Eleni Vlachos
@youbigtalker.bsky.social
📚 Fiction, CNF & Op-Eds ✏️ | #comedy skits | Drums @BelovedBinge
🥁| 1/2 Greek 🇬🇷💃 | #vegan cupcakes 🧁| Articles in @NewRepublic, @rfpress @PhillyInquirer. Substack: https://substack.com/@elenidvlachos
🥁| 1/2 Greek 🇬🇷💃 | #vegan cupcakes 🧁| Articles in @NewRepublic, @rfpress @PhillyInquirer. Substack: https://substack.com/@elenidvlachos
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Eleni Vlachos
@youbigtalker.bsky.social
· May 26
"A View of Hotel Poseidon" by Eleni Vlachos
Reviews are actual. Story is fictitious. *1 starwe all basically had to get drunk so we could make it through the night When the five-star reviews slipped, George’s family gossiped: He was never equip...
www.roifaineantpress.com
A View of Hotel Poseidon takes a satirical look at the fictitious story behind actual terrible reviews of a hotel. For this is a time we all need to laugh, especially at our own species.
Big thanks to @rfpress.bsky.social (love the graphic!)
#newfiction
www.roifaineantpress.com/post/a-view-...
Big thanks to @rfpress.bsky.social (love the graphic!)
#newfiction
www.roifaineantpress.com/post/a-view-...
Reposted by Eleni Vlachos
"While it may have looked like a shooting, it was actually a 'rapid de-escalation outcome.' We recognize that phrases like that may sound invented, which is why we ask you to repeat them anyway."
A Message from Your Federal Overlords
“Even as videos emerged that contradicted the government’s account, the Trump administration was in a race to control the narrative around the kill...
buff.ly
January 28, 2026 at 2:40 AM
"While it may have looked like a shooting, it was actually a 'rapid de-escalation outcome.' We recognize that phrases like that may sound invented, which is why we ask you to repeat them anyway."
Reposted by Eleni Vlachos
A class-action lawsuit notes that detainees refer to the California City ICE Detention Facility as a “torture chamber” and “hell on Earth.” An attorney said that conditions are so terrible that those held there are resigning themselves to self-deportation. newyorkermag.visitlink.me/2qOQj9
The Cruel Conditions of ICE’s Mojave Desert Detention Center
How immigration authorities have weaponized medical neglect to encourage self-deportations.
newyorkermag.visitlink.me
January 28, 2026 at 3:35 PM
A class-action lawsuit notes that detainees refer to the California City ICE Detention Facility as a “torture chamber” and “hell on Earth.” An attorney said that conditions are so terrible that those held there are resigning themselves to self-deportation. newyorkermag.visitlink.me/2qOQj9
Recently, I listened to an excellent #HiddenBrain podcast episode “Murder Mystery” exploring why we are drawn to true crime.
I just finished Jesus’ Son by the late Denis Johnson. You will understand why this is a segue if you’ve read him:
open.substack.com/pub/elenidvl...
#nowreading #writers
I just finished Jesus’ Son by the late Denis Johnson. You will understand why this is a segue if you’ve read him:
open.substack.com/pub/elenidvl...
#nowreading #writers
We humans love a good mess
Reading Denis Johnson's Jesus' Son
open.substack.com
January 28, 2026 at 4:17 PM
Recently, I listened to an excellent #HiddenBrain podcast episode “Murder Mystery” exploring why we are drawn to true crime.
I just finished Jesus’ Son by the late Denis Johnson. You will understand why this is a segue if you’ve read him:
open.substack.com/pub/elenidvl...
#nowreading #writers
I just finished Jesus’ Son by the late Denis Johnson. You will understand why this is a segue if you’ve read him:
open.substack.com/pub/elenidvl...
#nowreading #writers
Whether we call it imposter syndrome or low-self esteem, many writers struggle pursuing individual voice...
Regardless of the supposed requirement to toss aside the need for permission, reading adventurous works eschewing conventional standards gives me courage:
open.substack.com/pub/elenidvl...
Regardless of the supposed requirement to toss aside the need for permission, reading adventurous works eschewing conventional standards gives me courage:
open.substack.com/pub/elenidvl...
