Kristina Wong is a Doris Duke Artist Award winner, Guggenheim Fellow, and a Pulitzer Prize finalist in Drama. She’s a performance artist, comedian, actor and writer who has been presented internationally across North America, the UK, Hong Kong and Africa. She’s also a local elected official serving in Koreatown, Los Angeles. 

Kristina is a creator of the Radical Cram School web series in which she stars as “Auntie Kristina.”  Her newest solo show, Kristina Wong, Sweatshop Overlord, premiered off Broadway at New York Theater Workshop in 2021. It is “New York Times Critics Pick” and has won the Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, and Lucille Lortel Awards for “Outstanding Solo Performance.” The show detailed Kristina’s pandemic journey from out-of-work performance artist to overlord of the Auntie Sewing Squad, a national volunteer homemade face mask sewing group she founded. 

Kristina was featured in the New York Times’ Off Color series “highlighting artists of color who use humor to make smart social statements about the sometimes subtle, sometimes obvious ways that race plays out in America today.” She has been a guest on late night shows on NBC, Comedy Central, and FX. Her commentaries have appeared on American Public Media’s Marketplace, PBS, VICE, Jezebel, Huffington Post, and CNN. In addition to Radical Cram School, Kristina’s child-focused projects include  the Gray Gardens for Children theater show and the Houston in Action: Get Out the Vote video series, directed by Jenessa Joffe. She is an author of The Auntie Sewing Squad Guide to Mask Making, Radical Care, and Racial Justice. 

Praise for AUNTIE KRISTINA'S GUIDE TO ASIAN AMERICAN ACTIVISM

"The authors speak to their audience with warmth and urgency, inviting readers to see themselves as part of a larger continuum of resistance and civic engagement...Pages brim with color, patterns, and stylized portraits, occasionally supplemented by historical photographs. The culturally and geographically expansive approach, which includes Pacific Islanders, offers relatable and informative content to a broad range of readers. Artful, ambitious, and unapologetically participatory."—Kirkus, Starred Review

"Innovatively structured...The colorful layout and distinct chapter projects make this book one that can be used not only to learn about Asian Americans, but to get readers to see the larger structural issues behind racism and other issues in Asian American communities."—School Library Journal, Starred Review

AUNTIE KRISTINA'S GUIDE TO ASIAN AMERICAN ACTIVISM

Kristina Wong

Jill Santopolo is the New York Times and internationally bestselling author of The Light We Lost, More Than Words, and Everything After. The Light We Lost, her debut novel, was a New York Times bestseller, a Reese's Book Club pick, and a Skimm pick. Her work has been translated into more than thirty-six languages. She received a BA from Columbia University and an MFA from the Vermont College of Fine Arts. She is also the author of three successful children's and young-adult series and works as the associate publisher of Philomel Books. Santopolo travels the world to speak about writing and storytelling. She lives in New York City and Washington, D.C.

CAN YOU GROW A STRIPED BANANA?

Jill Santopolo

Devi S. Laskar is the author of The Atlas of Reds and Blues, which won the Asian Pacific American Award for Literature and the Crook’s Corner Book Prize and was named a finalist for the Northern California Book Awards. It was selected by The Georgia Center for the Book as a book “All Georgians Should Read" and was longlisted for the DSC Prize in South Asian Literature and the Golden Poppy Award. The Washington Post named it one of the 50 Best Books of 2019. Laskar’s second novel, Circa, was a GOOP Book Club pick. In 2022, USA TODAY named Laskar among “50 AAPI authors” to read. Her third novel Midnight, at the War is forthcoming from Mariner Books in 2026. She is an alumna of the OpEd Project and VONA and holds an MFA from Columbia University. Originally from North Carolina, Laskar now lives in Northern California.​

One of PEN America's Most Anticipated Books of 2026

“Laskar . . . quietly highlights the conflict between healing the self and observing the world.”—Los Angeles Times

"Laskar tells an enthralling tale of a journalist’s futile attempt to separate the personal from the political."—Booklist, Starred Review

"[F]illed with empathy, inspiration, and ultimately hope...Devi S. Laskar's dynamic Midnight, at the War impressively captures a journalist more capable of reporting on global crises than confronting her own personal chaos."—Shelf Awareness

“Exemplary, tension-filled...The hallmarks of this absorbing novel are embedded in two literary achievements—an unerring examination of terrorism at home and abroad and a gripping exploration of the damage done by unhealed trauma. Laskar, a former reporter, thrusts us into scenes of horrific violence and suffering while expertly capturing the lives of seasoned journalists committed to bringing truth to their readers and listeners. [Midnight, at the War is] a dynamic novel about one woman’s struggle to understand the world and her own emotional chaos.”—Kirkus Reviews

"Laskar’s prose is timeless and understated...The tumultuous world she depicts is one on the precipice of real and frightening change, which stands in for the change and turmoil her protagonist is feeling as well...Both broadly political and personally intimate, Midnight, at the War, is a complex, brave and powerful novel that will not be forgotten any time soon."—Bookreporter

“The novel’s strengths are the truths it surfaces about the meaning of 'news' for those of us born in the so-called American Century. . . While the events and conflicts of the novel are of their period, Laskar makes them resonate in our own violent present, just at the moment when the professional world she describes in lively detail is rapidly slipping away through cowardice, carelessness, and greed. In many ways, it’s already gone.”—Alta Journal

