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Elaine Szewczyk

@elaineszewczyk.bsky.social
73 followers 28 following 39 posts

Books, Films, TV, mostly. I write author profiles for Publishers Weekly. Instagram: @elaineszewczyk / X: @stupidnovel. (Just started on Bluesky...moving slowly over here.)

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Reposted by Elaine Szewczyk
National Book Critics Circle @bookcritics.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
NBCC member @elaineszewczyk.bsky.social profiled Japanese filmmaker and novelist Genki Kawamura for Publishers Weekly: buff.ly/Rk2MOZg
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https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/authors/profiles/article/101257-genki-kawamura-knows-the-lines-between-fantasy-and-reality-are-blurred.html
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Elaine Szewczyk @elaineszewczyk.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
I wrote a PW cover story about Japanese filmmaker, producer & author Genki Kawamura. Kawamura spoke to me from Tokyo about embezzlement, animal magnetism & his chaotic creative process. THE HORSE AND I will be out in Nov. @flatironbooks.bsky.social www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/...
publishersweekly.com
Genki Kawamura Knows the Lines Between Fantasy and Reality Are Blurred
The author’s latest novel is a meditation on human-animal relationships, power, and obsession.
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Elaine Szewczyk @elaineszewczyk.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
I spoke with Winsome Bingham and Caldecott Honor artist Jason Griffin about the making of On Fridays, a reverse engineered picture book that started with the art, which inspired the text. Bingham wrote the book while in the hospital for depression. www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/...
publishersweekly.com
‘The Light I Needed’: Picture Book ‘On Fridays’ Started with a Special Spark
We spoke with author Winsome Bingham (l.) and artist Jason Griffin about their close collaboration for On Fridays, a reverse-engineered picture book based on Griffin’s paintings that explores themes o...
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Elaine Szewczyk @elaineszewczyk.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
I wrote a profile of British author Jasper Fforde for Publishers Weekly. Fforde talked about literary posers, bad books, and the staying power of speculative fiction. His final Thursday Next novel, Dark Reading Matter, is out in Oct. @sohopress.bsky.social www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/...
publishersweekly.com
Jasper Fforde Has Series Business
With the final novel in his Thursday Next series, the author is taking no prisoners and has no patience for boring literature.
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Elaine Szewczyk @elaineszewczyk.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
I wrote a Publishers Weekly cover story about T. Geronimo Johnson. His new novel, The Occidental Book of the Dead, is a police procedural, social novel & a commentary on Hollywood happy endings. "We've been emotionally neutered by happy endings," he told me. www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/...
publishersweekly.com
T. Geronimo Johnson Isn’t Buying Happy Endings
In his latest novel, the bestselling author challenges ideas about race and the American dream.
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Reposted by Elaine Szewczyk
National Book Critics Circle @bookcritics.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
NBCC member @elaineszewczyk.bsky.social profiled Audrey Niffenegger for Publishers Weekly: buff.ly/utDMNri
publishersweekly.com
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Elaine Szewczyk @elaineszewczyk.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
Here's my profile of Chicago artist/author Audrey Niffenegger. Niffenegger's sequel to the bestseller The Time Traveler's Wife is out in Oct from @hanoversquarepress.bsky.social We talked art over tech; taxidermy; handmade books; & having multiple husbands. www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/...
publishersweekly.com
Audrey Niffenegger Goes Back to the Future
The bestselling author returns with Life Out of Order, a sequel to her mega-selling The Time Traveler’s Wife.
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Elaine Szewczyk @elaineszewczyk.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
I interviewed Tahitian Chinese author Manuia Heinrich about her debut YA novel Salt Water Blood. We talked French Polynesia, colonialism, and her remarkable indigenous culture. @heinrichmanuia.bsky.social www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/...
publishersweekly.com
Fall 2026 Writers to Watch: Manuia Heinrich
In her YA debut, 'Salt Water Blood,' the Tahitian Chinese author looks behind the postcard surface of a fictional French Polynesian island.
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Elaine Szewczyk @elaineszewczyk.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
I profiled Min Jin Lee for Publishers Weekly. Her new novel AMERICAN HAGWON focuses on the education system in South Korea and the role of hagwons in Korean culture. www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/...
publishersweekly.com
Min Jin Lee’s School of Hard Knocks
The author’s new novel—the third in her Diaspora Quartet—examines Korea’s cutthroat education system
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Elaine Szewczyk @elaineszewczyk.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
I interviewed Chilean artist Fernanda Frick H. for the Publishers Weekly fall preview issue. Her debut middle grade graphic novel, Raise the Bar, is about a girl who wants to be a weightlifter. @penguinrandomhouse.bsky.social www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/...
publishersweekly.com
Fall 2026 Writers to Watch: Fernanda Frick H.
