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DIANE ZINNA

AUTHOR OF THE ALL-NIGHT SUN

Diane Zinna

getting started with your substack!

Getting Started with Your Substack

March 17 & 19, 9-11am Eastern +
Short, 1:1 Meetings on March 20

If you’re new to Substack or you just want to give your current newsletter a deeper sense of authenticity, direction, or oomph, join us!

In addition to the two class days, I’ll be holding 1:1 meetings with all students on March 20 to give you feedback on your Substack and help you with the next post you send. Students will receive templates and an at-a-glance checklist to get their newsletter into a great position. This class is best for writers just getting started on Substack, and there will be quick, separate instruction prior to the class start for those who still need help setting up their accounts.

Registration for this class will close when full.

(Remaining seats as of 3/15: 3)

Registration: $150

Get your great writing out there more and more! I hope to see you soon!

Warmly,
Diane

February Publishing Circle

My most popular class, the incredible February Publishing Circle, is BACK for Year Five!

We’ll meet every weekday morning in February from 9–10am Eastern. Each morning, we’ll have a visit with a passionate literary magazine editor and take a deep dive into one aspect of publishing. And you’ll be doing it with the support of an uplifting community of writers trying to figure all of this out, just like you.

The February Publishing Circle covers a lot of things, but it is not a challenge to publish quickly. Though of course we’ll celebrate that with you if that happens, we put first the larger, energy-sustaining ideas that will help submitting to magazines feel like a good, authentic part of your writing life–that doesn’t take over your art.

In this circle, we both value your voice and demystify the process. Our editor visits are about bridging the connection between you, the writer, and potential supporters of your work. Because that is what an editor is: someone who sees value in what a writer is doing and has a platform from which to shout: This is good, everyone! Read this and be moved the way I was moved.

Some of the topics we’ll explore include–

    • Knowing when a piece is ready for submission

    • Developing a system to manage submissions and edits

    • Creating successful cover letters and author bios

    • Applying to writing conferences, residencies, and retreats

    • Overcoming imposter syndrome and becoming a great literary citizen

    • Dealing with rejection

    • Understanding the importance of diversity in publishing

    • Prioritizing and tiering your submissions

We’ll also be having our super-popular “First Page Fridays” every week so you can share (if you like!) the openers of pieces you are hoping to submit for constructive feedback from our big group.

Our list of participating editors is confirmed! Take a look at all the wonderful people coming to support you this month: 

Monday, Feb 2: Getting Started
Tuesday, Feb 3: Kate Lewis of In a Flash!
Wednesday, Feb 4: Derek Askey of The Sun
Thursday, Feb 5: Jeff Bond of Epiphany
Friday, Feb 6: Rebecca Johnson of Dorothy Parker’s Ashes
 
Monday, Feb 9: Tommy Dean of Fractured and Uncharted
Tuesday, Feb 10: Steve Chang and Heidi Marjamäki of Okay Donkey
Wednesday, Feb 11: Maureen Langloss of Split Lip Magazine
Thursday, Feb 12: Lorette Luzajic of The Ekphrastic Review
Friday, Feb 13: Alanna Weissman of Bellevue Literary Review
 
Monday, Feb 16: Hannah Harlee of ARTWIFE
Tuesday, Feb 17: Sari Botton of Oldster
Wednesday, Feb 18: LIVE Developmental Editing with Court Harler of Flash the Court
Thursday, Feb 19: Aimee Lee Ball of Eat, Darling, Eat
Friday, Feb 20: Marjorie Tesser of Mom Egg Review
 
Monday, Feb 23: Tammie Rice of Tangled Locks Journal and Ariel K. Moniz of The Hyacinth Review
Tuesday, Feb 24: Sydney Tammarine of Cleaver
Wednesday, Feb 25: Hillary Jo Foreman of CutBank
Thursday, Feb 26: Jill Christman of Beautiful Things and River Teeth
Friday, Feb 27: Our Final Day & Staying Connected

There is a way to make literary magazine publishing part of our writing lives in a way that doesn’t feel draining or false. Come learn about the many, many places you might submit your work, and imagine doing so in a way that feels right for your writerly soul.