"At a time when honest and brave journalism could not be more important, Devi Laskar shows us what covering news we don’t always want to hear ought to look like, how it ought to be done and the high cost in particular to the women who take on the task. That Laskar manages to do so in a story that is also an intimately personal family story, a page-turner, and an exquisitely-crafted read is rather miraculous. This is a brilliant, devastating, necessary, and ultimately hopeful book – read it now.”—Meg Waite Clayton, New York Times bestselling author of Typewriter Beach and The Postmistress of Paris

"Laskar has created a complex heroine for our complex times: a journalist who fights for what she knows to be right and just, but can't find the same clarity with the men she loves. Laced with rat-a-tat-tat humor, fast-paced action, and war-ravaged settings, Midnight, at the War is a powerful punch of a story about what happens when you stop being your own worst enemy."—Alka Joshi, New York Times bestselling author of The Henna Artist

“In Midnight, at the War, Laskar masterfully entwines the intimate and the political, crafting a story that surges with urgency and depth. It’s a narrative you don’t simply read—you surrender to it, pulled under by prose so luminous and a story so commanding that resistance is impossible.”—Nina Schuyler, author of In This Ravishing World

“Laskar skillfully portrays the burden of loss and longing in lives defined by trauma.”—Washington Post

"Achingly exquisite.... Fierce and furious.... This emotionally resonant and whip-smart novel will stay with me for a long time."—Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star

“Circa tells beautifully of the confines of grief, the courage that love compels, and the friendship that is at the heart of every enduring relationship. Devi Laskar is a gem of a writer.”—Megha Majumdar, author of A Burning

“[A] luminous coming-of-age novel that centers family, friendship, grief and identity.”—Ms. Magazine

"An intense meditation on multigenerational grief and loss.... Laskar's slim narrative shrewdly belies fierce depth."—Shelf Awareness

“Laskar delivers a poignant coming-of-age story of a Bengali American young woman and the death of her best friend…The author intertwines lyrical prose with lucid observations. This stands out as a fully realized study of contrasts.”—Publishers Weekly

“[A] tight, insightful novel… By following Heera from high school to adulthood, the author teases out nuanced tensions…A heartbreaking examination of family ties.”—Kirkus Reviews

"A subtle exploration of fate and free will. Keen as a seismologist, Devi S. Laskar traces the reverberations of a violent accident in the life of a young American-Bengali woman from her teen years straddling cultures in suburban North Carolina through her marriage in New York City. Lyrical and defiant, a beautiful and surprising work."—Janet Fitch, author of White Oleander and Chimes of a Lost Cathedral

"An engrossing story of a young woman figuring out the delicate balance of familial obligation while forging her own path,Circais a shattering work of heartbreak, loss and resilience. If you start reading this novel, just know that you won't be able to put it down until the poignant, beautiful final page."—Kirthana Ramisetti, author of Dava Shastri's Last Day


“In this stunning follow-up toThe Atlas of Reds and Blues,Devi S. Laskar's Circa explores the bonds of friendship and the lifelong reverberations of its loss. As her complicated relationship with Crash frays in the wake of a shared tragedy, Heera presses up against the expectations not only of her family but of what it means to be a brown woman in America, raising her own camera to reverse its gaze. Lyrical, unflinching, and darkly funny, Circa shines with Laskar's signature luminous prose and unforgettable characters.”—Zeyn Joukhadar, author of The Map of Salt and Stars

“With precise and potent prose, Devi Laskar has crafted a sublime coming-of-age novel that explores how a tragedy alters the course of two young lives searching for absolution.”—Anjali Enjeti, author of The Parted Earth

“Here is a coming-of-age novel about family expectations and hyphenated identities, about what it means to grow up in an America that does not always want you, about having parents who don’t always want America, and the ripple effects of that ambivalence. This tender, emotionally wise story explores adolescence, loneliness, friendship, and love through an unforgettable protagonist. Heera stayed with me long after the final page. Circa is absorbing, candid, and beautifully told.”—Maya Shanbhag Lang, author of What We Carry: A Memoir



Winner of the 2019–2020 Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature in Adult Fiction
Winner of the 2020 Crook's Corner Book Prize
Short-listed for the Northern California Book Awards
Finalist for the 2019 Clara Johnson Award for Women’s Literature
Long-listed for the 2019 Northern California Golden Poppy Book Award in Fiction
Long-listed for the DSC Prize for South Asian Literature

Time, 1 of 15 New Books to Read This Month
The Washington Post, 1 of 50 Notable Works of Fiction This Year
Booklist, 1 of the Top 10 First Novels of the Year
The Millions, A Most Anticipated Book of the Year
Refinery 29, One of the Best Books to Read in February
Electric Literature, 1 of 48 Books by Women and Nonbinary Authors of Color to Read in 2019
Bustle, 1 of 24 Fiction Books Coming Out This Month that You Definitely Need to Read
Chicago Review of Books, One of the Best New Books of the Month
Big Other, A Most Anticipated Small Press Book of the Year
Cosmopolitan (UK), 1 of 31 New Books by People of Colour to Get Excited About This Year
Fast Company, 1 of 77 New Movies, TV Shows, Albums, and Books You Must Check Out This Month

