Melville House

Stories of addiction and underemployment feature in the bare-knuckled fiction debut from journalist Strickland (You Can Kill Each Other After I Leave). The unnamed narrator of the title entry, a high school senior, dreams about heading to California from his hometown in north Texas, leaving behind his alcoholic mother and memories of his older brother who died at age 16 from a heroin overdose. In “Mockingbirds,” a former teacher, now mopping floors at an abortion clinic, is hounded by an anti-abortion protester intent on making him into a villain online. In “Rent Money,” a woman in her early 20s comes to terms with the shortcomings of her 41-year-old husband, a heavy-drinking slumlord for “meth monsters” who tries to goad her into collecting rent, a far cry from the “clean, simple life” he promised her when they got married five years earlier. Strickland laces his hardscrabble scenes with lyricism, as in “Screaming East on I-10,” when a young drifter living alongside crack addicts describes taking a hit of the drug, then notices how “night bruises the sky purple.” In each piece, grief underscores the characters’ recklessness, imbuing the collection with an unsentimental but tender emotional register. Strickland’s humane depictions of people living on the margins acknowledge the forces that shape them.

I am downright stoked to get such a generous and positive review from Publishers Weekly for this story collection I’ve spent six, seven years chipping away at.

‘A History of Heartache’ is out April 21 with @melvillehouse.bsky.social —

www.publishersweekly.com/9781685892357

A reader recommendation for Americans to read 'My Fourth Time, We Drowned'. www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/696846... @melvillehouse.bsky.social

An announcement from Publishers Marketplace stating that Nicole's debut novel, FAMILY LANGUAGE, will be published by Melville House in November 2026.

I am so excited to share this announcement about my novel FAMILY LANGUAGE, coming in November 2026. With enormous thanks to Michelle Capone, @melvillehouse.bsky.social, and especially @jennaschmenna.bsky.social!

The Book That Taught the World to Orgasm and Then Disappeared: Shere Hite and the Hite Report by Rosa Campbell Historian Campbell debuts with a revelatory biography of sex researcher Shere Hite (1942–2020), best known for her 1976 publicat...

Over the moon 🌙 that 'The Book that Taught the World to Orgasm and then Disappeared' received a starred review from Publishers Weekly! 🌟 🔭 🌃

www.publishersweekly.com/9781685892319

Farm workers in solidarity with Minnesota #IceOut

Motor City Burning: A Conversation with John Sayles about “Crucible” - Chicago Review of Books An interview with John Sayles about his new book, "Crucible."

"Just thinking about how this incredible manufacturing center and major U.S. city got to this point, I got interested in Detroit."

Stephen Nathans-Kelly's interview with John Sayles on "Crucible” (@melvillehouse.bsky.social) is out now.
chireviewofbooks.com/2026/01/22/c...

total honour that 'The Book That Taught The World to Orgasm and then Disappeared' is included in the history section! 📚

👀 @melvillehouse.bsky.social

Reposting this #SundaySentence:

“Someday, my dad said, things won't be broken any more…till then, we've got to fix what broken things we can.”

From the marvelous, The Country Under Heaven by Frederic S. Durbin.

This book also appears on my #libfaves25.
#booksky
@melvillehouse.bsky.social #topten

MHP Books | 30 Exactly 30 (percent off) An objectively true list.

We argued. We laughed. We cried.

Finally we saw that in every respect, these 30 books are truly 30% off. (Like every paperback and hardcover book on our site).

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MHP Books | 30 Exactly 30 (percent off) An objectively true list.

We argued. We laughed. We cried.

Finally we saw that in every respect, these 30 books are truly 30% off. (Like every paperback and hardcover book on our site).

🎁 The only objective year-end list?? 🎁

Toronto friends please stop by for this festive book signing I’ll be doing, and Holiday Gift Fair! It’s in no way a bribe, but I am bringing treats!😊

#reapingwhatshesows
@melvillehouse.bsky.social

(and remember all books are 30% off on our site!) mhpbooks.com/books/placel...

Read from Patrick Markee's Placeless: Homelessness in the New Gilded Age in @thenation.com www.thenation.com/article/soci...

