"Through vivid imagery and profound word choice, Cisneros manages to turn slow, mundane moments of life enthralling." www.spectatornews.com/opinion/2026...

Love takes many forms — epic, messy, timeless, and a little bit chaotic 💘📚 From sweeping fantasy to nostalgic on-screen favorites, from queer historical romance to the classics causing quite the stir… whatever tugs at your heartstrings, there’s a story here to fall for.

Celebrate Black History Month and read from literary legacies that have left a mark on culture. 📘 New from Toni Morrison, LANGUAGE AS LIBERATION 📘William Demby, a sometimes forgotten literary light: THE CATACOMBS 📘 A 101 to James Baldwin: GO TELL IT ON THE MOUNTAIN

The El, by Chicago novelist Theodore C. Van Alst, Jr. (Vintage, August 2025), winner of the Chicago Review of Books' 2025 CHIRBy Fiction Award, is one of the “Chicagoest” books I have ever read."

We are thrilled to see our repackage program with Na Kim for Vladimir Nabokov made @literaryhub.bsky.social's: The 50 Biggest Literary Stories of the Year list. lithub.com/the-50-bigge...

The modern classics you love, redesigned for another generation of readers and all-the-time Toni Morrison readers alike. A repackaged collection of principal Toni Morrison novels with new introductions are available now. #ReadMoreMorrison Learn more: sites.prh.com/toni-morrison

We love you Cliff Notes, but a full and proper read of our new edition is a must for an Austen classic--but maybe that's just us🌞 @todayshow.com #RWJ #JaneAusten250 www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/669031...

We are deeply saddened by the passing of Alice Wong, 2024 MacArthur Fellow, Founder of the Disability Visibility Project, editor of 'Disability Visibility' and 'Disability Intimacy,' and author of 'Year of the Tiger.' Alice was a true luminary and she will be dearly missed.

We’re thrilled to see SHADY HOLLOW by Juneau Black on @bookriot.bsky.social’s list of Whimsical Whodunits: Cozy Fantasy Mystery Books! 🦊🕯️✨ Check out the full list here 👉 bookriot.com/cozy-fantasy...

Thrilled to see MOCKINGBIRD COURT by Juneau Black named “the best of the bunch” in @nytimes.com! Read Sarah Weinman’s review here: www.nytimes.com/2025/10/21/b...

Books We've Loved, a new limited series from Book of The Day, will discuss titles by authors like James Baldwin and Jane Austen, and hosts will ask their guests questions like — why can’t they get this book out of their head? via @npr.org www.npr.org/2025/10/11/n...

This #IndigenousPeoplesDay, celebrate the brilliance of Indigenous storytelling. 👻 NEVER WHISTLE AT NIGHT — a bold, bestselling anthology that reclaims horror through Indigenous voices. 🚊 THE EL — a gripping novel of loyalty, identity & spirit in 1979 Chicago by @tvayyyy.bsky.social

Indigenous Peoples' Day (10/13) is approaching quickly, and the Indigenous Alliance on Twitch is coming together for an Indigenous Peoples' Day Raid Train and raising money! During my slot, my stream will focus on discussing Indigenous horror with Shane Hawk and playing games!

"The 34-year-old Yogurt Shop murder case is solved - insights from the author of a book on the case." www.pbs.org/video/yogurt...

Our pick of the week is “The El” by Theodore C. Van Alst Jr.. Get a feel for one day in the life of Chicago’s gangland circa 1979. The story is relayed from multiple points of view. The dialogue snaps, crackles, and pops. It's an absolutely explosive novel. We can't praise it enough.

🎉 Congratulations to Theodore C. Van Alst Jr. on his nomination in the Fiction category at the 10th Annual CHIRBy Awards!  The El continues to move readers and represent the heart of Chicago storytelling.  Ted is represented by Rachel Letofsky.  Congratulations, Ted!

"The View" honors the work of acclaimed Mexican-American author Sandra Cisneros this Hispanic and Latin Heritage Month www.instagram.com/theviewabc/?...

"Don’t miss this gathering of Nabokov experts and writers whose own novels offer profound meditations on power and sex as they reflect on Lolita’s legacy, why it continues to shock us, the startling force of Nabokov’s incantatory prose..." 🔗 www.92ny.org/event/naboko...

Today, we celebrate the life and legacy of Robert Redford—actor, director, environmentalist, and champion of independent film. Explore his remarkable journey in "Robert Redford: The Biography" by Michael Feeney Callan. www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/23035/...

"A new edition of ‘Lolita,’ including an introduction by novelist Claire Messud, examines the book’s place in modern times." via @peoplemag.bsky.social people.com/lolita-70th-...

"World renowned author, Sandra Cisneros is being honored with the prestigious Harold Washington Literary Award. She’s also headlining the 40th Annual Printers Row Lit Fest happening this weekend." via Daytime Chicago wgntv.com/daytime-chic...

Book 56: The El by Theodore Van Alst, Jr. A must-read for any Chicagoan, or anyone who loves Chicago, lumps and all. #books #booksky substack.com/profile/3501...

If you loved The Warriors, you’ll ride hard for THE EL. 🚇 A day in the life of a Chicago gang—raw, real, and impossible to put down. Check it out in New City Lit: lit.newcity.com/2025/08/21/t... @tvayyyy.bsky.social

All aboard THE EL! 🚋 Theodore Van Alst Jr. (@tvayyyy.bsky.social) talks about his novel, inspiration, and writing process on LumpenRadio 🎧 Listen here: www.mixcloud.com/lumpenradio/...

