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Jennifer Steil

@jfsteilauthor.bsky.social
280 followers 234 following 54 posts

Novelist, memoirist, essayist, short story writer, freelance editor, book coach, and mentor. Books: Exile Music, The Ambassador's Wife, and The Woman Who Fell From the Sky. Work has appeared in The New York Times, Kenyon Review, World Policy Journal, etc.

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Jennifer Steil @jfsteilauthor.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
Nearly half of children in the United States live in “book deserts” — communities without reliable access to public libraries, bookstores, or adequate reading materials. Sign the petition to end book deserts! Via @everylibrary.bsky.social #library #lit #read #reading action.everylibrary.org/s4028
action.everylibrary.org
PETITION: Combat Book Deserts and Illiteracy
Nearly half of children in the United States live in “book deserts” — communities without reliable access to public libraries, bookstores, or adequate reading materials.
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Jennifer Steil @jfsteilauthor.bsky.social · 24/05/2026
In this week's Liminal column, I talk about why I join everything. And the usual medical update too. jennifersteil.substack.com/p/the-joy-of...
jennifersteil.substack.com
The joy of joining
Making myself leave the house offers the rewards of community
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Jennifer Steil @jfsteilauthor.bsky.social · 20/03/2026
This may be my most provocative and important Liminal column yet. This week we talk about the Pelicot rape trial and the existential questions it raises. I also meet Susan Choi, and review Mountains Sing, a beautiful Vietnamese novel. jennifersteil.substack.com/p/the-pelico...
jennifersteil.substack.com
The Pelicot trial: Are we facing the banality of evil or seeing a man who chooses to be evil?
We go deep and dark this week, into a discussion with journalists and philosophers about the existential issues raised by the Pelicot rape trial. But we also get to meet brilliant author Susan Choi.
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Jennifer Steil @jfsteilauthor.bsky.social · 23/02/2026
I adore this poem by the incomparable @elizpoeta.bsky.social Unspeaking by Elizabeth Cohen oneartpoetry.com/2026/02/15/u...
oneartpoetry.com
Unspeaking by Elizabeth Cohen
Unspeaking “The world’s continual breathing is what we hear and call silence.” ― Clarice Lispector I love how we send words away to rest having done enough work for now. Yours, the silence of…
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Jennifer Steil @jfsteilauthor.bsky.social · 05/02/2026
My entire feed today is news from talented reporters and editors laid off by @washingtonpost I just want to say how devastated I am by this, how much I am thinking of those the paper abandoned, when it gave up any pretense at practicing journalism.
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Philip Bump @pbump.com · 05/02/2026
Jeff Bezos’s wealth has increased an average of $70 million every day of 2026, meaning that he could have offset The Post’s losses with what he’s made since Monday.
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The Atlantic @theatlantic.com · 05/02/2026
The impending closure of the Kennedy Center imperils a belief that has been central to its existence: that democracy and the arts are deeply intertwined, Lily Meyer argues:
bit.ly
A Theory of Cultural Life That Is Under Attack
The closure of the Kennedy Center imperils a core American belief: that democracy and the arts are deeply intertwined.
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Jennifer Steil @jfsteilauthor.bsky.social · 05/02/2026
It's been such a tough week I thought I would have nothing good to say about anything—but then I looked at my journals. open.substack.com/pub/jennifer...
open.substack.com
All that pain whitewashes
I thought this had been a terrible week, until I looked back at my journal. Turns out it was packed with sparkly things: a book deal, art, theater, music, friends, and life-changing advice.
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Alexander Chee @alexanderchee.bsky.social · 21/01/2026
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National Association of Writers in Education @nawewriters.bsky.social · 21/01/2026
The 2025 NAWE Conference Special Edition of Writing in Education is out now! Packed with expanded articles from presenters on using AI, embedding ethics in creative writing teaching, the use of poetry in the NHS, writing for wellbeing in the secondary classroom, & much more. Download bit.ly/3YUOeee
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Jennifer Steil @jfsteilauthor.bsky.social · 21/01/2026
This week I meet a stained-glass poet, a professional thinker, a roomful of drain surgeons, roomsful of Picassos, visiting nurses, the other other Brontë sister, and friends. All in this week's Liminal. jennifersteil.substack.com/p/the-everyd...
jennifersteil.substack.com
The Everyday Magic of Leaving the House
I am often reluctant to leave the safety of our flat, but when I do, I am always rewarded. Also, book reviews, art, a reading, and a drain installation.
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Jennifer Steil @jfsteilauthor.bsky.social · 15/01/2026
Astonishingly, I'm still alive. You can read about the recent horrors and small happinesses here. Thank you. And I love all of you who care enough to keep reading! jennifersteil.substack.com/p/lab-rat-ou...
jennifersteil.substack.com
Lab rat outlives usefulness
I'm thrown out of the trial and thrash about in the unknown while I wait to hear what is in store for me now.
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Jennifer Steil @jfsteilauthor.bsky.social · 18/10/2025
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...
action.everylibrary.org
Texas School Bans Students from the Library
Politicians, not parents, are deciding what children can read in the United States.
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Jennifer Steil @jfsteilauthor.bsky.social · 15/10/2025
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...
jennifersteil.substack.com
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.
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Jennifer Steil @jfsteilauthor.bsky.social · 15/10/2025
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...
jennifersteil.substack.com
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.
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Jennifer Steil @jfsteilauthor.bsky.social · 15/10/2025
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
bit.ly
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.
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Arik Hesseldahl 🦋 @arik.org · 26/09/2025
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...
nytimes.com
Dress Rehearsal for a Wedding I’ll Never Attend
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Meredith O'Brien @meredithobrien.bsky.social · 26/09/2025
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...
nytimes.com
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Dr. Redfern "Red" Barrett @redfernbarrett.com · 26/09/2025
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...
nytimes.com
Dress Rehearsal for a Wedding I’ll Never Attend
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Jennifer Steil @jfsteilauthor.bsky.social · 26/09/2025