NEW THIS YEAR! The February Publishing Circle is collaborating with Steve Chang of the lit mag Okay Donkey, ex-Guernica alum Autumn Watts, and their new literary community! Everyone who registers for the February Publishing Circle will receive a free one-month basic membership in their Lit Match Collective. This will allow you to attend their February generative writing sessions, monthly online readings, daily accountability sessions, craft chats, and a low-res MFA panel Q&A. Whew! That’s a lot! 

How to Register for the February Publishing Circle: Registration for the full month is $250, via Zelle using dianeyzp (at) hotmail (dot) com or Venmo: (@) zinnaliterary. Registration is open now and will close when full. 

Hear What People Are Saying About the February Publishing Circle!

“Diane has built a vibrant and inclusive community of writers who are deeply interested in their craft, and her February Publishing Circle is the most thorough introduction to publishing and sending out work I’ve ever taken.”   –Travis Eisenbise, Fiction Writer and Associate Director of Programs, Sewanee Writers’ Conference

“Diane shares FANTASTIC advice and resources! I wish I’d known a generous soul like her when I was first getting started.” –Michael Meyerhofer, Poetry Editor, Atticus Review.

“Diane has an insight and a gentle presence like no one else. But demystifying the publishing/submissions/journals? This really changes the “game.” It humanizes the whole endeavor and gives grace, direction, as well as some empathy for the real people behind the scenes.” –Sara Evelyne, Poet

“I cannot begin to tell you how much I have gained from the February Publishing Circle.  It has informed, inspired, and challenged me.  I thank you so much for offering an opportunity like this to writers. It has been far better than any treatment I received on this subject matter during my MFA. Thank you, thank you, thank you!” –Sharon Waters, Creative Nonfiction Writer

LOVE YOUR BOOK 2026

A 6-Month Editing Course to Deepen Your Novel or Memoir
February 21 Through July 18, 2026
Registration: $1200

Are you nearly finished with a draft of your book but need some help to make it all you really want it to be? Join me for a strategic editing journey and see how much you can truly love your book in six months of devoted editing time.

Our class will run from January until June 2026, ending at just the right time to start preparing your book for submission to agents and publishers in the fall!

Each month, we’ll come together for a “Love Your Book” Saturday. We will meet for class 10am–12pm Eastern Time. During the first hour, we will discuss specific editing strategies for the month. The second hour will be devoted to writing and group readings; writers who wish to share from their book in progress can read aloud and receive immediate feedback from the class.

This course also includes a 30–minute, 1:1 meeting with Diane every month, which you can set to fit your own schedule. As part of those meetings, Diane will review up to 25 pages of your revised work. You’ll receive a total of 100 pages of close edits by the end of this class.

Our Class Schedule

February 21: Evaluating past feedback and organizing for the work ahead.

March 21: Reviewing all sections and different ways to work through your large project.

April 25: Diving deep into key scenes with handwritten/highlighted explorations.

May 23: Reinforcing and expanding your themes.

June 20: Refining your unforgettable end and rewriting your captivating start.

July 18: Editing your prose at the sentence-level–and celebrating all there is to love about your book!

What Else Do I Need to Know About Love Your Book?
This is not a workshop-style class, so you will not be expected to read and provide written comments on anyone else’s books. This is a time to devote yourself fully to revising your own memoir or novel.

Do I Need to Participate in the Readings?
No, but I hope you will! It’s a time to share what you’ve been working on, hear the writing of others, and build your community UP. You can also just come and listen if you prefer.

Will You Read My Whole Novel or Memoir?
I will be reading up to 100 double-spaced pages of your book this year and looking at how those scenes fit into your book’s outline. (Don’t have one yet? You will!) I do provide developmental editing on full books as a separate service, but my intention is that the comprehensive edits I provide during Love Your Book can help you shape, refine, and clarify it all.

Will You Provide Refunds?
Please carefully consider your schedule for the months ahead and whether you are ready to tackle this round of editing over six months’ time. Refunds are not available for this class, but if an emergency arises that prevents you from continuing, we can talk about the possibility of putting a portion of the class fee toward a full developmental edit at a point that works for both of us in the future.

