Jochelle is writing

Probably in a bookshop or by the sea—hopefully, in a seaside town’s bookshop ☀️ 🌊 📚

[SmokeLong Quarterly @SmokeLong]

We're in the middle of our free-submissions window. Send us something you love.

[Boze Herrington, Library Owl 😴🧙‍♀️ @SketchesbyBoze]

Some of you have forgotten that only three years ago you were perfectly capable of writing an essay, writing a eulogy, telling a bedtime story to a child, and it should worry you that powerful companies have convinced us we can’t do things we’ve been doing for 5,000 years.

[Joyce Carol Oates @JoyceCarolOates]

not an expert in AI but if AI assimilates all sorts of writing styles to reassemble into what is called "AI slop" wouldn't whatever it wrote resemble the original?--that is, human writers' work? so, how can anyone readily identity "AI slop" from its models? totally innocent writers' work might be mis-identified as AI given this scenario as the device becomes ever more widely used.

[Jochelle is writing @JochelleWrites]

I made the Smokey shortlist @SmokeLong and it feels surreal. Still processing. I’m so grateful that the editors have connected to my story. What a great lineup!

[SmokeLong Quarterly @SmokeLong]

https://t.co/Lzd3RgTSG6

[Jochelle is writing @JochelleWrites]

@SohrabAhmari @BarneysRubble0 The big scoop is how lazy some “journalists” or “investigators” seem to have gotten. It would take five seconds to find out that the writers’ identities and commonwealth citizenship have to be proven before any shortlist is announced.

[Jochelle is writing @JochelleWrites]

@shauntranslates @raspberrygirl44 Everyone is real (even if the pictures they use aren’t / are edited by AI lol). We’re required to prove our identity & commonwealth citizenship before the shortlist is confirmed & announced.

[Jochelle is writing @JochelleWrites]

@JoshuaLubwama1 @raspberrygirl44 Sent you a message!

[Jochelle is writing @JochelleWrites]

@raspberrygirl44 It is so malicious, and is exactly what turns these things into witch hunts.

[lina @raspberrygirl44]

not a fan of this. we should be able to use more evidence than just an ai detector to make these claims. in the replies you see one of his alleged “bots” is a real human writer. rushed and poorly researched, and undercuts the credibility of my original discovery

[Jochelle is writing @JochelleWrites]

@kevinjhosein @Cosmata1 @nabeelqu I’m also worried as a younger writer that what I thought was a very positive early step / momentum in my journey (being shortlisted for this prize) turns out to be something that means nothing of value.

[Jochelle is writing @JochelleWrites]

@effthealgorithm There are no entry fees to this competition. But this happening and the way it’s been “handled” still is an absolute slap in the face to the thousands of writers who submitted this year.

[Olivia Emerick (open to queries!) @oliviamemerick]

Thought I'd share some info on how specifics in your query letter can really make your query stand out!

[Jochelle is writing @JochelleWrites]

@SarahFPoetry @mcmansionhell I won’t comment on the writing as I was also shortlisted for this year’s prize. I only wanted to clarify a cultural point within it for those unfamiliar with Trini culture. Ofc there are nuances in the story even I may have missed due to my own context or experiences :)

[Jochelle is writing @JochelleWrites]

@JoshuaLubwama1 Thank you so much!

[Jochelle is writing @JochelleWrites]

So excited to be a part of the Long List! Congratulations to my fellow writers on the list. I’m quite intrigued by some of the titles and the stories behind them!

[SmokeLong Quarterly @SmokeLong]

The SmokeLong Quarterly Award for Flash Fiction Long List is Live! https://t.co/tkySVbwfz1

[Jochelle is writing @JochelleWrites]

@mcmansionhell Hi 👋🏽 Trini writer here. As ridiculous or implausible as it might seem to outsiders, that name (and type of combination) is very much possible and, in fact, happens in Trinidad. Just wanted to spread that awareness.

[Penguin Books USA @penguinusa]

Don't let anyone talk you out of buying that 1 book at the bookstore. Those 3 books could be the most life-changing 10 books you've ever gotten.

[Commonwealth Foundation Creatives @cwfcreatives]

This year’s #CWprize shortlist includes six outstanding stories from the Caribbean region, with shortlisted writers from Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago.

Cosmata Lindie (@Cosmata1), a Guyanese writer and visual artist, returns to the Prize after being shortlisted in 2024. Her 2026 story, ‘The Metamorphosis of Miss Alice’, follows a juvenile delinquent whose encounters with a frail and forgotten old woman lead him to believe in the power of transformation.

‘Plenty Time’, by Trinidadian writer Celeste Mohammed, centres on an act of kindness between an elderly widow and another woman in a desperate struggle for dignity. Formerly a lawyer, Celeste is now an award-winning full-time writer, editor and ghostwriter. She was also shortlisted in 2024.

In ‘The Serpent in the Grove’, Trinidadian writer Jamir Nazir centres rural Trinidad in a story steeped in desire, poverty and dread. It explores betrayal, survival and the stubborn force of a woman’s will. Jamir has published several books and is particularly known for his poetry.

Jason Dookeran (@shortdrops_tt), a Trinidadian writer based in Buenos Aires, is the author of ‘Pom Pom Peedeem Pom’, which follows a bassist’s attempt to escape his past—only to find it pursuing him across the sea in the form of a persistent rhythm. His work draws on Trinidadian dialect, folklore, and the interplay between tradition and contemporary life.

Jochelle Greaves Siew, a Trinidadian PhD candidate, has been published in academic journals. Her story, ‘River Mouth’, is her first submission to a writing competition and explores the mysterious disappearance of several girls in a fishing community. She plans to complete her first women’s fiction novel after finishing her PhD.

‘Pot Hound Republic’, by Roger-Mark De Souza (@desouzarm), is told from the perspective of a stray dog wandering the streets and markets of Port of Spain. Born in Trinidad and now based in Washington, D.C., his work explores the complexities of diasporic life. He is currently completing a novel-in-stories tracing interconnected lives between the Caribbean and its global diaspora.

We hope you enjoy reading these stories when they are published later this year.

https://t.co/opgPF77WSx

[Jochelle is writing @JochelleWrites]

I’m proud to represent the rich & complex literary culture of T&T, and the wider Caribbean. Caribbean stories have always been rooted in the textures of everyday life, shaped by the legacies we carry, and alive with the rhythms, contradictions, and voices that define us 3/3

[Jochelle is writing @JochelleWrites]

Grateful to share that my story is shortlisted for the Commonwealth Short Story Prize. Congratulations to all other shortlisted writers! I look forward to reading your stories. It is truly an honour to share your company.
Heartfelt thanks to @cwfcreatives #CWPrize #CWPrize2026

[Jochelle is writing @JochelleWrites]

To have my work recognised at this level feels especially meaningful in the context of what this prize represents — a space that uplifts a breadth of voices and experiences from across the world, and connects us at a time when so much seeks to divide 2/3