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Betsy Cornwell

@betsycornwell.bsky.social
887 followers 645 following 259 posts

NYT bestselling author, teacher at U of Galway, Markievicz Award, IWC mentor. Immigrant single mother. Agents: Sara Crowe & Dara Kaye. BetsyCornwell.com / OldKnittingFactory.com

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Tracy O’Connell Novick @tracynovick.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
Five living authors I have read at least five books by: @betsycornwell.bsky.social @tkingfisher.com @scalzi.com @marthawells.com @louisepennyauthor.bsky.social
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Grace (they/them) @astudentreading.bsky.social · 26/08/2025
I have only read two books by Betsy Cornwell, one fiction and one memoir, but both books were five star reads. She just writes so beautifully. Thank you Avid Reader Press for the free advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review #booksky
Green background with cover of Ring of Salt by Betsy Cornwell. White text with title, author, and general information 
Coming out soon: September 2025
Genres: memoir nonfiction 
Setting: County Galway Ireland
POV: first person she/they/he
Review: 5 stars
Strawberry graphic in corner Green background with white text synopsis:
At 24, Betsy Cornwell runs away to Ireland. Amid the beauty of the Irish countryside, her life takes on the glow of a fairy tale when she meets a charming horse trainer and elopes. Five years later, her happy ending has twisted into a nightmare and Betsy finds herself trapped in an abusive marriage, isolated and afraid with a baby.
On her son's first birthday, she runs away, turning to the women around her for help. On sleepless nights, she scrolls through real estate listings and fosters an impossible dream: What if she could use her writing to buy a home of her own? One that might become a haven, not just for her family, but other single parent artists and writers, too? Then she discovers a historic knitting factory on the coastline. She spends the next two years working to crowdfund the purchase. But as the deadline nears, she will have to reckon with everything she believes about family, survival, and what happily-ever-after truly means for her dream to have any chance of coming true.
From GoodReads
Strawberry graphic in corner Green background with white text review:
This memoir was a masterpiece. I truly have no words for how beautiful this book was. Betsy Cornwell went through so much in her life, and she laid it all out in this memoir. My heart ached for her and everything that had happened to her. Yet at the same time she infused the entire story with so much hope and joy, and it warmed my heart. She reflected on her pain and came out happier for it some how, still so optimistic about the world. Just for that alone this deserves five stars. But Betsy Cornwell is also an amazing writer all around. Her prose was stunning, imbued with the essence of fairy tales and fables. She included so many references to her own work and other's books, and very helpfully attached a reading list to the end that I will definitely be making my way through. And I would love to visit the Old Knitting Factory some day; it sounds like a paradise. So all of this is to say that this memoir is moving and emotional and inspiring and hopeful, and I think everyone should read it. I truly cannot recommend it enough.
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Nicola Smith @shortbookandscribes.uk · 19/11/2025
On @maireadhearne.bsky.social #BookReview of #RingOfSalt by Betsy Cornwell www.swirlandthread.com/ring-of-salt...
swirlandthread.com
Ring of Salt by Betsy Cornwell | Review
Ring of Salt by Betsy Cornwell (Renegade/Hachette) is a compelling account of pure tenacity and courage against so many obstacles
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Celina @bookscuppatea.bsky.social · 09/01/2026
Krimis generell wirklich sehr viele, aber bei "feministische Krimis" fällt mir zunächst "The Five" von Hallie Rubenhold ein, das die Opfer von Jack the Ripper porträtiert. Und "Reader, I Murdered Him" von Betsy Cornwell über female rage und queere Liebe.
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Betsy Cornwell @betsycornwell.bsky.social · 09/02/2026
Thank you so much! I got to meet Patrisha last week for an event in Maine and she's so fabulous. Really looking forward to the book club!
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Ellen Schwartz @formerrunner.bsky.social · 08/02/2026
@betsycornwell.bsky.social I just this moment finished reading “Ring of Salt”. What a wonderful, heartbreaking book. As a retired domestic violence advocate, it touched me deeply. I’m very much looking forward to next month’s webinar through Finding Our Voices, when we can hear from you directly.
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Dara Kaye @darakaye.bsky.social · 24/11/2025
"Extraordinarily moving, exquisitely written, and socially revolutionary...RING OF SALT glows with what we need." Thrilled to see this rave review in the Irish Times for @betsycornwell.bsky.social's new memoir RING OF SALT!
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Betsy Cornwell @betsycornwell.bsky.social · 15/10/2025
Thanks so much for this post and for coming to the class -- I'm glad to have met you!
