Jennifer Steil

Texas School Bans Students from the Library Politicians, not parents, are deciding what children can read in the United States.

SB 13 is a bill that removes local control from public schools across Texas and gives politicians (not parents) the power to decide what books are or are not available to students.

action.everylibrary.org/texas_school...

The idiocy of restricting reading If books are as scary as the censors make them out to be, I'm going to dress as one for Halloween.

Please give this week's Liminal a read - we dig into the escalating book bans in the US, what they mean, and how you can help. Bizarrely, the title of the link is incorrect. The title is: What's Behind Americans' Fear of Books. jennifersteil.substack.com/p/the-idiocy...

The idiocy of restricting reading If books are as scary as the censors make them out to be, I'm going to dress as one for Halloween.

Please give this week's Liminal a read - we dig into the escalating book bans in the US, what they mean, and how you can help. Bizarrely, the title of the link is incorrect. The title is: What's Behind Americans' Fear of Books. jennifersteil.substack.com/p/the-idiocy...

PETITION: Protect the Center for Disease Control Library Staff at the CDC Library were laid off on October 10th and have not been brought back. Sign the petition to call for their return.

The CDC Library plays an important role in providing our public health professionals with access to the best information.

Without them, CDC employees will lose access to information and resources in an outbreak.

bit.ly/4qaDIMi via @everylibrary.bsky.social

Dress Rehearsal for a Wedding I’ll Never Attend

A thread: My friend and Columbia classmate @jfsteilauthor.bsky.social published this beautiful piece of writing in this weekend's New York Times. First I want you to go read it. And then... www.nytimes.com/2025/09/26/s...

During COVID, authors who had books published in 2020 banded together to create the group Lockdown Lit. We did joint events & promoted one another's work. One member, @jfsteilauthor.bsky.social has had a Modern Love column published. It's heartbreakingly beautiful.
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/26/s...

Dress Rehearsal for a Wedding I’ll Never Attend

My friend @jfsteilauthor.bsky.social has a piece in the Modern Love column of the New York Times!

I truly wish it was under better circumstances, but this is a huge accomplishment. 💞📰

www.nytimes.com/2025/09/26/s...

Dress Rehearsal for a Wedding I’ll Never Attend

It is one of the greatest honors of my writing life to have this piece in the Modern Love column of @nytimes.com this weekend. It's online now, in print this weekend! It would mean the world to me if you could give it a read, and perhaps share it! www.nytimes.com/2025/09/26/s...

Border crossers, blood, and first scan results This week I learned how my body is reacting to the trial, as well as the history of immigration in France.

This week's Liminal column is out! Would love it if you gave it a read and shared it with your people. jennifersteil.substack.com/p/border-cro...

Why you should care about the gutting of the NEA Our national soul is in grave danger. Do you dare to speak up for it?

The National Endowment for the Arts was founded to benefit every single American. How well do you understand its impact on your life? Please checkout my latest Liminal, and I would be so happy if you were inclined to subscribe and or share! #NEA #arts jennifersteil.substack.com/p/why-you-sh...

How art operates as an oxygen mask Small museums, large lives, brutal crimes, disobedient feet, and the spaces between

This week's Liminal column takes a break from cancer to talk about art, and why I breathe it. Please give it a read and share with your friends! How art operates as an oxygen mask open.substack.com/pub/jennifer...

Author Jennifer Steil: Go Somewhere That Challenges Your Beliefs — Tanya Shaffer Jennifer Steil is a British-American writer currently living in France. She’s the author of the novel  Exile Music ,  which won Grand Prize in the Eyelands 2020 Book Award...

I'm delighted my interview on Off-Leash Arts with Tanya Shaffer is out now! It was a delight to talk with fellow Oberlin grad Tanya about writing, theater, kidnapping, etc. www.tanyashaffer.com/off-leash-ar... #writing #oberlin #books #travel #ExileMusic #ovariancancer #TheAmbassadorsWife #Yemen

Exile Music by Jennifer Steil

Once in awhile, I am delighted to stumble upon a review of one of my books I hadn't seen before. I just discovered this moving review of Exile Music: literaryhoarders.com/5-star-ratin... #exilemusic #literaryfiction #historicalfiction #Bolivia #Austria

Food Aid in Gaza Has Become a Horror In the scramble for sustenance, Palestinians are gunned down for no reason, with no excuse.