What started out in the 2010s as an idea for a Netflix series is now the Chilean animator's empowering middle grade graphic novel debut, 'Raise the Bar.'
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Reposted by Elaine Szewczyk
National Book Critics Circle @bookcritics.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
NBCC member @elaineszewczyk.bsky.social profiled Emily St. John Mandel for Publishers Weekly:
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Emily St. John Mandel’s Warring Worlds
The author’s new novel, set in 2031 after the dissolution of the United States, reflects her anxieties about the state of American democracy.
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Elaine Szewczyk @elaineszewczyk.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
I spoke with Emily St. John Mandel for a @publisherswkly.bsky.social cover story. Mandel's novel EXIT PARTY is out in Sept @aaknopf.bsky.social. It's about teleportation, doppelgängers & state spies. We talked fascism, time machines & writing on the F train. www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/...
publishersweekly.com
Emily St. John Mandel’s Warring Worlds
The author’s new novel, set in 2031 after the dissolution of the United States, reflects her anxieties about the state of American democracy.
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Reposted by Elaine Szewczyk
National Book Critics Circle @bookcritics.bsky.social · 30/04/2026
NBCC member @elaineszewczyk.bsky.social profiled Teddy Wayne for Publishers Weekly:
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Teddy Wayne’s Au Pair Affair
The author investigates the male ego in a thriller about a failing writer who beds his kids’ live-in nanny
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Reposted by Elaine Szewczyk
National Book Critics Circle @bookcritics.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
NBCC member @elaineszewczyk.bsky.social profiled Allie Rowbottom for Publishers Weekly:
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Allie Rowbottom’s X-Rated Art
When the author decided to set her latest novel in the adult film industry, she was just following her gut.
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Elaine Szewczyk @elaineszewczyk.bsky.social · 27/04/2026
Novelist and screenwriter Teddy Wayne investigates the male ego in his page turning thriller about a failing writer’s ill-fated fling with his kids’ caretaker. The Au Pair is out in June from @harperbooks.bsky.social. Here's my chat with Teddy Wayne: www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/...
publishersweekly.com
Teddy Wayne’s Au Pair Affair
The author investigates the male ego in a thriller about a failing writer who beds his kids’ live-in nanny
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Elaine Szewczyk @elaineszewczyk.bsky.social · 06/04/2026
Need ideas for escaping the planet? Deb Olin Unferth's fab sci-fi novel, Earth 7, is set in a world where people are moving to Mars and uploading themselves onto microchips. @debolinunferth.bsky.social @kathy-daneman.bsky.social @graywolfpress.bsky.social www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/...
publishersweekly.com
Deb Olin Unferth: World Rebuilder
The author knows humans are destroying the planet, and is using her latest novel to help sound the alarm.
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Elaine Szewczyk @elaineszewczyk.bsky.social · 31/03/2026
Here's my profile of Andrey Kurkov, celebrated writer of surrealist fiction. After years spent covering the Russia-Ukraine war as a journalist/commentator, Kurkov returns to novels with the darkly humorous The Lost Soldiers. @harpercollins.bsky.social www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/...
publishersweekly.com
Andrey Kurkov Dispatches Kyiv
After years spent covering the Russia-Ukraine war as a journalist and commentator, the author returns to fiction.
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Elaine Szewczyk @elaineszewczyk.bsky.social · 31/03/2026
Here's my profile of Walter Mosely. Mosely steps into the romance genre with his new novel Ghalen. “I wanted to write a book about Black love, and about Black people being in love,” Mosley told me. Ghalen is out in May from Amistad/ @harpercollins.bsky.social www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/...
publishersweekly.com
Walter Mosley’s Real Love
For his latest novel—and first foray into the romance genre—the acclaimed author examines race, violence, and personal freedom.
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Reposted by Elaine Szewczyk
National Book Critics Circle @bookcritics.bsky.social · 04/03/2026
NBCC member @elaineszewczyk.bsky.social profiled Ali Smith for Publishers Weekly:
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Ali Smith’s Fighting Words
The author’s new novel is set in a harsh near-future England where storytelling is required for survival.