In the ’90s, a group of advocates helped prove the merits of Housing First when they found stable homes for New Yorkers living in a train tunnel. The effort defied longtime stereotypes about homelessness—and was hugely effective. Now Trump wants to end it.
https://bit.ly/3MyV31Y

Inside the shelters and tunnels of New York’s homelessness crisis A new book lays bare the realities of US homelessness, arguing it stems from decades of economic change, shrinking public investment and rising inequality.  Placeless: Homelessness in the New Gilded A...

‘Markee gives a fascinating history lesson and offers concrete hope.’

On 4th December 2025 Patrick Markee is set to publish his new novel which lays bare the realities of US homelessness.

👉Read more: newstartmag.co.uk/articles/ins... #news #NewYork #Homelessness #newbook #novel #book #housing

‘‘Tis the season for really good reading (and gifting 🎁). 30% off every title, in every format. We can’t wait to send you books 🤓 www.mhpbooks.com

C.D. Rose Reads From Guillermo Stitch's THE COAST OF EVERYTHING Thanks to C.D. Rose, author of WE LIVE HERE NOW — winner of the 2025 Goldsmith Prize — for reading this passage from THE COAST OF EVERYTHING by Guillermo Sti...

Thanks to @cdrose.bsky.social  (author of WE LIVE HERE NOW from @melvillehouse.bsky.social , winner of the @goldsmithsprize.bsky.social )  for this reading from @guillermostitch.bsky.social 's THE COAST OF EVERYTHING:

Another incredible prize win for one of our fabulous publishers
@melvillehouse.bsky.social!

Praised by the judges as "hilarious and deeply haunting," a huge congratulations to C. D. Rose for the #GoldsmithsPrize2025 for We Live Here Now!🎉

uk.bookshop.org/p/books/we-l...

We strongly condemn @CondéNast’s consolidation plans for Teen Vogue, a move that is clearly designed to blunt the award-winning magazine’s insightful journalism at a time when it is needed the most. More from our statement:

Statement from The NewsGuild of New York and Condé United on illegal firing of four union leaders who demanded answers about this week’s layoffs at Teen Vogue, other brands Late Wednesday night, Condé Nast’s VP of Labor Relations notified the Guild that the Company was immediately terminating four Condé United leaders for engaging in the protected concerted activity of gathering in their 1 World Trade Center office to demand answers on this week’s abrupt layoffs at multiple brands including WIRED and the consolidation at Teen Vogue. These egregious terminations are a flagrant breach of the Just Cause terms of our contract and an unprecedented violation of their federally protected rights as union members to participate in a collective action. Through these illegal terminations, Condé Nast management is attempting to intimidate and silence our members' advocacy for the courageous cultural and political journalism of Teen Vogue, as well as diverting attention away from the obvious lack of corporate leadership at the company. Condé United members illegally fired are: Alma Avalle: Writer, digital producer at Bon Appetit; NewsGuild of New York first vice president, trans activist, and union leader Jake Lahut: Wired senior reporter covering the Trump White House Jasper Lo: Senior fact checker at The New Yorker and US Army veteran: outgoing first vice chair of The New Yorker Union Ben Dewey: Videographer at Condé Nast Entertainment, former vice chair of the CNE unit “Management’s attempt at union-busting, using intimidation and grossly illegal tactics to try to suppress protected union activity, will not stand,” said Susan DeCarava, president of The NewsGuild of New York. “The NewsGuild of New York has zero tolerance for bad bosses who harass, target and disrespect our fellow Guild members. We represent nearly 6,000 media workers across the tri-state area and we stand firmly in solidarity, ready to fight for the rights of our members illegally fired from their jobs at …

Breaking News: Late last night Conde Nast illegally fired 4 union organizers who asked company execs to explain the downsizing of Teen Vogue and continued layoffs. We’ve filed a grievance.

I was one of the four people who got canned.

In the interim, you can subscribe to my newsletter, Straight From The Hut. No paywall, but feel free to choose the pay to support model. I'm not going anywhere — the show goes on, and I'll be back on MSNBC Saturday night. straightfromthehut.substack.com

I'm one of the four fired employees. I was a writer & producer at Bon Appétit for nearly five years, during which I helped organize our union and sat on our bargaining committee.

I am, to my knowledge, the only trans woman in our union and the only trans woman on editorial who doesn't work at Them

Amazing. Great to see.