Theodore C. Van Alst, Jr. on “The El,” About One 1979 Day in the Life of A Chicago Street Gang https://www.europesays.com/us/163889/ The plot of Theodore C. Van Alst Jr.’s debut novel “The El” is simple—it’s one August, 1979 day…#Chicago #ChicagoNews #us #news #usnews

“Bro, you ain’t the only one who picks up the newspaper, knows where the library is, likes the big humbug in Beowulf, moving out on Grendel and whatnot, or fighting orcs and shit.” - Theodore C. Van Alst, Jr., ‘The El’

This year marks the 70th anniversary of LOLITA by Vladimir Nabokov, the controversial novel about a man's relationship with a 12-year-old girl. Kaveh Akbar, author of MARTYR! discusses the complex literary legacy of Lolita, and listeners share their thoughts. www.wnyc.org/story/the-70... @wnyc.org

Twenty prizewinning stories. One unforgettable anthology. THE BEST SHORT STORIES 2025: THE O. HENRY PRIZE WINNERS is almost here! Pre-order now: www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/771515...

🚇 THE EL is here! 🚇 From Theodore C. Van Alst Jr. @tvayyyy.bsky.social, co-editor of NEVER WHISTLE AT NIGHT—a gritty, pulse-pounding ride through 1979 Chicago. “Cool and real as hell.” —Tommy Orange Hop on—this train waits for no one. Grab your copy today. www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/738830...

“I just wanted to write a story about taking the el and what it felt like, what it smelled like, what it sounded and looked like.” – Theodore C. Van Alst Jr. on his latest novel The El. | ✍️ Emily McClanathan

Messy never looked so good— @raxkingisdead.bsky.social’s SLOPPY is in the @nytimes.com 💋📚 www.nytimes.com/2025/08/10/b...

Woohoo! THE EL by @tvayyyy.bsky.social just made it into Chicago Review of Books’ 12 Must-Read Books of August 2025! 🚆🔥 Read the feature here: chireviewofbooks.com/2025/08/01/1... @chicagorevbooks.bsky.social

i took @maurajudkis.bsky.social of @washingtonpost.com to a strip club to celebrate SLOPPY ✨💋 👠

Enter for a chance to win THE EL by @tvayyyy.bsky.social ! Step inside Chicago’s streets in this gritty, heart-filled novel about friendship, survival, and found family. Enter now: app.thestorygraph.com/giveaways/4d... via @thestorygraph.com

"The covers, while honoring Nabokov, are also very Kim, who is also a painter, and whose recent covers often experiment with thick hand-painted lines." via @literaryhub.bsky.social lithub.com/vladimir-nab...

Oh wow. What a day. Swag from Vintage @ireadvintage.bsky.social and a Goodreads g*ve*w*y for THE EL. They’ve got fifteen to share and you can get on in it at this link: www.goodreads.com/giveaway/sho...

In this episode of NPR Throughline, they discuss the life and work of Edward W. Said: the story of the man who pushed for recognition of the Palestinian perspective, the pushback he faced, and the dangers he foresaw. www.npr.org/2025/07/17/1... Via @npr.org podcasts.

Cisneros joined New City to discuss opera, banned books, spirituality, and finding space to write.

Amanda Vaill, the author of the introduction for our Vintage edition of A FAREWELL TO ARMS, will be speaking this Friday over Zoom about this seminal work of Ernest Hemingway. Register for the talk at the link below.

“When someone is such a perfectionist and his prose is so exquisite, there are no bad books. But I think Light Years is the one that bears the most rereading and the most contemplation, and where he instilled it with the gravest and deepest vision of life.” via @publisherswkly.bsky.social

‘The Cole Porter of Literature’: Writers and Artists Remember Edmund White www.nytimes.com/2025/06/05/b...

🚨 Goodreads Giveaway! 🚨 From @tvayyyy.bsky.social co-editor of NEVER WHISTLE AT NIGHT comes THE EL—a gripping, semi-autobiographical debut set in 1979 Chicago. Brotherhood. Betrayal. Survival. Enter now for your chance to win an advance copy: www.goodreads.com/giveaway/sho...

Ready to get real? Pre-order SLOPPY by @raxkingisdead.bsky.social and get exclusive exercises from Rax's Memoir 101 class—tools to kickstart your own messy, unforgettable story. sites.prh.com/preordersloppy

🎉 IT’S PUB DAY! 🎉 THE RUSHWORTH FAMILY PLOT by Claudia Gray is here! Murder, scandal, and forbidden love collide in the latest Mr. Darcy & Miss Tilney Mystery. 💀💌🕵️‍♀️ Grab your copy now: www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/738651...

Bad habits never looked so good. SLOPPY by @raxkingisdead.bsky.social made it to @literaryhub.bsky.social’s Ultimate Summer 2025 Reading List. Check it out and add it to your TBR 👉 lithub.com/the-ultimate...

Fans of Jane Austen, this one’s for you. "Cents and Sensibility" digs into what we often overlook in her work: class, cash, and what happens when the money runs out. www.theparisreview.org/blog/2025/06... via @parisreview.bsky.social

For dad’s and father figures alike in your life, swipe through our gift guide to find the perfect book to gift this Father’s Day. #FathersDayGiftGuide #BookGiftGuide

Jennifer Lopez is set to star in the big-screen adaptation of the Tony Award-winning musical “Kiss of the Spider Woman" inspired by Manuel Puig's novel via @todayshow.com www.today.com/video/see-je...

thanks for the SLOPPY love Bustle i will be putting ‘veritable ethnographer of lowbrow americana’ on my tombstone 🍻 tinyurl.com/PreorderSloppy