The Unexpected Shape with Esmé Weijun Wang is a newsletter with 9000+ subscribers for thoughtful softies, written by award-winning, New York Times-bestselling author of The Collected Schizophrenias, Esmé Weijun Wang (that's me!).
Each week, you'll receive a personal essay of something I've been mulling over and won't be publishing anywhere else—whether about the matrilineal hauntings in my family line or eating fake eggs in the psych ward. As the writer of a short story that was in the Best American Short Stories anthology and a Notable essay in the Best American Essays anthology, I love what I do, and I want to share it with you.
When you sign up for The Unexpected Shape with Esmé Weijun Wang, you'll have two options. On the Free Tier, you will receive weekly newsletters. On the Paid Tier, you'll be able to take part in regular Fireside Chats, where we talk about some aspect of art-making while living with limitations and write together with the gift of a few prompts. You'll also be supporting me as a working writer. The Paid tier is $7/month.
Finally, if you decide to become a Founding Member, you'll receive all the most special things that Esmé can think of. THANK YOU.
Kind Words
“I know what I’d like to be remembered for..”
I want to make sure that what I’m putting out into the world matches up with this inner vision. This line of thinking reminded me powerfully of Esmé [Weijun] Wang’s newsletter… It’s one of the few that I’d highly recommend, as it gives me a lot to think about every time it pops into my inbox.
—Reina F.
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Her ability to stay candid while also finding a way to utilize language in such a fascinating. way is amazing tome. If you've ever heard Esmé. speak, you'd also find that she maintains the same gentleness with her writing. I will never unsubscribe."
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about the newsletter
I’m a writer and essayist—the author of the New York Times-bestselling essay collection The Collected Schizophrenias (2019), as well as the novel The Border of Paradise (2016), which was named one of NPR’s Best Books of 2016 and one of Electric Literature’s Top 25 Novels of 2016; I was selected by Granta for their once-a-decade Best of Young American Novelists list of 21 authors under 40. I’ve also made appearances on the Today Show, NPR’s Weekend Edition, KCRW, the New York Times, the CBC, Flavorwire, and the New Yorker Online.
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