How Do I Apply?
Please send me an email expressing your hopes for this course and why you think Love Your Book will work for you. Please also attach a 1-page description of your book. Students will be accepted on a rolling basis and registration will close after the class reaches capacity. Accepted students will receive information on how to make payment; smaller payments can be made along the way, but please pay in full by the class start date, January 24.

Registration
The total cost of Love Your Book is $1200, and includes 100 pages of editing, 6 two-hour classes, and three hours of personalized 1:1 coaching via Zoom. I am happy to provide an invoice if you need!

Please reach out if you have questions, and I hope you will start 2026 with the intention to LOVE YOUR BOOK.

Warmly,
Diane

🩷

Grief writing sundays

Every Other Sunday, 2–3 PM Eastern Time
Via Zoom

FREE for all—and always!

I have come to believe that if you can learn to write about grief as you have truly experienced it, you can write anything. Grief Writing Sundays have been happening since November 2020. These are drop-in classes, so don’t feel pressure to come every time—just join as you can! These sessions are TRULY for all levels. No prior writing experience is needed.

Each session includes a 10-minute craft lesson, a gentle prompt, and some quiet writing time together. You can quietly join with your camera off the whole time if that’s what feels right for you, but we end with readings from those who wish to share. I know this class can feel therapeutic, but I never intend them to be a replacement for therapy; our main focus will be on how to write our hardest stories.

You can get on the invitation list by sending me a message via the contact form on this site. Just be sure to include your email address so I can send you the Zoom link before each class starts.

Next Class Dates:

March 15
April 5 (Easter)
April 19
May 3

Join Us on Substack!

I try to recap most of our Sundays together on my Substack, and I’m about to begin a self-paced video series taking subscribers through all the grief writing portals we’ve ever done together. You can subscribe at dianezinna.substack.com.

Pre-Order LETTING GRIEF SPEAK Today!

If you’ve loved coming to Grief Writing Sundays, I hope you will order my new book, Letting Grief Speak: Writing Portals for Life After Loss. It’s coming in June 2026 from Columbia University Press, and features 90 short lessons and writing portals. It also features the writing of more than 40 people from our Grief Writing Sundays class. I’m so honored that for many of these writers, the work will be their first major publication.

Pre-order at your favorite local bookstore or on Amazon!

SPRING MAGIC CIRCLE

Spring Magic Circle
Every Weekday in April 2026, 9–10am ET

Maybe you’ve been longing to finally establish an early-morning practice. Maybe you’re determined to begin a project that’s been on your heart forever. Let me light some lanterns along the way! I know you’ll discover what I and so many writers have discovered by doing this: there is magic in the early morning.

Every weekday morning in April, we’ll check in, set our intentions, write in supportive quiet, and share when we’re on fire!

Come for warm community, lots of inspiration, and a fresh, imaginative writing portal every morning if you need one. 

Registration for the full month is $200 via Venmo (@zinnaliterary) or Zelle (dianeyzp(@)hotmail(dot)com).

Hear what people are saying about the Magic Writing Circles:

“The practice of starting each day thinking of myself as a writer in the company of other people who think of me as a writer is the best gift I’ve ever both been given and have given myself. This practice is carving out a space in my brain that I haven’t been able to create on my own. I have always put writing after…after work, after the family, after errands, after after after, contingent on so many things. I thought I’d feel cramped in my day fitting this in, but honestly, it is reducing my anxiety because, finally, I am starting the day seeing myself the way I want to see myself. And the rest of the day falls into the cracks around that writing core rather than the other way around. I am so grateful.”
–Sara Dovre Wudali

“The writing portals you provide and that we yearn for are calls to our subconscious looking for answers. The fears that might have had us trapped in paralysis are gone because a group of engaged, caring people is watching, hearing, but most importantly: listening with their hearts.”
–Juana Rodriguez

“This has been the most generative, inspiring, and supportive space for me. I truly have loved every second of it.”
–Rachel Lola Wolfe

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

Hello! Many of you know that I have a new book coming out that is based on my time teaching Grief Writing Sundays. It has been more than two years now since I started offering those “portals” for writing our hard stories, and Letting Grief Speak: Writing Portals for Life After Loss will feature 100 of those writing prompts.

