iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Joanne Leedom-Ackerman @jleedomackerman.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Enjoy my October Substack: with essay “Dinner and a Movie or Frontlines With ISIS?”; link to my story in The Hopkins Review; Writer at Risk Myanmar/Burmese writer & activist Wai Moe Naing; Books to Check Out features BEYOND HONOR by KB Brodsky and THE GHOST WRITER by Robert Harris, and more.

joanneleedomackerman.substack.com

Dinner and a Movie or Frontlines with ISIS?

October 2026 Newsletter

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Joanne Leedom-Ackerman @jleedomackerman.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Delighted to have my short story “The Governor on the Zambezi” in the new Hopkins Review. Looking forward to reading the other work in the dynamic summer issue! muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/articl... #shortstory #authorlife #writers #fiction #projectmuse @projectmuse.bsky.social

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Joanne Leedom-Ackerman @jleedomackerman.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

Enjoy my September Substack, with essay “Back on the Champs-Élysées,” link to my short story in the Hopkins Review, Writer at Risk features Chinese journalist Dong Yuyu, Books to Check Out section features Hernan Diaz’s TRUST and Barbara Kingsolver’s DEMON COPPERHEAD & more. tinyurl.com/5ceve7df

joanneleedomackerman.substack.com

Back on the Champs-Élysées

September 2026 Newsletter

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Joanne Leedom-Ackerman @jleedomackerman.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

Enjoy my August Substack with essay “Acts of Faith." Writer at Risk section profiles Mahrang Baloch, Books to Check Out features William Boyd’s THE PREDICAMENT & Azar Nafisi’s READING LOLITA IN TEHRAN, now out as a film. joanneleedomackerman.substack.com/p/acts-of-fa...

joanneleedomackerman.substack.com

Acts of Faith

August 2026 Newsletter

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Joanne Leedom-Ackerman @jleedomackerman.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

Looking forward to being in conversation with @azarnafisi.bsky.social Monday August 3 at the Avalon Theater, 5612 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington DC after the showing of the exquisite film READING LOLITA IN TEHRAN based on her seminal book. www.theavalon.org/films/readin...

theavalon.org

Reading Lolita in Tehran - The Avalon Theatre Project, Inc.

A literature professor in revolutionary Iran gathers seven of her most dedicated female students to immerse themselves in banned literary classics.

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Joanne Leedom-Ackerman @jleedomackerman.bsky.social · 09/07/2026

Enjoy my July Substack, with “Home of the Free, Land of the Brave.” Writer at Risk profiles Eritrean poet Amanuel Asrat; Books to Check Out features Rye Barcott’s COURAGE CAN SAVE US & Samanta Schweblin’s SEVEN EMPTY HOUSES, translated by Megan McDowell. tinyurl.com/54ma8nmy

tinyurl.com

Home of the Free, Land of the Brave

July 2026

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Joanne Leedom-Ackerman @jleedomackerman.bsky.social · 02/06/2026

Enjoy my June Substack, with blog “China on My Mind.” The Writer at Risk profiles Belarusian writer Vacłaŭ Areška, Books to Check Out features Shawna Yang Ryan’s GREEN ISLAND and Allen Levi’s THEO OF GOLDEN. Book News shares info, appearances, awards, & interviews. tinyurl.com/26pn6x9w

joanneleedomackerman.substack.com

China On My Mind

Dear Friends,

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Joanne Leedom-Ackerman @jleedomackerman.bsky.social · 20/05/2026

Art & literature on a warm spring evening celebrating the American Writers Museum with writers Alice McDermott, Louis Bayard, Judith Martin, AWM President Carey Cranston & AWM board members Malcolm O’Hagan, Jay Hammer, Farinaz Tehrani, Judy Pomeranz, Werner Hein.