"The Atlas of Reds and Blues is a quick read, in part, because of these short sections, some only two sentences long. But it’s a page-turner, too, because of the urgency of each small story, each revelatory memory . . . If The Atlas of Reds and Blues and the lyric, thematic and structural care the author has lent it are an experiment, then it is certainly a successful one.”―The Washington Post

“[A] devastating, poetic debut about racism in Trump’s America . . . A powerfully written novel . . . Laskar never seems to polemicise; instead she gravely turns traumatic memories into fragments of poetry, floating in the ether, fighting for survival.”—The Guardian


"It takes place in a morning; it covers a lifetime. Short, vivid chapters, like puzzle pieces, deliver the thoughts of a woman sprawled on the pavement, bleeding . . . Not only does Laskar bring her honed skills as a poet and journalist to her pulse-racing first novel about otherness and prejudice, she also draws on her own experience of a shocking raid on her home. Laskar’s bravura drama of one woman pushed to the brink by racism is at once sharply relevant and tragically timeless."―Booklist (starred)


“A novel of identity . . . One of the beauties of this accomplished first novel is its simple and delicate structure.”—San Francisco Chronicle

"Devi S. Laskar used her own harrowing experience of a home invasion to inform her writing of The Atlas of Reds and Blues . . . The entire novel takes place over the course of a single morning, as Mother lies waiting for help, and the effect is devastatingly potent."―Marie Claire, The Best Women's Fiction of the Year

"Each flashback―written in accessible but poetic prose―is a glimpse into Mother’s life. Laskar’s use of vignettes to comment on weighty topics like racism and sexism recalls Sandra Cisneros's The House on Mango Street . . . Like Cisneros, Laskar varies the tone of her vignettes; some are sad or angry while others are humorous, and their power is collective."―Bustle

“'Where are you from?' It’s a simple enough question, it would seem, the kind of thing a child would ask guilelessly of someone encountered on the other side of a see-saw. And yet, it’s a question that has been weaponized, used to make people feel like they don’t belong where they are, like they need to leave and never return. It’s a question that sticks like a burr into the consciousness of Mother, an American-born daughter of Bengali immigrants, who refuses to be acquiescent in the face of this country’s xenophobia. Laskar has written a searing and powerful novel about the second-generation immigrant experience, making clear the ways in which America terrorizes its own people. It’s a violent look at a violent place, and you’ll feel forever changed for having read it."―NYLON, 1 of 50 Books You'll Want to Read This Year

"A poignant meditation on racism and police brutality experienced by people of color . . . The Atlas of Reds and Blues provides no easy answers. It does, however, delve deeply into the plight of ordinary people who do nothing to invite hate and yet get caught in hatred’s web, only to find disentanglement almost impossible. Laskar’s fine and moving novel is a step toward her own release, and with it she simultaneously offers readers a way out, too."―The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

"Despite the spectrum of cruelties the main character endures, there is rich beauty in the world Laskar portrays. Her background as a journalist and poet shine through in the details and exquisite imagery. This is a book readers will want to revisit."―Longreads

"Atlas tells the gripping story of a second-generation American immigrant and woman of color who in the workplace, home and society finds herself ensnared in racist, abusive circumstances. Told through the perspective of the unnamed protagonist The Mother, the narrative has timelines that fragment: Memories that stretch over decades and generations of prejudicial wounding are juxtaposed with the visceral, physical reality of lying in the driveway of The Mother’s upscale neighborhood home bleeding from a gunshot wound. Barbie dolls, grandmothers, rescue dogs, overzealous police, cruelty, humor, interracial marriage and more arrive in the novel’s tumultuous, can’t-put-it-down pacing and impeccably vivid prose."―The Mercury News

"The author’s fluid, succinct language in each short chapter becomes the border of an atlas, straining to connect to form a person. A place. A thing. Laskar shows how women, and particularly women of color, not only have to manage motherhood, marriage, and ambition, but also must fight for respect on top of it all."―Chicago Review of Books

"The Atlas of Reds and Blues tackles overt, covert, and systemic racism and sexism in way that is profound and moving without ever dipping into sentimentality . . . You feel that you are in the hands of a master observer, a writer who will lead you to a place worth seeing and understanding. It also makes it abundantly clear that American readers must see and understand the experiences of those who have been 'othered'―especially women of color."―The New Guard

"Laskar’s prose is quite poetic, and few novelists make as much use of the white space on the page as she does. In fact, as I was reading, I was forcibly reminded of Claudia Rankine’s book of poetry Citizen: An American Lyric . . . Like Rankine, whose work also tackles white privilege, Laskar is a writer whose words will infuriate readers, start a fire in their hearts, and make them wish they could single-handedly dismantle systemic oppression. And yet her rage is so eloquently presented that, even as you are fuming with her, you are marveling at her artistry." ―The Free Lance-Star

"Her poignant, poetic prose will break your heart."―Hello Giggles

"Heartrending . . . A timely, poignant meditation on police brutality and lingering racism."―Book Riot

"Precise and unflinching, sometimes excruciating in its portrayal of life for those who are forced to prove on a daily basis that they are 'American enough,' this novel is a timely investigation of racism and xenophobia in our country."―Scoundrel Time

"A deeply moving novel."―HelloGiggles, 1 of the 50 Most Anticipated Books of the Year

"An important story, inventively structured."―Library Journal, Best of Spring 2019 Debuts

