Suzan Palumbo

They let me keep the poster! 😍 yes, I did hang it up in my little writing alcove. I've been asked by several people where I would be or what I will be up to now. I am once again the resident writer (gremlin) in my house! I have sent my vampire novella to my agent and am editing a novelette I began last fall. I have a book I'm going to start writing in June. There's so much to do in the publishing world/industry and it feels like if we aren't constantly displaying ourselves or doing something novel (hahaha pun intended) that we are falling behind. But really, at the heart of this whole endeavor is my relationship with a blank page. And that blank page is very quiet and still even tho I am not. Gotta fill the well if you keep wanting to take water from it. So, back to writing, my true love, I go. 🖤

Surprise! I am the 2026 Brampton Writer in residence! Please share this widely my friends. It's all free. We are thrilled to announce with our partners @BramptonLibrary and @the_fold that the 2026 Brampton Writer in Residence is Suzan Palumbo! @gothicsyntax is a Trinidadian Canadian dark speculative fiction writer and editor. Her work has been nominated for the Nebula, Aurora, World Fantasy and Locus awards. She co-founded the Ignyte Awards with L.D. Lewis and co-edited the special Caribbean issue of Strange Horizons magazine. Her debut dark fantasy/horror short story collection, Skin Thief: Stories, is out now from @NeonHemlock . Her novella, Countess, was published by @ecwpress in September 2024 and nominated for a Nebula award. Suzan will be in-residence at Mount Pleasant Village Branch Library. There, she will hold in-person, one-on-one consultations during her regular office hours, on Tuesday mornings from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and Thursday evenings from 4:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Meet the 2026 Brampton Writer in Residence Suzan Palumbo DATE: Tuesday, March 3, 2026 TIME: 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM LOCATION: Mount Pleasant Village Branch Library, 100 Commuter Dr, Brampton COST: FREE Traditional Publishing, Small Press Publishing or Self-Publishing - Which is the best for you? DATE: Wednesday, March 25, 2026 TIME: 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM LOCATION: Mount Pleasant Village Branch Library, 100 Commuter Dr, Brampton COST: FREE How to Write Compelling Character Arcs DATE: Wednesday, April 15, 2026 TIME: 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM LOCATION: Mount Pleasant Village Branch Library, 100 Commuter Dr, Brampton COST: FREE Register now through the link in our bio for these exciting workshops and join us in congratulating Suzan! #BramptonArtsOrganization #Brampton #BramptonWriter #BramptonArtist #BramptonEvents Image Description: Graphic announcing the 2026 Brampton Arts Organization, Brampton Library and Festival of Literary Diversity’s Brampton Writer in Residence Suzan Palumbo from March 3 to April 25, 2026, at Mount Pleasant Library Branch. On the right-hand is a photograph of Suzan Palumbo, a young woman of colour with shoulder length black hair who is wearing a dark gray sweater.

I picked this book up by @andreagunraj with GREAT interest, having been born, myself, in Trinidad and raised in the northwest end of Etobicoke. It has been on my radar for several months, and I had planned to read it regardless. Last week, I read a preview of the first couple of chapters and was stunned to see the name Panman Pat. Pat McNeily is a name I haven't heard since high school when I was in the steel band at North Albion Collegiate in Rexdale. I, too, was enrolled by my parents in piano, even though they could not really afford it, and later went on to play the soprano in the steel band under Pat McNeily's direction. I have written essays about the importance of the pan to Trinidadian culture/heritage! So as you can see...I am the audience for this book! My identity is one that is very fraught for other people. I am labeled many things. I have been told I am many things and that I'm definitely NOT certain things by people who cannot comprehend this sort of history/existence. I'm looking forward to reading a book by someone who possibly feels the same and who seems to have had a very similar upbringing to my own. I've never encountered this before and I am intrigued. ✊🏽 Happy Asian heritage month! I don't get included in those lists but I guess that's expected being what I am: a liminal being or a go-between girl, if you will. 😉

Honest, gen Z is kinda great.

I took myself on a gothic outing downtown to see Mārama directed by Taratoa Stappard and staring Ariāna Osborne. I have been patiently waiting to see this Māori gothic film since last September when it premiered at TIFF! It has been 8 months and worth it cuz I loved it! There were so many scenes, so many lines spoken by Mārama that I have felt in real life: having to watch colonizers violently steal your culture and claim it for their own, like they know it better than you and then have them mock it in a drunken party spectacle. At one point, one of the characters said something like: A woman like you has very little prospects here being what you are. I felt that. I really did. 💔 This is the anticolonial gothic I want to see more of. It does not shy away from the absolute brutality that Indigenous and WOC have always faced and it highlights that they have always been the ones to bring each other home. If you are a fan of Gothics, especially ones that don't center a Western Heroine, you should check this out. Also support international film! See an original movie with a debut actress so we can keep having more. Toronto people I think it's showing at the Tiff Lightbox for the week so take yourself on a date if you can. 😀💜

And now for a post about my books, because I have written them and am still writing them and people say they are very good. Trinidadian Canadian speculative fiction! I got spaceships and empires. I got Rapacinni's Daughter and Phantom of the Opera homages. I got jumbies, douens, soucouyants, mermaids AND ROTI. Buy them from your local indie store! Or online or anywhere 🤣And if you have read them, if you can, please drop a review where ever you please. I got more books I want out and a goth appreciates any support she can get 💜💜💜

Today @the_fold I caught 2 incredible panels: The Politics of the Plot and The State of Truth (which discussed the state of journalism in Canada.) Honest, these were must watch panels in my book, focusing on real issues that I don't often see put front and center. It was incredible. Also got to hear @antoniomichaeldowning speak and you all know I love a fellow Trini, especially when dey advocating for a Trinidadian empire and talking about curry goat. A special shout out to @teresempierre who I only got to talk to for a sec, but whose presence is always a joy. (Friend I will take you for lunch next time I see you, sorry I had to run) And finally, thank you to everyone who was like Suzan, what are you, incognito today? What's with the hat. What are you doing exactly? Yes I was incognito. But it didn't work so it was outcognito. I was trying not to be intense goth. Love you all 🤣 The Fold really is an exceptional festival. Put it on your calendar for next year! Much appreciation to Ardo, Monika, Lin, and all the staff who were lovely and very gracious today and always.

A few pics from tonight at the @the_fold . So happy to meet @kevinheronjones my fellow WiR in person! We have similar vibes and both our residencies were made possible in part by the Fold. Also Jael delivering her gracious remarks and a shot from the audience just before the cabaret began. The Fold is very special, we're really lucky it exists.

SILENCIO!

Yay! @chaoticresponsible book arrived from @littleghostsbooks I'm excited to read the book and look at all these goth stickers? BAT READING BOOK. IS ME! (the ones on the table are from Little Ghosts, the ones in the book are from E.L. Chen) Haha confession - it seems the auto fill for my address filled out the last half of my postal code wrong and I did not catch that before I hit order, but I realized what happened later. I've been waiting to see if this would arrive and it did! Sorry for any inconvenience I caused to anyone. It is known I am a disaster and I dont seem to be improving at all. Thank you E.L. Chen for the book and the stickers. 😃

Trends? The industry? Nah, I do it for the proofreader A+ and the vampire enthusiasts who want to see a grown up queer woman who is very practical and serious get seduced.

WOW! say hi to @ellethevillain book, Year of the Mer. Um this is absolutely stunning.