

I always love our Eavesdrop conversations, and this issue, focused on RESEARCH, is most especially my jam! Read & subscribe for free!

042

Anica Mrose Rissi @anicarissi.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

thisistheeavesdrop.com

Issue 5: Research

A quarterly conversation about process and craft with authors Anna-Marie McLemore, Emily X.R. Pan, Anica Mrose Rissi, Sara Ryan, and Nova Ren Suma.

001

Anica Mrose Rissi @anicarissi.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

thisistheeavesdrop.com

Issue 5: Research

A quarterly conversation about process and craft with authors Anna-Marie McLemore, Emily X.R. Pan, Anica Mrose Rissi, Sara Ryan, and Nova Ren Suma.

121

Anica Mrose Rissi @anicarissi.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

Writing to the music of his deep, gusty snores

A very good dog asleep beneath the desk.

010

Reposted by Anica Mrose Rissi

Lauren Morrill @laurenmorrill.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

A book packager I wrote for (and do not own any portion of the copyright for the work produced) notified authors that they’d be providing a percentage of any settlement to authors “in recognition of their work” so it’s not all bleak in settlement world!

061

Anica Mrose Rissi @anicarissi.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

Yeah, I took this screenshot from a Fbk friend who still lives in that part of Maine (where I grew up), and the comments are full of people naming guys who are/were famous for this. The real news is that some lady called the cops about a butt. (I'm guessing she's from away)

010

Reposted by Anica Mrose Rissi

jonny @misterbloat.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

It’s about time we had a reckoning with the need so many writers feel to over-explain everything aspect of their stories, even in non Weird genres. Readers don’t need to be babied. Let us figure things out. Leave room for interpretation. Over-explanation makes writing worse.

14446105

Anica Mrose Rissi @anicarissi.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

It's full of “brilliant illustrations & silly hijinks” (Book Riot) that are “bound to make any child giggle” (Deseret News), plus Zach’s & my “over-the-top sensibilities that mesh fantastically” (NYTimes). Surely you know a kid, hippo, or teacher who'd like one? hachettebookgroup.com/contributor/...

Paperback of The Teacher's Pet written by Anica Mrose Rissi, illustrated by Zachariah OHora. The cover shows an excited hippopotamus with his feet up on the besotted teacher's desk. The kids, one of whom holds a textbook with a bite missing, are much more concerned/alarmed.

000

Anica Mrose Rissi @anicarissi.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

If you need a “very funny” (PW ⭐️) picture book “perfect for classroom read-alouds and lessons on problem-solving or pets” (SLJ), Zachariah OHora's and my “wonderful and whimsical” (BookPage) THE TEACHER'S PET is out now in paperback with an even brighter, floppier, more hippo-tastic cover

hachettebookgroup.com

The Teacher’s Pet

This hilarious tale by debut picturebook author Anica Mrose Rissi, brilliantly illustrated by Zachariah OHora, will keep kids giggling page after page as the...

150

Anica Mrose Rissi @anicarissi.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

Nothing, just balancing a hippo bowl on my head while cosplaying as Mr. Stricter from THE TEACHER'S PET for back-to-school book promo. You?

Selfie of the author in a mustard yellow cardigan, white collared button-down, and black bowtie, with a pencil behind her ear and a fishbowl with a plastic hippo in it balanced on top of her head.

Selfie of the author in the same outfit, with the same hippo bowl on her head, now holding a paperback of her and Zachariah OHora's picture book The Teacher's Pet, which shows a hippo in the classroom causing trouble, much to the alarm of the students and the delight of the teacher (who is wearing the same outfit as the author).

170

Anica Mrose Rissi @anicarissi.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

Her voice, her lyrics, her heart, her wit, but also her AMBITION and how openly and unabashedly she shared that with us too. A gift.

040

Reposted by Anica Mrose Rissi

alix e. harrow @alixeharrow.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

one time i was in the elevator going to my own event, next to a woman holding a stack of my books. i was like "we're going to the same place 😏" and she said "i'm so not a fan, but signed copies get more on ebay" and i said "i'm so sorry for what's about to happen"

361644191

Anica Mrose Rissi @anicarissi.bsky.social · 09/08/2026

Have I ever. How do you think I got all those other books written?

000

Anica Mrose Rissi @anicarissi.bsky.social · 08/08/2026

This is exactly what I needed, thank you.

010

Anica Mrose Rissi @anicarissi.bsky.social · 08/08/2026

Been scrolling Bsky for a full seven minutes and it hasn't added a single word to my draft. RUDE.

230

Anica Mrose Rissi @anicarissi.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

Oh my goodness! (And yes, yes we do.)

000

Anica Mrose Rissi @anicarissi.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

She would also sometimes call the landline at 11pm with urgent questions: "It's Mrs. Rose. Listen. How do you keep the stove so clean?" (Um, we spray it with 409 sometimes?) "Ohhhhhhhh. Okay, goodnight."

110

Anica Mrose Rissi @anicarissi.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

For Christmas, she gave us an 8-inch figurine of a sad boy with a suitcase and a dog, which we felt we had to keep displayed in our kitchen for the rest of our lease, since who knew when she might let herself in to see if it was still there

100

Anica Mrose Rissi @anicarissi.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

Yup! I got heatstroke in that apartment (she would also close open windows and we weren't allowed to have AC)

110

Anica Mrose Rissi @anicarissi.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

The woman said "okay" and Mrs. Rose went back up the stairs with her purse full of our cash and my roommate & me still on her heels. As my heartbeat/breathing started returning to normal, she sat back at the table, looked at us, said "Oh! You thought I was going to rob you!" and laughed and laughed

100

Anica Mrose Rissi @anicarissi.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

She waved that off, so we stuck as close to her as we could while she opened the door, where a woman who could have been anyone said, "Uh, I'm the mailman, and there's a note here to ring the doorbell?" Mrs. Rose explained that oh yes, she wanted to let the post office know the old tenants moved out

100