Welcome to I'll Show You!
Nonfiction Writing, Publishing, Speaking. Weekly Curated Submission Lists. Monthly Zoom Q&A.
About I’ll Show You
This is a place where I’ll show writers how to speak up and do difficult things. It was inspired by my trifecta of challenges that happened in Fall 2024. First, the person I picked for president of the United States didn’t win, and that was really friggin’ hard. Second, I wrote a viral essay for HuffPost about that shit show election which ignited a massive amount of hate mail and comments. Third, the Dodgers beat the Yankees. This season struck out, but I survived the foul balls, and came out a better person with a better plan.
Why do I want to show others how to speak up and do the difficult stuff? For the first few decades of my life I blushed beet red if you even looked at me. Then I did the hardest thing to overcome my shy sensitive self. I decided to pursue an acting career. I found freedom, recognition, and validation with acting. When my delicate Desdemona set big ass Othello straight, the audience cried. When my jealous Gwendolyn wanted to pull out Cecily’s hair over that very bad catch Earnest, the audience laughed, and when my direction of Nickel and Dimed drove home the point that an American cannot survive on one minimum wage job, it brought a standing ovation.
For two decades I worked as a professional actor and director in NYC and Hollywood telling writer’s stories until one day it hit me. It was time to tell MY stories (enter MFA Degree).
About Me
I have an MA in English, an MFA in Creative writing-Nonfiction, a Post MFA in Writing Pedagogy and currently enrolled in a PhD Program for Leadership and Change. I am a published essayist and writing professor at Antioch University where I teach writing, publishing, and theatre arts in the Individual Master’s of Arts program. I am the director of the student magazine Odyssey Online, and the Senior Academic Advisor for the Master’s of Clinical Psychology. I offer a continuing education course, A Writing Practice. My published essays can be found in Huff Post, BuzzFeed, Yahoo News, Brevity Blog, Hippocampus Magazine, Manifest Station and more. I’ve made appearances on podcasts such as CBS News Radio’s Countdown 2024 and others. My print anthologies include, Extracts and Wrong Way Go Back. My current project is a memoir, titled I’ll Show You. To read more about me, visit my website at andreatate.net.
BTW: I love being the boss of things. The most important thing you need to know about me is that I am originally from New York, and I suspect I was raised in a Mafia Family. It has never been confirmed because no one ever is allowed to talk about it. If they knew I wrote about it here they might have to kill me so…SHHHH! Another important thing is that I love EVERYONE’S story—as long as it’s told, or rather “shown” well.
I am here to help you “show” your story well.
This Week’s Show: I’ll Show You How to Do Your First Podcast Interview
Last week, I was asked to talk on the CBS News/KNX Radio show Countdown 2024. This is a political show, and I have no business talking politics. They assured me they only wanted to talk about my viral essay, “My Husband and his Family Voted for Trump, So I Cancelled Thanksgiving and Christmas.” After several days of waffling back and forth I said yes, but I was extremely nervous. Would this mean more hate mail? I figured I needed to do this for the good people who wrote the nice messages.
I chatted with friends and got advice
I made index cards with talking points
I talked out loud to myself
I did voice exercises prior to the interview
I drank enough coffee, but not too much coffee
I made my dog hang out in the yard, so he would not interrupt me with needing a bio break.
(Heads up: expect a Brody Beau Bo picture each week because he is just way to cute not to share. Here he is at 3-months-old wondering what I mean by “Please get off the couch.” )
When it was showtime I did what I tell my actors when I direct a play. As soon as you step on the stage know that you did the work and you are fully prepared—now it’s time to let all that go. Stay in the moment and enjoy the performance. My part in the show was a success, and more importantly, I was happy with the outcome.
Writers are all faced with the challenge of public speaking by either reading excerpts from their books, doing interviews, or speaking at professional conventions. We don’t want to pass these opportunities up due to our fears. The bottom line is not to overthink it, prepare, and then basta farlo! (“just do it” in Italian)
Check out Countdown 2024 and see if you can hear any nervous energy, or did I stay in the moment and enjoy myself?
