"Offers an idea of inclusiveness, not as an empty liberal term, but as a form of political practice." Ben Clarke's review of “Song for a Hard-Hit People” by Beth Howard (@haymarketbooks.org) is out now. chireviewofbooks.com/2026/04/24/t...

#BookSky 📚 💙 #Chicago

Happy early independent bookstore day! 📚

"The stories in the collection are layering fantasy and science fiction elements together at times." @ianmacallen.bsky.social's review of “Rabbit Test” by Samantha Mills (@tachyonpub.bsky.social) is out now. chireviewofbooks.com/2026/04/23/l...

As we prepare for Independent Bookstore Day, @mbwwelch.bsky.social and @gregzimmerman.bsky.social have compiled a great list of their Chicago favorites. (This list only includes bookstores selling new books. Our list of favorite used bookstores is coming soon!) chireviewofbooks.com/2026/04/23/o...

"By studying reality TV, we can clearly see the cultural scripts we are being handed." @angieraney.bsky.social's interview with Chrissy Martin on "Whole, Holy, Hot" (Write Bloody Publishing) is out now. chireviewofbooks.com/2026/04/22/c...

"Mackintosh is a master storyteller of the slightly strange and a devout creator of the most inviting dystopias." Maddie Schultz's review of “Permanence” by Sophie Mackintosh (@avidreaderpress.bsky.social) is out now. chireviewofbooks.com/2026/04/22/w...

Each year for StoryBall, we pick one aspect of our work toward building a writing community to fundraise for. This year, to celebrate its 10th birthday, we're raising money to keep @chicagorevbooks.bsky.social free and accessible. Please donate if you're able. buff.ly/3bWjofk

"I needed to understand what was happening in China, what I was seeing, and also what it meant to be Chinese in the US and in the world today." @rubyprosenthal.bsky.social's interview with M Lin on "The Memory Museum" (@graywolfpress.bsky.social) is out now. chireviewofbooks.com/2026/04/21/m...

"Another conversation, another book for the library, another day of bookselling in modern dystopia." Dave Pedersen's meditation on working at @mazebooks.bsky.social in Rockford, Illinois is out now. chireviewofbooks.com/2026/04/20/b...

Nancy Drew, anyone? 🕵️

"I would like readers to see our healthcare system through the eyes of someone who dedicated their life to hard medicine." @rachellayown.bsky.social's interview with Adam Axler on on “American Triage” (@whiskeytit.com) is out now. chireviewofbooks.com/2026/04/17/r...

My review of this charming, smart, chatty novel. @nyrb-imprints.bsky.social has also just reissued Lemann's Lives of the Saints. So glad her work is gettting new life - it was new to me and I'm eager to dig into other titles.

"The novel is stealthily profound." @meginj.bsky.social's review of “The Oyster Diaries” by Nancy Lemann (@nyrb-imprints.bsky.social) is out now. chireviewofbooks.com/2026/04/16/h...

Oh wow, this piece. 🥹 We dare you to try to read this and not get a little choked up.

Our fifth installment in the Chicago Renaissance series is an essay about Megan Stielstra (@meganstielstra.bsky.social)—and her book The Wrong Way to Save Your Life (2017, @harpercollins.bsky.social)—by Julia Fine (@finejuli.bsky.social). chireviewofbooks.com/2026/04/15/t...

"It doesn’t really matter what species you are—we should come together and take care of all species." Audrey Bauman's interview with @lauracranehill.bsky.social on "Wife Shaped Bodies" (@sagapressbooks.bsky.social) is out now. chireviewofbooks.com/2026/04/14/r...

"[Lange] asks readers to be objective, leave room for many things to be true at once, and sometimes, question whether a line was intended to be poetry, or bullshit." Hannah Korbel's review of “Day Care” by Nora Lange (@twodollarradio.bsky.social) is out now. chireviewofbooks.com/2026/04/14/n...

"Despite the hyper-individualistic, isolated world we find ourselves in, none of us exist in subjective solitude." Devyn Andrews's review of “Transcription” by Ben Lerner (@fsgbooks.bsky.social) is out now. chireviewofbooks.com/2026/04/13/b...

It was wonderful getting to review Kate Crane's memoir for @chicagorevbooks.bsky.social.

"Crane demonstrates how the power of story can be restorative." Cassandra Lewis's review of “Whatever Happened to Eddy Crane?” by Kate Crane (@hanoversquarepress.bsky.social) is out now. chireviewofbooks.com/2026/04/10/e...

"As The Drama shows us, we all have to live with our choices and their consequences." @ashhatz.bsky.social's movie review of “The Drama” is out now. chireviewofbooks.com/2026/04/10/t...

"Straightforward and almost fable-like." Philip Janowski's review of “The Infinite Sadness of Small Appliances” by Glenn Dixon (@atriabooks.bsky.social) is out now. chireviewofbooks.com/2026/04/09/t...

ICYMI -- this year's Battle of the Genre promises to be as hotly contested as ever. Make sure you're there to see it! Grab your StoryBall ticket now: www.storystudiochicago.org/storyball/

April Write Club starts tonight! Book your spot now: www.storystudiochicago.org/classes/clas...

ANNOUNCING! We are beside ourselves with glee to tell you that @fulmerford.com is this year's StoryStudio Chicago Instructor of the Year! We can't wait to celebrate Juan's award at this year's StoryBall -- May 7 at Ravenswood Event Center. buff.ly/Q2XfUh7

"What if you actually disappeared when you lost your sense of self? What if it were physically dangerous?" Elisa Shoenberger's interview with Hanna Johansson on "Body Double" (Translated by Kira Josefsson, @catapultbooks.bsky.social) is out now. chireviewofbooks.com/2026/04/08/b...