"Laskar’s stunning debut skillfully tackles hefty topics such as bullying, racism, and terrorism in a mosaic, life-flashing-before-one’s-eyes narrative . . . A striking depiction of a single life." ―Publishers Weekly

"Devi S. Laskar's The Atlas of Reds and Blues is as narratively beautiful as it is brutal. In prose that moves between cushioning characters' falls and ushering our understandings of characters' utopias, Laskar creates a world where the consequences of American terror never stop reverberating. I've never read a novel that does nearly as much in so few pages. Laskar has changed how we will all write about state-sanctioned terror in this nation."―Kiese Laymon, author of Heavy

"A brown woman lies bleeding on the concrete. An agent of the state has shot her down in her own driveway. Her life―and the lives of her children, her whole family―spools out as she waits to find out if she will die. The Atlas of Reds and Blues is a triumph of book, mining the most searing art out of a horror pulled straight from current events. Devi S. Laskar announces herself as a brilliant, bold talent with her debut novel. This is a book that should be read, and discussed, and cherished." ―Victor LaValle, author of The Changeling

“Devi S. Laskar has written a beautiful, harrowing fever dream of a novel. This is a book that insists in no uncertain terms and despite horrific institutional and everyday racism that South Asian Americans are indeed American. This is a book I have been waiting a very long time for. A monumental achievement.” ―Nayomi Munaweera, author of Island of a Thousand Mirrors

"The Atlas of Reds and Blues is an unforgettable exploration of what it means to be a woman of color in contemporary America. Laskar describes the climate of lingering racism that surrounds her narrator and family in a wealthy suburb of Atlanta with a poet's touch. A searing, powerful, and beautifully written novel." ―Jean Kwok, author of Girl in Translation

“In her kaleidoscopic novel, Devi S. Laskar maps the wild pendulum swings of life in suburban America as experienced by a woman of color. From the quotidian to the epic, from traumatizing invisibility to mortal danger, the cumulative effects of racism are balanced against the narrator's relentless determination to persevere―as a mother and as a human being. The Atlas of Reds and Blues provides a fiercely honest reckoning with today's cultural landscape, both its history and its future.” ―Elizabeth Rosner, author of Survivor Café

"It begins with an ending: in a scenario that has become infuriatingly common, the narrator has been shot by the cops and is bleeding out in her driveway. The rest of the story proceeds as a series of snapshots, memories from her childhood and adulthood interspersed with her last thoughts and impressions. It wasn’t an easy life, lived as it was at the nightmarish intersection of racism and sexism, and it was cruelly cut short. The reader is left filled with bitterness at the constant injustices of her living days and the brutality of her death―it is all so tragically unnecessary and wrong. At the same time, this book is absolutely, overwhelmingly gorgeous, a marvel of coexisting beauty and pain. The Atlas of Reds and Blues is the kind of book that feels like a gift." ―Lauren Peugh, Powell's Books (Portland, OR)

MIDNIGHT, AT THE WAR

Devi S. Laskar

Joseph Moldover, a clinical neuropsychologist, is the author of the young adult novels Every Moment After and Just Until. Every Moment After was named a 2019 Massachusetts Center for the Book "Must Read," and Just Until was a 2025 New England Book Award finalist and a 2025 Bank Street Best Children's Book of the Year, with Outstanding Merit. His debut adult novel, To the End of Reckoning, is forthcoming from The Mysterious Press in 2026. His short fiction has appeared in McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, Pangyrus, Stonecoast Review, MonkeyBicycle, One Teen Story, Typehouse, The MacGuffin, and elsewhere. From 2020–2023 he co-hosted the online program and podcast Authors Love Bookstores for A Mighty Blaze. He lives in Massachusetts with his wife and their four children.

"Moldover makes an auspicious adult debut with this humane mystery about a stage actor investigating a murder alongside his ailing father...[He] draws even minor supporting characters in three dimensions, making the elegant core mystery much more satisfying than the average whodunit. Fans of character-driven crime fiction will eagerly await Moldover’s next move."—Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

"To the End of Reckoning blew me away. Once I picked up the piece, it was impossible to put down. The unusual Holmes-Watson pairing of father and son was pure delight. And after writing twenty mysteries of my own and reading hundreds of others, it's a joy to find a story whose twists and turns are so wonderfully unpredictable."—William Kent Krueger, New York Times bestselling and Edgar Award winning author


“A soulful, moving novel of suspense—a psychological thriller that's genuinely, thrillingly psychological. Joseph Moldover's spellbinding debut will involve you and provoke you (book clubs, take note) even as it breaks your heart. A long time after I turned the final page, it still burns in my head, warm and bright and beautiful.”—A. J. Finn, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Woman in the Window


"What a joy to read this novel—it's a touching and heartbreaking father-son story wrapped in a relatable fast-paced literary mystery—Holmes and Watson written by John Irving. The setting is immersive and the plot is splendid, but the oh-so-talented Joseph Moldover has also created an unforgettable set of characters, led by an instantly-iconic Sherlockian doctor, whose brain injury may or may not actually be a gift. In this engaging and thought-provoking story of family, responsibility, connections, love and loss and power—Moldover writes with intelligence and insight and wry humor. I devoured it in one sitting, and truly, now, I want go back and read this beautifully crafted story again."—Hank Phillippi Ryan, USA Today bestselling author