Food-distribution points in Gaza have practically become death traps, @ibishblog.bsky.social argues. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation may not have intended to create these conditions, but it now perpetuates them without correction and with full awareness.

Supreme Court Decision on LGBTQ Storybooks in Public Schools Lays Foundation for New Assault on Books Of All Kinds in Schools - PEN America The Supreme Court ruling today mandating “opt outs” for children whose parents object to LGBTQ+-relevant picture books in public schools deals a “deeply disappointing” blow to the right to read under ...

Every day, a new reason to be ashamed to be an American. Kids should have the opportunity to read whatever the hell they want. How else will their minds open? #reading #lgbtq #censorship pen.org/press-releas...

A Photo Gone Wrong in the Uffizi Fuels Selfie Worries in Europe’s Museums

"“It’s more about sharing, not necessarily the experience, but the fact that ‘I was there,’” she said." A Photo Gone Wrong in the Uffizi Fuels Selfie Worries in Europe’s Museums www.nytimes.com/2025/06/26/w...

Salt Lake City and Boise make pride flags official city emblems, skirting flag ban laws The Democratic controlled cities of Salt Lake City and Boise, Idaho, adopted new city flags this week that show support for LGBTQ+ people in defiance of new laws passed by their states’ Republican-con...

Cheered me up this morning: apnews.com/article/bois... 
Salt Lake City and Boise make pride flags official city emblems, skirting flag ban laws

America is facing a broad assault on free expression and access to knowledge. Here are three ways to stand up for free speech and libraries.

Read more: authorsguild.org/news/3-ways-...

SEND AN EMAIL: Stop Trump's E.O. Attacking Federal Funding for Libraries We need your help TODAY to tell your governors and key members of the House and Senate that federal funding for libraries - the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) - needs to be preserved!

Trump signed an Executive Order attacking Federal Funding for Libraries.

Please send an email to your legislators and governors before it's too late!

action.everylibrary.org/emaileo2025 via @everylibrary.bsky.social

What the hell does an ambassador do? Unlike the American system suggests, working effectively as an ambassador requires a vast set of skills and decades of experience.

What the hell does an ambassador do? I cannot tell you how often people ask me this question. Thus, this week I interview my husband, who explains it all open.substack.com/pub/jennifer...

“To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.”
― Theodore Roosevelt

At Columbia, Tension Over Gaza Protests Hits Breaking Point Under Trump There were protests, arrests, the departure of the school’s president. Then, a new administration arrived in Washington.

Freedom of speech isn't doing well at Columbia, with deans warning international students that "...their academic accomplishments — or even their freedom — could be at risk if they attracted the ire of the Trump administration." www.nytimes.com/2025/03/12/n...

A friendship born of flowers Scan update, fairy godparents, and a dramatic weekend

Today's Liminal offers some medical updates, a story about a friendship born of flowers, and an account of a hectic but exciting less-than-48 hours in London. jennifersteil.substack.com/p/a-friendsh...

Toni Morrison's Beloved, Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-Five... literary classics are under attack. The Authors Guild has taken a significant step forward in our legal challenge against Florida’s controversial book removal law (Section 1006.28).

Read more: authorsguild.org/news/ag-asks...

Democrats! Wake the hell up! Boycott Trump’s address to Congress tonight. If you must go, make good trouble.

open.substack.com/pub/robertre...

Special Vermont Resistance edition Lucy Welch, a hero for the moment.

I want to share a heartening and thoughtful piece I read this morning about a place close to my heart. I spent much time waitressing at Sugarbush Mountain, and I vote in Vermont, one of my two home states. Also, thank you, Lucy, for being so true to Vermont: billmckibben.substack.com/p/special-ve...

Congratulations to all of my fellow shortlisted writers!!!

Delighted that my short-story "Dead-end Vagina" has been shortlisted for the Bournemouth Writing Prize! It will be published in a forthcoming anthology. I'm thrilled this story will be appearing in print!

Announcing the shortlist for the 2025 Bournemouth Writing Prize. These wonderful writers will be featured in the anthology on sale in April.
Two overall winners announced next week.
CONGRATS TO ALL & THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO ENTERED!
We are already working on the 10th Anniversary BW Prize for 2026!