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Reposted by Elaine Szewczyk
National Book Critics Circle @bookcritics.bsky.social · 11/02/2026
NBCC member @elaineszewczyk.bsky.social profiled Emma Straub for Publishers Weekly:
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All Aboard with Emma Straub
The bestselling author went on a New Kids on the Block cruise in 2023 and based her new novel on the experience
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Elaine Szewczyk @elaineszewczyk.bsky.social · 10/02/2026
Here's my Publishers Weekly profile of Emma Straub. Emma went on a New Kids on the Block cruise in 2023 and based her novel American Fantasy on the experience. We talked boy band mania, midlife crises & getting drunk on a boat. @riverheadbooks.bsky.social www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/...
publishersweekly.com
All Aboard with Emma Straub
The bestselling author went on a New Kids on the Block cruise in 2023 and based her new novel on the experience
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Elaine Szewczyk @elaineszewczyk.bsky.social · 19/01/2026
Here's my profile of Will Self. The author faced down cancer to write his spectacular new novel, The Quantity Theory of Morality, a cutting satire of modern culture, out in March from @groveatlantic.bsky.social. I loved this convo and his new book. www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/...
publishersweekly.com
Will Self’s Savage World
The author faced down cancer to write his spectacular new novel, a cutting satire of modern culture.
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Elaine Szewczyk @elaineszewczyk.bsky.social · 14/01/2026
Here's my Publishers Weekly profile of Tayari Jones. Tayari talks writing KIN, set in the South in the 50s & 60s, while battling Graves' & wearing an eyepatch; loving Toni Morrison; being an Oprah pick; & baking cakes. Kin is out in Feb. @aaknopf.bsky.social www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/...
publishersweekly.com
Tayari Jones’s Healing Words
Before finishing her latest novel, the bestselling author had to overcome serious illness and self-doubt.
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Elaine Szewczyk @elaineszewczyk.bsky.social · 08/12/2025
Norwegian crime writer Jo Nesbø was almost arrested in Minnesota while researching Wolf Hour, out in Feb. Nesbø and I chatted about the book, as well as his upcoming @netflix.com series and his film adaptation of Blood on Snow directed by Cary Fukunaga. www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/...
publishersweekly.com
Jo Nesbø Is Coming to America
The latest thriller from the Norwegian crime writer—about a police detective tracking a serial killer—is his first set in the United States.
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Elaine Szewczyk @elaineszewczyk.bsky.social · 05/12/2025
Booker Prize winner Julian Barnes is turning 80 and publishing his final book—about love, death, and a comically flawed marriage. My profile: www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/...
publishersweekly.com
Julian Barnes’s Mortal Dilemma
The Booker Prize–winning author is turning 80 and releasing his final book—about love, death, and a comically flawed marriage.
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Reposted by Elaine Szewczyk
National Book Critics Circle @bookcritics.bsky.social · 12/11/2025
NBCC member @elaineszewczyk.bsky.social profiled Laura Restrepo for Publishers Weekly:
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Laura Restrepo and the Power of Myths
For her latest novel, the Colombian author drew inspiration from the story of the Queen of Sheba as well as her work with refugees for Doctors Without Borders
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Elaine Szewczyk @elaineszewczyk.bsky.social · 03/11/2025
Here's my @publisherswkly.bsky.social profile of @ladyhawkins.bsky.social. Rachel discusses Alabama hurricanes, 80s true crime scandals, deadly Barbie Ferraris & relying on books in hard times. Her novel The Storm is out in Jan.❤️ @stmartinspress.bsky.social www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/...
publishersweekly.com
Death Becomes Rachel Hawkins
The bestselling author’s new novel is a modern gothic thriller about murder and extreme weather in the American South.
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Elaine Szewczyk @elaineszewczyk.bsky.social · 22/10/2025
My @publisherswkly.bsky.social profile of Colombian author Laura Restrepo. Her new novel Song of Ancient Lovers is a modern retelling of the Queen of Sheba myth set in the refugee camps of Yemen. www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/...
publishersweekly.com
Laura Restrepo and the Power of Myths
For her latest novel, the Colombian author drew inspiration from the story of the Queen of Sheba as well as her work with refugees for Doctors Without Borders
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Reposted by Elaine Szewczyk
National Book Critics Circle @bookcritics.bsky.social · 25/09/2025
NBCC member @elaineszewczyk.bsky.social profiled Olivia Laing for Publishers Weekly:
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Olivia Laing’s Art Work
Olivia Laing wrote their new novel, a queer thriller set in 1970s Italy, in three months, and is still catching their breath
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Elaine Szewczyk @elaineszewczyk.bsky.social · 22/09/2025
Here's my @publisherswkly.bsky.social profile of British author Olivia Laing. We talked fascism, free speech, & the fight for artistic expression. Olivia's queer thriller The Silver Book, about 1970s Italian cinema & murder, is out Nov @fsgbooks.bsky.social. www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/...
