Holly Smith
@hsmithwrites.bsky.social
Editor-in-chief, Washington Independent Review of Books. Loser-in-chief, "Jeopardy!" season 39. "It's such a fine line between stupid and clever."
Reposted by Holly Smith
Join Lori Montgomery at @politicsprose.bsky.social in DC today at 5 p.m. for a conversation with Elizabeth MacBride & Seth Levine (CAPITAL EVOLUTION: THE NEW AMERICAN ECONOMY, @benbellabooks.bsky.social). It's our Spotlight Event! www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/features/eli... #booksky
January 17, 2026 at 5:30 PM
Join Lori Montgomery at @politicsprose.bsky.social in DC today at 5 p.m. for a conversation with Elizabeth MacBride & Seth Levine (CAPITAL EVOLUTION: THE NEW AMERICAN ECONOMY, @benbellabooks.bsky.social). It's our Spotlight Event! www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/features/eli... #booksky
Reposted by Holly Smith
They expect - they NEED - the people they threaten to fall in line, like the law firms and universities and media companies and billionaires and Congress did. If you say “No, make me,” they simply do not have a Plan B. TRUMP DOES NOT HAVE ENOUGH GUYS TO MAKE YOU.
January 17, 2026 at 2:07 PM
They expect - they NEED - the people they threaten to fall in line, like the law firms and universities and media companies and billionaires and Congress did. If you say “No, make me,” they simply do not have a Plan B. TRUMP DOES NOT HAVE ENOUGH GUYS TO MAKE YOU.
Reposted by Holly Smith
Reposted by Holly Smith
Our Week in Reviews: 1/17/26: www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/features/our... @bloomsburybooksus.bsky.social @groveatlantic.bsky.social @aaknopf.bsky.social @henryholtbooks.bsky.social @illinoispress.bsky.social #booksky
January 17, 2026 at 4:00 PM
Reposted by Holly Smith
Two white friends tail me home if it's outside the hours when people are out and about. I'm damn near third generation Minnesotan. It's not just "you're a citizen you'll be fine." I'm a black woman alone. Who knows what they will do.
I don’t think people quite understand that the occupation by ICE in the Twin Cities has more or less erased non-white people from public life. They cannot safely exist in any space accessible to the public and moving between private places leaves folks vulnerable to kidnapping by armed masked goons.
January 16, 2026 at 10:46 PM
Two white friends tail me home if it's outside the hours when people are out and about. I'm damn near third generation Minnesotan. It's not just "you're a citizen you'll be fine." I'm a black woman alone. Who knows what they will do.
Reposted by Holly Smith
Now accepting entries: the Next Generation Short Story Awards. www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/features/eye... #booksky
January 16, 2026 at 5:15 PM
Now accepting entries: the Next Generation Short Story Awards. www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/features/eye... #booksky
The absolute BEST movie they showed us in elementary school. Anybody else remember those "happy pancakes"?
Something About a Witch (Published 2011)
www.nytimes.com
January 16, 2026 at 5:11 PM
The absolute BEST movie they showed us in elementary school. Anybody else remember those "happy pancakes"?
Reposted by Holly Smith
During the X outage, here are three other places on the internet where you can ask white nationalists to help you generate nude pictures of children and dead bodies.
January 16, 2026 at 4:10 PM
During the X outage, here are three other places on the internet where you can ask white nationalists to help you generate nude pictures of children and dead bodies.
Reposted by Holly Smith
Thinking about all the European service members who are suddenly being sent to the Arctic Circle in January because an orange buffoon who wants to be a dictator is threatening to start a war by attacking other members of a peacekeeping alliance he's supposed to be a part of.
January 16, 2026 at 11:47 AM
Thinking about all the European service members who are suddenly being sent to the Arctic Circle in January because an orange buffoon who wants to be a dictator is threatening to start a war by attacking other members of a peacekeeping alliance he's supposed to be a part of.
Reposted by Holly Smith
Even the cold, dark months can feel warm and bright. www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/bookreview/w... @groveatlantic.bsky.social @annelcassidy.bsky.social @valmcdermid.bsky.social #booksky
Winter: The Story of a Season | Washington Independent Review of Books
The Independent is an important voice in the community of readers and writers dedicated to book reviews and writing about the world of books.
www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com
January 16, 2026 at 11:48 AM
Even the cold, dark months can feel warm and bright. www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/bookreview/w... @groveatlantic.bsky.social @annelcassidy.bsky.social @valmcdermid.bsky.social #booksky
Reposted by Holly Smith
#Poetry: Doesn’t it teach us how to mourn so that we’ll value having lived?
@stevenleyva.bsky.social asks in his stirring review of Rara Avis by
@blasfalconer.bsky.social
in @wirobooks.bsky.social
@stevenleyva.bsky.social asks in his stirring review of Rara Avis by
@blasfalconer.bsky.social
in @wirobooks.bsky.social
January 16, 2026 at 2:45 AM
#Poetry: Doesn’t it teach us how to mourn so that we’ll value having lived?