Courage to write like a Samurai
The permission I received from Helen DeWitt's classic
open.substack.com
January 20, 2026 at 5:12 PM
Whether we call it imposter syndrome or low-self esteem, many writers struggle pursuing individual voice...
Regardless of the supposed requirement to toss aside the need for permission, reading adventurous works eschewing conventional standards gives me courage:
open.substack.com/pub/elenidvl...
Regardless of the supposed requirement to toss aside the need for permission, reading adventurous works eschewing conventional standards gives me courage:
open.substack.com/pub/elenidvl...
A year in books--what were your top reads in '25?
"Absorb as many stories as you physically can. Introduce yourself to lots of great writing. To lots of mediocre writing too. This is your most important task.” —Haruki Murakami
elenidvlachos.substack.com/p/2025-in-bo...
"Absorb as many stories as you physically can. Introduce yourself to lots of great writing. To lots of mediocre writing too. This is your most important task.” —Haruki Murakami
elenidvlachos.substack.com/p/2025-in-bo...
2025 in Books
How did your reading go? Did it inform your writing?
elenidvlachos.substack.com
January 12, 2026 at 2:19 PM
A year in books--what were your top reads in '25?
"Absorb as many stories as you physically can. Introduce yourself to lots of great writing. To lots of mediocre writing too. This is your most important task.” —Haruki Murakami
elenidvlachos.substack.com/p/2025-in-bo...
"Absorb as many stories as you physically can. Introduce yourself to lots of great writing. To lots of mediocre writing too. This is your most important task.” —Haruki Murakami
elenidvlachos.substack.com/p/2025-in-bo...
Just started #James by Percival Everett after slogging through the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
#currentlyreading #nowreading
#currentlyreading #nowreading
November 15, 2025 at 12:00 PM
Just started #James by Percival Everett after slogging through the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
#currentlyreading #nowreading
#currentlyreading #nowreading
For all you creatives--such an inspiring interview w/ #RickRubin on the creative process. He also helped naysayers hear hip-hop as "music" by mixing the familiar with the lesser known in Walk This Way. Is the known/unknown marriage a key to creating idea accessibility?
youtu.be/QGKFVmxbGBw?...
youtu.be/QGKFVmxbGBw?...
Rick Rubin on How to Make Something Great (Update) | People I (Mostly) Admire
YouTube video by Freakonomics Radio Network
youtu.be
November 14, 2025 at 10:22 AM
For all you creatives--such an inspiring interview w/ #RickRubin on the creative process. He also helped naysayers hear hip-hop as "music" by mixing the familiar with the lesser known in Walk This Way. Is the known/unknown marriage a key to creating idea accessibility?
youtu.be/QGKFVmxbGBw?...
youtu.be/QGKFVmxbGBw?...
I am #currentlyreading Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar.
In the vein of Pound's observation "poetry is news that stays news," there is much to appreciate here in Akbar's astute observations. Have you read it?
#martyr #kavehakbar
In the vein of Pound's observation "poetry is news that stays news," there is much to appreciate here in Akbar's astute observations. Have you read it?
#martyr #kavehakbar
September 16, 2025 at 5:56 PM
I am #currentlyreading Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar.
In the vein of Pound's observation "poetry is news that stays news," there is much to appreciate here in Akbar's astute observations. Have you read it?
#martyr #kavehakbar
In the vein of Pound's observation "poetry is news that stays news," there is much to appreciate here in Akbar's astute observations. Have you read it?
#martyr #kavehakbar
Currently reading #LastExitToBrooklyn. A little rough around the edges (a little?) & most likely added "to read" due to author's lack of a guiding hand & my own novel's attempting same [(no use of " " -- even no apostrophes to avoid holding down the "shift" key (!) used "/" instead (eg, isn/t)].
August 19, 2025 at 1:57 AM
Currently reading #LastExitToBrooklyn. A little rough around the edges (a little?) & most likely added "to read" due to author's lack of a guiding hand & my own novel's attempting same [(no use of " " -- even no apostrophes to avoid holding down the "shift" key (!) used "/" instead (eg, isn/t)].
