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by Christoph Irmscher

chrisirmscher.bsky.social
Such a pleasure to speak with Anne Kim of @washingtonmonthly.com about the art of book reviewing.
longtail.news
Longtail News @longtail.news · 6d
Feed: "Washington Monthly"
By: Anne Kim on Thursday, October 9, 2025
In Defense of Book Reviews
Kukula Award winner Christoph Irmscher discusses the craft of professional criticism, and why book reviews remain vital to democracy.
washingtonmonthly.com
1

Reposted by Christoph Irmscher

longtail.news
Feed: "Washington Monthly"
By: Anne Kim on Thursday, October 9, 2025
In Defense of Book Reviews
Kukula Award winner Christoph Irmscher discusses the craft of professional criticism, and why book reviews remain vital to democracy.
washingtonmonthly.com

by Christoph Irmscher

chrisirmscher.bsky.social
Laurent Binet's brilliant art historical whodunnit "Perspectives" (@fsgbooks.bsky.social, @penguinbooksuk.bsky.social) makes the world of 16th-century Florence come alive. My review in The Art Newspaper: www.theartnewspaper.com/2025/10/01/p...
Pontormo, Vasari and Michelangelo take leading roles in this 16th-century whodunnit
Novelist Laurent Binet weaves a compelling tale of Renaissance Italy with this art historical murder mystery
www.theartnewspaper.com
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by Christoph Irmscher

chrisirmscher.bsky.social
New review in this week's @wsj.com of Henry Wiencek's "Stan and Gus" (@fsgbooks.bsky.social), a dual bio of Augustus Saint-Gaudens and the notorious Stanford White. Find out why I think a crab is the fitting symbol of their friendship:

www.wsj.com/arts-culture...
‘Stan and Gus’ Review: Monsters and Monuments
Stanford White and Augustus Saint-Gaudens had ambitious visions for New York City—and towering egos to match.
www.wsj.com
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by Christoph Irmscher

chrisirmscher.bsky.social
My take on Jonathan Aaron’s wonderful “Just About Anything” @cmupress.bsky.social in @ronslate.bsky.social’s “On the Seawall”: “Aaron’s poetry, for the length of a few lines, a handful of pages, persuades us that things or people that are gone aren’t, in fact, lost.” www.ronslate.com/on-just-abou...
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by Christoph Irmscher

chrisirmscher.bsky.social
My new review in @wsj.com--"The Shape of Wonder," @pantheonbooks.bsky.social, a very readable book, by astrophysicist Alan Lightman and abstronomer Martin Rees. Felt compelled to put in a reminder at the end that the humanities and arts are kind of cool, too: www.wsj.com/arts-culture...
‘The Shape of Wonder’ Review: Loving Their Lab Lives
The pursuit of scientific knowledge through experiment demands training, rigor and precision. For some it is a deep source of joy.
www.wsj.com
2 6

by Christoph Irmscher

chrisirmscher.bsky.social
If you‘re curious about what‘s happening to higher ed in my state (Indiana), here‘s an indispensable analysis, with plenty of evidence, by my colleague Purnima Bose: againstthecurrent.org/atc238/india...
Indiana’s Assault on Public Education
Godfather of Trump University, Trump is insisting on his rules for private and public U.S. universities. RIGHT-WING AUTHORITARIANS such as Donald Trump and his MAGA minions drive their ideological …
againstthecurrent.org

by Christoph Irmscher

chrisirmscher.bsky.social
I am so thrilled to have won one of the two 2025 Kukula awards, and congratulations to all the finalists and fellow award winner Ian Johnson. My deep gratitude to @washingtonmonthly.com for making this award possible—and to Kukula Kapoor Glastris, too, for her work. What a legacy!
washingtonmonthly.com
Washington Monthly @washingtonmonthly.com · Aug 20
The Washington Monthly’s annual award celebrates the best in nonfiction book reviewing and honors the memory of Kukula Kapoor Glastris, the magazine’s beloved books editor. Read online about this year's winners:

washingtonmonthly.com/2025/08/20/t...
The 2025 Kukula Award Winners  | Washington Monthly
Annual award celebrates nonfiction book reviewing and honors the memory of Kukula Kapoor Glastris, the magazine’s beloved books editor.
washingtonmonthly.com
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Reposted by Christoph Irmscher

washingtonmonthly.com
The Washington Monthly’s annual award celebrates the best in nonfiction book reviewing and honors the memory of Kukula Kapoor Glastris, the magazine’s beloved books editor. Read online about this year's winners:

washingtonmonthly.com/2025/08/20/t...
The 2025 Kukula Award Winners  | Washington Monthly
Annual award celebrates nonfiction book reviewing and honors the memory of Kukula Kapoor Glastris, the magazine’s beloved books editor.
washingtonmonthly.com
2 6

by Christoph Irmscher

chrisirmscher.bsky.social
Audubon is usually associated with largeness—here’s my view of him as a miniaturist, published in @engelsbergideas.bsky.social. engelsbergideas.com/essays/when-...
When nature took flight
In The Birds of America, a monumental achievement in every sense, John James Audubon wanted more than to illustrate nature. He made it come alive in his art, humbling mankind in the process.
engelsbergideas.com
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by Christoph Irmscher

chrisirmscher.bsky.social
Very happy to be a finalist. Book reviewers often work in obscurity—it’s so great of @washingtonmonthly.com to recognize our work. Congratulations to all the other finalists!
washingtonmonthly.com
Washington Monthly @washingtonmonthly.com · Aug 12
The Washington Monthly proudly announces the finalists of the 2025 Kukula Award for Excellence in Nonfiction Book Reviewing:
The Washington Monthly Announces Finalists for 2025 Kukula Award Book Review Prize    | Washington Monthly
Kukula Award book review prize honors exemplary nonfiction book reviewing that elucidates key issues of our times.
washingtonmonthly.com
2 6 17

Reposted by Christoph Irmscher

washingtonmonthly.com
The Washington Monthly proudly announces the finalists of the 2025 Kukula Award for Excellence in Nonfiction Book Reviewing:
The Washington Monthly Announces Finalists for 2025 Kukula Award Book Review Prize    | Washington Monthly
Kukula Award book review prize honors exemplary nonfiction book reviewing that elucidates key issues of our times.
washingtonmonthly.com
1 3 5

by Christoph Irmscher

chrisirmscher.bsky.social
Congrats to all the poetry finalists of @bookcritics.bsky.social! It has been such an honor to serve on this committee!
bookcritics.bsky.social
National Book Critics Circle @bookcritics.bsky.social · Jan 23
We're excited to announce the shortlist for the 2024 NBCC Award for Poetry! Congratulations to all of the finalists.
The finalists for the 2024 NBCC Award for Poetry are An Authentic Life by Jennifer Chang (Copper Canyon), Consider the Rooster by Oliver Baez Bendorf (Nightboat), Instructions for the Lovers by Dawn Lundy Martin (Nightboat), Scattered Snows, to the North by Carl Phillips (Farrar, Straus and Giroux), and Wrong Norma by Anne Carson (New Directions).
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by Christoph Irmscher

chrisirmscher.bsky.social
What a delight to serve on the autobiography committee of @bookcritics.bsky.social! Congrats to all our finalists!
bookcritics.bsky.social
National Book Critics Circle @bookcritics.bsky.social · Jan 23
We're excited to announce the shortlist for the 2024 NBCC Award for Autobiography! Congratulations to all of the finalists.
The finalists for the 2024 NBCC Award for Autobiography are The Last Fire Season: A Personal and Pyronatural History by Manjula Martin (Pantheon), Little Seed by Wei Tchou (Deep Vellum), The Minotaur at Calle Lanza by Zito Madu (Belt), Mother Archive: A Dominican Family Memoir by Erika Morillo (University of Iowa), and Patriot: A Memoir by Alexei Navalny, translated from the Russian by Arch Tait with Stephen Dalziel (Knopf).
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by Christoph Irmscher