Clare Carlisle's new book, Transcendence for Beginners is out today. Writing, reading, traveling, and loving are mixed into a philosophy of how to live and how to think about life.

"If I hadn’t been asked to give the Gifford Lectures...I would never have written anything like this book. It made me think in a deep existential way." Read Ryan Asmussen's interview w/ Clare Carlisle on "Transcendence For Beginners” (@nyrb-imprints.bsky.social). chireviewofbooks.com/2026/04/07/w...

"Offers humor, melancholy, and moments of piercing recognition." Olivia Zimberoff's review of “American Fantasy” by Emma Straub (@riverheadbooks.bsky.social) is out now. chireviewofbooks.com/2026/04/07/p...

We are excited to announce this year's Battle of the Genre contestants at StoryBall 2026. Emceed by @rebeccamakkai.bsky.social, this year's contestants are: 🕵️ @jamesklise.bsky.social, Young Adult 🕵️ @cynthiapelayo.bsky.social, Horror 🕵️ @michaelzapata.bsky.social, Fiction 🕵️ Lindsay Hunter, Flash

FUN EVENT ALERT! To help celebrate #NationalPoetryMonth, join us for our Spring Poetry Reading -- next Thursday, April 16 at 6:30 pm at the Book Cellar. More info and reader list is here: buff.ly/WHMmcXg

"If there’s a saving grace in reading this in 2026, it’s the knowledge that...we are no longer willing to brush this under the rug of 'genius,'" Read @fcoffeen.bsky.social's review of “Miami and the Siege of Chicago” by Norman Mailer (Random House Trade, 2016). chireviewofbooks.com/2026/04/06/o...

We are THRILLED to share an exclusive cover reveal of @gabrielbump.bsky.social's third novel, Don’t Stop Snowing (@algonquinbooks.bsky.social, November 10, 2026)! The cover was designed by incredible @littlebrown.bsky.social Art Director June Park. chireviewofbooks.com/2026/04/06/e...

"All the gravity in the world, it seems, can not erase a people or their resilience." Leah von Essen's review of “Event Horizon” by Balsam Karam Translated by Saskia Vogel (@feministpress.bsky.social) is out now. chireviewofbooks.com/2026/04/03/e...

This is such a rare opportunity! There is still one spot left to join Toya Wolfe for a week in April at beautiful Ragdale. All the details and registration info is here: buff.ly/igtcckF #writingretreats

NO CONTACT is a must-read according to @chicagorevbooks.bsky.social! "NO CONTACT is radically vulnerable and truly soaring in its compassion, as well as a powerful reminder that we are never truly alone."

"'Nothing Tastes As Good' is a ride. Sometimes upsetting, sometimes bloody, but ultimately a great time." Gianni Washington's review of “Nothing Tastes as Good” by Luke Dumas (@atriabooks.bsky.social) is out now. chireviewofbooks.com/2026/04/02/n...

Come and get your April showers of books -- the @chicagorevbooks.bsky.social has your April preview with 12 must-read books, including the new story collection FAT SWING by instructor @emmaceisenberg.bsky.social! chireviewofbooks.com/2026/04/01/1... #books #booksky

“Without knowing how the characters react to various tragedies, readers must imagine their own verdict.” In @chicagorevbooks.bsky.social, Cait O'Neill reviews Colm Tóibín’s new short story collection, “The News from Dublin” - chireviewofbooks.com/2026/03/31/t...

Want more? Check out all our open mags that pay writers & don't charge fees: bit.ly/4bkFWlM Featuring: @confingopublishing.bsky.social @chicagorevbooks.bsky.social @the4facedliar.bsky.social

This month features some of my favorite debuts of the year, our EIC @mbwwelch.bsky.social writes, including a deeply moving anthology about estrangement, and a book that turns history on its head. Check out the list below! chireviewofbooks.com/2026/04/01/1...

"Tóibín strikes a distinct, delicate balance: the negative space holds the emotional timbre to The News from Dublin." Cait O'Neill's review of “The News from Dublin: Stories” by Colm Tóibín (@scribnerbooks.bsky.social) s out now. chireviewofbooks.com/2026/03/31/t...

Very excited for this one. Live and direct, and on Zoom :)

Spring is StoryBall season, so new profile pic! (This is us at last year's Emerald City-themed StoryBall.) Get your ticket now for this year's event - May 7 at Ravneswood Event Center - and help us solve the case of the missing manuscript. 🙀 www.storystudiochicago.org/storyball/ #chicagowriters

We’re thrilled to co-host the Chicago release of THE MEMORY MUSEUM (@graywolfpress.bsky.social) by M Lin with Women and Children first in Andersonville! It’s on May 3 at 6:30pm! www.eventbrite.com/e/memory-mus...

"The speculative aspect is almost deeper in this light, because it challenges an American audience to push beyond the guilt of complicity." Out now: @rachellayown.bsky.social's interview with Radhika Singh on "Earthly Playing Field” (@commonnotions.bsky.social). chireviewofbooks.com/2026/03/30/r...

This is TOMORROW at 6:30! Celebrate Jeff's book (coming out w/ @flatironbooks.bsky.social) with us at the Book Cellar! We are stoked! We are tickled! We are hoping YOU'LL be there too!

"An uncanny retelling not of a fairy tale but of horror." Mia Rhee's review of “Afterbirth” by Emma Cleary (@harperbooks.bsky.social) is out now. chireviewofbooks.com/2026/03/27/a...

Today's the day! www.storystudiochicago.org/storyboard-c...