Ruby Rosenthal
@rubyprosenthal.bsky.social
arts & culture reporter, writer, second funniest person you know, was once called "garbage propaganda" on twitter and stands by it | All opinions are my own https://52badessays.substack.com/ https://rubyprosenthal.com/
Hellloooo world 📣 📣 📣 !!! For Chicago Public Media, I'm reporting a story about potholes. Do you live in Chicago and have had car damage due to a pothole (or know someone who has) & are willing to talk about it on the record? Send me a DM or email at rubyprosenthal@gmail.com & we can chat!
This is going to be such a great festival (@susanorlean.bsky.social will be there! @danielkraus.com will be there!) and I was so happy to chat with @americanwritersmuseum.org president Carey Cranston about what people can expect this weekend. lit.newcity.com/2026/06/03/a...
American Writers Festival's Return Celebrates the Vitality of Writers and Storytelling
The festival takes place over two days this weekend, with free programming hosted at American Writers Museum and Harold Washington Library Center. AWM president Carey Cranston discusses their plans wi...
lit.newcity.com
When interviewing farmers market managers for @wbez.org, I had such a wonderful time seeing their giddy passion for what they do. As the season kicks off, here are 12 markets we recommend and below are the guides to the suburbs and the city in the next comments 🧵 www.wbez.org/food-drink/2...
Here are 12 farmers markets in Chicago and the suburbs worth a visit
Going into the 2026 season, affordability and accessibility are top of mind for markets.
wbez.org
"I don’t feel anxious or nervous. More like I’ve just taken off on a wild adventure, so I better enjoy the ride." LOVE this conversation between two brilliant writers, on the occasion of @rachellayown.bsky.social's PUB DAY!!! CC: @amyegia.bsky.social open.substack.com/pub/pubcheer... #booksky
Interview with Rachel León
I am so thrilled to be running this interview today.
open.substack.com
It was so special to be interviewed by @rubyprosenthal.bsky.social, who is a serious delight. (Huge thanks, Ruby!)
Ruby Rosenthal@rubyprosenthal.bsky.social · 3mo agoIt was so special to interview @rachellayown.bsky.social about her DEBUT NOVEL!!!! which EVERYONE SHOULD GO BUY!!! (link in second comment) 🥳🥳🥳 lit.newcity.com/2026/05/14/w...
It was so special to interview @rachellayown.bsky.social about her DEBUT NOVEL!!!! which EVERYONE SHOULD GO BUY!!! (link in second comment) 🥳🥳🥳 lit.newcity.com/2026/05/14/w...
Worth a Try: Rachel León and “How We See The Gray”
The Rockford native on her debut novel, choosing curiosity over judgment and balancing writing with her caseworker job.
lit.newcity.com
MASSIVE thank you to everyone who came to StoryBall last night, bid on a silent auction item, donated, or sent us good vibes. You, beautiful writing community, are so very much appreciated!
Tempted, tbh. I love her work.
StoryStudio Chicago@storystudiochicago.bsky.social · 3mo agoCarmen Maria Machado is a wellspring of writing knowledge and inspiration! Win this auction and tap into some of the best writing advice you'll ever get. You don't need to be present to win -- so bid from anywhere in the country! buff.ly/X2cjGpR #writingcommunity
💕 Always excited for a new book! 💕 Contributor @saralippmann.bsky.social just launched her new book HIDDEN RIVER & was interviewed by fellow contributor @rachellayown.bsky.social 👏 buff.ly/eBHPoTa
Do you love @chelseabighorn.bsky.social's earrings? We talk about them (and other stuff) below! art.newcity.com/2026/05/04/a...
A Bead On It: Chelsea Bighorn On Earrings and Architecture
The Chicago-based artist, who just won the Walker Youngbird Foundation award for emerging Native American artists, discusses her artmaking process and taking inspiration from the Loop's architecture.
art.newcity.com
This is soo good!!
Chicago Review of Books@chicagorevbooks.bsky.social · 3mo ago"Unionizing is passion protection. Because we’re really looking for a way to ensure that folks can sustain and have longevity in their jobs." Read @mbwwelch.bsky.social's interview w/ Maria Diaz, Andy Wang, and Darcy Glastonbury of the Hachette Workers Coalition. chireviewofbooks.com/2026/05/04/o...
"There’s a lot more space to navigate the things we’re all told we can’t have, but there’s also not all the space in the world." @rubyprosenthal.bsky.social's interview with @emmaceisenberg.bsky.social on "Fat Swim" (Hogarth) is out now. chireviewofbooks.com/2026/04/28/y...
Yearning for Knowledge through the Body: An Interview with Emma Copley Eisenberg - Chicago Review of Books
If the pen is ubiquitous as a writer’s tool, and claims to be “mightier than the sword,” so, too, should we champion the chair; perhaps it desires to pipe up and say, “Hey, but where are you sitting w...
chireviewofbooks.com
@rachellayown.bsky.social and Grace Spulak discuss resilience in fiction (and real life).
