FAQ

What happens at Tell All?

Tell All celebrates essays and memoir on the same stage. One special guest, sometimes two, reads a short excerpt from their recently published book. Three or four featured readers join them onstage to read short, unpublished pieces of their own.

How are special guest(s) selected?

Our special guests are generally prominent Boston-area writers sharing a reading from a memoir or essay collection.

Who can submit as a featured reader?

We are looking for talented writers from the Greater Boston and New England area with a unique voice or point of view to share the stage with our special guest authors. Submissions are open to all writers, and we especially encourage underrepresented writers to submit, including BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and disabled writers (our event team typically reviews 50-80 submissions for each Tell-All event). Also, with the return to live shows post-pandemic, we’re looking for readers who can appear on our event stage. 

Who can’t submit as a featured reader?

We don’t accept submissions from writers who have read at a Tell-All event in the past year. We also don’t accept submissions from our review committee.

How do I submit?

Submissions are accepted at tellallboston@gmail.com.

What are the guidelines for submission?

Our submission guidelines can be found here.

What if I have questions about how to interpret your submissions prompt or theme?

Unfortunately we can’t answer questions or provide guidance on our submissions prompts or theme. We encourage you to review the prompt and our headline reader’s work – and then find inspiration wherever you can. Our hope is you will write the truths that make sense to you. Other than our general submissions guidelines, we don’t want to impose limits or boundaries on your creative work.

Other Questions? Follow us on Twitter @tellallboston or email tellallboston@gmail.com.