#alexanderchee

[sarah--adel]

The gentlest people I know are full of rage and grief.

[tumblingtumbleleaves]

[subwaybookreview]

Stephanie: “The piece in the Spring issue of The Sewanee Review that blew my mind was ‘The Autobiography of My Novel’ by Alexander Chee. I could read his sentences about almost anything. It was part instructional essay about writing, part investigation of what we do when we make fiction out of our lives, part meditation on trauma, and full of deep wisdom. Mostly, I recognized a writer that I trusted to take me on a journey. Every day, people ask me if Sweetbitter is a memoir or fiction and I never quite know how to answer. Chee makes me feel ok about that. The whole question of: ‘Why didn’t you just write a memoir’, seems to be at the heart of his essay. There’s a quote in the book that’s perfect: ‘The story of your life, described, will not describe how you came to think about your life or yourself, nor describe any of what you learned. This is what fiction can do—I think it is even what fiction is for.’ I love that quote.” @smdanler #AlexanderChee #HowToWriteAnAutobiographicalNovel / @theubc for #subwaybookreview #newyork 🗽 (at MTA - Prince Street Subway Station - N/R)

[nonetheless]

From the annals of existential encounters: "The Denny’s on Wilshire Boulevard," from @alexanderchee.bsky.social‬, one of his regular "I Come Here Often" columns in the @lareviewofbooks.bsky.social‬ (Plus- National Chicken Fingers Day)

Wonder: https://roughlydaily.com/2025/07/27/memory-is-a-wonderfully-useful-tool-and-without-it-judgement-does-its-work-with-difficulty/

[kimmccreight]

#WIP 📚❤️📚 Give yourself the gift of reading the whole brilliant #alexanderchee essay about his time studying with Annie Dillard — link in my bio. #writing #writingcommunity #writingadvice #writingtips #writinglife #writer #writersofig #write #authorsofinstagram #writingquotes #writinginspiration #writingcommunity #writingmotivation #anniedillard #anniedillardquotes #amediting (at Brooklyn Writers Space) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cmw6PTNvh33/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[lakitalki]

On Becoming an American Writer

“If you are reading this, and you’re a writer, and you, like me, are gripped with despair, when you think you might stop: Speak to your dead. Write for your dead. Tell them a story. What are you doing with this life? Let them hold you accountable. Let them make you bolder or more modest or louder or more loving, whatever it is, but ask them in, listen, and then write. And when war comes—and make no mistake, it is already here—be sure you write for the living too. The ones you love and the ones who are coming for your life. What will you give them when they get there?” https://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2018/04/19/on-becoming-an-american-writer/

[pavel-nosok]

Make the Creamiest Scrambled Eggs of Your Life With a Little Dijon

Make the Creamiest Scrambled Eggs of Your Life With a Little Dijon

I have, in my life, put many different things and stuff into scrambled eggs. Cornstarch, cream of tartar, mirin, anchovies, and olive juice are just a few of the egg add-ins I have tasted and loved. But all of them pale in comparison to Dijon mustard, which has quite literally blown my mind just now. Read more…

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[whattheysaid]

But after a few years, my father took issue with a story he'd heard about my teacher's arrogance toward his opponents, and he pulled me out of the classes. "It is very dangerous to teach in that spirit," he told me. And he said something I would never forget. "The best fighter in tae kwon do never fights," he said. "He always finds another way."

Alexander Chee, “What My Father Taught Me About Defending Myself In America” in GQ