Rachel León

"I didn’t set out to write a likable character."

Rich Text and the Tunnel Vision of Love: @rachellayown.bsky.social interviews Seán Hewitt about Open, Heaven (@aaknopf.bsky.social).

➡️ buff.ly/Ii3xRwC

I love this book so much. Happy book birthday to NO OFFENSE and @jackiedwrites.bsky.social!

I’ve been so excited about this book and love the cover, so be sure to check it out!

This is honestly one of my favorite pieces we’ve ever run on the site 👀

What We Lose When Our Independent Bookstores Close I’m on my way to a reading when I get the call from my mother letting me know that my uncle passed away. The news isn’t unexpected. In the past few months, his worsening condition made a stranger o…

"I measure a full-fledged bookstore by its discoveries, its hand-written recommendation note cards, and the checkouts that turn into runaway conversations about what we’re reading..."

We're so proud to see @mbwwelch.bsky.social is in @literaryhub.bsky.social today!! 🤩

lithub.com/what-we-lose...

A tree and a forest spirit rendered in flowing lines, white silhouettes against a simple palette of greens and blues. The background is richly textured, suggestive of tall trees, pitted boulders, and hair unfurling into mist.

📢 LAST CALL 📢 to read our JANUARY ISSUE before it hits the archive!
buff.ly/eKv5fuz

Lots of LOVE to our Contributors:
WORDS @esmepromise.bsky.social, Stephanie Meade Gresham, Lia Hagen, Joan Kwon Glass
ART Audrey Holmes
PLUS @rachellayown.bsky.social reviews @chriscampanioni.bsky.social

Thanks for talking to me about your work at SFWP!

Pretty freakin stoked to have this interview with the fantastic @rachellayown.bsky.social out at @chicagorevbooks.bsky.social. We got to talk about @sfwp.bsky.social and all the cool folks I work with there. Dig it!

north by north/west: an attention to frequency. Chris Campanioni.

"Here is my point: Campanioni’s book, whose title nods to direction, shows us the boundlessness inherent in letting go of directionality."

@rachellayown.bsky.social reviews @chriscampanioni.bsky.social's NORTH BY NORTH/WEST in our JANUARY ISSUE.✨ Don't miss it! buff.ly/5eyaK7H

Interview with an Editor: Adam al-Sirgany from SFWP - Chicago Review of Books Our interview with Adam al-Sirgany at SFWP.

This @chicagorevbooks.bsky.social piece -- @rachellayown.bsky.social interview SFWP Acquisitions and Developmental Editor, @adamalsirgany.bsky.social -- is a perfect supplement to Pub Crawl!

chireviewofbooks.com/2026/02/04/i...

Adding this panel to my calendar. Would love to meet you in person!

This is online and FREE. Come hear CHIRB editors talk about how much we love books and the CHIRB and how important good criticism is.

Interview with an Editor: Adam al-Sirgany from SFWP - Chicago Review of Books Our interview with Adam al-Sirgany at SFWP.

Looking at small presses for your book & have dreamed of having your work read around the world? Check out Santa Fe Writers Project, managing editor @rachellayown.bsky.social writes. Read her interview with SFWP editor, @adamalsirgany.bsky.social below!
chireviewofbooks.com/2026/02/04/i...

Ten Years Ago: A Look Back at Our First Review - Chicago Review of Books A look back at our first review.

To celebrate our ten years, managing editor @rachellayown.bsky.social writes about her beginnings at CHIRB and shares our first ever review, which was for Abby Geni‘s debut novel, The Lightkeepers (@catapultbooks.bsky.social, 2016).
chireviewofbooks.com/2026/02/01/t...

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...

For my first piece for Group Threat I wrote about the grotesque profits being made off of people's lives through ICE contracts.

If we're going to survive this, we have to abolish the profit motive that ever made us see swaths of people as expendable for profit.

groupthreat.com/p/tracking-i...

“Fame is fickle, and positive reception is often ephemeral. And what remains when the public loses interest?”

The Cost of Ambition: @rachellayown.bsky.social reviews @allietagledokus.bsky.social’s Lucky Girl (@tinhouse.bsky.social).

➡️ buff.ly/9lBRnkj

Free Ebooks: Abolish ICE, Abolish the Border In solidarity with all those standing up for our communities against the brutality of immigrant detention and ICE occupation, we're offering free ebooks of three crucial books about migrant justice an...

In solidarity with all those standing up for our communities against the brutality of immigrant detention and ICE occupation, we're offering free ebooks of three crucial books about migrant justice and border abolition.

We’ve also added a list of additional recommended reading:

Introducing the New Chicago Renaissance Series - Chicago Review of Books Introducing a new series honoring Chicago's newest literary renaissance and the art it's produced.

This is soooo exciting! Join the @chicagorevbooks.bsky.social as it embarks upon a New Chicago Renaissance!

chireviewofbooks.com/2026/01/22/i...

north by north/west, an attention to frequency, by Chris Campanioni.

"The book’s nonlinear, stream of consciousness, mosaic-like structure feels directionless. (But what is directionless but a resistance to direction?)"

@rachellayown.bsky.social reviews @chriscampanioni.bsky.social's NORTH BY NORTH/WEST. Read it all here! buff.ly/vPvEUM8

Reviews are an art form and this one truly sparkles. What a thoughtful, joyful read! ✨

Thanks, Analía! 🩵

Postcards are making their way into mailboxes! I’d love to send you one if you DM me your address!

Thank you! Glad it arrived!

❤️❤️❤️

Thank you again, Daniel! Really appreciate all the thoughtful comments and edits, along with your support and encouragement. Seriously such a treat to work with you.

things have been dark lately but AAAAAA BABE WAKE UP NEW EPISODE/SEASON OF @splitlipthemag.bsky.social is out today !!!!! I so hope you peep the review by @rachellayown.bsky.social of @chriscampanioni.bsky.social’s book, & takes such a fun, meandering personal turn in this one. well done Rachel! 🫦✨

I had a lot of fun writing about north by north/west. Many thanks to the brilliant @iloveyoudaniel.bsky.social for the fantastic edits that made this review so much better!

Greg Zimmerman has *excellent* taste in books, so to see HOW WE SEE THE GRAY on his most anticipated list is a serious honor.

Thank you, Greg!

Honored to find HOW WE SEE THE GRAY on this list. 👀🩶 Huge thanks to @mbwwelch.bsky.social!