Ruby Rosenthal

Interview: Camille Bordas on “One Sun Only” The Chicago-based writer discusses the pleasures of editing, writing in English versus French and the narrative power of anxiety.

I have a new article out in Newcity Lit today about the inimitable Camille Bordas!
lit.newcity.com/2026/02/23/c...

Truly incredible (and important) words by @mbwwelch.bsky.social for @literaryhub.bsky.social!!!

We're officially 10 years old today!

It's been quite a decade. Nearly 3,000 published reviews, interviews, essays, book lists, cover reveals, and more. Millions and millions of views. Ten years of CHIRBy awards, readings, and events bringing our literary community together...

12 Must-Read Books of January 2026 - Chicago Review of Books Here are the 12 books you need to read this January 2026.

"An absolutely necessary read," writes The Chicago Review of Books, in its roundup of “12 Must-Read Books of January 2026", which features Yale author Jonathan Gleason's stunning 'A Field Guide to Falling Ill'.

This was such a beautiful essay by @eshanisurya.bsky.social 😍

Dry Maintenance By Ruby Rosenthal

"..I didn’t know yet that in my twenties, I would become dry everywhere—dry knuckles in the winter: peeling, bleeding, cutting, blood dripping onto my laptop..."

@rubyprosenthal.bsky.social on the skin we shed, scratch free from & the new bodies we reveal
www.completesentencelit.com/post/dry-mai...

Dry Maintenance By Ruby Rosenthal

I'm in Complete Sentence Lit today! Have been a fan of this journal since I was in college and am quite grateful to be in it.
www.completesentencelit.com/post/dry-mai...

3 Chicago artists are among the 2026 winners of $50,000 USA Fellowships The Chicago-based philanthropic organization United States Artists has announced its latest fellowships, awarding $50,000 to 50 artists in 10 disciplines, including three artists local to Chicago.

In my first for @chicagotribune.com, I interviewed Chicago-based artists Edra Soto, Ben LaMar Gay, and Sharon Udoh who are all recipients of $50,000 @unitedstatesartists.org fellowships!
www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/14/u...

12 Must-Read Books of January 2026 - Chicago Review of Books Here are the 12 books you need to read this January 2026.

January is full of book releases you won’t want to miss, @mbwwelch.bsky.social writes. From the return of American literary icon George Saunders to a number of can’t-miss works in translation, you’ll find plenty of books to get 2026 started on the right foot.
chireviewofbooks.com/2026/01/05/1...

The Chicago Review of Books Turns 10 - Chicago Review of Books A letter from Editor-In-Chief Michael Welch on the Chicago Review of Book's 10 year anniversary.

We're double-digits! To our readers, @mbwwelch.bsky.social writes, thank you for your continued trust and support. It’s been a beautiful ten years of talking books with you, and the best has yet to come. Here’s to decade two of the Chicago Review of Books!
chireviewofbooks.com/2026/01/05/t...

Make yourself a New Year's Resolution that you can keep! I'm back on Subst*ck :)
open.substack.com/pub/52badess...

And just like that, I finished editing one of our last @chicagorevbooks.bsky.social reviews of the year!

...which also reminded me: it's been a year since I joined the masthead as a daily editor. What a joy to edit writers you adore and be part of the @storystudiochicago.bsky.social community!

Harry and Sally kiss in a NYE crowd at the end of When Harry Met Sally

"Reiner understood how people would act in real life, how two people could love each other even if they weren’t quite done hating each other just yet."

@carriecourogen.bsky.social on the genius of Rob Reiner: https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/he-understood-us

LOVED Crawl by @maxdelsohn.bsky.social (from @graywolfpress.bsky.social) so much this year!!!

i'm so competitive, i'm listening to the new Ken Burns @pbs.org documentary and thinking "damn, Jefferson was only 33 when he worked on the Declaration of Independence? i better get moving if i want to be anything at ALL!"

that Chicagoans, when hazing you with Malört, will also consume it themselves is not at all mitigating, but rather speaks to the depravity inherent in the existence of this foul liquid, which defies physics by having an *escalating* aftertaste

Lingering Inland A Literary Tour of the Midwest Author: Edited by Andy Oler

"I have been delighted to see how many people are excited about literature from their hometown and region."

