Congratulations to all the Grubbies who were published in literary journals across the country, won awards and prizes, secured book deals, and so much more. Our community is closing November 2025 with thirteen publications, four awards and prizes, and two book publications! Let us celebrate you: submit your good news to GrubStreet’s Department of Congratulations.

Boston Writers of Color member and instructor Kayla Degala-Paraíso's short story "Bupropion Hydrochloride, or, Pills for Vanquishing” was recently published in Heavy Feather Review's Haunted Passages column. Marcia Yudkin's essay "Say What?" was published in How I Learned. Miriam Polli's novel Rosina was a GOETHE Book Award Finalist for Historical Fiction, shortlisted for the Santa Fe Writers Project, shortlisted for Vine Leaves Press, and longlisted for the Alt Current Press Electric Book Award. Liam Carnahan's essay "Ask Me How My Mother Died" won 8th place in the 94th Annual Writer's Digest Writing Competition, for the Memoir/Personal Essay category. 

Alex Thayer's novel Bad Cheerleader was published by Simon & Schuster. Bad Cheerleader has received glowing reviews from Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, and Booklist. Matthew Borushko published an essay titled "Resolution and Independence" in First of the Month. Boston Writers of Color member Federico Erebia's debut novel, Pedro & Daniel, received two awards from the International Latino Book Awards: Best Latino-Focused YA (Gold Medal), and Best First Book (Silver Medal). 2021-2022 Teaching Fellow and instructor Simone Dalton's debut memoir, What Remains, is being published by Scribner Canada, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Canada.

Instructor and Novel Incubator alum Milo Todd's work of transgender historical fiction,The Lilac People, has been nominated in both the Historical Fiction and Debut Novel categories of the 2025 Goodreads Choice Awards. To help him make it to the finals, please consider voting for The Lilac People in both of these categories — deadline to vote is 11/23. The Iowa Review is publishing Silvia Spring’s short story "Cuentos de Hoy" in its Fall 2025 issue. She would like to thank her instructor and mentor James Scott for providing invaluable help. Viktoria Shulevich's humor piece "How to Buy Concert Tickets for a Somewhat Popular Band in 60 Simple Steps" was published in The Weekly Humorist.

Essay and Memoir Incubator alum Linda Button's flash essay “Numbing” appears in this week's Shortreads. She's inspired to keep writing and submitting by the Essay Incubator "Hour of Power" writers. Memoir Incubator alum Tamara MC's essay "In Defense Of 'Love Is Blind' Star Edmond's Exuberance" has been published in Motley Bloom; celebrating neurodivergent joy through the lens of the reality show's most memorable contestant. Jim Berkman finished Strether's Boy, a sequel to complete his The Ambassadors Trilogy. Authors Gregory Maguire and John Banville read his draft and both authors gave Jim glowing blurbs for his previously published books In the Presence of Chad Himself and sequel The Product of Woollett.

Instructors Henriette Lazaridis and Anjali Mitter Duva have launched Galiot Press, an innovative new publishing venture. Their first two titles—Emily Ross’s Swallowtail and Robyn Ryle’s Sex of the Midwest—debut this fall. Henriette and Anjali extend their gratitude to the GrubStreet community for its support and insights as they built a press dedicated to doing better for authors, readers, and the environment. Joanna Davidson published an op-ed in the Los Angeles Times on November 11, 2025, exploring the politics and power of naming as a fundamental human act. This essay was developed with feedback from Ethan Gilsdorf’s "Writing and Publishing Politically Engaged Essays workshop"—special thanks to Ethan and the Jan–March 2025 cohort for their insights.

Boston Writers of Color member Chital Mehta's essay "How Revising My Novel While Querying Helped Me Win a Book Award" appeared on Jane Friedman's website. She'd like to thank the Muse conference for allowing her to connect with fellow writers who became beta readers. Instructor alex terrell's debut novel Strangeblood has just been picked up by Feiwel and Friends (imprint of MacMillan) to be published in 2027. David Hallock Sanders, a several-time participant at the Muse and the Marketplace, has seen his short screenplay, "The New Moon in the Old Moon's Arms," made into a movie. The film, based on his short story of the same title, can be viewed here.

Novel Incubator alum E.B. Moore's latest book, Silent Cauldron, launched in September. BWOC member J L Higgs's short story "Separate Lessons of Summer" was recently published by Decolonial Passage. Instructor and manuscript consultant Cheryl Eagan-Donovan has been selected as a Film & TV mentor for the 2026 SXSW Film Festival. She previously served as a SXSW Screenwriting mentor in 2024 and 2021. Cheryl is honored to give back to the film community, and her new documentary, All the World’s a Stage—now in post-production—is slated for release next year. Instructor and Novel Incubator alum Milo Todd's work of transgender historical fiction, The Lilac People, is an Amazon Editors' Best Book of 2025.