1. The 2026 Washington Writers Conference. “Join us for the premier writing event in the DC area to network with fellow writers, learn from publishing pros during panels and workshops, and, most importantly, pitch directly to literary agents!”


2. Madeleine de Visé’s review of Heap Earth Upon It: A Novel by Chloe Michelle Howarth (Melville House). “I almost wish I hadn’t read Chloe Michelle Howarth’s debut novel, Sunburn. I liked it so much that I leapt at the chance to review her second, Heap Earth Upon It, hoping for more of the same. Unfortunately, these books are as different as the seasons. Where Sunburn is an overexposed photograph of an endless summer afternoon, Heap Earth Upon It evokes the cruelest days of early spring. It’s all melting snow and naked earth — the land at its ugliest.”


3. Terri Lewis’ review of Canticle: A Novel by Janet Rich Edwards (Spiegel & Grau). “In a surprise near the end, a fourth character is introduced: Marte, an innocent who takes us inside the power and danger of translation. Her version of the story of Lot, his wife, and the pillar of salt is telling and hilarious. It’s clear that she understands the world and how it’s set against women. (And the reader will understand how women who believe in God might come to doubt scripture upon hearing it in their own language.)”


4. Mariko Hewer’s review of London Falling: A Mysterious Death in a Gilded City and a Family’s Search for Truth by Patrick Radden Keefe (Doubleday). “If the narrative seemed suspect, the police were equally unhelpful. They declined to share significant details of their investigation with the Brettlers, and what they did make available gave the grieving parents more cause for worry: It seemed the case was being bungled — or worse, intentionally sidelined. Rachelle and Matthew soon realized they’d have to do their own legwork and uncover their own answers.”


5. “An Interview with Desiree Cooper” by Mary Kay Zuravleff. “Summer can be complicated. We romanticize it as a season of freedom and fun, but for adults making a living — and for children growing up without access to summer programs or safe places to play — it rarely is. Readers with their own strong memories of summertime will find 28 versions of what summer means to people who are like them and people who are different. The writers are aged 16-74. They are queer and Afro Latinx. Many write about childhoods, but many write about how they embrace summer joy as adults. Together, they offer a view of Black life in the urban outdoors.”

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