Jim Loughran

Photographer Robert Frank's love letter to Paris During a stay in Paris in the autumn of 1949, Swiss photographer Robert Frank created an album of the French capital for his fiancée, Mary, who had remained in the United States. In around 80 freely a...

www.lemonde.fr/en/m-le-mag/...

Galway writer included in '100 Artists of Europe' book Galway woman Aoife Burke has been selected to represent Ireland in the latest edition of "100 Artists of Europe" published by Culturale Lab in Italy.

Galway woman Aoife Burke has been selected to represent Ireland in the latest edition of "100 Artists of Europe" published by Culturale Lab in Italy.
www.rte.ie/news/connach...

'Wildful' is absolutely magical💚

Graphic from PEN International featuring a portrait of a woman with short grey hair wearing a red scarf and red jacket against a dark background with abstract writing symbols. Next to the portrait is a quote that reads: “I hope you will be free very soon. No woman should ever be in jail for expressing her opinion. You are a heroine to all of us. Stay strong, dear Valeryja, we are all with you.” The PEN International logo appears in the top left.

A letter can remind someone in prison that they are not forgotten. 💌

Belarusian writer, editor and political scientist Valeryja Kaściuhova is imprisoned for speaking truth to power.

Send her a message of solidarity today: www.pen-international.org/our-campaign...

Paris's Museum of Romantic Life reopens with a fresh new look The renovated museum has refocused the visitor experience on its first occupant, the painter Ary Scheffer, and the artistic and literary movement he belonged to.

www.lemonde.fr/en/culture/a...

📚 Both Sides of the Pond: My Family’s War (1933–1946) by Barbara Kent Lawrence — a moving and personal WWII family story spanning two continents.

Read more:
maryanneyarde.blogspot.com/2026/03/both...

#WW2 #HistoricalBooks #BookRecommendations #BookSky

Tomorrow, at the London Book Fair 2026, our International Secretary, Arne Svingen joins “Coalitions for the Future” for a discussion on how reading initiatives and cross-sector alliances can push back against growing restrictions on free expression.

www.londonbookfair.co.uk/en-gb/confer...

A young woman. A doomed queen. A dangerous court.

Step inside the final days of Anne Boleyn in:

•´¸.•*´¨)✯ ¸.•*¨)
✮ ( ¸.•´✶ The Light in the Labyrinth
By Wendy J. Dunn *´¨✫)

Discover more:
maryanneyarde.blogspot.com/2026/03/the-... 🌹

#HistFic #TudorHistory #HistoricalFiction #BookSky

A window in support of paying and crediting real artists and designers

Love the accompanying artwork. The audio is available from @libro.fm for those wishing to not support Amazon via Audible. Hope the library gets it too.
libro.fm/audiobooks/9...

The second day of celebrating
@cathiedunn.bsky.social’s beautiful dual-timeline novel - Love Lost in Time

Today's stops
⭐ 3 five-star reviews
📖 1 excerpt
✍️ 1 guest post
🎙 1 interview

Follow the tour:
maryanneyarde.blogspot.com/2025/12/blog...

#BlogTour #BookReview #mustread 💙📚

Established at our 48th Congress in 1986, World Writers’ Day honours the courage to write and the solidarity that protects it.

As writers face imprisonment, exile, censorship, and violence for speaking the truth, we stand with them and defend freedom of expression.

10-Minute Challenge: Klimt’s Woman in Gold (Gift Article) We’d like you to look at one piece of art for 10 minutes, uninterrupted.

Explore this gift article from The New York Times. You can read it for free without a subscription. www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

if you lived in Ireland you'd be a pluviophobe - it hasn't stopped raining since Christmas !

WTF?

The Taliban’s new penal code: Two weeks in jail for breaking a woman’s arm and five months for mistreating a camel Afghanistan’s de facto government has legalized gender-based violence since 2021, effectively turning mothers, daughters, and wives into objects owned by a husband or ‘master,’ without access to a fai...

english.elpais.com/internationa...