"A young, aspiring actor returns home to take care of his ailing physician father in this moving, intensely readable story about what happens when filial love, ambition, and duty collide. To the End of Reckoning is a propulsive, heartrending mystery that delivers on both an intellectual and emotional level."—Erica Ferencik, author of Girl In Ice, Into the Jungle, and The River at Night

A 2025 Bank Street Best Children's Book of the Year (with Outstanding Merit)

"[A] compelling narrative."—Booklist, Starred Review

"An honest, moving portrayal of a family finding their way through life’s challenging moments."—Kirkus Reviews

"Moldover employs sensitivity and nuance to depict Hannah’s determination to secure financial stability and do right by her nephews and herself. Her evolution from reticence to fierce advocate radiates with heart."—Publishers Weekly

"Just Until takes readers on an incredibly emotional journey alongside eighteen-year-old Hannah as her home situation spirals out of control, forcing her to make life-changing decisions for her entire family. This gruff but loveable teen made me cry and gave me hope for humanity. This story bursts with heart!"—Kip Wilson, author of White Rose and The Most Dazzling Girl in Berlin
 
"An incredibly gripping, powerful story about a young woman, Hannah, who faces tough choices in a tough world. At a crossroads, she must dig deep to find a path that is at once hopeful and healing. In Just Until, Moldover has created characters I cared for so deeply. And I was turning the pages so fast that I got paper cuts. Compulsively readable."—Jennifer De Leon, author of Borderless and Don't Ask Me Where I'm From
 
"Hannah’s thoughtful, whip-smart first-person narrative will instantly resonate with readers. My heart ached alongside her as she wrestled with dreams of escaping small town life, and the realities of unexpected family complications."—Alex Richards, author of When We Were Strangers and Accidental

"With his sophomore novel, Joseph Moldover proves—yet again—that few writers are better suited to explore the harrowing years between adolescence and adulthood. Just Until is as thought-provoking as it is entertaining: a lost-girl, found-family tale with a protagonist whose hard-edged charm echoes the New England coastal landscape that surrounds her. Moldover’s fans will happily follow him down any byway, and this latest is paved with the author’s signature wit, pathos, and wry humor. Just Until is a winding, scenic gem."—T.M. Blanchet, author of Herrick’s End, Herrick’s Lie, and Herrick’s Key (The Neath Trilogy)

"[A] complex, sensitive exploration of referred emotional pain and the power of male friendships."—Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, Starred Review 

"This debut powerfully captures the strong bonds of male friendship and the deep aftershocks of trauma. A solid pick for John Green fans."—Booklist 

"A sober, introspective coming-of-age tale."—Kirkus

TO THE END OF RECKONING

Joseph Moldover

June Casagrande is a writer and journalist whose weekly grammar/humor column, "A Word, Please," appears in community newspapers in California, Florida, and Texas. She is a former staff writer and editor for the Los Angeles Times' community news division and has written articles for other regional and national publications. She also writes scripts for television trailers. Casagrande was born in New York City, grew up in the Clearwater/St. Petersburg/Tampa area and now lives in Pasadena, California.

THE BEST PUNCTUATION BOOK, PERIOD (Revised Edition)

June Casagrande

Jennifer Keishin Armstrong worked at Entertainment Weekly for a decade and has written for many publications, including BBC Culture, the New York Times Book Review, Vice, New York magazine, and Billboard. She also speaks about pop culture history and creativity.

PARKS AND REC

Jennifer Keishin Armstrong

THE DUKE'S GOT MAIL

Samara Parish

Jeremy Lambert is a writer and filmmaker from Bowie, Maryland. He’s known for his work on DOOM PATROL, BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER, HELLMOUTH, DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, GOOSEBUMPS, and WARHAMMER, among others. His original horror book THE HOLLYWOOD SPECIAL (IDW/Scott Snyder’s Dark Spaces) with artist Claire Roe is forthcoming in June 2024, and the first volume in his original graphic novel trilogy titled THE NIGHT MOTHER (Oni Press) with artist Alexa Sharpe will be published in October 2024. As a film producer and Head of Production for Breakwater Studios, his films have been nominated for three Academy Awards, winning one. 

THE NIGHT MOTHER VOL. 2

Jeremy Lambert

Devi S. Laskar joins Carol Fitzgerald to discuss her third novel, MIDNIGHT, AT THE WAR.

The Bookreporter Interviews Devi S. Laskar

 Joseph Moldover, author of TO THE END OF RECKONING, explains the importance of crossing boundaries in fiction and how it may involve writing what you don’t know.

Writer's Digest Features Joseph Moldover

Joseph Moldover, author of TO THE END OF RECKONING, writes about what being a psychologist taught him about crime writing: "There’s no question that learning to be proven wrong made me a better psychologist. It also made me a better writer."

CrimeReads Features Joseph Moldover

"[A] gripping multigenerational epic of land, home, and inheritance...Sanders poses timely questions of ownership and ancestry, and she packs the novel with indelible imagery...This resonates."

Publishers Weekly Gives THE GREAT WHEREVER a Starred Review

Mary-Frances O’Connor, author of THE GRIEVING BRAIN (HarperOne) and THE GRIEVING BODY (HarperOne), was interviewed for Newsweek’s “How AI Is Bringing Dead Loved Ones Back and Changing the Way We Grieve.”

