StoryStudio Chicago has been on Twitter/X since July 2008, almost 17 years! We’ve met many friends, writers, mentors, and instructors there. We’ve exchanged ideas and laughs. We’ve learned so much.
This will come as no surprise to most of you: In recent years, and especially lately, Twitter/X functions less as the “internet’s town square” and more as an increasingly partisan shouting match, where the loudest, most egregious voices are amplified to the detriment of an honest exchange of ideas.
One extremely important lesson we’ve learned as a nonprofit literary arts organization working to build a writing community is that we stand up for our values, especially when times get tough. All are welcome in our writing community.
Using tools or supporting organizations that actively contradict what we believe to be important, therefore, are tools we no longer can use.
So we’re leaving Twitter/X.
We’ll be focusing our time and energy on Bluesky, Instagram, Threads, TikTok, and even LinkedIn. If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, allow us to send our immense kudos to both Electric Literature and Lit Hub, whose collaboration a few weeks ago inspired us to the same with our sister publication the Chicago Review of Books, our lit journal, Arcturus, and our friends at the Chicago Writers Podcast.
This is a bit bittersweet, to be honest. Twitter/X has brought us much joy over the years. But now it’s time to move on.
Thank you all for being a part of our writing community – and we hope to see you at a class, event, or on the socials soon!