Esmé Weijun Wang Journalist Profile

Articles

Don't Let in All the Mosquitoes

Jan 16, 2025 | esmewwang.substack.com | Esmé Weijun Wang

(Look! It’s a voiceover recording of this newsletter in my real voice!) A few years ago, I was working on my new book at a writers’ and artists’ residency called MacDowell, located in New Hampshire. I asked my friend R, who had been to MacDowell before, if she had any advice for me. “They are so happy to help you,” she said. “If you need anything, anything at all, just ask for it. They'll help you. Nothing is too small.
the annual gift guide featuring YOUR books and offerings

Dec 4, 2024 | jeannakadlec.substack.com | Jeanna Kadlec |Esmé Weijun Wang |Lilly Dancyger |Cedar McCloud

astrology for writers is an exclusively reader-supported publication. if you enjoy getting this newsletter in your inbox, please consider becoming a paid subscriber. We are all horribly over-indexed on gift guides. I don’t think you particularly care about what kind of notebooks I like. But I do think you might be interested in knowing what other astrologically-curious writers might have been up to this year.
Illness Confined Me to My Home. Then a Trip to London Set Me Free

Nov 20, 2024 | cntraveler.com | Esmé Weijun Wang

This essay is the final installment in a series about traveling after confinement. Read more stories here. In 2013 an epoch of complex and major illness in my life began when I dramatically collapsed during a flight from London to San Francisco. Chatting with the stranger seated beside me, I felt my body abruptly revolt: Sweat ran in fat drops down my face and into my eyes; my skin turned clammy; I thought I might vomit.
9 Subversive Books that are Rewriting Bipolar Disorder

Mar 8, 2024 | electricliterature.com | Esmé Weijun Wang |Rachel Lindsay |Leanne Toshiko Simpson

If you search the internet for “books about bipolar disorder,” the overwhelming majority of titles that appear are guaranteed to be self-help books to guide you (or your loved ones) through what is seen as a scary, unpredictable illness. It’s no wonder that manic-depressive symptoms have long been used as a dramatic plot device, or that most literature around bipolar disorder is dedicated to “fixing” or overcoming it.
Every Time, I Underestimate The Dark

Dec 13, 2023 | lauramckowen.substack.com | Laura McKowen |Esmé Weijun Wang |Jess Pan

Fall is such a seductress, with her pumpkin spice and fleece, her golden leaves and crispy air. Every time she comes, she’s all you’ve ever wanted: that cool, delicious breeze after a long, hot day in the sun—after months of long, hot days in the sun. She’s legwarmers and beanie hats and sweaters, but no need for a bulky jacket. She’s the crackle crunch of leaves under your boots and the smell of apple everything. She’s so glorious you forget what’s coming.
"How To Succeed On Substack"

Nov 29, 2023 | open.substack.com | Summer Brennan |Sherman Alexie |Jeannine Ouellette |Esmé Weijun Wang

Something sort of odd happened over the past few days. I went viral on Substack Notes. Well, viral for Notes anyway, which is not that viral in the grand scheme of things. In contrast, I once shared my reaction to a New York Times story and one of its photos in a tweet. It got so many likes and retweets over the space of a few hours—something like 65,000—that the writer of the story emailed me to say that it was stressing out the people she had interviewed.
Six Books That Might Change How You Think About Mental Illness

Nov 20, 2023 | newyorkfolk.com | James White |Andrew Scull |Esmé Weijun Wang |Meg Kissinger

In 2021, Simone Biles and Naomi Osaka, two of the world’s most highly lauded athletes, walked away from major competitions to protect their mental health. In a field that elevates “toughness” and “grit,” both drew major attention for candidly prioritizing wellness above achievement. Their decisions, and the headlines about them, reflected a new cultural willingness—in sports, in schools, and in the workplace—to be more genuine about mental well-being, seemingly replacing stigma with openness.
Know what makes ‘post-covid’ life complicated? Cancer

Sep 21, 2023 | almendron.com | Esmé Weijun Wang

On a bright, warm day, and for the first time since my husband was diagnosed with a form of bone-marrow cancer called myelodysplastic syndrome earlier this year, I called a ride-hailing service to take me to my friends’ apartment near Japantown. The couple had newly bought and moved into this home — no small feat for anyone living in San Francisco — and were hosting a barbecue for a variety of celebratory events that had occurred in our friend group this year: books published, awards, birthdays.
For the immunocompromised, covid isn’t ‘over.’ It’s complicated. - The Washington Post

Sep 20, 2023 | washingtonpost.com | Esmé Weijun Wang

September 20, 2023 at 5:45 a.m. EDT(Josh Cochran for The Washington Post) Esmé Weijun Wang is the author of “The Collected Schizophrenias: Essays” and “The Border of Paradise,” and is founder of the Unexpected Shape Writing Academy. On a bright, warm day, and for the first time since my husband was diagnosed with a form of bone-marrow cancer called myelodysplastic syndrome earlier this year, I called a ride-hailing service to take me to my friends’ apartment near Japantown.