The Q&A for LINGERING INLAND is live!
www.press.uillinois.edu/wordpress/?p...

cc: @andyoler.bsky.social

A City Where Words Breathe: On Celebrating 10 Years of the CHIRBy Awards - Chicago Review of Books I arrived late to my first Chicago Review of Books Awards in 2019. I was a new editor on the team then, nervous and uncertain about how early to arrive for the ceremony and lost between the awfully na...

"More than anything, I craved community. I wanted to be a Chicagoan and a writer, but mostly a Chicago writer."

@mbwwelch.bsky.social's "A City Where Words Breathe," a lovely reflection on 10 years of the CHIRBys, is out now.
chireviewofbooks.com/2025/12/08/a...

How Kathleen and Beth Rooney Conceived Their New Picture Book, “Leaf Town Forever” Written in thirty-two haikus, the book is about a band of kids who dream about creating a town that could last forever.

It was a delight to speak--with @bethrooney.bsky.social--to @rubyprosenthal.bsky.social of Newcity about LEAF TOWN FOREVER from @uminnpress.bsky.social (& about how capitalism is corrosive & inner children are crucial): lit.newcity.com/2025/12/04/h...

Oh yes 😁 We long to relieve a (suburban) past where things felt... Normal? Whatever that means?

Wrote two that I was really proud of!
www.jewishbookcouncil.org/book/dybbuk-...
chireviewofbooks.com/2025/07/22/l...

These are the best compliments I've ever received! 😁 Thank you very, very much

It's publication day for LEAF TOWN FOREVER, the picture book I co-wrote with my sister @bethrooney.bsky.social, illustrated by Betsy Bowen & published by @uminnpress.bsky.social! See you at one of our upcoming events, & in the meantime, add to cart! www.leaftownforever.com/news-and-event

How Kathleen and Beth Rooney Conceived Their New Picture Book, “Leaf Town Forever” Written in thirty-two haikus, the book is about a band of kids who dream about creating a town that could last forever.

Was super lovely to chat with @kathleenmrooney.bsky.social and @bethrooney.bsky.social about their absolutely warm and wonderful children's book LEAF TOWN FOREVER (@uminnpress.bsky.social).
lit.newcity.com/2025/12/04/h...

avery r. young on the Soloem Form and "Chicago Soul Poem" Chicago’s inaugural poet laureate talks about his perspective on poetry, the upcoming event at the Poetry Foundation and how to place poetry in the middle of a time like this.

My latest for Newcity: a feature on Chicago poet laureate avery r. young—who was a joy to talk to!—on the Chicago Soul Poem @poetryfoundation.bsky.social event Dec 4 🥳
lit.newcity.com/2025/11/24/p...

🥳🥳🥳!!!!

Summoning the Past Through Words and Images: A Conversation with Patricia Smith About "Unshuttered" - Chicago Review of Books A list of Patricia Smith’s achievements in poetry could take up much of this interview. A poet, playwright, essayist, educator and mentor, she’s deservedly won nearly every accolade and award, includi...

We are so thrilled for @poetpatriciasmith.bsky.social, who just won a National Book Award!! In 2023, @recycledgiraffe.bsky.social interviewed her about “Unshuttered” (@nupress.bsky.social), check it out as we celebrate her win in Chicago 🥳
chireviewofbooks.com/2023/03/13/u...

‘Seeing the world in bead color’ - Chicago Reader In her original bead works, Yuliya Klochan portrays queer love, nonbinary and Ukrainian American pride, and women’s issues.

Yuliya Klochan’s beading practice taps into her Ukrainian roots. https://bit.ly/3WOXyiP

Thank you so much!! (I love her pieces too!🥰)

‘Seeing the world in bead color’ - Chicago Reader In her original bead works, Yuliya Klochan portrays queer love, nonbinary and Ukrainian American pride, and women’s issues.

Read my latest—a Craft Work piece in @chicagoreader.com about lovely beading artist Yuliya Klochan!
chicagoreader.com/visual-arts/...