Dustin Grinnell

ANNOUNCEMENT: Here’s the cover for my next book. It’ll be published by the University of California Health Humanities Press in a few months. It’s a sci-fi novella and medical thriller that follows a young psychiatrist who opens a psychiatric institute to push the boundaries of his field, with disastrous results. I started this project five years ago, and it has been a long and challenging journey. Many people reviewed it, and I revised it countless times. I added new material, removed sections, and even did a major revision last month based on feedback from the publisher. Now it’s finished, and it explores so many themes I care deeply about: how the mind influences the body, integrative and alternative medicine, doctors who write about medicine, and the fascinating science of post-traumatic growth. It’s also set in one of my favorite places: Walden Pond in Concord, Massachusetts. I’ll be reviewing the final proofs in a week or two, and then I’ll have a publication date. For now, expect it sometime in the spring. If you’d like to receive an ARC for a blurb, please shoot me a message. I can’t wait to share this story with the world. You’ll soon meet the man on the cover, Dr. Calvin Bloom, a doctor who turns his breakdown into a breakthrough.

@angelasjaded Endure.

Hey guys sorry I've been MIA my corporate job is slowing killing me and I am Sad

Can writing actually be taught? In this episode of Curiously, three writers unpack MFA programs in creative writing... the promise, the reality, and what nobody tells you before applying. From workshops and readings to posturing and politics, we get into the good, the bad, and the ugly. Listen here: curiouslypod.com/mfa-writing-pr… @Samanthaecooke @MEarlBITW37

@emmysteuer Wut.

Join me at @AeronautBrewing on Wednesday, June 10, from 6:30-7:30 PM for a reading from my new book Bedridden, followed by a conversation and Q&A. Hope you can make it!

@katrosenfield We all make mistakes, soldier

How am I only just realizing that I should have positioned my book, in which TWO women entangled with the SAME man plot to MURDER HIM, as the perfect palate cleanser/alternative to the Bad Throuple Memoir! The opportunity of a lifetime and I blew it, take me out back and shoot me

My podcast turns three this month, and I’m celebrating with my most ambitious project yet: a dramatic reading of my new sci-fi short story, “Micro.” The story follows a woman who shrinks herself to microscopic size and enters a human brain in a desperate attempt to rescue her estranged husband. The idea was inspired by one of my favorite childhood shows, The Magic School Bus. This project aims to bring science fiction to life through voice performance and immersive sound design, drawing on the tradition of classic radio storytelling like Orson Welles’ 1938 broadcast of War of the Worlds and The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. The story was beautifully performed by voice actor Laura Neibaur and scored by Brad Parsons of Train Sound Studio. I’m excited to finally share it. Listen at CuriouslyPod.com or wherever you get your podcasts. curiouslypod.com/this-sci-fi-st…

@lololeereverie 🎯

Woke up and realized it’s a lovely day to crash out about how authors are expected to be so performative nowadays and I wish I was born when writers just smoked and drank all day and were comfortably mentally ill and didn’t have to be jesters on social media

@BStulberg There are just so many incentives not to.

We're at a point in history—not nearing it, but here—where you have to decide if you're content to ruin your brain with an endless stream of fentanyl-like digital slop or if you're going to fight for your humanity, touch grass, challenge yourself, create, contribute, and love.

@AndrewYang Keep spreadin’ that fear, Andrew

Millions of office jobs will evaporate in the next 12 - 24 months. This will be an epic disaster for millions of workers and families. blog.andrewyang.com/p/the-end-of-t…

@OutlawsPoetic So LinkedIn, got it.

"The vast mass are these middling souls. They have no aristocratic individuality, such as is demanded by Christ or Buddha or Plato. So they skulk in a mass and secretly are bent on their own ultimate self-glorification." -- DH Lawrence

@zyahbelle This book was suprisingly useful amazon.com/Death-Artist-C…

Artists are being asked to not only create the art but to market it, promote it, package it, pitch it, fund it, and perform it. To show up online. To be vulnerable. To be consistent. To be visible.

Fun to share stories like Chasing Fireflies at Midnight and Trail Magic with @tendonmag. Honored to be in their contributor spotlight. Both are in The Healing Book if you’d like to read more: finishinglinepress.com/product/the-he…

@OutlawsPoetic No.

Hey folks! If you enjoy the poetic madness I post here on X and want more—weekly poems, articles, book recommendations, and exclusive posts—consider becoming a paid subscriber. It's just the price of one coffee a month, and you'll get full access to everything from Poetic Outlaws. Tap the Subscribe button on my profile to join. Or you can use this link below. Thank you! x.com/OutlawsPoetic/…

@neet_sol Say this on LinkedIn. They need to hear it.

People on LinkedIn are really good at saying a bunch of words that actually mean absolutely nothing

@gabydvj Vomit draft.

the most liberating thing in the world is realizing you can just write it bad. you can write it bad and make it good later. does everyone know about this??????

Not talented and ambitious? But still, why be nasty to the talented? Are they intimidated talents? Even if they are, what’s that got to do with them? Do they assume their advancement is impeded by someone else’s talents? I admire people with talents better or different than my own.

@Stopworkplacebu To what end? (I agree, I just don’t know why they do it)

Psychopaths and serial bullies in the workplace often focus on the most talented and capable employees. They use micromanagement and harsh words to undermine these individuals. By insulting mocking and harassing them they aim to break down their self-esteem and confidence.

@BoringBiz_ Who says title and salary are a measure of a person?

Something I wish more young people realized is that the game you play matters a lot more than how hard you work You can grind 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. But if you are working on the wrong thing, that effort doesn’t produce anything fruitful In the context of your career, this means choosing the right role, industry and company when getting a job Lets compare hypothetical examples of two fresh college graduates Graduate A > decides to go work in a dying company within a slowly declining industry > works incredibly hard, going above and beyond for the company. Includes working weekends, late nights and putting in extra hours to show face time > 5 years later, company decides to downsize headcount because they cannot support costs > person gets stuck without any seats left above them in the ladder to get promoted > every project that comes along becomes a food fight because there are too many mouths to feed, and not enough projects to go around > every promotion is incredibly competitive, filled with all sorts of corporate politics that doesn’t lend itself to a good working environment Graduate B > not nearly as intelligent as Graduate A but decides to go work in a fast growing innovative industry > company is rapidly hiring new people and promoting experienced employees to help train the new hires > the project pipeline is so strong that even new employees end up having to take on a lot of responsibilit > 5 years later, the company has doubled their revenues and needs someone to run a new division > even though our Graduate B is not fully prepared, he gets thrown into the role because everyone else is too busy > learning curve of Graduate B accelerates and he moves up the corporate ladder faster > there is much less internal politics. there is rarely a food fight over projects Both people could have started off with equal levels of intelligence But despite working harder, Graduate A finds themselves falling behind in title and salary within the span of 5 years The lesson here is simple: what you work on is much more important than how hard you work You cannot brute force your way to success. It requires making good decisions along the way.

Your book or story has been accepted for publication. Congrats! But the publisher has notes. Reading them can feel overwhelming. Here’s how to deal with them.