Newsweek Features Mary-Frances O’Connor

Brad Stulberg, author of THE WAY OF EXCELLENCE (HarperOne), discussed the biology, philosophy, and psychology behind genuine excellence for Big Think.

Big Think Features Brad Stulberg

"...Hale traverses mountain trails, excavates court records, and reflects on his family’s roots in the region to examine the unexpected connections between the two events. The result is a stark portrait of religion in America and the dark turns that faith can cause people to take."

CAVE MOUNTAIN Featured in the New Yorker

"Laskar’s prose is timeless and understated...The tumultuous world she depicts is one on the precipice of real and frightening change, which stands in for the change and turmoil her protagonist is feeling as well...Both broadly political and personally intimate, MIDNIGHT, AT THE WAR, is a complex, brave and powerful novel that will not be forgotten any time soon."

The Bookreporter Reviews MIDNIGHT, AT THE WAR

"As I wrote Midnight, at the War, I found myself returning to the on-the-ground experiences that shaped me as a journalist in the ’80s and ’90s, when newspapers still dominated and the American public understood civics thanks to robust public education requirements. Some of these moments I gave to my protagonist, Rita Das—both to anchor her in a familiar reality and to give myself a starting point as I explored her fictional world.”

Devi S. Laskar Publishes "Writers on Writing" Essay in Writer's Digest

“The novel’s strengths are the truths it surfaces about the meaning of 'news' for those of us born in the so-called American Century. . . While the events and conflicts of the novel are of their period, Laskar makes them resonate in our own violent present, just at the moment when the professional world she describes in lively detail is rapidly slipping away through cowardice, carelessness, and greed. In many ways, it’s already gone.”

Alta Journal Reviews MIDNIGHT, AT THE WAR

"A charming and fresh addition to the canon of mother-child picture books, infused with humor, modern twists, and visual creativity. Perfect for story hours or bedtime, this book celebrates love in imaginative and unexpected ways."

CAN YOU GROW A STRIPED BANANA Reviewed in School Library Journal

"While there are many things this creative mom will never be able to do, she guarantees she will always find a way to show her love for her daughter and indeed surprises her with a striped banana at the end. Multiple readings are sure to be enjoyed by readers and children as they return for “what if" discussions and to pore over the whimsical details."

CAN YOU GROW A STRIPED BANANA Reviewed in Booklist

“Laskar . . . quietly highlights the conflict between healing the self and observing the world.”

Los Angeles Times Features MIDNIGHT, AT THE WAR in "10 of the Best New Books You Should Read This April"

The New York Times published a guest essay by Cal Newport, author of DEEP WORK (Grand Central) and SLOW PRODUCTIVITY (Portfolio), titled “Technology Weakens Our Minds. We Can Fix This."

Cal Newport Publishes Op-Ed in The New York Times

Joshilyn Jackson's MISSING SISTER was included in People Magazine's Best Books roundup for March 2026.

MISSING SISTER Is a People Magazine Best Book of March 2026

"Anna Hogeland’s wry and searching 'Fictions' contains many layers of fiction. There are the short stories protagonist Catherine Meyer writes for her mentor Anton Andros, the workshopped-to-death novel he orders her to put in a drawer, the 'edgy in a forced way' works of her NYU MFA peers, and Andros’s own novels that have garnered many prestigious awards over the decades. Beneath it all, there are the useful illusions and pretenses that prop up this whole literary establishment, at least in the eyes of a young artist eager to find her place in it."

Electric Literature's Recommended Reading Publishes Anna Hogeland's Short Story "Fictions"

"A poetic dream come true of space flight, highly recommended for elementary school collections."

School Library Journal Gives THROUGH THE TELESCOPE a Starred Review

"Laskar tells an enthralling tale of a journalist’s futile attempt to separate the personal from the political."

Booklist Gives MIDNIGHT, AT THE WAR a Starred Review

Joshilyn Jackson was featured in the New Yorker article "The Unlikely Success of a Strange Alabama Bookstore."

Joshilyn Jackson Featured in the New Yorker

"[F]illed with empathy, inspiration, and ultimately hope....Devi S. Laskar's dynamic Midnight, at the War impressively captures a journalist more capable of reporting on global crises than confronting her own personal chaos."

Shelf Awareness Reviews MIDNIGHT, AT THE WAR

Huda Al-Marashi shared the inspirations for her novel HAIL MARIAM with Publishers Weekly.

Huda Al-Marashi Featured in Publishers Weekly

"Innovatively structured...The colorful layout and distinct chapter projects make this book one that can be used not only to learn about Asian Americans, but to get readers to see the larger structural issues behind racism and other issues in Asian American communities.”

School Library Journal Gives AUNTIE KRISTINA'S GUIDE TO ASIAN AMERICAN ACTIVISM a Starred Review

"Artful, ambitious, and unapologetically participatory."

Kirkus Gives AUNTIE KRISTINA'S GUIDE TO ASIAN AMERICAN ACTIVISM a Starred Review

Peter Brannen’s THE STORY OF CO2 IS THE STORY OF EVERYTHING (Ecco) has been named a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize in the category of science and technology. Winners will be announced at the awards ceremony on April 17. 