chrisirmscher.bsky.social
It has been such an honor to serve on the biography committee of @bookcritics.bsky.social. Check out our excellent finalists below!
bookcritics.bsky.social
National Book Critics Circle @bookcritics.bsky.social · Jan 23
We're excited to announce the shortlist for the 2024 NBCC Award for Biography! Congratulations to all of the finalists.
The finalists for the 2024 NBCC Award for Biography are Candida Royalle and the Sexual Revolution: A History from Below by Jane Kamensky (W. W. Norton), Candy Darling: Dreamer, Icon, Superstar by Cynthia Carr (Farrar, Straus and Giroux), Family Romance: John Singer Sargent and the Wertheimers by Jean Strouse (Farrar, Straus and Giroux), Night Flyer: Harriet Tubman and the Faith Dreams of a Free People by Tiya Miles (Penguin Press), and The World She Edited: Katharine S. White at The New Yorker by Amy Reading (Mariner).
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by Christoph Irmscher

chrisirmscher.bsky.social
So happy to have been involved in selecting this fabulous list of finalists! Congrats to all!
bookcritics.bsky.social
National Book Critics Circle @bookcritics.bsky.social · Jan 23
Congratulations to all of our finalists and winners! www.bookcritics.org/2025/01/23/n...
2

Reposted by Christoph Irmscher

bookcritics.bsky.social
Congratulations to all of our finalists and winners! www.bookcritics.org/2025/01/23/n...
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Reposted by Christoph Irmscher

bookcritics.bsky.social
We’re excited to announce that in honor of our 50th anniversary, we’ll be joined at the NBCC Awards ceremony by Maxine Hong Kingston!
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Reposted by Christoph Irmscher

bookcritics.bsky.social
Congratulations to @thirdworldpress.bsky.social, the winner of the 2024 Toni Morrison Achievement Award!
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Reposted by Christoph Irmscher

bookcritics.bsky.social
Congratulations to Lori Lynn Turner, the winner of the 2024 NBCC Service Award!
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Reposted by Christoph Irmscher

bookcritics.bsky.social
We're excited to announce the shortlist for the 2024 John Leonard Prize, given to an outstanding first book in any genre! Congratulations to all of the finalists.
The finalists for the 2024 John Leonard Prize, given to an outstanding first book in any genre, are By the Fire We Carry: The Generations-Long Fight For Justice on Native Land by Rebecca Nagle (Harper), Feeding Ghosts: A Graphic Memoir by Tessa Hulls (MCD/Farrar, Straus and Giroux), Great Expectations by Vinson Cunningham (Hogarth), Miss May Does Not Exist: The Life and Work of Elaine May, Hollywood’s Hidden Genius by Carrie Courogen (St. Martin’s), Ward Toward by Cindy Juyoung Ok (Yale University), and When The Clock Broke: Con Men, Conspiracists, and How America Cracked Up in the Early 1990s by John Ganz (Farrar, Straus and Giroux).
4 11 59

Reposted by Christoph Irmscher

bookcritics.bsky.social
We're excited to announce the shortlist for the 2024 NBCC Award for Poetry! Congratulations to all of the finalists.
The finalists for the 2024 NBCC Award for Poetry are An Authentic Life by Jennifer Chang (Copper Canyon), Consider the Rooster by Oliver Baez Bendorf (Nightboat), Instructions for the Lovers by Dawn Lundy Martin (Nightboat), Scattered Snows, to the North by Carl Phillips (Farrar, Straus and Giroux), and Wrong Norma by Anne Carson (New Directions).
2 20 83