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Joanne Leedom-Ackerman @jleedomackerman.bsky.social · 12/05/2026

Happy pub day and congrats to Elliot Ackerman and Admiral James Stavridis for 2084, the third in a trilogy peering into the future with the hope we can all make it better than grim paths that could lie ahead. #2084 #militarythriller #politicalfiction #newbooks

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Joanne Leedom-Ackerman @jleedomackerman.bsky.social · 01/05/2026

Enjoy my May Substack, including blog “Into the Breach…” The Writer at Risk profiles young Cuban poet Duannis Dabel Leon Taboada. Books to Check Out features 2084 by Elliot Ackerman & James Stavridis & Brian J. Morra’s novel THE ABLE ARCHERS. joanneleedomackerman.substack.com/p/into-the-b...

joanneleedomackerman.substack.com

Into the Breach…

Dear Friends,

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Joanne Leedom-Ackerman @jleedomackerman.bsky.social · 27/04/2026

Thanks to all the dynamic independent bookstores that knit our communities together and give platforms for writers, books & ideas. A few photos of stores who have hosted, encouraged and helped promote my novels in DC, Chicago, Dallas, NYC, LA, Denver and more. THANK YOU!

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Joanne Leedom-Ackerman @jleedomackerman.bsky.social · 01/04/2026

Enjoy my April Substack, with blog “Barking at Thunder 2." Writer at Risk profiles Belarusian writer & editor Valeryja Kaściuhova. Books to Check Out features the timely CHECKLIST TO END TYRANNY by Peter Ackerman & Anne Tyler’s THREE DAYS IN JUNE. joanneleedomackerman.substack.com/p/barking-at...

joanneleedomackerman.substack.com

Barking at Thunder 2

Dear Friends,

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Joanne Leedom-Ackerman @jleedomackerman.bsky.social · 02/03/2026

My March Substack includes blog “Sunrise…Sunset: Not Missing Snow, Wind, and Weather," Writer at Risk section with British/Chinese publisher & author Jimmy Lai, Books to Check Out features Deborah Goodrich Royce’s BEST BOY & Kate Quinn’s THE BRIAR CLUB, and more. tinyurl.com/27hbe6ms

tinyurl.com

Sunrise…Sunset: Not Missing Snow, Wind, and Weather

Dear Friends,

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Joanne Leedom-Ackerman @jleedomackerman.bsky.social · 17/02/2026

Many Iranian writers have spent years in Evin Prison, including Narges Mohammadi, who has spoken up for human rights and spent almost two decades as an inmate on charges of committing “propaganda activity against the state” and “collusion against state security” which she has denied.

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Joanne Leedom-Ackerman @jleedomackerman.bsky.social · 02/02/2026

Enjoy February’s Substack with blog “World in Our Minds…Learning from Dogs.” Writer at Risk Narges Mohammadi; Books to Check Out features Kazuo Ishiguro’s “Cellists” and E.M. Forster’s “The Machine Stops.” This monthly Substack is free. joanneleedomackerman.substack.com/p/world-in-o...

joanneleedomackerman.substack.com

World in Our Minds…Learning from Dogs

Dear Friends,

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Joanne Leedom-Ackerman @jleedomackerman.bsky.social · 01/01/2026

Happy New Year! Enjoy my January Substack, including blog “Message to Tomorrow…” Writer at Risk, Books to Check Out, and more. This monthly Substack “On the Yellow Brick Road” is free. Please sign up if you’re not already a subscriber. joanneleedomackerman.substack.com/p/message-to...

joanneleedomackerman.substack.com

Message to Tomorrow…

Dear Friends,

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Joanne Leedom-Ackerman @jleedomackerman.bsky.social · 01/12/2025

Enjoy my December Substack, with blog “Changing Latitudes, Chasing the Sun, Voting with Consequence.” The Writer at Risk section highlights the cases of four writers. Books to Check Out features Favorite Five for ’25. The monthly Substack is free. joanneleedomackerman.substack.com/p/changing-l...

joanneleedomackerman.substack.com

Changing Latitudes, Chasing the Sun, Voting with Consequence

Dear Friends,

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Joanne Leedom-Ackerman @jleedomackerman.bsky.social · 15/11/2025

IT TAKES A JOURNALIST! Celebrating courage and commitment of journalists who find and report facts and uncover truth, DC reporters, friends & supporters gathered at the @icfjorg.bsky.social Awards Dinner. #freedomofspeech #journalism #icfj #courage

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Joanne Leedom-Ackerman @jleedomackerman.bsky.social · 03/11/2025