THE STORY OF CO2 IS THE STORY OF EVERYTHING Is an LA Times Book Prize Finalist 

PEN America included Devi S. Laskar's MIDNIGHT, AT THE WAR in their list of the 100 Most Anticipated Books of 2026.

PEN America Names MIDNIGHT, AT THE WAR a Most Anticipated Book of 2026

Cal Newport, author of SLOW PRODUCTIVITY (Portfolio) has created “Rebuild Your Focus & Reclaim Your Time,” available from MasterClass.

Cal Newport’s MasterClass Now Available

Jennifer Keishin Armstrong appeared on Really? No, Really? with Jason Alexander and Peter Tilden to talk about SEINFELDIA (Simon & Schuster). 

SEINFELDIA Featured on Really? No Really? Podcast

"It’s got all the “forbidden love” yearning you crave, mixed with incredible historical detail and a heroine you’ll actually root for."

Bookstr Includes ANA MARÍA AND THE FOX on Their Roadmap to Navigating Romance

Book Trib highlighted Liana De la Rosa's MUTUAL DISCORD in their partnership with independent bookstore Montgomery & Taggert.

Book Trib Calls MUTUAL DISCORD a Must-Read Book in 2026

Book Riot named LIana De la Rosa's MUTUAL DISCORD as one of the most anticipated Latine reads of 2026. 

Book Riot Names MUTUAL DISCORD a Most Anticipated Latine Read of 2026

"This book and series are a refreshing entry in historical romance, highlighting a lesser-known piece of history and diversifying a genre that is still so overwhelmingly white. It's hard to say what's better: the chemistry between the couple or the dynamic between the sisters. Good thing we don't actually have to choose."

Book Riot Names ANA MARÍA AND THE FOX One of the Best Books of the Century

THROUGH THE TELESCOPE by Charles R. Smith was named a Notable Children's Book for 2026 by the Association for Library Service to Children: "A picture book about groundbreaking astronaut Mae Jemison, highlighting the start of her fascination and curiosity about space. Awe-inspiring intergalactic illustrations convey the light and wonder of the universe."

THROUGH THE TELESCOPE is an ALSC Notable Children's Book for 2026

"Moldover makes an auspicious adult debut with this humane mystery about a stage actor investigating a murder alongside his ailing father...[He] draws even minor supporting characters in three dimensions, making the elegant core mystery much more satisfying than the average whodunit. Fans of character-driven crime fiction will eagerly await Moldover’s next move."

Publishers Weekly Gives TO THE END OF RECKONING a Starred Review

Brad Stulberg’s THE WAY OF EXCELLENCE (HarperOne) debuts at #6 on The New York Times Advice, How-To & Misc. Best Sellers List for the week of February 15.

THE WAY OF EXCELLENCE Is a New York Times Bestseller

Brad Stulberg’s THE WAY OF EXCELLENCE (HarperOne) debuted at #36 on USA Today's Best-Selling Booklist.

THE WAY OF EXCELLENCE Is a USA Today Bestseller

Debbie Tung’s MY PERFECTLY IMPERFECT BODY (Andrews McMeel) was honored by the American Library Association’s Graphic Novels & Comics Round Table in their inaugural Outstanding Comics Award for Young Adults in the category of nonfiction. The GNCRT’s Outstanding Comics Awards "aim to increase awareness of the graphic novel medium, raise voices of comic creators, and aid library staff in the development of graphic novel collections.”

MY PERFECTLY IMPERFECT BODY Wins Outstanding Comics Honor from ALA

Brad Stulberg shares five key insights from THE WAY OF EXCELLENCE (HarperOne) at the Next Big Idea Club.

THE WAY OF EXCELLENCE Is Featured at the Next Big Idea Club

An excerpt of Brad Stulberg’s THE WAY OF EXCELLENCE (HarperOne) appeared in Oprah Daily.

THE WAY OF EXCELLENCE Is Featured in Oprah Daily

Esquire included Shannon Sanders's THE GREAT WHEREVER in their list of the 22 Most Anticipated books of 2026, saying: "I loved Company, Shannon Sanders’s 2023 short story collection, so I’m excited to read her debut novel, The Great Wherever. The cover is gorgeous, and it’s about a Washington, D.C. gig worker who inherits her father’s stake in a Tennessee farm that’s home to the ghosts of four of her ancestors."

Esquire Names THE GREAT WHEREVER a Most Anticipated Book of 2026

Simran Jeet Singh received a picture book honor from Asian Pacific American Librarians Association (APALA) for A VAISAKHI TO REMEMBER (illustrated by Japneet Kaur) at the 2026 Youth Media Awards.

Simran Jeet Singh Receives Picture Book Honor from APALA

"Marilyn emerges as a highly relatable character with high levels of inquisitiveness and courage, offering young readers a kindred spirit and a role model of perseverance...[She] embodies the soul of a reporter who will stop at nothing to get the scoop of a lifetime...This kind of historical fiction is essential for providing easier connections to knowledge; this title is recommended for all library shelves."

School Library Journal Reviews I WITNESSED: THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY OF 1963

"Jackson’s mystery is tight and breathless, but it’s the characters who shine... A finely wrought, character-driven thriller with a propulsive and satisfying climax."

Kirkus Gives MISSING SISTER a Starred Review

"Jackson’s distinctive voice and signature flawed characters make this novel a sure bet, with a fast pace and plenty of twists to hook readers from page one... Stock multiple copies; this book will fly off the shelves. Perfect for fans of Jackson’s previous work and anyone who loves psychological thrillers full of heart-pounding suspense."