@stevenleyva.bsky.social asks in his stirring review of Rara Avis by
@blasfalconer.bsky.social
in @wirobooks.bsky.social
@stevenleyva.bsky.social asks in his stirring review of Rara Avis by
@blasfalconer.bsky.social
in @wirobooks.bsky.social
I completely missed the news about the fatal shark attack in St. Croix last week. This article is very well done and puts it into perspective for people (like me) who were traumatized by "Jaws" and assume every inch of the ocean is infested with great whites.
Sharks in St Croix: Is it Safe to Get in the Water Again? | St Croix USVI Travel Guide Virgin Islands
After a recent tragedy, many are wondering about sharks in St Croix and how to stay safe while enjoying the beaches and watersports...
mystcroix.vi
January 16, 2026 at 11:37 AM
I completely missed the news about the fatal shark attack in St. Croix last week. This article is very well done and puts it into perspective for people (like me) who were traumatized by "Jaws" and assume every inch of the ocean is infested with great whites.
Reposted by Holly Smith
Can't resist tilting at some windmills. Thanks, @wirobooks
Biden's Bookmobiles: Why a presidential-library-on-wheels would be perfect for all of us. www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/features/bid... @ellenpcampbell.bsky.social #booksky
January 16, 2026 at 2:33 AM
Can't resist tilting at some windmills. Thanks, @wirobooks
Reposted by Holly Smith
On Poetry: January 2026. www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/features/on-... @carcanet.bsky.social #booksky
January 15, 2026 at 8:30 PM
On Poetry: January 2026. www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/features/on-... @carcanet.bsky.social #booksky
Reposted by Holly Smith
Holy hell, what an obituary
Renfrew Christie Dies at 76; Sabotaged Racist Regime’s Nuclear Program
www.nytimes.com
January 15, 2026 at 4:57 PM
Holy hell, what an obituary
This bit of old-fashioned thievery feels almost like a palate-cleanser right now.
20 People Charged In Alleged Scheme To Fix College Basketball Games
NCAA Basketball Fixing Scandal: 39 Players, 17 Division 1 Teams Involved In Alleged Scheme To Fix Games
The illicit bets went as high as hundreds of thousands of dollars each and were placed at Rivers Casino in Philadelphia.
www.forbes.com
January 15, 2026 at 4:49 PM
This bit of old-fashioned thievery feels almost like a palate-cleanser right now.
Reposted by Holly Smith
This is incredible: 81% of working class and 83% of young voters have seen video of Renee Good's killing, per new data I've obtained. Majority of working class disapproves of ICE enforcement. ICE brutality is breaking through big time.
Some thoughts on this here:
newrepublic.com/article/2052...
Some thoughts on this here:
newrepublic.com/article/2052...
January 15, 2026 at 12:06 PM
This is incredible: 81% of working class and 83% of young voters have seen video of Renee Good's killing, per new data I've obtained. Majority of working class disapproves of ICE enforcement. ICE brutality is breaking through big time.
Some thoughts on this here:
newrepublic.com/article/2052...
Some thoughts on this here:
newrepublic.com/article/2052...
Reposted by Holly Smith
Biden's Bookmobiles: Why a presidential-library-on-wheels would be perfect for all of us. www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/features/bid... @ellenpcampbell.bsky.social #booksky
January 15, 2026 at 4:30 PM
Biden's Bookmobiles: Why a presidential-library-on-wheels would be perfect for all of us. www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/features/bid... @ellenpcampbell.bsky.social #booksky
Reposted by Holly Smith
Are we hurtling toward an inevitable cliff? www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/bookreview/g... @aaknopf.bsky.social @lukekemp.bsky.social @linda-nemec.bsky.social #booksky
Goliath’s Curse: The History and Future of Societal Collapse | Washington Independent Review of Books
The Independent is an important voice in the community of readers and writers dedicated to book reviews and writing about the world of books.
www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com
January 15, 2026 at 11:25 AM
Are we hurtling toward an inevitable cliff? www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/bookreview/g... @aaknopf.bsky.social @lukekemp.bsky.social @linda-nemec.bsky.social #booksky
Reposted by Holly Smith
Walz: "What's happening in MN defies belief. News reports simply don't do justice to the level of chaos & disruption & trauma the federal govt is raining down... This long ago stopped being a matter of immigration enforcement. Instead, it's a campaign of organized brutality against the people of MN"
January 15, 2026 at 2:17 AM
Walz: "What's happening in MN defies belief. News reports simply don't do justice to the level of chaos & disruption & trauma the federal govt is raining down... This long ago stopped being a matter of immigration enforcement. Instead, it's a campaign of organized brutality against the people of MN"
Reposted by Holly Smith
A few striking images that capture much of what has happened to US publishing in the last 30 years.
The Big Five US Trade Book Publishers
With all the imprints out there, it's sometimes difficult to know which imprint belongs to which of the big five publishers.
almossawi.com
January 14, 2026 at 10:14 PM
A few striking images that capture much of what has happened to US publishing in the last 30 years.
Reposted by Holly Smith
Podcast: Todd Goddard. www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/features/aut... @blackstonepub.bsky.social @biographersintl.bsky.social #booksky
January 14, 2026 at 4:51 PM