Pelvis chickens 😆
"Perimenopause is triggered when your ovaries—or 'pelvis chickens'—quit dependably laying eggs each month. Maybe some months they lay eggs, but other months they just sit on the couch, drinking a nice Malbec, eating corn nuts, and watching Better Call Saul."
Thank You for Calling the Perimenopause Hotline, Where Our Hold Times Are Completely Unpredictable
Thank you for calling the perimenopause hotline. Our phone lines are flooded with an unexpected gush of calls right now, but we assure you that our...
buff.ly
August 14, 2025 at 12:52 AM
Pelvis chickens 😆
Introducing...Paxon's Prose Pantomime! A new weekly series where Paxon interprets prose from established literature via his pantomime talents. Up first: "they jog their hands around their waist..."
open.substack.com/pub/elenidvl...
open.substack.com/pub/elenidvl...
Introducing...Paxon's Prose Pantomime!
Interpretations of published prose
open.substack.com
August 14, 2025 at 12:50 AM
Introducing...Paxon's Prose Pantomime! A new weekly series where Paxon interprets prose from established literature via his pantomime talents. Up first: "they jog their hands around their waist..."
open.substack.com/pub/elenidvl...
open.substack.com/pub/elenidvl...
Just finished reading #SelfHelp by #LorrieMoore. Picked up the collection after reading "How to become a writer." Such excellent work, published in 1985--how did I not know about this author/book? So good. Have you read any of her work?
August 14, 2025 at 12:10 AM
Just finished reading #SelfHelp by #LorrieMoore. Picked up the collection after reading "How to become a writer." Such excellent work, published in 1985--how did I not know about this author/book? So good. Have you read any of her work?
I’ve made the (controversial) choice not to use quotation marks (speech tags) around dialogue in my #WIP. Should I die on this hill?
More in this short #Substack:
elenidvlachos.substack.com/p/dont-quote...
#litfic #literaryfiction #speechtags #writing #writers #howto #books #novels
More in this short #Substack:
elenidvlachos.substack.com/p/dont-quote...
#litfic #literaryfiction #speechtags #writing #writers #howto #books #novels
July 22, 2025 at 1:38 PM
I’ve made the (controversial) choice not to use quotation marks (speech tags) around dialogue in my #WIP. Should I die on this hill?
More in this short #Substack:
elenidvlachos.substack.com/p/dont-quote...
#litfic #literaryfiction #speechtags #writing #writers #howto #books #novels
More in this short #Substack:
elenidvlachos.substack.com/p/dont-quote...
#litfic #literaryfiction #speechtags #writing #writers #howto #books #novels
Finally bought this for my new #Kobo. How beautifully O' Brien breaks writing rules.
Admittedly, I was intrigued by the author's own life trajectory and autobiographical nature of this work. Have you read?
#nowreading #literaryfiction #litfic #writing #writers #books #novels #leavinglasvegas
Admittedly, I was intrigued by the author's own life trajectory and autobiographical nature of this work. Have you read?
#nowreading #literaryfiction #litfic #writing #writers #books #novels #leavinglasvegas
July 22, 2025 at 1:32 PM
Finally bought this for my new #Kobo. How beautifully O' Brien breaks writing rules.
Admittedly, I was intrigued by the author's own life trajectory and autobiographical nature of this work. Have you read?
#nowreading #literaryfiction #litfic #writing #writers #books #novels #leavinglasvegas
Admittedly, I was intrigued by the author's own life trajectory and autobiographical nature of this work. Have you read?
#nowreading #literaryfiction #litfic #writing #writers #books #novels #leavinglasvegas
In what other industry do we celebrate rejection?
My latest on tiered rejections: elenidvlachos.substack.com/p/for-the-lo...
Have you received a tiered rejection? ❌ Leave a comment below 📩
#tieredrejections #submitting #writers #writing #literaryjournals #literaryfiction
My latest on tiered rejections: elenidvlachos.substack.com/p/for-the-lo...
Have you received a tiered rejection? ❌ Leave a comment below 📩
#tieredrejections #submitting #writers #writing #literaryjournals #literaryfiction
July 15, 2025 at 1:15 PM
In what other industry do we celebrate rejection?