publishersweekly.com
Olivia Laing’s Art Work
Olivia Laing wrote their new novel, a queer thriller set in 1970s Italy, in three months, and is still catching their breath
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Elaine Szewczyk @elaineszewczyk.bsky.social · 16/09/2025
I'll be at Anderson's Bookshop tonight in conversation with novelist David Levithan and Swedish musician Jens Lekman. We'll be talking about their new novel Songs for Other People's Weddings. 7PM CT. andersonsbookshop.com/event/2025-0...
andersonsbookshop.com
David Levithan and Jens Lekman
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Reposted by Elaine Szewczyk
National Book Critics Circle @bookcritics.bsky.social · 09/09/2025
NBCC member @elaineszewczyk.bsky.social profiled Mitch Albom for Publishers Weekly:
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Mitch Albom Loves Love
In his latest novel, Mitch Albom explores true love and the downside of second chances
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Reposted by Elaine Szewczyk
Elaine Szewczyk @elaineszewczyk.bsky.social · 04/08/2025
Here's my @publisherswkly.bsky.social profile of bad ass Booker winner Arundhati Roy. Her memoir is out Sept/Scribner. Roy discusses her mom, who had the "edginess of a gangster"; running off to Delhi at 16; fending off jail threats; & keeping it real. ❤️ www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/...
publishersweekly.com
Arundhati Roy’s Rebel Yell
In her first memoir, the Booker Prize winner explores her relationship with her volatile mother and living life on her own terms.
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Reposted by Elaine Szewczyk
National Book Critics Circle @bookcritics.bsky.social · 23/08/2025
NBCC member @elaineszewczyk.bsky.social interviewed @vermontgmg.bsky.social for Publishers Weekly about his new book "The Devil Reached Toward the Sky," an oral history of the Manhattan Project and the dropping of the atomic bomb: buff.ly/5j8HCML
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Why Oral History Matters: PW Talks with Garrett M. Graff
The bestselling Pulitzer finalist discusses 'The Devil Reached Toward the Sky,' his oral history of the atomic bomb, which arrives on the 80th anniversary of the weapon's use on Hiroshima and…
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Elaine Szewczyk @elaineszewczyk.bsky.social · 11/08/2025
Here's my @publisherswkly.bsky.social profile of Kirsten Miller. We talked women with witchy powers, toxic men, the art of revenge & the benefits of having your house burn down. Miller's novel The Women of Wild Hill is out in Oct. @wmmorrowbooks.bsky.social www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/...
publishersweekly.com
Kirsten Miller Takes on Women’s Work
The bestselling author wants to effect social change through fiction—and wake women up to their witchy powers.
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Reposted by Elaine Szewczyk
National Book Critics Circle @bookcritics.bsky.social · 08/08/2025
NBCC member @elaineszewczyk.bsky.social profiled Arundhati Roy for Publishers Weekly:
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Arundhati Roy’s Rebel Yell
In her first memoir, the Booker Prize winner explores her relationship with her volatile mother and living life on her own terms.
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Elaine Szewczyk @elaineszewczyk.bsky.social · 04/08/2025
Here's my @publisherswkly.bsky.social profile of bad ass Booker winner Arundhati Roy. Her memoir is out Sept/Scribner. Roy discusses her mom, who had the "edginess of a gangster"; running off to Delhi at 16; fending off jail threats; & keeping it real. ❤️ www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/...
publishersweekly.com
Arundhati Roy’s Rebel Yell
In her first memoir, the Booker Prize winner explores her relationship with her volatile mother and living life on her own terms.
0355
Reposted by Elaine Szewczyk
National Book Critics Circle @bookcritics.bsky.social · 01/08/2025
NBCC member @elaineszewczyk.bsky.social profiled Kiran Desai for Publishers Weekly:
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Kiran Desai’s Labor of Love
The Booker Prize winner has devoted the past two decades of her life to writing The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny, a novel that weighs in at 688 pages
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Elaine Szewczyk @elaineszewczyk.bsky.social · 28/07/2025
Here's my @publisherswkly.bsky.social profile of Kiran Desai. Her novel, The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny, took 20 years to write & is about star-crossed lovers in a globalized world. We talked India, loneliness & her fierce devotion to writing. www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/...
publishersweekly.com
Kiran Desai’s Labor of Love
The Booker Prize winner has devoted the past two decades of her life to writing The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny, a novel that weighs in at 688 pages
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Reposted by Elaine Szewczyk
National Book Critics Circle @bookcritics.bsky.social · 26/06/2025
NBCC member @elaineszewczyk.bsky.social‬ profiled David Levithan for Publishers Weekly:
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David Levithan: Music Man
David Levithan collaborated with Swedish musician Jens Lekman on a dream project—a novel about a wedding singer featuring original songs.
