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Davin Malasarn

@writing_and_donuts

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Debut novel, The Outer Country (One World/Random House, 2026). Co-founder of The Granum Foundation. Host of The Artist’s Statement podcast.

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Spotted at Crow Bookshop in Burlington, VT! If you haven’t yet picked up a copy of @writing_and_donuts's THE OUTER COUNTRY—called “an instant classic in the queer canon” by Justin Torres and “an accomplished family drama” by @publisherswkly, it'd be a great fall reading list addition.

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“And through all this walked Walt Whitman, our American dervish, to me the greatest poet, saying, ‘I have appetite for it all. I find it all marvelous and strange.’” — Michael Cunningham

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New interview in the Press Play series just hit Substack! Davin Malasarn — author of the gorgeous novel The Outer Country— shares his perspective on a ten year pause, how being a sculptor and painter shows up in his writing process, AND a smart exercise to help writers get over the fear of writing crappy drafts. I hope you love this smart, empathetic take on what’s positive about a Pause, and how to reset after a long one. #thelongpause #linkinbio🔥🔥🔥🔥

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Boy oh boy has it been a LOT of great reading this month. I’ve been terrible about reviews because, well, depression. So I have some mini reviews for you and swipe for book covers!

TBDATE series reread - captured my heart yet again for the vulnerability, love, and care in each story. Paz and Alano absolutely have my heart, and no one is writing like Adam Silvera.

Here The Whole Time - watching a fat character get the guy made me so emotional. The inner thoughts that Felipe has? Me too my guy. Me too. Watching Caio strip away each of Felipe’s fears had me crying. The movie is also fantastic.

Heat of Love and Renovation of Love - sweet and sexy love stories set in the same town. The first book was really relatable - a single, strong woman moves home and falls for her first love, her contractor. And they’re spicyyyyy. Heat of Love - baby watching this beautiful fat woman get her man had me like 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻. She was so fiercely independent and I loved her.

Out of Blue - Jason June writes the sweetest teen romances and this is a special one featuring a *strong* fat character who falls in love with a merperson who has come onto land. The feelings in this were so tender and beautiful, the love story so genuinely romantic, and friendship so lovely.

Top Heavy - a novel in verse about a dancer who has a somewhat stressful relationship with her body. All of the men who leered at her and the girls who treated her badly made me so sad. The book ended so beautifully. I loved her boyfriend too. 😭

Fruit Fly - go in knowing nothing - I guarantee you’ll have the ride of your life. I LOVED it and was flipping my kindle pages so fast. A true gem.

From Here - a memoir of a Syrian woman who is a lesbian and how it affected her life. The author reads the audio and it is EMOTIONAL. Beautiful.

The Mad Wife - another novel I want you to go in to knowing nothing. It is INTENSE and I swear, I gasped audibly so many times.

What if it’s Us? - A reread of a favorite and Arthur and Ben are still so charming but be aware of HP references as this book is quite old now.

*continued in comments*

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Things I’m thankful for this week:
@freddie.frances for helping me look my best even when I don’t feel it.
Building stuff for my library.
@alimiller100 🥹
@happyeverabigail 😘
A new coloring book.
@charlietthurston narrating @jeffzentner’s newest book.
@adibkhorram’s newest book.
Silly quizzes.
Great books.
Bricking my phone.
Soup from @calleynotkelly.

Not pictured: the kindness of the people in my phone. My friends. Safe spaces for me to be. Being able to cry out my feelings. Rest. Bob’s Burgers. Attempts to smile even when I want to cry. Honesty. Pete Cross always being the best.

Things that made me sad this week: losing my safe space online. My excitement being gone, even still. The roller coaster of my mood. Being alone in my house. Crying a lot.

#WeirdWeek #ThankfulThings #SillyLittlePost

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It feels kind of magical that people are letting me do this?

To quote Liz Lemon, turns out “words are the first step on the road to deeds.”

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This week's #FromtheDeskOf features Davin Malasarn (@writing_and_donuts), author of THE OUTER COUNTRY, out now! 📖

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Coming all the way from outside of Brooklyn, Emma Straub presents her fellow fiction authors that will be joining us at the Brooklyn Book Festival this year on September 27th!