This Week’s Literary Citizenship Share!
Check out Charlotte Wilkin’s great Brevity Blog essay Literary Citizenship: What’s in It for You? She gives writers and readers excellent advice on literary citizenship!
Next Week’s Show
I’ll show you tips on how to prepare yourself when you are about to publish an essay that will likely go viral. Teaser: You can’t worry about what the haters will say. Instead, I will give you the perfect Italian curse for your response to the trolls. They will be very confused—unless they’re Italian.
To celebrate my first post the following paywall is removed!
Weekly Non-Fiction Submission Finds and Monthly Zoom Date for Paid Subscribers. Here I will also show you my insider notes and feedback on specific submissions.
Nonfiction Submissions with over 10K followers this week in Chill Subs!
Bellevue Review-18K+followers
Deadline: 12/31/24
Theme: Animalia
Fee: $5
Pay: Flate Rate $75
Genre/Style: Essay
Word Count: Up to 5000 words
Medium: Online
Brevity-20K+followers
Deadline: Open
Theme: NA
Fee: $3
Pay: $45
Genre/Style: Craft/ Writing Life-Nonfiction and Flash, Creative-Nonfiction and Flash
Word Count: Up to 750 for Flash
Medium: Online
Chicken Soup for the Soul-24K+followers
Deadline: Open
Theme: NA
Fee: No
Pay: Flate rate $250
Genre/Style: Essay and Memoir
Word Count: up to 1200
Medium: Online
Image-12K+followers
Deadline: Open
Theme: God in All Things
Fee: $3.50
Pay: $25 a page
Genre/Style: Essay
Word Count: 2000-6000
Medium: Print and Online
Narratively-30K+followers
Deadline: Open
Theme: Deep Dives, Secret Lives, Memoir
Fee: No
Pay: $1000
Genre/Style: Pitch Submissions
Word Count: 2000-6000
Medium: Online
X-R-A-Y-11K+followers
Deadline: Open
Theme:
Fee: No
Pay: No
Genre/Style: Essay
Word Count: 300-7500
Medium: Online
Your Teen Magazine-10K+followers
Deadline: Open
Theme: Parenting Teens
Fee: No
Pay: No
Genre/Style: Essay/Memoir/ Personal Essay
Word Count: NA
Medium: Online
Insider Notes from Andrea
Bellevue is a beautiful publication that I have submitted to previously, but haven’t had success. Their focus is health and illness which intersects arts and sciences. I submitted an essay to them last year about my life-long struggle of dealing with large breasts. I received a decline in a little under 3 months. This was there response: “Unfortunately, given the volume of submissions we receive, even quality work often has to be declined. Please know that your piece was read thoroughly and given careful consideration by our editorial staff.” I will try them again in the future.
The brilliant and talented Dinty W. Moore’s literary Magazine which was chosen by Chill Subs as their #2 favorite nonfiction magazines in 2024. Brevity has the most gorgeous essays and if you are lucky to have an acceptance be sure to brag! They also have Brevity Blog where you can pitch a writing life or craft topic to Allison K Williams. Be sure to read past and current blogs before you pitch to see if your topic was recently published. Allison is a joy to work with and is a brilliant editor. Here is my blog piece that was recently published. Going Viral: What to do Before, During and After.
In Certaldo, Italy with Dinty W. Moore where I had the privilege of participating in the Rebirth Your Book Tuscany Retreat. Here I am showing you what my hair looks like naturally—this is not something I show everyone!
Zoom Topic for January 1/18/25 11am PST (link sent prior)
“Writing Goals 2025"
Let's share our goals with each other and check in monthly on our progress the third Saturday of every month!
Well this is fun and an EXCELLENT model for a first post! Congrats and I look forward to reading more.
Love your first Substack! Can’t wait to read every week💜