iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Cheryl Walsh @cherylwalsh.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

Happy birthday to UNEQUAL TEMPERAMENT, launched into the world two years ago today! To celebrate, I'm giving away a few copies--DM if you're interested. #unequaltemperament #bookbirthday #americanbuffalobooks #debutnovel #harpsichord #meteorology #WomensFiction @buffalo-books.bsky.social

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Cheryl Walsh @cherylwalsh.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

My story "Reunion Fragments" is in the most recent issue of SHIFT. SHIFTing Supernatural: The Spooky, the Spectacular, and the Somewhat Strange. Some horror and madness, a bit of melancholy, and a touch of whimsy. Digital copies available for $5 through www.mtsu.edu/write.

Spooky gray landscape with dark birds flying over the word SHIFT.

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Jesse Lee Kercheval @jesselkercheval.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

isthmus.com/events/jesse...

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Cheryl Walsh @cherylwalsh.bsky.social · 07/06/2026

Anything Is Possible, by #elizabethstrout. Stories inked and interlinked with one another and Strout's other work. This world: small Midwest town with cliques and social striving and dysfunction and community. Connections between siblings especially moving. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ #imreading

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Cheryl Walsh @cherylwalsh.bsky.social · 04/05/2026

Out this week from #MiamiUniversityPress by @terrilewis1.bsky.social: A quiet story of courage in the face of psychic wounds, told with such compassion and understanding you share in both the tragedy and the triumph. Loved it. Review at: cherylwalsh.net/blog #WorldWarI #novella #whentheycamehome

Cover of Terri Lewis's novella When They Came Home, head and shoulders of a faceless man is sepia tones, with a woman's face almost imperceptibly superimposed on the left.

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Cheryl Walsh @cherylwalsh.bsky.social · 28/03/2026

There's fun to be had at the Shelter House book sale! 860 Quarry Rd, Coralville IA. Open tomorrow, too, 10:30 AM to 4 PM. Good books for a good cause. #shelterhousebooksale #iowacity #coralville

Stack of books: The Master Butchers Singing Club, by Louise Erdrich; Jewel, by Bret Lott; Anything Is Possible, by Elizabeth Strout; Foreign Bodies, by Cynthia Ozick; How Green Was My Valley, by Richard Llewellyn; The Ninth Hour, by Alice McDermott; The Owl Killers, by Karen Maitland; Waiting for the Barbarians, by J.M. Coetzee, When the Emperor Was Divine, by Otsuka; To Live, by Yu Hua; The final Solution, by Michael Chabon; People in Glass Houses, by Shirley Hazzard; Elegy, by Mary Jo Bang

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Cheryl Walsh @cherylwalsh.bsky.social · 24/03/2026

Just finished reading Matthiessen's Killing Mister Watson (1990). Really immersive American frontier story, set in southwest Florida around 1900. Great historical fiction written by someone with deep curiosity about history, the natural world, and the human condition. #bookrecommendation

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Cheryl Walsh @cherylwalsh.bsky.social · 18/03/2026

Twenty years ago today! Older, wiser, but still recognizable. #weddinganniversary #happyanniversary #20Years

Cheryl and Bru on their wedding day, head and shoulders of them in front of a stained glass window.

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Chin-Sun Lee @scribblepost.bsky.social · 19/02/2026

so thrilled my new novel, SOON YOU’LL BE JUST LIKE US, has found a home with Creature Publishing!🩸i spilled my guts all over this weird, dark tale of psychological horror that while writing led me to truly unexpected places. i hope readers will likewise feel a delicious gasp of surprise.

red envelope against a black background announcing a new book deal for SOON YOU’LL BE JUST LIKE US by chin-sun lee

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Jenny Wong @jenwithwords.bsky.social · 09/01/2026

Okay, so this made my day today! A huge thank you to @immcarvalho.bsky.social for including me in her list of favorite poets on BlueSky and X and featuring one of my poetry films! So thrilled!!! Check out the other fabulous writers who made Maria’s list and read their work here ⬇️⬇️⬇️

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Cheryl Walsh @cherylwalsh.bsky.social · 23/12/2025

Really enjoyed this novel, absorbing account of the Illinois mine wars pieced together by a 1980s punk with a demon of her own to exorcise. Historical fiction of the best kind, grounded in deep research and curiosity with a compelling personal story. #americanbuffalobooks #prairieashes #bennadler

Cover of the novel Prairie Ashes, by Ben Nadler

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Cheryl Walsh @cherylwalsh.bsky.social · 12/12/2025

From Alison C. Rollins's poem "All the World Began With a Yes": "Morality flexes its musculature, trusts // that truth sets out to penetrate mysteries / only for man to rebuild them with fury." #favoritelinefridays #alisoncrollins #libraryofsmallcatastrophes @coppercanyonpress.bsky.social #poetry

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Cheryl Walsh @cherylwalsh.bsky.social · 06/12/2025

Review of Stewart O'Nan's novel Evensong, which launched last month. Good for those on your holiday list who might like stories about the challenges of aging, feisty older women, or Pittsburgh. www.cherylwalsh.net/blog #stewartonan #evensong #AtlanticMonthlyPress #aging #pittsburgh

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Kent Priore @kentpriore.bsky.social · 16/11/2025

I’m happy to announce that you can now find THE MONSTERS AMONG US on shelves at two excellent bookstores in New Paltz, NY: Inquiring Minds and Barner Books!

