Friends, students, colleagues,
Welcome to the revamped Blue Stoop newsletter. If you're wondering why things look a little different, check out
last week's edition. If you'd like to support us through this transitional period, we're actively seeking
volunteers,
feedback, and
donations. Thanks for considering!
I thought this would be good time to formally introduce ourselves. I'm Julian Shendelman, a fiction writer and community organizer. My colleague, poet Taylor Townes, and I make up Blue Stoop's new leadership team — and the entirety of our staff, at present. Here's a little more about us:
On our relationships to Philadelphia…
Taylor: I was born and raised in South Philadelphia, and wrote one of my first essays on my neighborhood near the Italian Market. I’ve since moved to Northeast Philadelphia and enjoy spending as much time in the city as I can! This will always be my home.
Julian: I've lived all over — I was born in Seattle, lived in Chester County for a bit as a small child, and spent the rest of my childhood in Irvine, California. I went to college in Oakland and stayed for a decade in total, apart from a yearlong hiatus in West Philly. I eventually returned to Philadelphia in 2017 with my now husband, then moved to Lansdowne in 2019. I love the feisty and kind spirit of our region and can't imagine living anywhere else.
On finding our way to the Stoop…
Taylor: I started as a Communications Coordinator at Blue Stoop as I began working on my first chapbook in August 2022, and was grateful for being immersed in the writing world. My role has since continued to grow and form, and I’m grateful to open the door to those who similarly knew nothing about the literary landscape and want a place to continue to grow as a writer.
Julian: I've been a Blue Stoop fan since its founding, attending events, taking classes, and participating in pilot programs. Last fall, after a long period of self-employment, I asked Joseph if I could apply for grants to pay myself to work for Blue Stoop. He instead offered me a part-time job, which somehow evolved into this! Honestly, it's been a whirlwind. I'm excited to get the org on steadier footing so we can focus on connecting local writers to the opportunities and support they deserve.
On our writing practices…
Taylor: My practice in writing began at 8 years old through an obsession with journaling — in times when I didn’t have friends, I had the outlet of writing poetry and short stories for myself, and reading in any moment I could. Going to the Creative and Performing Arts High School in Philadelphia immersed me further in playwriting and journalism, and while my love for those grew, poetry always stuck, and performing my poetry became a new outlet for expression. Poets like Ross Gay really inspired a love for poetry that observes and is inspired by the little things — the joy in perfectly cracking an egg, the parallels between laughing and crying, and truly taking every day as it is in the journey of life. Being in Philadelphia growing up really allowed me to go to readings and get to know literary culture. My appreciation for reading and writing continues to fuel my practice.
Julian: Like Taylor, I've been writing and journaling since childhood: in 5th grade, I wrote a short story about the magical land beneath my couch cushions, a void where missing things got stuck in walls made of laundry lint. I didn't major in creative writing in college, but got really into performance poetry before eventually abandoning line breaks and shifting to prose. My friend
Jackie Ess and I co-founded the Bay Area Trans Writers Workshop, where I started drafting my novel-in-progress,
Haunt. I moved to Philly shortly thereafter, but wasn't making much progress until I started another community initiative,
Collective Lit, a.k.a. Sit & Write. These weekly coworking sessions completely changed my relationship to productivity and expanded my literary community. Style-wise, my work is inspired by fellow trans authors — Jackie and Torrey Peters, for example — and other writers (e.g. Jennifer Egan, Raven Leilani) who excel in rendering impossibly real characters.
Taylor and I are planning some kind of meet-and-greet in the near future, and will keep you posted on the date and location. In the meantime, be sure to check out our
spruced-up website, especially the community
calendar and
resource pages.
Long live the Stoop!
