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. Randy Cepuch’s review of Lake Effect: A Novel by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney (Ecco). “At this point, you may have noticed that a weather word of one sort or another has sneaked into nearly every paragraph of this review so far. Lake Effect itself is less subtle. While it doesn’t open with the weather, it relentlessly hits readers over the head with a snow shovel to make the point that Rochester is often cold and grey.”


3. Tayla Burney’s review of The Perfect Mother: A Novel by Aimee Molloy (Harper). “Overall, the women are imperfect in that very real way that we all are. Some are more finely rendered than others, and somewhat intentionally so, as they’re all hiding some kind of secret meant to keep us guessing. Winnie, the one experiencing the worst nightmare come true, is not the focus of the novel. She remains on the sidelines, and we largely get to know her through media coverage consumed by the other moms.”


4. Marcie Geffner’s review of A Beast Slinks Towards Beijing: A Novel by Alice Evelyn Yang (William Morrow). “The story’s magical elements are fragmented and hard to hold in the mind, with multifaceted meanings that aren’t always clear. Are the jackalope, nine-tailed fox, and mystical elderly aunties who populate Qianze’s dreams and visions connected to the mysterious warning her father is convinced he has to give her, or are they signs that she herself is on the edge of a mental breakdown? Again, she can’t be sure.”


5. Lawrence De Maria’s review of Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir (Ballantine Books). “Project Hail Mary is not everyone’s cup of Tau. (That’s not a misprint; you’ll have to read the book — which I hope you do — to get the pun.) In fact, its author, Andy Weir, has many detractors who point out that his writing style leaves much to be desired, his humor is borderline juvenile, and he can be politically preachy. All of this is somewhat true, but it’s beside the point. As he proved in his breakout novel, The Martian, Weir can spin a yarn and make a reader think.”

Subscribe to our newsletter here, and follow us on Instagram, Bluesky, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Pinterest. Advertise with us here.