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10 Brilliant Writers to Follow on Twitter - grey lettering overlaid on blue image of a hand holding a phone with the Twitter log in screen - Keeping Up With The Penguins

10 Brilliant Writers To Follow On Twitter

November 16, 2018 / / 4 Comments

I think one of the greatest tragedies of our time is that Oscar Wilde never had Twitter. I realise that makes me sound like the most millennial millennial that ever millennial-ed, but seriously! Take a look over his body of work and you’ll quickly realise that his Twitter feed would have been absolute fire. The good news is that today’s writers do have Twitter, and I can tell you right now that they would have made him proud! Whether you’ve been Tweeting for years or you’re just now setting up your account, here’s my list of 10 brilliant writers to follow on Twitter.

10 Brilliant Writers to Follow on Twitter - grey lettering overlaid on blue image of a hand holding a phone with the Twitter log in screen - Keeping Up With The Penguins

Celeste Ng (@pronounced_ing)

If you haven’t seen copies of Little Fires Everywhere… well, everywhere, then you haven’t been paying attention. Celeste Ng’s success is well-deserved, of course, but her Twitter feed is criminally underrated. To start with, her handle is hilarious – she’s not afraid to make fun of herself and the world around her.

Lucia Osborne-Crowley (@LuciaOC_)

Lucia Osborne-Crowley has written some of the most incredibly emotive and persuasive books I have ever had the privilege to read. She bravely uses her own trauma as a lens through which we can understand how women’s bodies and safety are subject to the whims of patriarchal institutions. But, it’s important to note, her Twitter feed is far from a bummer! She Tweets all kinds of delightful stuff, as well as essential coverage of the trials of abusers.

Bec Shaw (@Brocklesnitch)

Bec Shaw isn’t (yet) a household name, but damn if she doesn’t write some of the funniest stuff – including Tweets – on the internet today. She is perhaps best known for her saga of a long-distance relationship with her Kiwi girlfriend during the lockdown(s), her incredible Contact Tracys skit during the same period, and a brief Twitter kerfuffle over ‘a car hit they’.

Jennifer Down (@jenniferdown)

I’m not going to lie, my fangirling over Jennifer Down is almost creepy. I got to meet her at the Sydney Writer’s Festival, and it was pretty much the highlight of my year. Of course, she’s a brilliant writer, but her Twitter feed is all killer, no filler. I have literally lol’d on pretty much a daily basis ever since I followed her, she is just so damn relateable.

Kaz Cooke (@reallykazcooke)

Kaz Cooke wrote basically the only pregnancy book worth reading (Up The Duff), and her feed is full of cartoons, hot takes, and the best of Aussie baby-boomer real talk.

Behrouz Boochani (@BehrouzBoochani)

You might not have expected to see someone like Behrouz Boochani on this list, but his might just be the most important account here. Behrouz Boochani is a novelist, documentary filmmaker, and journalist, currently detained on Manus Island by the Australian government for the “crime” of seeking asylum in Australia. His Tweets are eye-opening, terrifying, and motivating. It is the best inside account we have of what is being done to asylum seekers in our name…

Roxane Gay (@rgay)

Roxane Gay just goes from strength to strength – Bad Feminist, then Hunger, then Difficult Women… and her Twitter feed is full of the same brilliance. But, if I’m being really honest, the main reason I follow Roxane Gay is right there in her former bio: “If you clap, I clap back”. She promises, and she delivers. Her clap-backs are epic! I have no idea where she finds the emotional wherewithal, but damn, I’m here for it!

Rebecca Slater (@slatterbrain)

Rebecca Slater wrote my favourite piece of 2018, it is hands-down one of the best things I’ve ever read, and she is the one to fucking watch, I’m telling you! Get all over her Twitter right now, so you can say you followed her when…

Benjamin Law (@mrbenjaminlaw)

Everything you need to know about Benjamin Law, you can tell from the header image he’s chosen for his Twitter profile: a screenshot of a tweet by a troll account that says “@mrbenjaminlaw you’re a joke you bum tickling communist”. Readers of his wonderful memoir The Family Law will particularly enjoy the glimpses into his family life he affords us through his Tweets – and also the occasional filth that will have you reaching for your pearls.

Quinn Eades (@quinn_writes)

I first discovered Quinn when he wrote what I considered to be the definitive series of essays on the Australian marriage equality vote of 2017, and I’ve been following his work ever since. His poetry is unflinching and beautiful, his book is incredible, and his Twitter feed is everything queer, sarcastic, and fantastic.


Honourable mentions, of course, to @LeeLinChin and @cher – not technically authors (yet), but two Tweeters that make the platform worthwhile, as far as I’m concerned. If either of them ever leave Twitter, I will follow them in protest. And, well, there’s me! @shereestrange is my account with me being me, and @KUWTPenguins is the account for this blog.

Do you have any other favourite writers on Twitter? Make sure to drop their handles below for me (or share the love over at KUWTP on Facebook!).

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To Kill A Mockingbird – Harper Lee

4 Comments

  1. Brian Joseph

    November 16, 2018 at 9:33 PM

    It is really neat to follow writers one likes on Twitter. I do not read too many new books but I have my list of those I like. I have also found that some of the less famous ones will chat a bit. I am now thinking about my own list of favorites.

    Reply
    • ShereeKUWTP (Post author)

      November 18, 2018 at 9:53 AM

      It certainly is, Brian! And I do also love seeking out parody accounts of classic/dead authors, there’s some hilarious Austen and Bronte ones that always give me a giggle 😉

      Reply
  2. Christine

    November 17, 2018 at 7:58 AM

    I love how helpful and informative your posts are!

    I also love that you are on this list, although I think you should have made a bigger writeup for yourself, truly.

    You know how much I adore following J.K. Rowling and her trolling already. Maxine Baneba Clarke sounds interesting. Right now, my list is mostly comprised of Indie Authors.

    Reply
    • ShereeKUWTP (Post author)

      November 18, 2018 at 9:56 AM

      Maxine Beneba Clarke is AMAZING and definitely worth a follow! She’s very honest and frank (which, clearly, I adore), and she always gives me something to think about.

      No idea what I would have written up about myself! My Twitter feed is a mishmash of book stuff and “fascinating” insights into millennial married life… oh, and wine 😂

      Reply

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