Kat Tang’s debut novel, Five-Star Stranger, follows the adventures of a top-rated man on the app Rental Stranger. Her work has also appeared in The New Yorker, Electric Literature, The Margins, and Pigeon Pages. Kat was a 2025 StoryBoard attendee and was kind enough to speak with us recently about her experience. Here’s the conversation:
What inspired you to apply for StoryBoard?
My good friend Ananda Lima asked if I would be interested in spending a week in Chicago in the summer with her and other fabulous writers as a fellow. I’m smart enough to know a brilliant idea when I see one!
What type of creative writing project were you working on (and how’s it going now?!) and what aspects of StoryBoard week helped you move that project forward?
I was working on revisions for the beginning of my second novel, and my workshop with Rufi Thorpe was incredibly helpful in getting me to think about how to connect the reader to my character from the very first sentence. I was also dealing with some rejections at the time (an unfortunately common occurrence in writing life), but hearing the very accomplished workshop instructors talk about how non-linear their trajectories were gave me hope to keep going. And going. And going. Happy to report that after many revisions, I may or may not have just sold that second novel… keep your eyes peeled for details (I’m on Instagram @tangkat)!
Tell us about the social aspects of the StoryBoard week. How did these complement the workshop components?
The social events of StoryBoard help you connect with some truly one-of-a-kind folks all while exploring Chicago. For example: beach day. I had no idea that Chicago had beaches that looked like the ocean! I mean, gorgeous blue waters as far as the eye can see and cool, calm waters to wade deep into. Relaxing on the beach and discussing love, life, and writing, with people I’d become close to over the course of the week was exactly what the doctor ordered. I’d also highly highly recommend the architecture boat tour. “Buildings are in conversation with one another” is a line I hope to work into a novel someday somehow.
What was one thing about StoryBoard that absolutely blew your mind and you’ve been telling other writers about all year?
Perhaps I was incredibly lucky, but my cohort (both from my workshop and StoryBoard in general) was filled with wonderfully kind and smart people. I learned so much from my workshop, but also from just chatting with people at social events or attending the readings. I’d entered StoryBoard 2025 a little worn down, a little tired from the authorial grind, and came out of it completely revitalized and eager to tackle my writing. There’s not much more a writer can ask for.