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k. marcus writes #kidlit @kmarcuswrites.bsky.social · 13/10/2025
Went to #scbwimetrony ‘s first in-person event since the pandemic! @betsycornwell.bsky.social is a fantastic teacher and gave us so fun ways to get more deeply into our characters. #TBR alert - Betsy has a #memoir out now called Ring of Salt. www.betsycornwell.com/ringofsalt @lisaanchin.bsky.social
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Arkhangel | 40K Inquisitor @arkhangel79.bsky.social · 12/10/2025
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Irish Writers Centre @irishwriterscentre.bsky.social · 26/09/2025
This October Geraldine Walsh guides to through the art of Self-Editing, Mark Hennigan teaches the tools of structure, Betsy Cornwell tends to your first draft & Nandi Jola inspires new voices, not only to literature, but also to Ireland. Explore our courses here irishwriterscentre.ie/courses/
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BookPage @readbookpage.bsky.social · 02/10/2025
After fleeing an abusive marriage with her child, Betsy Cornwell transformed a historic knitting factory on the rugged coast of Ireland into a residency for writer-mothers like herself. @simonandschuster.bsky.social
bookpage.com
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Dara Kaye @darakaye.bsky.social · 02/10/2025
NYC folks--Want to write a children's book with characters that leap off the page? Join this workshop at 92Y on Saturday, 10/11 Taught by NYT bestselling YA author Betsy Cornwell and multi-award-winning picture book author-illustrator Lisa Anchin www.scbwi.org/events/scbwi...
scbwi.org
SCBWI NY Metro Character-Based Writing Workshop
Stories Like Friends: Character-Based Writing Join New York Times bestselling author Betsy Cornwell and Crystal Kite Award-winning author and illustrator Lisa Anchin for a workshop on creating unforg...
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Betsy Cornwell @betsycornwell.bsky.social · 30/09/2025
Thank you, Tracy! I am flying tomorrow and it still feels super surreal!
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Tracy O’Connell Novick @tracynovick.bsky.social · 30/09/2025
Happy happy publication day to @betsycornwell.bsky.social on "Ring of Salt"! Just got the email that my copy is in! Worcester and central Mass, come to hear Betsy talk about her amazing new book at Tidepool Bookstore on October 8 at 6 PM! (still can't believe she's coming to Massachusetts!!)
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Betsy Cornwell @betsycornwell.bsky.social · 30/09/2025
2015! it’s really gone downhill over there without me …
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Betsy Cornwell @betsycornwell.bsky.social · 28/09/2025
I have been full of exhausting anxiety about my trip to the US but today it occurred to me that it’s going to be worth it because I can eat a corn dog
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Duchess Goldblatt @duchessgoldblatt.bsky.social · 04/08/2025
Preordering books is both free and an absolute good. Not free in terms of money, probably — economists are divided on that point. But if you can do it, you should.
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Miss Marjorie Regrets @coffinsneeze.bsky.social · 20/09/2025
got this interesting 1970s children’s book of Halloween symbols and it whips so much ass
a very interesting excerpt positing that the Halloween witch “is a distortion of history and perhaps a disservice to women in their struggle for equality.”
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John Herreid @herreidjohn.bsky.social · 21/09/2025
5. Make food for friends and not just yourself. It will make the experience more joyful and will push you to try to perfect your recipe and processes 6. Make what you like, not what you think you should like.
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Cian McCarthy @arealmofwonder.bsky.social · 13/09/2025
Pause a while, and read... • Elizabeth Jennings •
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schleiermocker @schleiermocker.bsky.social · 13/09/2025
if you’re an isolated, angsty, strange young man, please know that you can become a Kierkegaard scholar instead of joining fringe online communities
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OGOM Project @ogomproject.bsky.social · 10/09/2025
A big OGOM thank you to @betsycornwell.bsky.social for her insight into the Selkie myth and how it can be adapted into fiction and memoir #SeaChanges. A beautiful and memorable reading for everyone attending the online day. So glad you could stay for days 2 & 3 Betsy!
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Betsy Cornwell @betsycornwell.bsky.social · 12/09/2025
Thank you so much — I had such a great time, and the whole conference was fabulous.
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Damion Schubert @zenofdesign.com · 26/08/2025
If I found my child dead by suicide and this Chat GPT response on his computer, Sam Altman would have to worry about a lot more than a lawsuit.
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mattie lubchansky @mattielubchansky.com · 26/08/2025
"dark academia" do you mean middle school
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Betsy Cornwell @betsycornwell.bsky.social · 29/07/2025
I just read Lolly Willowes and fell totally in love.