Interrogating the Heaviness: On Resilience in Fiction and Real Life
What role does fiction play in understanding systemic abuses of power and oppression? That’s a question Grace Spulak and I have wrestled with for years. We’re both fiction writers with a background…
buff.ly
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
Yay! Take Joe's class!
StoryStudio Chicago@storystudiochicago.bsky.social · 4mo agoIn "How to Write a Scene," a 2-hour online workshop happening April 28, writers will consider several takes on what a scene actually is, discuss the sort of work that a scene can accomplish, and take a close look at several types of scenes to see how they’re structured. buff.ly/F5xVYi0 #writers
This was a really great conversation about a really fantastic book. Everyone should go get a copy!
Chicago Review of Books@chicagorevbooks.bsky.social · 4mo ago"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...
"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...
Out with the Old: Revisiting Mailer’s “Miami and the Siege of Chicago” - Chicago Review of Books
At the end of Miami and the Siege of Chicago, Norman Mailer’s 1968 New Journalism account of that year’s Democratic and Republican National Conventions and the accompanying violence between Yippies an...
chireviewofbooks.com
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...
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
In other news, I am really excited to share some new initiatives we're launching at The Rumpus including increased pay, writing and editorial fellowships, and microgrants. therumpus.net/2026/03/31/e...
Exciting New Rumpus Initiatives - The Rumpus
Debbie Millman and I are thrilled to share some exciting new initiatives we are launching with The Rumpus. Beginning on April 1, 2026, we are increasing
therumpus.net
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!
Chicago Review of Books@chicagorevbooks.bsky.social · 5mo agoWe're so, so excited to be part of Jeff Boyd's release event for his book HARD TIMES (@flatironbooks.bsky.social) and you can join us too! We'll be at the Book Cellar on 3/31 at 6:30 and Jeff'll be in conversation with Chicago's own Rowan Beaird 🤩 Hope to see you there!
“...the translation is a joyful read of a mind at work...” With Both Anxiety & Self-Importance: @rubyprosenthal.bsky.social reviews Sean Wilsey’s translation of Luigi Pirandello’s One, None, and a Hundred Grand. ➡️ buff.ly/5aa6ERw
"When you feel hopeless, it’s easy to feel alone. Everyone else appears to be basking in the sun." I got to interview Sara Levine about her hilarious--and dark!--new novel THE HITCH for the Brooklyn Rail! brooklynrail.org/2026/03/book...
SARA LEVINE with Kathleen Rooney | The Brooklyn Rail
If ever there were a character who could benefit by reading Dale Carnegie’s How to Win Friends and Influence People—straight through, ASAP—it’s Rose Cutler, the dyspeptic protagonist of Sara Levine’s ...
brooklynrail.org
Really happy to be making my @therumpus.net debut with a fascinating book from @archipelagobooks.bsky.social!! Thanks to @jbrookewrites.bsky.social for some really good edits. therumpus.net/2026/03/20/w...
With Both Anxiety & Self-Importance: The Lasting Resonance of "One, None, and a Hundred Grand" - The Rumpus
Contemporary readers can relate to Vitangelo, as social media seems designed to focus on what others think of us.
therumpus.net
I loved this interview that @rachellayown.bsky.social did, especially the last line: "A beautiful reminder that art takes time."
Chicago Review of Books@chicagorevbooks.bsky.social · 5mo ago"In an era dominated by short-form videos, rapidly declining attention spans and instant gratification, Brennan’s slow, steady approach to publishing is a welcome anomaly." Read @rachellayown.bsky.social's interview w/ @tortoisebooks.bsky.social's Gerald Brennan! chireviewofbooks.com/2026/03/20/i...
As I said to the good people at CHIRB, I think Nathan Hill could probably convince me to read literally (literally) anything!
Chicago Review of Books@chicagorevbooks.bsky.social · 5mo agoOur fourth installment in the Chicago Renaissance series is an essay about Halle Butler’s “The New Me” (@penguinbooksusa.bsky.social, 2019), by author Nathan Hill. chireviewofbooks.com/2026/03/18/t...
This one was so much fun! Check it out below!
Chicago Review of Books@chicagorevbooks.bsky.social · 5mo ago"You have a harder time making quick moral judgments about who’s good and who’s bad if I show every side of the story." @rubyprosenthal.bsky.social's interview with Jeff Boyd on "Hard Times” (@flatironbooks.bsky.social) is out now. chireviewofbooks.com/2026/03/17/p...
If you're in Chicago, join us for this fantastic event!
Chicago Review of Books@chicagorevbooks.bsky.social · 5mo agoWe're so, so excited to be part of Jeff Boyd's release event for his book HARD TIMES (@flatironbooks.bsky.social) and you can join us too! We'll be at the Book Cellar on 3/31 at 6:30 and Jeff'll be in conversation with Chicago's own Rowan Beaird 🤩 Hope to see you there!