My latest on tiered rejections: elenidvlachos.substack.com/p/for-the-lo...
Have you received a tiered rejection? ❌ Leave a comment below 📩
#tieredrejections #submitting #writers #writing #literaryjournals #literaryfiction
My latest on tiered rejections: elenidvlachos.substack.com/p/for-the-lo...
Have you received a tiered rejection? ❌ Leave a comment below 📩
#tieredrejections #submitting #writers #writing #literaryjournals #literaryfiction
Now reading! Enjoying the gorgeous prose so far ... have you read anything by Vuong?
#literaryfiction #vuong
#literaryfiction #vuong
June 24, 2025 at 12:31 PM
Now reading! Enjoying the gorgeous prose so far ... have you read anything by Vuong?
#literaryfiction #vuong
#literaryfiction #vuong
Anyone else in the writing community here on Substack? Let me know your link. Mine follows:
elenidvlachos.substack.com?r=ez5db&utm_...
elenidvlachos.substack.com?r=ez5db&utm_...
Eleni D. Vlachos | Substack
I write literary fiction exploring our need to be heard and the interplay between compassion, civilization, and wildness. Eleni's latest short story, A View of Hotel Poseidon, was published by Roi Fai...
elenidvlachos.substack.com
June 18, 2025 at 2:30 PM
Anyone else in the writing community here on Substack? Let me know your link. Mine follows:
elenidvlachos.substack.com?r=ez5db&utm_...
elenidvlachos.substack.com?r=ez5db&utm_...
From my 2019 piece, Stranger.
"Xenos is the needle that weaves unknown threads into the fabric of civilization. Sometimes that needle is piercing, invasion, colonialism. Other times, it’s holding everything together — including our civilization."
medium.com/@elenivlacho...
"Xenos is the needle that weaves unknown threads into the fabric of civilization. Sometimes that needle is piercing, invasion, colonialism. Other times, it’s holding everything together — including our civilization."
medium.com/@elenivlacho...
Stranger
The word “xenos” translated as “stranger” in Greek embodies a range of meanings from possible enemy to a most welcoming “guest friend.”…
medium.com
June 10, 2025 at 2:14 PM
From my 2019 piece, Stranger.
"Xenos is the needle that weaves unknown threads into the fabric of civilization. Sometimes that needle is piercing, invasion, colonialism. Other times, it’s holding everything together — including our civilization."
medium.com/@elenivlacho...
"Xenos is the needle that weaves unknown threads into the fabric of civilization. Sometimes that needle is piercing, invasion, colonialism. Other times, it’s holding everything together — including our civilization."
medium.com/@elenivlacho...
Began #4321 by Paul Auster. Adjusting to 4 different lives of the protagonist, but enjoying overall. Have you read?
My husband thought it was Auster's own efforts to encapsulate his life's possibilities near the edge of his own end, which I find possible.
#nowreading #paulauster
My husband thought it was Auster's own efforts to encapsulate his life's possibilities near the edge of his own end, which I find possible.
#nowreading #paulauster
June 1, 2025 at 1:24 PM
Began #4321 by Paul Auster. Adjusting to 4 different lives of the protagonist, but enjoying overall. Have you read?
My husband thought it was Auster's own efforts to encapsulate his life's possibilities near the edge of his own end, which I find possible.
#nowreading #paulauster
My husband thought it was Auster's own efforts to encapsulate his life's possibilities near the edge of his own end, which I find possible.
#nowreading #paulauster
Do people make trailers for short stories? It is a lot of fun. I made a 30-second trailer to celebrate A View of Hotel Poseidon. I think I captured its "tone."
#humor #fiction #shortstories
www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1Wr...
#humor #fiction #shortstories
www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1Wr...
New fiction #humor
YouTube video by You Big Talker
www.youtube.com
May 28, 2025 at 12:31 PM
Do people make trailers for short stories? It is a lot of fun. I made a 30-second trailer to celebrate A View of Hotel Poseidon. I think I captured its "tone."
#humor #fiction #shortstories
www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1Wr...
