Taffeta Chime
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taffetachime.bsky.social
Taffeta Chime
@taffetachime.bsky.social
Freelance writer and editor, mother, linguist, drummer, gamer, and big ole nerd.
Author of Stoodie (2007) and The Last (2011)
she/her
English/汉语/español
Pinned
If you’re into creative writing, you NEED to know about @chillsubs.bsky.social ! It’s the best resource out there for lit mag submissions, contests, & tracking your work. I use it daily!

Use code TAFFETA for 10% off any paid plan: chillsubs.com/?via=taffeta

#WritingCommunity #LitMags #WritersLife
Chill Subs
Free database of 3000+ literary magazines, 1200+ writing contests, a submissions tracker, and other tools to make your writing life not so freaking exhausting.
chillsubs.com
The Rutherford Arts Alliance December blog is up! Featuring ...

📢 news and events
🎉 celebrations
🎁 gift ideas for all the writers and readers in your life

Check it out!! www.rutherfordartsalliance.org/news/2025/11...
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#WritingCommunity #LocalAuthors #rutherfordarts #SupportLocal #BookishLife
RuCo Dec Lit News and Events, Yays, and Gift Ideas for Bookish People — Rutherford Arts Alliance
From author events to fundraisers, from local awards to publications, from gift ideas for readers and writers to everything in between—check out what’s happening in the literary community of Rutherfor...
www.rutherfordartsalliance.org
December 1, 2025 at 4:21 PM
Soooo want to know what I'm thankful for this year?
#alttext
a man in a suit is pointing at the camera with the words `` it 's you '' written below him .
Alt: a gif of one of those guys from Britain's Got Talent pointing at the camera with the words "it 's you'' written below him. That's right. You. Especially you, if you're reading this alt text. I sometimes like to leave little Easter eggs in the alt texts just for cool kids like you. So let me tell you a story. I'm in the US, and like many US-ers, I was at my parents' this weekend for Thanksgiving. My mom told me she had a desk that my great-grandmother used to write letters, and she was hoping to give it to me eventually. Last night I took it for a test run. It's super uncomfortable and definitely NOT a writing desk. Come to find out it's a French provincial vanity from the mid-20th century, to sound fancy about it. This made me laugh because it says a lot about my great-grandmother and, in fact, many of the women in my family: we care way more about what we write than how we look. So I'm on the fence if I want to keep the desk or not. Maybe for a conversation piece more than an actual writing desk. Comment and let me know what you think. Or don't. As my daughter said when she was four, "You are your brain." And I'm glad you and your brain are here. Have a great day and keep being awesome.
media.tenor.com
November 29, 2025 at 1:32 AM
Somehow I feel like I'm hitting the deadlines but also really behind? Anyone else feel that?

I've already asked my husband--if he can watch the girls tomorrow and give me a full day of work tomorrow, I think I ought to feel caught up. Maybe? Possibly?? Hopefully???

#writers #november #worklife
November 21, 2025 at 3:50 PM
When the depression hits hard and I feel like I'm not good enough, I try to remember that when my cat is looking for comfort, she will find something that smells like me and lie down on it. To her, just my scent is enough. No effort. No conditions.

#mentalhealth #cats #pets #animals #depression
November 14, 2025 at 3:28 PM
My contributor copies arrived from Meetinghouse Magazine!
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“Hustlers of the Second Grade,” blends gangster tropes with “elementary economics”: cafeteria trades, playground deals, bus stop negotiations, all that. It was so fun to write, and I’m so honored it's in Meetinghouse’s issue V!
November 13, 2025 at 4:22 PM
Because my husband is Chinese and we’re raising two Chinese American daughters, I cook Chinese food several times a week and have for over a decade. 🍚🥢

So I wrote for The Upside by @vitacost about how to make authentic Chinese dishes right here in the US: www.vitacost.com/blog/how-to-...
www.vitacost.com
November 7, 2025 at 4:50 PM
Yes, I know it’s been live for a week ... but better late than never, right? 😅 The November Rutherford Arts Alliance blog is full of local lit news, events, and creative highlights. Give it a read! www.rutherfordartsalliance.org/news/2025/10...
MTSU Write Conference, Author Signings, New Bookstores, and More! — Rutherford Arts Alliance
Get up to date on local literary events, whether you’re an avid reader, writer, or both!
www.rutherfordartsalliance.org
November 6, 2025 at 3:33 PM
If you’re into creative writing, you NEED to know about @chillsubs.bsky.social ! It’s the best resource out there for lit mag submissions, contests, & tracking your work. I use it daily!

Use code TAFFETA for 10% off any paid plan: chillsubs.com/?via=taffeta

#WritingCommunity #LitMags #WritersLife
Chill Subs
Free database of 3000+ literary magazines, 1200+ writing contests, a submissions tracker, and other tools to make your writing life not so freaking exhausting.
chillsubs.com
November 5, 2025 at 3:27 PM
Mid-life writer problems: If I sit at a desk to write for too long, my feet start to swell. If I lie down on the bed to write and keep my feet elevated, I get sleepy. A recliner is not enough space to spread my work out. What is the Goldilocks writing space? 😭
#help #homeoffice #wfh #writer #midlife
October 29, 2025 at 4:01 PM
Tried sleeping in a satin bonnet for the first time. My curls? Hydrated. My ego? Slightly dented. My laughter? Uncontrollable. 🤣

Any tips would be appreciated because I'm still learning how to tame this beast 😆😆

#CurlyHairProblems #BonnetLife #MorningChaos #curlyhairjourney #curls #curlyhair
October 22, 2025 at 2:45 PM
Heyyyy thanks to the 300 of you hanging around on this little corner of the Internet. I still don't really know what I'm doing how or how to really engage on here ... So I'm especially thankful to those of you who have made being here worth it! 😅
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#thankyou
October 15, 2025 at 3:09 PM
So glad to share that I had three poems published in The Poetry Lighthouse last week! Read them here! (CW: pregnancy loss, perinatal depression/anxiety)
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www.thepoetrylighthouse.com/poems?author...
Our Poems — The Poetry Lighthouse
The Poetry Lighthouse welcomes poetry lovers to read our new poems — with a wide variety of topics and poetic styles.
www.thepoetrylighthouse.com
October 8, 2025 at 8:02 PM
For the Mid-Autumn Festival, I wrote a review for @thekitchn.bsky.social about some of my favorite mooncakes and where you can find them here in the US! From budget-friendly picks to more high-end treats, these are the ones worth trying.