Enjoy my November Substack, with blog “Tunnel of Hope…Past and Present," profile of Turkish publisher Osman Kavala, Books to Check Out with early novels of Graham Greene —THE THIRD MAN and THE CONFIDENTIAL AGENT, and other features. The monthly “On the Yellow Brick Road” Substack is free.

joanneleedomackerman.substack.com

Tunnel of Hope…Past and Present

Dear Friends,

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Joanne Leedom-Ackerman @jleedomackerman.bsky.social · 13/10/2025

Thanks to Bargain Booksy for featuring Burning Distance: www.bargainbooksy.com/featured-books

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Joanne Leedom-Ackerman @jleedomackerman.bsky.social · 07/10/2025

Crisis Group celebrated its 30th year in Sarajevo with a board meeting, including four of its former CEOs, researchers, board members current & some past in the cauldron where the conflict negotiation organization was born.

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Joanne Leedom-Ackerman @jleedomackerman.bsky.social · 01/10/2025

Enjoy my October Substack, with blog “You Are What You Think…And Eat," Indian Writer at Risk Hany Babu, Books to Check Out section with John le Carré’s classic A PERFECT SPY and a television series—WHITE COLLAR. “On the Yellow Brick Road" is always free. tinyurl.com/2z2rpksc

tinyurl.com

We Are What We Think…and Eat

Dear Friends,

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Joanne Leedom-Ackerman @jleedomackerman.bsky.social · 18/09/2025

Enjoy the “Books to Check Out” section of my September Substack featuring a new memoir WOMAN OF FIRSTS by Kimberly Heckler and the English classic MIDDLEMARCH, a novel by George Eliot (Mary Ann Evans). Both books are about women coming into their own, written centuries apart. tinyurl.com/44uj6fkn

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Joanne Leedom-Ackerman @jleedomackerman.bsky.social · 15/09/2025

Weekend celebrating publication of Elliot Ackerman’s SHEEPDOGS at Academy Art Museum in Easton, MD for Shore Lit and in Washington DC at Politics & Prose along with novelist Michael Jerome Plunkett’s new novel Zone Rouge. #sheepdogs #zonerouge #fiction #authorevent #booksigning #fallreads

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Joanne Leedom-Ackerman @jleedomackerman.bsky.social · 08/09/2025

Bouchercon Conference 2025 for Thriller and Mystery writers in the Big Easy. Enjoyed participating on panel “Creating a Diverse Cast of Characters” and listening to other writers & panels. #bouchercon2025 #authorevent #thriller #suspense #mystery #bigeasy #neworleans

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Joanne Leedom-Ackerman @jleedomackerman.bsky.social · 08/09/2025

@peninternational.bsky.social 90th Congress in Krakow Poland “Freedom of Words, Words of the Free.” Panels on literature, climate, global conflicts, poetry reading & for me friends of a lifetime and new from around the world. #freedomofwords #wordsofthefree #pencongress #krakow #freedomofexpression

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Joanne Leedom-Ackerman @jleedomackerman.bsky.social · 08/09/2025

@peninternational.bsky.social 90th Congress in Krakow, Poland celebrated Polish Pen’s centenary with 200 participants from 80 countries. “Freedom of Words, Words of the Free” discussed freedom of expression in a world in conflict. #freedomofwords #peninternational #krakow #freedomofexpression

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Joanne Leedom-Ackerman @jleedomackerman.bsky.social · 02/09/2025

Enjoy my September Substack, “Detecting the Counterfeit: Lies, Flimflam and the Real Deal," Cuban Writer at Risk, Kimberly Heckler’s A WOMAN OF FIRSTS and George Elliot’s MIDDLEMARCH, with other features. Hope you’ll join “On the Yellow Brick Road.” joanneleedomackerman.substack.com/p/detecting-...

joanneleedomackerman.substack.com

Detecting the Counterfeit: Lies, Flimflam and the Real Deal

Dear Friends,

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Joanne Leedom-Ackerman @jleedomackerman.bsky.social · 01/09/2025

Dispatches From Afghanistan Show How the U.S. Lost Its Way — and the War www.nytimes.com/2025/08/12/b...

nytimes.com

Dispatches From Afghanistan Show How the U.S. Lost Its Way — and the War

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Joanne Leedom-Ackerman @jleedomackerman.bsky.social · 26/08/2025

I hope you’ll enjoy The Books to Check Out section of my August Substack featuring THE RED HOUSE MYSTERY by A.A. Milne and THE COUNTRY GIRLS by Edna O’ Brien, both novels from times past, rooted in the United Kingdom. Subscribe to my free Substack: joanneleedomackerman.substack.com/p/finding-ki...