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Cheryl Walsh @cherylwalsh.bsky.social · 15/11/2025

A favorite line from Barbara Kingsolver's novel *The Poisonwood Bible*: "Illusions mistaken for truth are the pavement under our feet. They are what we call civilization." #favoritelinefridays #barbarakingsolver #thepoisonwoodbible #womenwriters #postcolonialliterature

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Kaz Cooke @kazcooke.bsky.social · 07/11/2025

For those who will bear witness. For everyone who pretends there was benevolence from 'employers' & governments, and no slavery in Australia; who believes Tony Abbott's version of history. Debra Dank writes with beauty and anger of the truth we cannot dodge. theconversation.com/friday-essay...

theconversation.com

Friday essay: Debra Dank’s grandmother was a ‘drover’s boy’. Her stolen wages can’t be recovered

Stella Prize shortlisted author Debra Dank reflects on how her family’s lives were scarred by stolen wages and colonial violence – and on the complexities of apologies.

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Cheryl Walsh @cherylwalsh.bsky.social · 01/11/2025

New blog post--review of a new book out this week: Lorissa Rinehart's biography of Jeannette Rankin. Someone I've always been curious about, and the book is a pleasure to read--there's lots about Progressivism, woman suffrage, and 20th-century American politics. www.cherylwalsh.net/blog

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Cheryl Walsh @cherylwalsh.bsky.social · 10/10/2025

A favorite line from @jenniferfawcett.bsky.social's brand new book, *Keep This for Me*: "When did all their tiny movements get so layered with meaning? It was exhausting." #favoritelinefridays #keepthisforme #thrillerbooks @atriabooks.bsky.social

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Cheryl Walsh @cherylwalsh.bsky.social · 05/10/2025

New blog post up today, a review of @jenniferfawcett.bsky.social's new thriller, #KeepThisForMe --out this week. As a child of the Great Lakes, I was totally into the Lake Ontario beach town setting. www.cherylwalsh.net/blog #bookreviews #thrillerbooks @atriabooks.bsky.social

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Kent Priore @kentpriore.bsky.social · 21/09/2025

Come check out booth #223 at the Brooklyn Book Festival!

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Cheryl Walsh @cherylwalsh.bsky.social · 12/09/2025

Favorite lines from T. S. Eliot's poem "East Coker": "Do not let me hear / Of the wisdom of old men, but rather of their folly, / Their fear of fear and frenzy, their fear of possession, / Of belonging to another, or to others, or to God." #tseliot #eastcoker #favoritelinefridays #poetry

Black and white photo of two pairs of clasped hands, wrinkled and gnarled, next to each other from across a table, not touching.

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Matthew Freeman, Poet @freemanpoet.bsky.social · 08/09/2025

I'm sort of pinching myself here. I got a book signing in November at Barnes and Noble. SO very excited! Dopamine and the Devil, out now with Coffeetown Press. Thanks always to my wonderful friends!

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Cheryl Walsh @cherylwalsh.bsky.social · 05/09/2025

Happy birthday to UNEQUAL TEMPERAMENT, launched into the world two years ago today! To celebrate, I'm giving away a few copies--DM if you're interested. #unequaltemperament #bookbirthday #debutnovel #harpsichord #meteorology #WomensFiction @buffalo-books.bsky.social

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Cheryl Walsh @cherylwalsh.bsky.social · 29/08/2025

A favorite line from Jim Harrison's wonderful novel *Returning to Earth*: "I awoke delighted with life on earth despite its desperately compromised nature." #jimharrison #favoritelinefridays

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Cheryl Walsh @cherylwalsh.bsky.social · 29/08/2025

Today I made guacamole with garlic chive blossoms and it was fantastic! #backyardherbs #guacamole

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Cheryl Walsh @cherylwalsh.bsky.social · 22/08/2025

A favorite line from Linda Pastan's poem "Cosmology": "Someone has spilled the moon / all over the trees." #favoritelinefridays #LindaPastan #poetry @wwnorton.com

Photo of pine trees against a dark sky with the tips illuminated by moonlight.