Check it out here: www.thekitchn.com/rong-shing-m...
These “Delicious” Mini Cakes Are So Good, I Buy 30 at a Time
They’re a big part of tradition.
www.thekitchn.com
October 1, 2025 at 3:05 PM
So many great lit events this October! From MTSU’s In Process series to the Southern Festival of Books (with a strong Rutherford County presence), plus Writers Mingle, Poetry in the Boro, and more—it’s a great month to celebrate stories and community.
🔗 www.rutherfordartsalliance.org/news/2025/9/...
It's a Busy October for Book People! — Rutherford Arts Alliance
We have already established that I am a basic you-know-what who loves fall. October brings autumn in full swing, and it always seems like October is one of the busiest months for bookish things—which ...
www.rutherfordartsalliance.org
September 30, 2025 at 2:57 PM
Exciting news! My poem "Firecrackers on the Mountaintop" was just published in @lunchticket.bsky.social ! 🎆

It’s a bilingual English/Mandarin piece about life as a foreigner in China—navigating what you do (and don’t) understand.

Read here: lunchticket.org/bian-pao-zai...
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#poetry #poem #poets
Bian Pao Zai Shan Ding/Firecrackers on the Mountaintop - Lunch Ticket
Taffeta Chime's multilingual poem is mindful and observant, mixing English with Mandarin to create an effect reminiscent of what a foreigner might understand and not understand.
lunchticket.org
September 29, 2025 at 3:13 PM
New article up on Renew.org: Do Animals Go to Heaven? 🐾✨

It’s one of those questions so many of us wonder about. In this piece, I dive into Scripture and explore what the Bible has to say about Heaven, salvation, and whether animals might share in the afterlife.

renew.org/do-animals-g...
Do Animals Go to Heaven?
I’m a 90s kid, so I grew up with the 1989 classic Don Bluth movie All Dogs Go to Heaven about Charlie, a mobster-type dog who’s been murdered but is able to
renew.org
September 26, 2025 at 3:01 AM
Got another rejection yesterday. The pitch wasn’t timely enough, but the editor ended with "please keep pitching, you’re exactly the kind of writer I want to hear from."

Rejections sting, but kind ones remind me it’s worth pressing on. 💪

#writers #writingcommunity #amwriting
September 24, 2025 at 3:44 PM
Like many writers, I get lots of spam about book promo. I understand the ones asking for pay for reviews. Clear scam. But what's the deal with all the ones asking about where to a review? I've had obvious bots asking for Goodreads links and then leaving me lovely reviews! I don't ... understand ...?
September 17, 2025 at 2:49 PM
Death should never be celebrated.
September 11, 2025 at 9:20 PM
Deadlines projects all turned in ✔️ Kids (and me) on the mend from HFM 🙌 Coffee in hand ☕ That rare in-between space: wanting more work but also loving a little time for my own projects. ✨ How do you spend your in-between times?

#writers #writingcommunity #amwriting #AuthorLife
September 2, 2025 at 3:30 PM
🍂 The -ber months are here, and with them comes a full calendar of local literary events! I put together this month’s roundup for the Rutherford Arts Alliance blog, which you can find here:
www.rutherfordartsalliance.org/news/2025/8/...

Come support our vibrant literary community. 📚💙
September Lit Events — Rutherford Arts Alliance
Book sales, author signings, free lectures, writers’ groups, open mics, and so much more this month! Come check it all out!
www.rutherfordartsalliance.org
September 1, 2025 at 4:50 PM
When I heard “hand, foot, & mouth disease,” I pictured an Oregon Trail nightmare. 😱 In reality (for my girls) it was 4 days of fever, rash, and sore throats .... Not as dire as I feared. Just enough to throw off a week of deadlines. 😅

#writers #writingcommunity #parentlife
August 26, 2025 at 3:02 PM
Flat, round… or both? 🌍

That’s what the Bible seems to suggest in some places. I dig into the details in my new article on Renew.org.

Read it here: renew.org/does-the-bib...

#Faith #Apologetics #BibleStudy #FlatEarth #RoundEarth #Renew #RenewNetwork #TaffetaChime
Does the Bible Say the Earth is Flat?
When it comes to the shape of the Earth, sources outside Scripture give us a unanimous answer (spoiler alert: multiple sources of scientific proof show that
renew.org
August 20, 2025 at 4:10 PM
Reposted by Taffeta Chime
You ‘run the gamut’ and ‘run the gauntlet.’

You don’t ‘run the gambit.’

gamut = entire range or series

gauntlet = severe trial

Gambit = Alpha-level mutant who can convert potential energy to kinetic energy
August 18, 2025 at 1:34 PM
Reposted by Taffeta Chime
Another writing conference in the books! Time to kick back with tea and a good book. What do you do when a con ends? Besides check out all the panelists' websites and books, of course!

Bonus points for gifs

#virtualconference #writingconference #writing #WritingCommunity #writingq
August 18, 2025 at 1:15 AM