Rob Jetten and Nicholas Keenan, the love story of the prime minister and the hockey player that has captivated a country The first openly gay leader of the Netherlands and the Argentine Olympic athlete met in 2022 in a supermarket in The Hague, announced their engagement in 2024, and have become role models for the LGBT...

english.elpais.com/lifestyle/20...

At Galerie Eric Mouchet in Paris, Hazara artists navigate persecution and exile The gallery in Paris presents the work of 12 visual artists from the Hazara minority, a Shiite group targeted by violence in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran.

www.lemonde.fr/en/culture/a...

An intense debate over the fate of looted artworks displayed in Paris A compelling new essay by historian Bénédicte Savoy explores the controversy surrounding European art's departure from the Louvre after 1815, much as African art is now leaving European collections.

www.lemonde.fr/en/culture/a...

Saddened to hear of Paul Conroy's death, though what an extraordinary legacy he leaves

📚✨ February Reading Wrap-Up

Five books. Five stars. All unforgettable. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

See which reads made my February list:

maryanneyarde.blogspot.com/2026/03/febr...

#FiveStarReads #ReadingWrapUp #BookTwitter

@charnewcomb.bsky.social @pennyhampson.bsky.social

‘We Think They’ll Kill Someone’ | Anjan Sundaram Indigenous communities in Mexico who oppose the construction of megaprojects on their lands do so at great risk.

“In 2021 more than fifty environmental defenders were assassinated in Mexico—more than in any other country.” —Anjan Sundaram

71 and a First-Time Novelist: ‘I Was Tenacious and I Kept Coming Back’

71 and a First-Time Novelist: ‘I Was Tenacious and I Kept Coming Back’ www.nytimes.com/2026/02/27/b... You see it can be done !! @bookshelfie.bsky.social #writingcommunity

Hungry for Affirmation, Vulnerable to Scams: As a Writer, I Know the Feeling

Hungry for Affirmation, Vulnerable to Scams: As a Writer, I Know the Feeling www.nytimes.com/2026/02/25/b... "the current swirl of swindles has created “the worst environment for writing and publishing scams that I’ve ever seen.” @bookshelfie.bsky.social #bookscams #writers

International Booker Prize Nominees: 13 Books to Get You Talking

Explore this gift article from The New York Times. You can read it for free without a subscription. www.nytimes.com/2026/02/24/b... @bookshelfie.bsky.social #booksworthreading

From @AspectsofHistory City of the Damned, my short story on Hugh O'Neill who brought the armies of the great Elizabeth to their knees & almost bankrupted her treasury Read for free @bookshelfie.bsky.social #history
drive.google.com/file/d/1NcH5...

🎪 Welcome to Day 1 of the #blogtour for Circus Bim Bom: A Cold War Adventure by Cliff Lovette

Today we’ve got:
📖 1 EXCERPT to dive into
✨ 2 SPOTLIGHTS you don’t want to miss

maryanneyarde.blogspot.com/2025/12/blog...

#CircusBimBom #HistoricalFiction

Monitoring of violations of cultural rights and human rights of cultural figures. Belarus, 2025 – PEN Belarus This report has been prepared based on consolidated information collected by PEN Belarus’ monitoring group from open sources, through personal contacts, and via direct communication with cultural figu...

#Belarus: 1435 instances of human rights violations against cultural figures documented by @penbelarus.bsky.social in 2025. We continue to urge accountability and unfettered support for Belarusian culture. Read and share widely: penbelarus.org/en/2026/02/1...

Rich, Enthralling Historical Fiction

Rich, Enthralling Historical Fiction www.nytimes.com/2026/02/22/b... My pick is A Very Cold Winter @bookshelfie.bsky.social #booksworthreading #historicalfiction

The best recent crime and thrillers – review roundup The Barbecue at No 9 by Jennie Godfrey; A Sociopath’s Guide to a Successful Marriage by MK Oliver; A Bad, Bad Place by Frances Crawford; Holy Boy by Lee Heejoo; A Stranger in Corfu by Alex Preston

www.theguardian.com/books/2026/f...