Nicole Chung
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nicolechung.bsky.social
Nicole Chung
@nicolechung.bsky.social
45K followers 1.7K following 2.5K posts
author of A LIVING REMEDY (a New York Times Notable Book) and the national bestseller ALL YOU CAN EVER KNOW • words in NYT Magazine, Time, Esquire, The Washington Post &c. • linktr.ee/nicolesjchung • loyaltybookstores.com/nicolechung
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nicolechung.bsky.social
Peggy says what deadlines
golden retriever sleeping on a white couch with her head just over the edge, resting on a brown leather ottoman
December 9, 2025 at 8:47 PM
nicolechung.bsky.social
she is also ready for “let’s circle back after the holidays” season
sleepy golden retriever wrapped up in a fuzzy gray blanket with only her head visible
November 24, 2025 at 11:06 PM
nicolechung.bsky.social
when you have a perfect life and you’re still going through it
closeup of a beautiful golden retriever curled up on a white couch against a light blue pillow with her head half hidden in her front paws
November 13, 2025 at 5:14 PM
nicolechung.bsky.social
she loves you
golden retriever staring up at the camera, chin resting in her human’s hand
November 4, 2025 at 11:40 PM
nicolechung.bsky.social
Peggy doesn’t really enjoy wearing costumes, but she wishes you all a happy Halloween
golden retriever sitting in leaf-strewn grass, wearing an orange and black bandana decorated with a jack-o-lantern
November 1, 2025 at 12:14 AM
nicolechung.bsky.social
she brings her puppy to the back door every morning, just in case it finally decides to join her outside
golden retriever standing in front of sliding glass doors with her stuffed puppy in her mouth, looking over her shoulder as if to say “we’re ready to go outside now”
October 27, 2025 at 3:55 PM
nicolechung.bsky.social
just my pet lion at the park
golden retriever pictured mid-shake at the park, her ears and chest floof in motion making her look very leonine
October 17, 2025 at 12:40 PM
nicolechung.bsky.social
The proposals also advise Mr. Trump to prioritize Europeans who have been “targeted for peaceful expression of views online such as opposition to mass migration or support for ‘populist’ political parties.” That appeared to be a reference to the European far-right political party Alternative for Germany, whose leaders have trivialized the Holocaust, revived Nazi slogans and denigrated foreigners. Vice President JD Vance has criticized Germany for trying to suppress the views of the group, which is known as the AfD.
October 15, 2025 at 8:13 PM
nicolechung.bsky.social
she is once again refusing to leave the park
lazy golden retriever flopping sideways in the grass at the park, paws outstretched, tongue sticking out a little
October 3, 2025 at 6:58 PM
nicolechung.bsky.social
I spoke w/ over 2 dozen birth mothers for this story. Though I could only include a fraction of their stories here, all they shared about their experiences since placement, their love & their grief, & their hopes for their children helped inform this piece & deepen my understanding of open adoption.
At first, she had no reason to doubt that her wishes would be honored. The adoptive couple attended her prenatal appointments and birthing classes, and they were present for the delivery of her baby girl, she said. After the birth, planning visits was easy, because the two families lived close to each other. Lindsay was invited to birthday parties; the families exchanged emails, texts, and photos. When her biological daughter turned 7, however, something shifted. She said that her daughter had apparently started asking the adoptive parents questions about her adoption, and that they asked that Lindsay not discuss the subject with their daughter unless they were present. She agreed but then was not invited to the next birthday party. And when she asked the adoptive parents for letters and updates, it began to feel “like pulling teeth.” Eventually, she said, the adoptive mother told her that the father would no longer allow visits. Lindsay has never been given an explanation. Her daughter is now 13. Lindsay told me that she occasionally reaches out to the adoptive parents, “just to kind of remind them that I’m still here; I still very much love my daughter and want to be part of her life.” It has been more than two years, she said, since she received any photos or updates. Her primary reason for choosing an open adoption was to be available to answer her daughter’s questions. Losing contact, she told me, “is like having one of my biggest fears come true.” The PACA, Erin explained to me, stated clearly that she wanted to see her child twice a year. But shortly before her daughter’s first birthday, she said, the adoptive parents informed her that they were moving abroad—something they had long hoped to do yet had not mentioned before the adoption. Erin told me that the family has made trips back to the U.S., but that she has seen her now-8-year-old only once in person since the family relocated. She said that she recently had a virtual call with her daughter, and that she hopes to establish a closer relationship with the adoptive parents, whom she considers to be excellent parents. She explained that she does not wish to involve a court; in the past, she was also advised that, because the adoptive parents now live outside the United States, holding them to their original, legally binding agreement would be challenging. Although Erin told me that she appreciates her agency’s efforts to help her reestablish regular communication with the adoptive family, she also wishes that she had added “tougher” language to their initial contact agreement, to more explicitly protect her rights. She had chosen open adoption “leaning on the fact that no matter what happened, I would get to see my daughter, and I’d get to be a part of her life,” she said. “That’s not what happened."
