Hello! I’m Penny Zang.
I am an English professor, mom, and a lifelong writer and reader. My debut novel, Doll Parts, a novel of suspense, friendship, and Sylvia Plath, is out now from Sourcebooks Landmark in the U.S. and in the U.K.
To be more specific, I graduated from Notre Dame of Maryland University with a B.A in English and West Virginia University with my M.F.A in Creative Writing (Fiction). My work has appeared in publications such as the Potomac Review, Pank, Iron Horse Literary Review, Baltimore City Paper, and New Ohio Review. When I'm not writing, I am hanging out with my husband, son, and too many cats. I currently live in South Carolina and teach English at a two-year college. I am represented by Danielle Egan-Miller at Browne & Miller.
I also talk a lot about grief, the writing life, creepy books and movies, dive bars, quirky, off-kilter humor, creativity and the way books shape us. Expect to hear me mention friendship, Sylvia Plath, and ghosts on the regular. You can also expect writing prompts and discussions prompted by my experience in the classroom.
You can also find me on social media (please find me!):
What is Mourning Pages?
Mourning Pages is a newsletter about writing, reading, and the creative life in the midst of grief. Joy and loss, academia, motherhood, publishing, and the strange paths that our creativity takes us on—all mixed together here.
Julia Cameron, in The Artist’s Way, recommends writing daily Morning Pages. I married that idea of writing with my grief experience to form Mourning Pages.
In recent years the newsletter has also grown into a space where I share writing prompts, reflections on reading, and notes from the classroom about creativity, influence, and the writing process.
I publish weekly, with a mix of curated posts, prompts, and essays. Lesson Plans go out every other Tuesday (structured prompts and creative exercises that I use in the classroom and adapt for you).
Start here to get acquainted:
If you’re a writer, reader, teacher, or someone building a creative life alongside everything else, you’ll probably feel at home here. Lifelong learners who especially nerd out on process and creativity, you’re my people.
You’re invited! Join Mourning Pages and stay up-to-date.
You won’t have to worry about missing anything. Every new edition of the newsletter goes directly to your inbox. I like to read on the app, as well.
All subscribers can access the following:
Weekly posts, including The Glimmer Roundup
Lesson Plans (monthly)
Public posts and updates about everything from writing and the bookish life of a reader to posts about teaching, creativity, and loss.
Paid subscribers also receive:
Access to paid posts and deeper dives
Full archive of all posts (posts older than 6 months are behind the paywall)
Participation in Comments on paid posts (On Substack, the Comments Section is actually a joyful place, a growing, thriving community)
Behind-the-scenes updates and offers (delivered to you before anyone else)
Paid subscriptions offer a way for you and others who appreciate my work to support the effort it takes to produce it—for which I am deeply grateful.
I look forward to seeing you in the Comments section and talking more about our creative worlds.
Doll Parts is out now!