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Elaine Szewczyk @elaineszewczyk.bsky.social · 30/06/2025
David Levithan (author of Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist, Boy Meets Boys, etc.) teamed up with Swedish musician and wedding singer Jens Lekman on a novel about a wedding singer that features 16 original songs that readers can listen to as they read the book...
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Elaine Szewczyk @elaineszewczyk.bsky.social · 23/06/2025
David Levithan (Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist) collaborated w/ Swedish musician Jens Lekman on a novel about a wedding singer featuring original songs. Songs for Other People’s Weddings is out in August/Abrams Books. My @publisherswkly.bsky.social piece: www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/...
publishersweekly.com
David Levithan: Music Man
David Levithan collaborated with Swedish musician Jens Lekman on a dream project—a novel about a wedding singer featuring original songs.
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Reposted by Elaine Szewczyk
National Book Critics Circle @bookcritics.bsky.social · 17/06/2025
NBCC member @elaineszewczyk.bsky.social‬ profiled British novelist Holly Smale, whose YA "Geek Girl" series inspired a Netflix show, for Publishers Weekly:
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Holly Smale Is Living Out Loud
For Holly Smale, being diagnosed with autism at age 39 changed her life and reshaped her fiction
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Elaine Szewczyk @elaineszewczyk.bsky.social · 16/06/2025
Here's my @publisherswkly.bsky.social profile of lovely Holly Smale, co-creator of the Geek Girl @netflix.com series. Holly discusses being autistic, selling millions of novels & writing I Know How This Ends (out this August). @harpercollins.bsky.social www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/...
publishersweekly.com
Holly Smale Is Living Out Loud
For Holly Smale, being diagnosed with autism at age 39 changed her life and reshaped her fiction
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Elaine Szewczyk @elaineszewczyk.bsky.social · 11/06/2025
Wally Lamb's The River is Waiting was just picked by Oprah for her book club. Here's my @publisherswkly.bsky.social profile of Wally Lamb. We discuss Oprah, addiction, and the pressure of writing fiction... www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/...
publishersweekly.com
There and Back with Wally Lamb
For his first novel in nine years, Wally Lamb draws on his battles with self-doubt and addiction.
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Elaine Szewczyk @elaineszewczyk.bsky.social · 03/06/2025
@keirgraff.bsky.social Congrats on your new book Chicago's Fine Arts Building: Music, Magic, and Murder. You said murder, right...?! 🕵️
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Reposted by Elaine Szewczyk
National Book Critics Circle @bookcritics.bsky.social · 23/05/2025
NBCC member Elaine Szewczyk profiled Helen Schulman for Publishers Weekly:
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Helen Schulman Is Nobody’s Fool
The new collection from the acclaimed author spans three decades of her stories about the pitfalls of life and love.
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Elaine Szewczyk @elaineszewczyk.bsky.social · 29/05/2025
Love, foolish love. Here's my @publisherswkly.bsky.social profile of Helen Schulman. Helen's new story collection, Fools for Love, is out in July. Her last book, Lucky Dogs, has been optioned by Kaia Gerber/Library Science.
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Elaine Szewczyk @elaineszewczyk.bsky.social · 29/05/2025
My new piece in @mcsweeneys.net! "Have you ever wanted to use gasoline as lipstick? Or wished someone would start a campfire up your nose? That’s what it feels like to eat the new Pringles Hot Ones...." www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/pri...
mcsweeneys.net
Reviews of New Food: Pringles Hot Ones Los Calientes Rojo Crisps
Have you ever wanted to use gasoline as lipstick? Or wished someone would start a campfire up your nose? That’s what it feels like to eat the new P...
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Reposted by Elaine Szewczyk
Berger Smith @holbidope.bsky.social · 21/05/2025
I've started collecting and curating my favorite McSweeney's pieces and this piece by @elaineszewczyk.bsky.social just shot up to my all-time number one spot. its so perfect. devastatingly elegant and hilarious. A literal masterpiece 👨🏻‍🍳👌 www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/pri...
mcsweeneys.net
Reviews of New Food: Pringles Hot Ones Los Calientes Rojo Crisps
Have you ever wanted to use gasoline as lipstick? Or wished someone would start a campfire up your nose? That’s what it feels like to eat the new P...
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