October 2, 2025 at 5:32 PM
nicolechung.bsky.social
We’ve come too far to go back to a time when autism was a stigmatized condition defined solely in terms of deficits; when mothers were made to feel guilty; when the pressures for conformity so outweighed the desire for diversity that people with autism had few chances to get an education or a job; when one person with power could dominate the discourse on autism; and when the people whose well-being was at stake were excluded from shaping the narratives and policies that can alter their lives and happiness.
September 24, 2025 at 5:49 PM
nicolechung.bsky.social
DC: Join Fargo Nissim Tbakhi, Issam Zineh, Erin Cecilia Thomas & me at the Lost City Books Fall Salon on Oct. 1 at the LINE DC. Literature! Friends! Free snacks and beverages! You know you want to be there. Free tickets here: www.eventbrite.com/e/lost-city-...
Lost City Books Fall Salon - Wednesday, 10/1 from 7-9pm at The LINE DC Banneker room, 1709 Euclid St. NW - feat. Issam Zineh, Fargo Nissim Tbakhi, Erin Cecilia Thomas, and Nicole Chung
September 24, 2025 at 3:55 PM
nicolechung.bsky.social
POV: you are me and you have cheese
closeup of golden retriever with her chin resting on a pillow, staring at her human
September 21, 2025 at 1:12 AM
nicolechung.bsky.social
Peggy always makes sure that Peggy has a good day
floofy golden retriever flopping on her back in the clover, paws in the air, with a fallen yellow leaf resting against her upside-down head
September 8, 2025 at 9:03 PM
nicolechung.bsky.social
🦁
golden retriever falling asleep on hardwood floor, her fur gleaming in the sun
September 4, 2025 at 6:04 PM
nicolechung.bsky.social
DC: come hang out with us on Sept. 16th! www.eventbrite.com/e/the-inner-...

@theinnerlooplit.bsky.social
The Inner Loop September Reading feat. Nicole Chung alongside 9 local readers including Author's Corner Spotlight Michele Evans - September 16th @ 7pm, Sonny's Pizza
September 1, 2025 at 9:08 PM
nicolechung.bsky.social
❤️
a sleepy beautiful golden retriever getting a good ear scratch while she ignores the television
July 22, 2025 at 1:58 AM
nicolechung.bsky.social
the industry's what hmm
A second agent, who also represents prominent novelists and also requested anonymity, added that the trend will most likely continue because it is driven by the industry’s desire for marginalized voices as well as female writers, as women are the primary buyers of fiction. (from a NYT article titled "The Life and Death of the Straight White Man's Novel")
July 9, 2025 at 7:12 PM
nicolechung.bsky.social
maybe it is time for a Peggy break
golden retriever with her nose up to sniff at a tiny butterfly on the other side of a sliding glass door
July 8, 2025 at 5:04 PM
nicolechung.bsky.social
maybe this helps a little
golden retriever, in profile, paws outstretched to hug her stuffed golden retriever toy
June 30, 2025 at 11:02 PM
nicolechung.bsky.social
we just found out that her tumor was benign!!! and we are so so grateful. I have told her no more lumps allowed. think smooth thoughts, Peggy
close upside-down view of golden retriever showing her teeth in a goofy grin with her paws in the air
June 20, 2025 at 8:25 PM
nicolechung.bsky.social
I have been a little quiet here bc your friend Peggy broke my one rule (“nothing can ever be wrong with Peggy”) and needed to have a tumor removed. we spent the last week+ crying (me) and feeling anxious (whole fam) while we waited for biopsy results & tried to keep her from sabotaging her recovery
overhead view of golden retriever reclining on a dark blue rug, with a small shaved area and sutures on the back of her neck / upper back
June 20, 2025 at 8:22 PM
nicolechung.bsky.social
truly cannot wait to talk with Ocean Vuong about his new novel (perhaps you have heard a thing or two about it??) this Monday, 5/19 at Sixth & I! still a few tix left, DC friends: www.sixthandi.org/event/ocean-...
Sixth & I and Politics and Prose present Ocean Vuong's The Emperor of Gladness - Sixth & I, Washington DC - with Nicole Chung - May 19 at 7pm
May 16, 2025 at 6:10 PM
nicolechung.bsky.social
went for a hike and saw this turtle with my turtle-obsessed sister
cute turtle with a shell about a foot long in the grass beside a creek
April 29, 2025 at 7:03 PM
nicolechung.bsky.social
she ran up to me while I was taking this picture. but you can also just pretend that she was taking a selfie.
closeup of golden retriever “smiling” in lower right corner of the frame, grass and pink cherry blossoms in the background
April 22, 2025 at 8:37 PM