Reposted by Christoph Irmscher

bookcritics.bsky.social
We're excited to announce the shortlist for the 2024 NBCC Award for Biography! Congratulations to all of the finalists.
The finalists for the 2024 NBCC Award for Biography are Candida Royalle and the Sexual Revolution: A History from Below by Jane Kamensky (W. W. Norton), Candy Darling: Dreamer, Icon, Superstar by Cynthia Carr (Farrar, Straus and Giroux), Family Romance: John Singer Sargent and the Wertheimers by Jean Strouse (Farrar, Straus and Giroux), Night Flyer: Harriet Tubman and the Faith Dreams of a Free People by Tiya Miles (Penguin Press), and The World She Edited: Katharine S. White at The New Yorker by Amy Reading (Mariner).
1 10 37

Reposted by Christoph Irmscher

bookcritics.bsky.social
We're excited to announce the shortlist for the 2024 NBCC Award for Autobiography! Congratulations to all of the finalists.
The finalists for the 2024 NBCC Award for Autobiography are The Last Fire Season: A Personal and Pyronatural History by Manjula Martin (Pantheon), Little Seed by Wei Tchou (Deep Vellum), The Minotaur at Calle Lanza by Zito Madu (Belt), Mother Archive: A Dominican Family Memoir by Erika Morillo (University of Iowa), and Patriot: A Memoir by Alexei Navalny, translated from the Russian by Arch Tait with Stephen Dalziel (Knopf).
2 16 69

by Christoph Irmscher

chrisirmscher.bsky.social
A timely artist. My review of the Alfred Kubin exhibit at the Albertina in Vienna & the accompanying catalog. www.theartnewspaper.com/2025/01/08/t...
The stuff of nightmares: catalogue of Alfred Kubin’s work shines a light on his dark world
The macabre artist’s blood-soaked prints and drawings at the start of the 20th century foretold future wars
www.theartnewspaper.com

by Christoph Irmscher

chrisirmscher.bsky.social
I served on the poetry committee of @bookcritics.bsky.social. It was an honor to help select our first-ever poetry longlist for 2024. Congratulations to all these wonderful writers!
bookcritics.bsky.social
National Book Critics Circle @bookcritics.bsky.social · Dec 18
We're excited to announce the longlist for the 2024 NBCC Award for Poetry! Congratulations to all of the nominees. www.bookcritics.org/2024/12/18/2...
9

Reposted by Christoph Irmscher

bookcritics.bsky.social
We're excited to announce the longlist for the 2024 NBCC Award for Poetry! Congratulations to all of the nominees. www.bookcritics.org/2024/12/18/2...
1 32 77

by Christoph Irmscher

chrisirmscher.bsky.social
Here is our first ever longlist for biography 2024 @bookcritics.bsky.social. Proud to be a member of our biography committee and to help select these wonderful titles. Congrats to the authors!
bookcritics.bsky.social
National Book Critics Circle @bookcritics.bsky.social · Dec 17
We're excited to announce the longlist for the 2024 NBCC Award for Biography! Congratulations to all of the nominees. www.bookcritics.org/2024/12/17/2...
Covers of the books on the longlist for the NBCC Award for Biography.
9

Reposted by Christoph Irmscher

bookcritics.bsky.social
We're excited to announce the longlist for the 2024 NBCC Award for Biography! Congratulations to all of the nominees. www.bookcritics.org/2024/12/17/2...
Covers of the books on the longlist for the NBCC Award for Biography.
1 13 39

by Christoph Irmscher

chrisirmscher.bsky.social
Check out our autobiography longlist below. I served on the autobiography committee of @bookcritics.bsky.social, and it was a pleasure and an honor to spend the last few months in the company of these amazing writers! Congratulations!
bookcritics.bsky.social
National Book Critics Circle @bookcritics.bsky.social · Dec 17
We're excited to announce the longlist for the 2024 NBCC Award for Autobiography! Congratulations to all of the nominees. www.bookcritics.org/2024/12/17/2...
Covers of the books on the longlist for the NBCC Award for Autobiography.
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