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...
nytimes.com
Dress Rehearsal for a Wedding I’ll Never Attend
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Jennifer Steil @jfsteilauthor.bsky.social · 12/09/2025
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...
jennifersteil.substack.com
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.
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Jennifer Steil @jfsteilauthor.bsky.social · 05/09/2025
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...
jennifersteil.substack.com
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?
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Jennifer Steil @jfsteilauthor.bsky.social · 14/08/2025
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...
open.substack.com
How art operates as an oxygen mask
Small museums, large lives, brutal crimes, disobedient feet, and the spaces between
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Jennifer Steil @jfsteilauthor.bsky.social · 08/08/2025
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
tanyashaffer.com
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...
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Jennifer Steil @jfsteilauthor.bsky.social · 02/08/2025
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
literaryhoarders.com
Exile Music by Jennifer Steil
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The Atlantic @theatlantic.com · 02/08/2025
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.
bit.ly
Food Aid in Gaza Has Become a Horror
In the scramble for sustenance, Palestinians are gunned down for no reason, with no excuse.
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Jennifer Steil @jfsteilauthor.bsky.social · 10/07/2025
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...
pen.org
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 ...
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Jennifer Steil @jfsteilauthor.bsky.social · 28/06/2025
"“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...
nytimes.com
A Photo Gone Wrong in the Uffizi Fuels Selfie Worries in Europe’s Museums
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Jennifer Steil @jfsteilauthor.bsky.social · 09/05/2025
Cheered me up this morning: apnews.com/article/bois...  Salt Lake City and Boise make pride flags official city emblems, skirting flag ban laws
apnews.com
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...
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The Authors Guild @authorsguild.org · 04/04/2025
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-...
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Jennifer Steil @jfsteilauthor.bsky.social · 04/04/2025
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
action.everylibrary.org
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!
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Jennifer Steil @jfsteilauthor.bsky.social · 28/03/2025
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...
open.substack.com
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.
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Jennifer Steil @jfsteilauthor.bsky.social · 15/03/2025
“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
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Jennifer Steil @jfsteilauthor.bsky.social · 15/03/2025
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...
nytimes.com
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.
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Jennifer Steil @jfsteilauthor.bsky.social · 12/03/2025
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...
jennifersteil.substack.com
A friendship born of flowers
Scan update, fairy godparents, and a dramatic weekend
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The Authors Guild @authorsguild.org · 07/03/2025
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...
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Missy Hubbard @missy-ubermom.bsky.social · 08/03/2025
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Jennifer Steil @jfsteilauthor.bsky.social · 04/03/2025
open.substack.com/pub/robertre...
open.substack.com
Democrats! Wake the hell up!
Boycott Trump’s address to Congress tonight. If you must go, make good trouble.
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Jennifer Steil @jfsteilauthor.bsky.social · 04/03/2025
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...
billmckibben.substack.com
Special Vermont Resistance edition
Lucy Welch, a hero for the moment.
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Jennifer Steil @jfsteilauthor.bsky.social · 01/03/2025
Congratulations to all of my fellow shortlisted writers!!!
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Jennifer Steil @jfsteilauthor.bsky.social · 01/03/2025
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!
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bournemouthjournal.bsky.social @bournemouthjournal.bsky.social · 01/03/2025
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!
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Tucker Lieberman @tuckerlieberman.com · 12/02/2025
A few months ago, I created a newsletter for the post-election US. I post briefly on what (to me) seems important & actionable: things we can do or stuff we need to know to keep each other safe. If you were looking for this, here it is. (My old thread got too long. Hence this repost). #survival
streetlights.ghost.io
Streetlights: For the US in 2025
Brief, actionable info
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Jennifer Steil @jfsteilauthor.bsky.social · 13/02/2025
My latest edition of Liminal discusses treatments ahead, my time in Paris, and my relationship with religion. I look forward to hearing from you! You can subscribe for free here: jennifersteil.substack.com If you enjoy Liminal, please also share it with your friends and family! Love to you all.
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Jennifer Steil @jfsteilauthor.bsky.social · 11/02/2025
Dispiriting appointment with my oncologist followed by news the rapists running our country want to defund medical research. Good thing I’m on antidepressants.
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Jennifer Steil @jfsteilauthor.bsky.social · 05/02/2025
This week's Liminal: On creating home when the walls keep changing (& cancer news) #home #cancer #travel #lifeabroad #immigrant #expat #https://open.substack.com/pub/jennifersteil/p/on-building-a-home-when-the-walls?r=3y460&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true
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Diana Teeter @dianateeterart.bsky.social · 04/02/2025
I’m a part time librarian and I just want to echo what I’ve seen other librarians say recently: there is a HUGE uptick in requests for social justice, climate justice, abolition, history, etc books and I just want to say nobody is giving up the fight. If anything people are fighting harder #library
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Jennifer Steil @jfsteilauthor.bsky.social · 02/02/2025
Meta is flooding its platforms with "digital slop that can cause serious harm by reinforcing cultural biases and stereotypes." I talked to Meta’s Black AI character. Here’s what she told me. wapo.st/4jDCFRR
wapo.st
Opinion | I talked to Meta’s Black AI character. Here’s what she told me.
Is this the new era of digital blackface?
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