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Maya Rodale @mayarodale.bsky.social · 18/03/2025
"That the universal doctrine of the inferiority of woman has ever caused her to distrust her own powers, and paralyzed her energies, and placed her in that degraded position from which the most strenuous and unremitting effort can alone redeem her." --19th c. Suffs calling out imposter syndrome
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Betsy Cornwell @betsycornwell.bsky.social · 28/07/2025
Preorders are pretty much the best thing you can do for an author, and I am grateful for every one. waterstones.com/campaign/jul...
An image with a pale yellow background reading "25% off RRP On Upcoming Books, Pre-order now with code: SUMMER25 28-31 July / Online Only" and the book cover image for Ring of Salt: A Memoir of Finding Home and Hope on the Wild Coast of Ireland" by Betsy Cornwell
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Oisín McGann @oisinmcgann.bsky.social · 28/07/2025
Be gentle. They haven't grown up facing the the constant criticism, failure and persistent mental recovery involved in actually making an effort to develop artistic skills over a lifetime, so the precious flowers don't have the thick skin that naturally comes with the skills they've bypassed.
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Ken Burnside @kenburnside.bsky.social · 28/07/2025
The Brazilian government should penalize the entire Baptist church, because the church itself condones this, and going after individual preachers won't stop the problem.
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KOJAMF🤘🖤🤘 @kojamf.bsky.social · 27/07/2025
😆 Isabella Rossellini www.watermillcenter.org
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Tim Dedopulos @ghostwoods.bsky.social · 27/07/2025
French sign saying (in French) "Crepes and chocolates", left arrow. "Cruel world", right arrow. Harvested from the webs, no idea of attribution.
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Dia VanGunten / Writer @pinkzombierose.bsky.social · 28/07/2025
If you've ever felt like you're "too much," just remember St. Margaret of Antioch was swallowed by the devil (as dragon) but he couldn't stomach her, so he spat her back up. Stay ungovernable, sis.
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Claire Willett @clairewillett.bsky.social · 27/07/2025
he is a pivotal archvillain in every Maligned Women of the Nineties narrative the misogyny he normalized poisoned entire generations. he made Monica Lewinsky, Anita Hill, the McDonald's hot coffee lawsuit, Lorena Bobbitt, Tonya Harding, and so many more into punchlines they never shook off
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Strangers in a Tangled Wilderness @tangledwilderness.bsky.social · 27/07/2025
A post from tumblr user bayesic-bitch, reading "Starting my speech at the Omelas city counsel with a child acknowledgement statement"
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amy brown 👻 @amybrown.xyz · 27/07/2025
nobody is scarier than a longtime reply guy who’s had you up on a pedestal after you fail a secret purity test he was running in his mind
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Betsy Cornwell @betsycornwell.bsky.social · 27/07/2025
Yes!
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Betsy Cornwell @betsycornwell.bsky.social · 27/07/2025
There are so many things to love about Brigadoon.
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Betsy Cornwell @betsycornwell.bsky.social · 25/07/2025
She clearly is!
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Betsy Cornwell @betsycornwell.bsky.social · 24/07/2025
Thank you so much, Caro! I’m very glad to think a friend was listening!
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Caro @librarypatroncaro.bsky.social · 24/07/2025
Well done to @betsycornwell.bsky.social talking on Galway Bay FM this morning about @copegalway.bsky.social & her experience with the amazing work they do helping women affected by domestic abuse. Maith thú, Betsy!
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Abby @arobertswrites.com · 23/07/2025
Edgy writers: when I portray [historical period] as being full of [awful shit] I’m just being honest. History: in the 6th century the Roman Empire went to war against a whale.
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Betsy Cornwell @betsycornwell.bsky.social · 22/07/2025
Ooh thanks!
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Betsy Cornwell @betsycornwell.bsky.social · 22/07/2025
Absolute goals!
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Betsy Cornwell @betsycornwell.bsky.social · 22/07/2025
Thank you! A dust jacket possibility I think!
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Betsy Cornwell @betsycornwell.bsky.social · 22/07/2025
He is always scheming. Mostly for chicken and head scratches.
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Betsy Cornwell @betsycornwell.bsky.social · 22/07/2025
My friend Mary McGraw came to the knitting factory to take some photos for me. Teapot makes me look a little like Dr. Evil but I love him for it.
A photo of a white woman with bleached hair in a blue dress and tan sandals, sitting on a white wicker chair by a window and holding a black cat
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