#humor #fiction #shortstories
www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1Wr...
A View of Hotel Poseidon takes a satirical look at the fictitious story behind actual terrible reviews of a hotel. For this is a time we all need to laugh, especially at our own species.
Big thanks to @rfpress.bsky.social (love the graphic!)
#newfiction
www.roifaineantpress.com/post/a-view-...
Big thanks to @rfpress.bsky.social (love the graphic!)
#newfiction
www.roifaineantpress.com/post/a-view-...
"A View of Hotel Poseidon" by Eleni Vlachos
Reviews are actual. Story is fictitious. *1 starwe all basically had to get drunk so we could make it through the night When the five-star reviews slipped, George’s family gossiped: He was never equip...
www.roifaineantpress.com
May 26, 2025 at 7:43 AM
A View of Hotel Poseidon takes a satirical look at the fictitious story behind actual terrible reviews of a hotel. For this is a time we all need to laugh, especially at our own species.
Big thanks to @rfpress.bsky.social (love the graphic!)
#newfiction
www.roifaineantpress.com/post/a-view-...
Big thanks to @rfpress.bsky.social (love the graphic!)
#newfiction
www.roifaineantpress.com/post/a-view-...
Hello living beings--check out the latest from Roi Fainéant Press, including some of my words arranged in a humorous fashion. Link below:
Ah, bonjour!
Guess what time it is? It's time for a star-studded issue of all the good words.
Still Alive 85 is live. Tell your nearest living being.
www.roifaineantpress.com/blog
#WritingCommunity
Guess what time it is? It's time for a star-studded issue of all the good words.
Still Alive 85 is live. Tell your nearest living being.
www.roifaineantpress.com/blog
#WritingCommunity
May 26, 2025 at 7:39 AM
Hello living beings--check out the latest from Roi Fainéant Press, including some of my words arranged in a humorous fashion. Link below:
Sunday! So excited to share this story with you, and read all of the incredible authors in this edition. You can follow this great press below ⏬
Ready for some amazing fiction! Join us Sunday for a satirical look at the fictitious story behind actual terrible reviews of a hotel. “A View of Hotel Poseidon” by Eleni Vlachos @youbigtalker.bsky.social is a welcome bit of humor as our own Poseidon sinks under the weight of late stage capitalism.
May 22, 2025 at 6:24 PM
Sunday! So excited to share this story with you, and read all of the incredible authors in this edition. You can follow this great press below ⏬
Reposted by Eleni Vlachos
Ready for some amazing fiction! Join us Sunday for a satirical look at the fictitious story behind actual terrible reviews of a hotel. “A View of Hotel Poseidon” by Eleni Vlachos @youbigtalker.bsky.social is a welcome bit of humor as our own Poseidon sinks under the weight of late stage capitalism.
May 22, 2025 at 5:27 PM
Ready for some amazing fiction! Join us Sunday for a satirical look at the fictitious story behind actual terrible reviews of a hotel. “A View of Hotel Poseidon” by Eleni Vlachos @youbigtalker.bsky.social is a welcome bit of humor as our own Poseidon sinks under the weight of late stage capitalism.
So excited to be publishing my short story "A View of Hotel Poseidon" in the fab @rfpress.bsky.social Sunday!
Story is fictitious, reviews are actual. IRL the hotel's reviews were so bad they were comical. Bugs, bloody sheets, drunken staff. How did things get so bad?
#newfiction #shortstory
Story is fictitious, reviews are actual. IRL the hotel's reviews were so bad they were comical. Bugs, bloody sheets, drunken staff. How did things get so bad?
#newfiction #shortstory
May 22, 2025 at 4:51 PM
So excited to be publishing my short story "A View of Hotel Poseidon" in the fab @rfpress.bsky.social Sunday!
Story is fictitious, reviews are actual. IRL the hotel's reviews were so bad they were comical. Bugs, bloody sheets, drunken staff. How did things get so bad?
#newfiction #shortstory
Story is fictitious, reviews are actual. IRL the hotel's reviews were so bad they were comical. Bugs, bloody sheets, drunken staff. How did things get so bad?
#newfiction #shortstory