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Joanne Leedom-Ackerman @jleedomackerman.bsky.social · 16/08/2025

Excellent interview and profile of @elliot.ackerman in the @nytimes. Hope you enjoy it and his new novel SHEEPDOGS. For complete piece visit: www.nytimes.com/2025/08/16/b... #sheepdogs #fiction #nytimes

nytimes.com

‘War Is Too Serious to Take Seriously All the Time,’ So He Wrote a Comic Novel

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Joanne Leedom-Ackerman @jleedomackerman.bsky.social · 05/08/2025

Happy Pub Day to Elliot Ackerman & SHEEPDOGS! “Raw and real and beautifully told, Sheepdogs isn’t just a page-turner, it’s a mind-bender.”—David Ignatius “A riotous entertainment.”—Publishers Weekly (starred) #fiction #summerreads #fallreads @aaknopf.bsky.social

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Joanne Leedom-Ackerman @jleedomackerman.bsky.social · 01/08/2025

Enjoy my August Substack, with blog “Finding Kindness and Heroes,” Writer at Risk Boualem Sansal, two books —A.A. Milne’s THE RED HOUSE MYSTERY and Edna O’Brien’s THE COUNTRY GIRLS, and with others. Hope you sign up for “On the Yellow Brick Road.” joanneleedomackerman.substack.com/p/finding-ki...

joanneleedomackerman.substack.com

Finding Kindness and Heroes

Dear Friends,

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Joanne Leedom-Ackerman @jleedomackerman.bsky.social · 28/07/2025

SUMMER READING! Oceanview Publishing has extended the Kindle deal on my novel BURNING DISTANCE. I hope you’ll enjoy this love story/political thriller, also available in hardcover and paperback & share with friends! joanneleedom-ackerman.com/books/burnin... #kindledeals #summerreads #fiction

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Joanne Leedom-Ackerman @jleedomackerman.bsky.social · 21/07/2025

Thank you to Writers’ Voices and a thoughtful and fun interview with Debbie Huang Hadley. For complete interview visit: writersvoices.com/podcasts/pol... #thefarsideofthedesert #interntionalthriller #suspense #summerreads #fiction

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Joanne Leedom-Ackerman @jleedomackerman.bsky.social · 01/07/2025

I hope you enjoy my July Substack which includes my blog “In Search of Kindness,” new novels by James Lee Burke DON’T FORGET ME, LITTLE BESSIE and Elliot Ackerman’s upcoming SHEEPDOGS, Writer at Risk Chinese writer Zhang Zhan. I hope you’ll sign up “On the Yellow Brick Road.”

joanneleedomackerman.substack.com

In Search of Kindness

Dear Friends,

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Joanne Leedom-Ackerman @jleedomackerman.bsky.social · 27/06/2025

Thank you Mary Dixie Carter for including The Far Side of the Desert as a #FridayReads recommendation! #repost #summerreads #thrillerfest #suspense www.instagram.com/p/DLambjuy8R...

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Joanne Leedom-Ackerman @jleedomackerman.bsky.social · 26/06/2025

Thank you to the National Indie Excellence Awards for selecting THE FAR SIDE OF THE DESERT as a Finalist in the Suspense category. Congrats to other finalists and winner Leslie Kain, Angela Douglas, Helaine Mario, Matt Barrows, Jessica Barrows Beebe, Sarah Sawyer & Zelly Ruskin #bookaward #suspense

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Joanne Leedom-Ackerman @jleedomackerman.bsky.social · 23/06/2025

Another fun & substantive International Thriller Writers ThrillerFest with engaging panels, meet ups with fellow writers & friends! Have a look: #thrillerfest #burningdistance #thefarsideofthedesert #internationalthriller #authorevent #writers #suspense

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