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Cheryl Walsh @cherylwalsh.bsky.social · 11/08/2025

Dragon tongue! I don't grow green beans because I can't see them to harvest. So I grow purple or speckled beans instead. Dragon tongue is a very tasty variety. Stringless, bush habit. #gardenbounty

large metal bowl full of dragon tongue beans: purple speckled wax beans.

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Cheryl Walsh @cherylwalsh.bsky.social · 09/08/2025

I just learned that an old and dear friend of Bru's, the best man/emcee at our wedding, Neil Hornick, passed away last spring. Such regret that we have been so out of touch that I didn't know until now. We cherish his memory. Long live the Phantom Captain! www.theguardian.com/stage/2025/a...

Neil Hornick as the Phantom Captain, holding the book "The Best Man's Duties," with Bruce Hart, the groom.

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Cheryl Walsh @cherylwalsh.bsky.social · 25/07/2025

This line from Anne Enright's novel *The Wren, the Wren* made me laugh out loud: "I never tell my mother anything. I am not that stupid." #favoritelinefridays #anneenright #thewrenthewren

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Cheryl Walsh @cherylwalsh.bsky.social · 24/07/2025

First new blogpost in a while: Welcome to the Darkroom. www.cherylwalsh.net/blog #filmphotography #darkroom #cognitivedecline #grief Photo of John Pochee and Bernie McGann © Bruce Hart. All rights reserved.

John Pochee playing drums and Bernie McGann wiping his forehead during a performance at a jazz club.

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Aaron Burch @aaronburch.bsky.social · 23/07/2025

I've got 3 extra copies of YEAR OF THE BUFFALO, would love them to be in the hands of a reader rather than in my way on my desk. hmu and I'll send you one.

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Cheryl Walsh @cherylwalsh.bsky.social · 11/07/2025

A favorite line (of many) from Charlotte Wood's novel *Stone Yard Devotional*: "The subtlety of the lilting chant belies the blunt instrument of the words themselves." #favoritelinefridays #charlottewood #stoneyarddevotional #booksky @riverheadbooks.bsky.social

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Cheryl Walsh @cherylwalsh.bsky.social · 10/07/2025

If you don't have time to get to your local independent bookstore this week, Bookshop has free shipping through July 12. Check out my five-star recommendations. bookshop.org/lists/cheryl...

bookshop.org

Cheryl's Five-Star Reviews

I often review books on Goodreads, and I'm working on gathering all my five-star reviews here. This list is always growing!

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Cheryl Walsh @cherylwalsh.bsky.social · 10/07/2025

Another five-star review. #StoneYardDevotional is an intriguing exploration of grief, spirituality, and forgiveness during a time of isolation and covid lockdowns in Australia. What does is take to be a good person in times of environmental and personal crisis? #charlottewood #yournextread #booksky

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Native American Rights Fund @nativerights.bsky.social · 03/07/2025

Did you know 85 percent of Western voters support creating new national parks, national monuments, and national wildlife refuges and Tribally protected areas for historic sites or areas of outdoor recreation? Learn more: buff.ly/N83RiEc

coloradocollege.edu

2024 Poll Results - Colorado College

Indian Peaks Sunset, Colorado

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Annette Gordon-Reed @agordonreed.bsky.social · 04/07/2025

Happy July 4th— the first year I’ve thought more about the list of grievances than the famous opening paragraphs. But both parts are essential.

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Cheryl Walsh @cherylwalsh.bsky.social · 04/07/2025

A favorite line from C. D. Wright's prose poem, "Song of the Gourd": "I confess the abject urge to weed your beds while the bittersweet overwhelmed my day lilies." #favoritelinefridays #cdwright #gardenpoetry

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Rebecca Lexa, Naturalist @rebeccanaturalist.bsky.social · 21/06/2025

A few pictures from last night's #book release party for The Everyday #Naturalist! Nature walk went well in spite of rain, and I am pretty happy with my book talk, too. Of course I had to show off with some homemade snacks to go with the customary veggie and fruit trays! 📚💙 #books #nature #PDX #PNW

A crowd of people sitting at wooden tables in a large room with a high ceiling; the lights are on low to make it easier to see a projector screen with a book cover on it. At the front of the room is a woman in a gray shirt and brown pants with long brown hair talking in front of a tree-shaped bookshelf with books on it. A variety of antlers and other natural history items can be seen in the background on the wall.

The woman from the previous image is in front of the projector screen, which now has various images of nature on it. She is taking a step forward as she speaks and gestures with her hands.

The woman stands in front of the screen, which now has pictures of mushrooms and slime molds on it.

A wooden table with several bowls full of dip on it, a tray of crackers, and another tray with turkey sliced that have various foods rolled up in them. The dips and turkey rolls have handwritten cards explaining their ingredients. Two dips are cream cheese with fresh herbs, one made with dairy and one made with vegan cream cheese. Another is cream cheese and strawberry jam, and the last one is salmon dip. One set of turkey rolls have apple, cheddar cheese, and mustard in them, while the others have hummus, cucumber, and green onion.