Library Journal Gives MISSING SISTER a Starred Review

The Los Angeles Times featured Paul Leonardi’s DIGITAL EXHAUSTION (Riverhead), saying: “Digital Exhaustion focuses on reshaping our relationship with technology in the long-term, helping readers develop healthier tech use habits so that breaking up with your phone isn’t necessary in the first place.”

DIGITAL EXHAUSTION Featured in the LA Times

"Through the Telescope, both a celebration of wonder and a tribute to perseverance, invites readers to look up at the night sky, dream big, and remember that exploration begins with imagination."

Shelf Awareness Reviews THROUGH THE TELESCOPE

Behavioral Scientist has selected Mary-Frances O’Connor’s THE GRIEVING BODY (HarperOne) as a Notable Book of 2025. From the magazine: "We select books that expand our understanding of ourselves and our place in the world; that deepen our knowledge of the events shaping our lives; that sharpen the way we do behavioral science and design; that help us navigate life more effectively.” 

Behavioral Scientist Selects THE GRIEVING BODY 

Morning Brew featured Cal Newport’s DEEP WORK (Grand Central) as one of their “best resources for creating the distraction-free environment.” 

DEEP WORK Featured on Morning Brew

The New York Times featured Cal Newport’s DEEP WORK (Grand Central) in their piece, “Want to Accomplish More This Year? These Books Can Help. The four featured books “provide evidence-based tools you can use on your path to healthy productivity.” 

DEEP WORK Featured in The New York Times 

Director Steven Soderbergh released his “Seen, Read 2025” list, and it features Anika Burgess’s FLASHES OF BRILLIANCE (W.W. Norton). 

FLASHES OF BRILLIANCE Makes Steven Soderberg’s Seen, Read 2025 List

Literary Hub included Shannon Sanders's THE GREAT WHEREVER in their list of most anticipated books of 2026, saying: "This book circles one of my favorite riddles for fiction: how do we carry ancestral expectations? When Audrey Lamb, an underpaid gig worker in D.C., inherits family farmland in Tennessee, she goes to claim her birthright—only to discover the property is ruled by four familial ghosts. An epic with supernatural and epigenetic overtones, this debut novel looks like a feast of a story."

Literary Hub Names THE GREAT WHEREVER a Most Anticipated Book of 2026

Debutiful included Shannon Sanders's THE GREAT WHEREVER in their list of most anticipated books of 2026, saying: "Sanders’s debut story collection, Company, was one of my absolute favorites. The moment the galley for her debut novel was available I made sure it was on its way to me. The Great Wherever is an ambitious multigenerational novel where the past (ghosts) is ever present. Sanders is an sublime writer with unparalleled talent. I could read her writing all day, every day."

Debutiful Names THE GREAT WHEREVER a Most Anticipated Book of 2026

BookPage included Shannon Sanders's THE GREAT WHEREVER in their list of most anticipated fiction books of the year.

BookPage Names THE GREAT WHEREVER as a Most Anticipated Fiction of 2026

BookPage included Shannon Sanders's THE GREAT WHEREVER in their list of the 21 most anticipated books of the year, saying: "It’s not often that a debut novel has our attention this far out, but for Shannon Sanders, author of the critically acclaimed short story collection Company, our interest is piqued. It helps that The Great Wherever has such an intriguing premise: a family saga narrated in part by a chorus of ghosts, in which the dead and the living are bound not only by blood but also by shared stakes in a family homestead in Tennessee, purchased by their patriarch, Thomas, who was one of the first Black landowners in the area."

BookPage Names THE GREAT WHEREVER a Most Anticipated Book of 2026

“Exemplary, tension-filled...The hallmarks of this absorbing novel are embedded in two literary achievements—an unerring examination of terrorism at home and abroad and a gripping exploration of the damage done by unhealed trauma. Laskar, a former reporter, thrusts us into scenes of horrific violence and suffering while expertly capturing the lives of seasoned journalists committed to bringing truth to their readers and listeners. [Midnight, at the War is] a dynamic novel about one woman’s struggle to understand the world and her own emotional chaos.”

MIDNIGHT, AT THE WAR Reviewed in Kirkus

Literary Hub included Benjamin Hale's CAVE MOUNTAIN in their list of the "Most Anticipated Books of 2026."

Lit Hub Names CAVE MOUNTAIN a Most Anticipated Book of 2026

The New York Times included Benjamin Hale's CAVE MOUNTAIN in their list of "The Nonfiction Everyone Will Be Talking About in 2026."

NYT Names CAVE MOUNTAIN a "Nonfiction Everyone Will Be Talking About in 2026"

"While Traister describes the unrelenting rage that continues to shape the political climate, she also encourages readers to steer their own anger toward hopeful change for all women."

Booklist Gives ANGRY GIRLS WILL GET US THROUGH a Starred Review

Charles R. Smith's BLACK DIAMOND KINGS has been selected by The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books as one of their Best Nonfiction Books of 2025.

BLACK DIAMOND KINGS  Named a Best Nonfiction Book of 2025 by The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

Debutiful has selected Freda Epum's memoir THE GLOOMY GIRL VARIETY SHOW as one of their Best Debut Books of 2025.