Summer Block (that's me) writes all kinds of things, including essays, short fiction, poetry, plays, podcasts, and sketch comedy. Occasionally also book reviews, corporate memos, celebrity gossip, greeting cards, technical manuals, travel guides, crafting how-tos, compliance documentation, scavenger hunt clues, and trivia questions.
Her work (that is, my work) has appeared in The Toast, The Awl, Longreads, Catapult, McSweeney's, The Rumpus, The Towner, The Nervous Breakdown, Buzzfeed, PANK, and in many other publications. She is a contributor to the podcasts Even The Rich and Imagined Life.
Her (my) short story "Hospitality" won the 2010 MWA award for short fiction and is included in the anthology Million Writers Award: Best New Online Voices (Spotlight Publishing). Her essay "The Best Places to Get Free Coffee in LA" (originally published in The Awl) is included in the anthology California Prose Directory. Her comedy short "The Middle Man" appeared in the anthology Critically Acclaimed and an essay on the Simpsons and parenting in The Simpsons’ Beloved Springfield: Essays on the TV Series and Town That Are Part of Us All. Her essay “Romantic Decay” appeared in The Best Of It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere: Vol 1. Her humor piece “Baby’s Touch ‘N Feel Guide to Russian Literature is forthcoming in the anthology Embrace the Merciless Joy: The McSweeney's Internet Tendency Guide to Rearing Small, Medium, and Large Children (October 2023).
Summer also works on game design with Futuruption, including Midnight Madness and the Endgame puzzle. She wrote extension materials for Bound's The D.O.D.O. Files that accompanied Neal Stephenson's The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O.
With the incomparable J Ryan Stradal, Summer produces the quarterly reading series Hot Dish. With J Ryan, she also wrote a series of advertising spots for the Los Angeles Music Center.
She also teaches writing workshops at The Writing Pad and Writing Workshops Los Angeles and offers private editing, coaching, and consultation services.
Summer (still me) has lived in four U.S. states and on three continents. As an undergraduate she attended the University of Chicago, majoring in English Literature and Medieval Studies. She is currently a PhD student in medieval English literature at Claremont Graduate University.
She is (I am) working on a book of essays about Halloween. She also writes The Etc., a sometimes-monthly email newsletter.
Some people follow her (that's me) on Twitter at teamblock. You can email both her and me at summer.block@gmail.com.