And if you are also beyond Brooklyn, make sure to be part of Virtual Festival Day on September 20th! 📚

Click the link in our bio to learn more about #BKBF2026! 🔗

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Happening tomorrow: Join senior editor @samanthadunnwrites for the newest installment of #Bookish. Our program this month features @writing_and_donuts discussing his first novel, "The Outer Country," along with @robinnelee, the writer behind the bestselling "The Idea of You" and her second work, "Crash Into Me."

Details: Friday, July 17 at 4 p.m.

Register at scng.com/virtualevents.

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Such a good 24 hours in Columbus with the Columbus Book Festival.

Pre-party was great. Lifeguards on stilts. Mermaids. Free beer and cocktails. Book sale.

Woke up early Saturday to go for a run with @trailsandtales8 along the river. I think I talked too much but she was nice about it. Lol

Went to a couple of panels on Saturday. Families Uprooted and No Boys Allowed (they let me in anyway). Got my book signed by @writing_and_donuts and had a brief chat. Looking forward to reading that soon!

Street tacos for lunch with a beer from Nocterra Brewing really hit the spot and helped me push through the day.

We met an inflated raccoon.

Thanks for hanging out with me, Courtney. I had a great time!

Thanks for having me @columbusbookfestival, I’ll be back next year and we’ll just make this an annual thing.

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Columbus and our book festival is gay asf because this is only part 1... we'll have all these books available for purchase -- make sure you check out the author schedule to catch these awesome attending authors!

See you all there!!!🌈📚

@columbusbookfestival @columbuslibrary

#queer #queerbooks #lgbt #bookfest

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Have you read or are you anticipating any books this year that give you hope? 📚🗽

For the 4th of July, I'm sharing 50 diverse books across 10+ genres, published or forthcoming in our semiquincentennial year, that inspire me and give me hope for the future of the USA and the world! 🇺🇲🎉 These have been unprecedented and disappointing times in my country, but literature continues to educate and empower. It's not independence day unless there is independence for all, but I love that this is a day that brings people together.

Romance

- It's All in Your Head by Sabina Nordqvist
- How Simi Got Her Groom Back by Sonali Dev
- All the Days Before Tomorrow by Rebecca Brodkey
- Score (Hollywood Renaissance #2) by Kennedy Ryan
- The Maidenheads by Benny B. Peterson

Historical Fiction

- Burn Down Master's House by Clay Cane
- Now Then by Morgan Radford
- The Young Will Remember by Eve J. Chung
- The Foursome by Christina Baker Kline
- A Pair of Aces by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray

Non-Fiction

- America, U.S.A.: How Race Shadows the Nation's Anniversaries by Eddie S. Glaude Jr.
- A Resistance History of the United States by Tad Stoermer
- Don't Say Palestine: How the Media Manufactured Consent for Genocide by Assal Rad (September 8)
- When Trees Testify: Science, Wisdom, History, and America’s Black Botanical Legacy by Beronda L. Montgomery
- We Are Not Machines: The Fight for the Future of Work by Sarah O’Connor (August 11)

Memoirs

- Migrant Heart: Essays About Things I Can't Forget by Reyna Grande
- Dreams in Which I'm Almost Human: A Memoir by Hannah Soyer
- Mud on the Moon: A Hybrid Memoir by Nita Noveno (August 11)
- The Double Dutch Fuss: A Memoir by Phill Branch
- A Voice Like Mine by Deb Haaland

Poetry & Verse

- Bad Queer by Gayathiri Kamalakanthan
- Night Owl: Poems by Aimee Nezhukumatathil
- Daughter of Salt by Leila Farjami
- Anger Is Only a Shadow by Elizabeth Acevedo (September 15)
- Ará’lúèbó: The Immigrant Monologues by KÁNYIN Olorunnisola

Contemporary & Literary Fiction

- The Outer Country by Davin Malasarn
- But Where's Home?: A Novella and Stories by Toni Ann Johnson
- The Great Dane by Suanne Laqueur
- Good People by Patmee

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