I am also thrilled that the book will include short written responses to those prompts by my past students. So whether you have been coming to Grief Writing Sundays every time, or you just dropped in once or twice, or we met in a Grief Writing Workshop or other class where I presented these ideas, I invite you today to submit a piece you were proud of. 

If you are interested in submitting your work, here is what you need to keep in mind: 

  • You are welcome to submit up to three pieces. 
  • It’s okay if you don’t have the wording of the inspiration portal–but do include it if you have it. 
  • Each submission should be no more than 1200 words, double-spaced. Include a title for each.
  • Please send your submission as a Word document. (No PDFs or links to Google Docs, please.) 
  • Submissions should be emailed to me with GRIEF WRITING BOOK as your subject line.

As you’re considering what to send, please know that I already have writing for the following portals well covered: 

  • A Recipe
  • Safety Instructions
  • Grief World Tour
  • Choose Your Own Adventure
  • Mapmaking
  • The Deepest Pocket
  • The Magic Show
  • The Telescope
  • Odd Techniques and Instructions
  • The Wind Telephone
  • A CraigsList Ad
  • The Grief Dictionary

I know there will be so much beautiful writing that I won’t be able to accept for this book project, and I’m sorry in advance. I’m hoping to include a deep variety of experiences and selections that can serve as solid examples for ways to approach the portals.

While I can’t send the list of all 100 portals out for people at this time, in upcoming Grief Writing Sundays, I’ll be announcing at the end of class the key portals for which I still need writing. These classes meet every two weeks from 2–3pm Eastern Time and are free. Just contact me for the Zoom link if you are interested in attending. Upcoming dates are always listed at www.dianezinna.com/teaching-mentoring. I’m also happy to have a conversation with you about any of the writing you’ve done that might fit, even if you don’t remember the name of the portal. Just send me an email!

Submissions will be open until Sunday, March 26.

I will send an email confirmation to let you know I have received your submission, and I’ll follow up with everyone in early April to let you know if I will be able to include your piece in what I submit for my deadline. The final decision on all pieces will come from the press. 

Thank you, and I hope to read your work soon!

Warmly,
Diane 

A NEw book is on the way!

For over two years, just about every Sunday, I have met with writers looking to tell their hardest stories–often hard because they are stories they are still living through. Grief Writing Sundays have meant so much to me, and I wanted to write a book that shared not only our craft lessons, heart, laughter, and community, but the inspired writing from my students that emerged from these sacred sessions. And here it comes–LETTING GRIEF SPEAK: Writing Portals for Life After Loss.

One of the things I am proudest of is that this book will allow me to showcase some of the beautiful writing that has come from my students during these sessions. If you have been a part of Grief Writing Sundays or one of my Grief Writing Workshops, be on the lookout soon for an invitation to submit your work. I want to include as many of you as I can. I want readers to feel like they are really part of our sessions, and I believe the best way to do that is to have them get to know your words.

Cover reveal!

I am so excited my novel finally has a cover! (Click on the title of this post to see the full image.)

I love this image so much. I love the thickness of the paint, how it seems like I can pick an individual petal from the woman’s Swedish Midsommar crown and hold it in my fingers. I love her slouched shoulders and how that posture feels so much like my main character, Lauren. In the novel, Lauren has let her friend bleach her hair and dye the ends black. The only change I asked the art department to make was to add a couple of stripes of black at the end of her ponytail. And just like that, this woman felt like Lauren, and this cover was mine.

THE ALL-NIGHT SUN is available to pre-order now at Indiebound, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble! And if you choose to pre-order before Christmas, please email me your receipt with your mailing address! I’ll be sending a special thank-you to anyone who pre-orders ‪before 12/25‬, and little certificates you can gift if you let me know you pre-ordered it for a friend.

Thank you all for your support at this very special time in my life!