Members and friends, last month, our friends at Publishers Weekly asked our members, along with their staffers and reviewers, to nominate titles for its feature on the 15 essential works of American literature. That feature is now live, and it includes contributions from NBCC members including David Varno, Jenny Shank, Laura B. Weiss, Daniel Lefferts, Jay Gabler, Tobias Carroll, and Tahneer Oksman. We hope you’ll check it out!
We’d also like to remind you that applications for the NBCC Emerging Critics Fellowships are now open! These fellowships seek to identify, nurture, and support the development of the next generation of book critics, and are open to critics of all experience levels who seek to review and write about books for print and digital outlets. Learn more about the fellowships and find a link to apply here!
Member Reviews/Essays
NBCC Emerging Critics Fellow Spencer Williams reviewed Emily LaBarge’s Dog Days for the Chicago Review of Books.
Kai Maristed reviewed the 2025 NBCC Gregg Barrios Book in Translation Prize-winning Sad Tiger, written by Neige Sinno and translated from the French by Natasha Lehrer, for The Arts Fuse.
NBCC members Martha Anne Toll, Barbara J. King, Ilana Masad, Tahneer Oksman, Heller McAlpin, Carole V. Bell, Kristen Martin, and Michael Schaub contributed to NPR’s summer book roundup.
Rebecca Brenner Graham reviewed Bicentennial: A Revolutionary History of the 1970s by Marc Stein for The New Republic.
Heller McAlpin reviewed Francine Prose’s Five Weeks in the Country and Ali Smith’s duo of novels, Gliff and Glyph, for NPR.
Nell Beram wrote about the best Barbra Streisand screen performances you’ve (probably) never seen for Vogue.
Joanne B. Mulcahy wrote an essay about Day of the Dead in Mexico, “Communion With the Dead,” for The Pennsylvania Gazette.
Linda Hitchcock reviewed Leonie Swann’s Agnes Sharp and the Wedding to Die For, Maha Khan Phillips’ The Museum Detective, and R.M. Caldwell’s Fast and Fastidious for BookTrib.
Joyce Sáenz Harris reviewed Sarah Damoff’s The Burning Sidefor The Dallas Morning News.
For The Atlantic, Kristen Martin wrote about Fortesa Latifi’s Like, Follow, Subscribe: Influencer Kids and the Cost of a Childhood Online.
Bill Thompson reviewed Steven Veerapen’s Witches for the Charleston (S.C.) Post and Courier.
Cory Oldweiler wrote about The Invisible Years, written by Rodrigo Hasbún and translated from the Spanish by Lily Meyer, for Southwest Review.
Julia M. Klein reviewed Elizabeth Strout’s The Things We Never Say for the Los Angeles Times.
Ryan Asmussen reviewed Tom Paulin’s Namanlagh for the Chicago Review of Books.
For The Tangential, Jay Gabler reviewed Dan Martino’s The Oyster Book.
Member Interviews
Sullivan Summer interviewed Professor of Religious Studies and Director of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute at Stanford University Dr. Lerone Martin about his book Young King: The Making of Martin Luther King Jr., on the Additions to the Archive podcast.
Julia M. Klein profiled Penn Law professor Shaun Ossei-Owusu in connection with his book Law on Trial for The Pennsylvania Gazette and interviewed Ada Ferrer about her memoir, Keeper of My Kin, for the Princeton Alumni Weekly.
At the Chicago Review of Books, Ian MacAllen spoke to Isaac Fitzgerald about American Rambler: Walking the Trail of Johnny Appleseed.
Member News
Selling Opportunity: The Story of Mary Kay by NBCC member Mary Lisa Gavenas has been highlighted as an Editors’ Choice by the The New York Times Book Review. The book was also named as the May selection of the Texas Book Club, a joint venture of the Texas Book Festival and Texas Monthly.
Viva La Book Review’s Bill Marx will lead a free online workshop, “Avoiding Clichés,” on Wednesday, May 27, at 5:30 p.m. Eastern. Designed for reviewers looking to refresh their prose, the session will focus on moving beyond tired language and developing more original, precise criticism. Participants are encouraged to submit their work in advance—either reviews that successfully avoid clichés or those that could benefit from closer scrutiny—for group discussion. Join the workshop here, and submit your reviews to contactvivalabookreview@gmail.com.
“Library” by Rogerio Bromfman is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.