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Shannon Sanders

@shanders.bsky.social

2.9K followers 1.7K following 2.6K posts

THE GREAT WHEREVER (forthcoming from Holt, summer ‘26); COMPANY, 2024 winner of the L.A.Times Book Prizes Award for First Fiction: https://www.graywolfpress.org/books/company. Mom, twin mom, lawyer, Silver Springer. She/her

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Shannon Sanders @shanders.bsky.social · 19d

Today’s newsletter post has a fun announcement in it. (But still more of the usual too!)

shanders-red-eye.beehiiv.com/p/i-love-wri...

I love writing!....Am I still allowed to do it?

An exploration of our rights

shanders-red-eye.beehiiv.com

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Shannon Sanders @shanders.bsky.social · 7h

Who wants to do a DIY Halloween costume makeathon over Zoom? We can drink, help each other with ideas, and curse ourselves for not steering the kids toward something more easily store-bought. Oh but we have to do this at 10 pm, and we will be so very cranky. I’m only a little bit not kidding.

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Shannon Sanders @shanders.bsky.social · 10h

Right, they actually love the grocery store! Much more than I do!

Shannon Sanders @shanders.bsky.social · 10h

So so so cute

Shannon Sanders @shanders.bsky.social · 10h

Yes definitely—those are the other reasons I mentioned!! (Also bc they need to learn to plan meals and choose food??)

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Shannon Sanders @shanders.bsky.social · 11h

Will I try my hardest to keep them from bothering other shoppers? Hell yes. Will I look super stressed out doing it? Yes. Is this still preferable to having literally zero minutes to myself all day? Most definitely also yes

Shannon Sanders @shanders.bsky.social · 11h

“Why do people bring all their kids with them to the grocery store?? 😤”

Among all the other reasons, consider that if I am only going to get the tiniest little bit of time to myself all day—my one wild and precious break—I might not prefer to spend it buying paper towels and sunbutter

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Shannon Sanders @shanders.bsky.social · 12h

For the preK field trip this week there was so much interest that there are basically 2 chaperones for every 3 kids

Shannon Sanders @shanders.bsky.social · 18h

Developing a theory that you are most likely to see coordinated group costumes in families where the mom specifically feels pretty great about how she looks

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Shannon Sanders @shanders.bsky.social · 1d

In the history of film and in the history of mess, I don’t think there has ever been a bigger mess than Saw IV

Shannon Sanders @shanders.bsky.social · 2d

It’s so important to know yourself well enough to determine whether the comfort watch you need is Clue, The Sound of Music, or the entire Saw franchise

Shannon Sanders @shanders.bsky.social · 2d

It’s so important to know yourself well enough to determine whether the comfort watch you need is Clue, The Sound of Music, or the entire Saw franchise

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Shannon Sanders @shanders.bsky.social · 3d

Something tells me this is not what you’re looking for but I’m deep in the middle of my annual Saw series rewatch

Shannon Sanders @shanders.bsky.social · 3d

Love re-remembering every morning that a bunch of my friends (who have mortgages and tuition to pay and groceries to buy and flickering hopes of leaving their children with more than they have now) are indefinitely out of a job

Shannon Sanders @shanders.bsky.social · 3d

People in the DC area at 9 am every day this month: “Wow there’s like no traffic! I’m going to actually be on time! This is AMAZ—oh”

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Shannon Sanders @shanders.bsky.social · 3d

Oh lol misunderstood yes, but ornery is not part of the standard curriculum

Shannon Sanders @shanders.bsky.social · 3d

But also I wonder if some of your middle child duties (keeping the peace? Brokering treaties between other siblings?) are just repackaged elder daughter stuff

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Shannon Sanders @shanders.bsky.social · 3d

Yeah but you know it’s unusual!

A lot of the time people are like “Eldest daughters need to shut up about being eldest daughters, I’m the middle daughter and I have xyz burdens” and the burdens are all things eldest daughters almost all do. Exceptions stand out because of the rule!

Shannon Sanders @shanders.bsky.social · 3d

The one exception is Jana Duggar

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Shannon Sanders @shanders.bsky.social · 3d

A girl who has 1-10 older brothers just isn’t living like us even if she does also have younger siblings, do you know what I mean

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Shannon Sanders @shanders.bsky.social · 3d

It’s two different categories with some overlap. We mostly mean the firstborn, who is also a daughter

Shannon Sanders @shanders.bsky.social · 3d

So excited about this! Come see Amber Sparks (and me) on Friday 10/24 at Politics & Prose at the Wharf!

Amber Sparks @ambersparks.bsky.social · 4d

Going on tour next week! Come say hi please don’t make me read to myself and that one guy who’s actually got earbuds in

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Shannon Sanders @shanders.bsky.social · 4d

I love the kids! Do not get me wrong! But I literally want some time to fold their clothes!!!!

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Shannon Sanders @shanders.bsky.social · 4d

Tomorrow I get to telework and the kids will be in school for an overlapping period of 5.75 hours. In my world that is the equivalent of a luxury cruise

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Shannon Sanders @shanders.bsky.social · 4d

At least you had your MIL there!! I find that having at least one trusted ally in the group goes a really long way for protecting your experience

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Shannon Sanders @shanders.bsky.social · 4d

No spoilers!! I’ll let you know!! I should be done tomorrow

Shannon Sanders @shanders.bsky.social · 4d

Source: I visited a bunch of book clubs for my first book and had only one notably bad experience! Also please invite me to your book club for my next book (summer 2026)!

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