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Tehlor Mejia

@tehlormejia

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award-winning author/traditional astrologer/transgender rabble rouser. into: the moon, working class solidarity, poetry, dogs, etc.

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Excited to announce I'll be joining the faculty at @mccormack_writing_center (formerly Tin House) for their Speculative Online Workshop this fall. Applications are open now through June 3rd, more info and submission guidelines on the McCormack website. Hope to see you in October! by @tehlormejia

good morning! if you’re participating in the #transrightsreadathon I have some books for your consideration! generally sorted by YA first, then MG, and my two adult books on the bottom row. THE BETTER TO EAT YOU WITH is sadly not out until this summer, but there are ARCs requestable and circulating in the usual places!

have any questions about which one might be right for you? feel free to comment or send me a DM. by @tehlormejia

THE CREEPS is out in hardcover and paperback today. I've wanted to write a book for kids about housing insecurity for a long time, and I'm excited to share this one with y'all.

It's about a couple of [REDACTED] who run a weekly-rate motel where you only live if you've got nowhere else to go. But there's a list of rules you have to follow to stay, and if you break three you're out. Only the guests who get three strikes don't just move out---they disappear. For good.

I wrote this book as more and more kids are experiencing economic instability and unstable housing. A lot of the housing resources folks can access come with strings attached, people taking advantage of their desperation to push an agenda. It's my hope that this book can empower kids to push back against the prevailing attitude that struggling is shameful, or makes you less human.

On a personal note, this is both my first book with a boy protagonist (🏳️‍⚧️) and my fifteenth published novel overall, which both feel like big milestones. The publishing industry has its perils like any other, but I'm grateful to still be out here writing books.

Thanks so much for your ongoing support of my work. This one is available where books are sold. by @tehlormejia

excited to announce my next middle grade novel, ACCORDING TO VERO. it's been a dream working with Anna and Aladdin to bring this story to life.

as you all hopefully know by now, I am vehemently and radically opposed to AI and very wary of the risks it poses to developing brains. that said, this book is still a ways off from being published, and I have never hoped so devoutly that one of my stories might become irrelevant during the course of the publication process. let's keep fighting for that in the meantime.

currently hosting an AMA in my story, feel free to ask your burning questions there or in the comments 🖤 by @tehlormejia

eight years ago today I made the terrifying and seemingly impossible decision to quit drinking alcohol. at the time I couldn't even imagine a few days into the future, but even if I could have I don't know if I could have dreamed of the life I have now. so grateful for past me for having enough faith to step into those pathless woods. it's good to be free. by @tehlormejia

lately ☀️🐌💐 by @tehlormejia

hello/how have you been/I'm sorry I haven't returned your text/I'm sorry that time is no longer predictible or well-mannered or even sensible/I hope you are living well/I hope you are fighting back/I hope we meet again before it's over 🖤 by @tehlormejia

momentarily back from my break to enthuse about how much I love my friends. best week ever. can’t wait for next year 🥲 by @tehlormejia

🍂 🌲 ☀️ ☁️ by @tehlormejia

THE BETTER TO EAT YOU WITH, my thirteenth novel, is out today where books are sold.

This book is about a girl, Evan, who struggles with disordered eating, and the hunger trying to save her—which has some dire consequences for herself, her friends and family, and the little lakeside community where she’s spending her summer.

As someone who struggled mightily with disordered eating as a younger person, this book is the advice I wish someone had known to give me. That we can trust the wisdom of our bodies when our minds are tangled up. That no matter how much we love the adults in our lives, they can still cause us harm. That even the most insurmountable problems can be solved if you ask for help instead of letting your shame isolate you.

I hope this book helps shine a light into the dark corners that shame creates. I hope readers of every age find the beasts they need in its pages.

When I conceptualized this book years ago, I had no way of knowing we would be watching the forced starvation of an entire population in real time when it released. If you feel empathy for Evan, if her hunger breaks your heart, please speak up for the children of occupied Palestine who are being starved at this moment as israel refuses to allow meaningful aid to reach them. Fiction allows us to face real world horrors with courage and imagination. I hope you’ll use yours to help end this genocide however you can. by @tehlormejia

dog days ☀️ by @tehlormejia

if you’re having a hard time building community, start here: which communities are you already a part of? what common ground do you share with the folks you’re in proximity to and how can you sustainably build on that? who are the folks in your community with the least access to resources? how can you help? by @tehlormejia