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Cheryl Walsh @cherylwalsh.bsky.social · 20/06/2025

Annette Gordon-Reed, from her book *On Juneteenth*: "As painful as it may be, recognizing--though not dwelling on--tragedy and the role it plays in our individual lives, and in the life of a state or nation, is, I think, a sign of maturity." #favoritelinefridays #annettegordonreed #juneteenth

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Cheryl Walsh @cherylwalsh.bsky.social · 19/06/2025

New 5-star reviews, meaning, I loved these books! Linda Pastan's *Insomnia* (poems) and Myla Goldberg's *Feast Your Eyes* (novel). bookshop.org/lists/cheryl... #LindaPastan #insomniapoems #mylagoldberg #FeastYourEyes @scribnerbooks.bsky.social @wwnorton.com

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Aaron Burch @aaronburch.bsky.social · 11/06/2025

was asked for "a list of 5-10 or so recent collections you want to vouch for" and so threw this together, and am counting it as my "writing" for the day

Here's a list of 8 recent (all from just the last year or two, all from indie/smaller presses) collections which I love and think deserve more readers. A very biased list! I think all of them are books I've blurbed, or the author is a friend, or someone I've published... and sometimes all three. I'm probably forgetting something incredibly obvious, but these were the first 7 that jumped out, when thinking about this and scanning my bookshelf.

Cheap Therapist Says You're Insane by Parker Young (Future Tense Books)
This book feels like a classic example of a story collection exemplifying "the whole is greater than the sum of the parts." I'd read some of these stories here and there, but reading them all together felt like a revelation. They sucked me in and made me see the world through Parker's eyes, and story-by-story, I fell more in love with that vision and these stories and this book.
Sad Grownups by Amy Stuber (Stillhouse Press)
I honestly and earnestly believe one of the best story collections of the century (so far). Up there, in my estimation, with Danielle Evans and Andrew Porter and Lori Ostlund. (Which, if you don't know those writers or my affinity for them, is among my highest of compliments. And also: go read them too!)
Horse Girl Fever by Kevin Maloney (Clash Books)
Kevin is one of my favorite writers. Favorite people. His writing is full of drugs and chaos, all condensed into razor sharp sentences where anything can happen, in ways that often (always) reminds me, and I hope reminds every writer who reads him, that you can do whatever you want in a story.
Hey You Assholes by Kyle Seibel (Clash Books)
I'm jealous at how good Kyle is and how strong this collection is. He has this storytelling voice in ways that often feels almost like a monologue, told by the funniest, best storyteller character you've ever met.

Girl on Girl by Emily Costa (Rejection Letters)
Emily is probably my favorite writer of adolescent awkwardness and struggles, and this collection is exhibit A... and B and... however many letters for how many stories there are in it. Each feels familiar and true in ways that are embarrassing and cringey, and also filled with humor and making you want to read more.
Magic Can't Save Us by Josh Denslow (University of New Orleans Press)
It isn't really represented in this list, but I've been a real fan lately of collections that find some interesting/creative but more roundabout way to be "linked." These stories don't have any recurring characters or places or anything, but all are relationship/breakup stories and in some way feature a magical creature (centaur, unicorn, mermaid, etc.). They are fun, and funny, and full of heart, and feel honest and true in ways that sometimes you can only access through the supernatural.
The Nothing by Lauren Davis (Yes Yes Books)
This book snuck up on me. I wrote in my blurb, "There are ghosts in these stories. Sometimes literal, other times only in metaphor or feeling," and, indeed, these stories pulse with ache and feeling. They get inside you and haunt you, in the best way.
My Prisoner and Other Stories by Tyler McAndrew (The Ohio State University Press)
This book is forthcoming in a few months, out in September 2025, and I hope it finds the readers it deserves. I've read it a couple times already, and will likely soon be revisiting it for a third time for an interview with Tyler, and what a treat to have a book you want to, and get excited to, revisit. Here's what I said in my blurb:
“These stories orbit misunderstandings, mishaps, miscommunications, each shining a spotlight on a character seeking and aching for some kind of connection, the very thing I desire from a short story, from art—to be pulled into its orbit, to be made to feel a connection. If you’re reading this now, I’m excited for and jealous of you spending time with…

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Cheryl Walsh @cherylwalsh.bsky.social · 30/05/2025

A favorite line from Jim Crace's novel *The Gift of Stones*: "We do love lies. The truth is dull and half-asleep. But lies are nimble, spirited, alive." #favoritelinefridays #jimcrace #thegiftofstones

Wall made of gray cut stones in rows of various heights.

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Cheryl Walsh @cherylwalsh.bsky.social · 30/05/2025

One of my all-time favorite Far Sides.

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