Leah Schnelbach
@leahschnelbach.bsky.social
writer, mostly. intellectual junk drawer at reactor mag. they!
Alas no Jarnathan this year, but just like last time, this video made me whoop with delight, and a couple of the song choices made me cry? wtf?
January 20, 2026 at 7:51 PM
Alas no Jarnathan this year, but just like last time, this video made me whoop with delight, and a couple of the song choices made me cry? wtf?
Reposted by Leah Schnelbach
This reminds me that editor @leahschnelbach.bsky.social let me contemplate many things about the No-Prize for @reactorsff.bsky.social back in 2022. reactormag.com/how-marvels-...
January 17, 2026 at 6:56 AM
This reminds me that editor @leahschnelbach.bsky.social let me contemplate many things about the No-Prize for @reactorsff.bsky.social back in 2022. reactormag.com/how-marvels-...
I don't spoil anything in my review of 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, but there's a scene that's SO GOOD my jaw's still on the floor, AND I get to talk about Small Things Like These again—it's relevant, I promise!
And I want to found The Church of Jack O'Connell.
reactormag.com/movie-review...
And I want to found The Church of Jack O'Connell.
reactormag.com/movie-review...
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple is Wild, Brutal, and a Perfect Middle Child in the Trilogy - Reactor
And might just feature the best performance of Ralph Fiennes' career?
reactormag.com
January 16, 2026 at 4:31 PM
I don't spoil anything in my review of 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, but there's a scene that's SO GOOD my jaw's still on the floor, AND I get to talk about Small Things Like These again—it's relevant, I promise!
And I want to found The Church of Jack O'Connell.
reactormag.com/movie-review...
And I want to found The Church of Jack O'Connell.
reactormag.com/movie-review...
Reposted by Leah Schnelbach
historically accurate☑️
January 12, 2026 at 5:32 AM
historically accurate☑️
Reposted by Leah Schnelbach
Did you know that you, yes YOU, can vote in the Hugo Awards??
@mollytempleton.com breaks down the process, including how to register before the January 31st deadline!
@mollytempleton.com breaks down the process, including how to register before the January 31st deadline!
Anyone Can Vote in the Hugo Awards — And Here's How - Reactor
You — yes, you! — can nominate work and vote for the winners of the 2026 Hugo Awards!
reactormag.com
January 8, 2026 at 4:18 PM
Did you know that you, yes YOU, can vote in the Hugo Awards??
@mollytempleton.com breaks down the process, including how to register before the January 31st deadline!
@mollytempleton.com breaks down the process, including how to register before the January 31st deadline!
Reposted by Leah Schnelbach
“i want back my rocking chairs, / solipsist sunsets, / & coastal jungle sounds...”
A poem by Renee Nicole Good, who was murdered by ICE earlier today.
lithub.com/renee-nicole...
A poem by Renee Nicole Good, who was murdered by ICE earlier today.
lithub.com/renee-nicole...
Renee Nicole Good, murdered by ICE, was a prize-winning poet. Here’s that poem.
Renee Nicole Good, 37, mother to a six-year-old boy, was murdered earlier today by an ICE agent in Minneapolis, a few blocks from her home. According to the Minnesota Star Tribune: [An ICE agent] s…
lithub.com
January 8, 2026 at 3:54 AM
“i want back my rocking chairs, / solipsist sunsets, / & coastal jungle sounds...”
A poem by Renee Nicole Good, who was murdered by ICE earlier today.
lithub.com/renee-nicole...
A poem by Renee Nicole Good, who was murdered by ICE earlier today.
lithub.com/renee-nicole...
Reposted by Leah Schnelbach
This is the actual back cover for the “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You” Blu-Ray. I haven’t stopped laughing all day.
January 3, 2026 at 2:33 AM
This is the actual back cover for the “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You” Blu-Ray. I haven’t stopped laughing all day.
Reposted by Leah Schnelbach
New releases from Cameron Reed, Ann Leckie, Melissa Albert, Isabel J. Kim, and more are among these 26 sci-fi and fantasy books to look forward to in 2026.
26 Sci-Fi and Fantasy Books to Look Forward To In 2026
We are so lucky to have such an incredible year ahead of science fiction, fantasy, and speculative works from a mix of established and debut authors. In an unsurprising bit of kismet, a lot of thes…
buff.ly
January 2, 2026 at 7:00 PM
New releases from Cameron Reed, Ann Leckie, Melissa Albert, Isabel J. Kim, and more are among these 26 sci-fi and fantasy books to look forward to in 2026.
Reposted by Leah Schnelbach
day one in mamdani’s new york
January 1, 2026 at 5:10 PM
day one in mamdani’s new york
Reposted by Leah Schnelbach
Zohran Mamdani will be sworn in as NYC's first Muslim mayor on a Qur'an from the personal collection of the great Afro-Boricua intellectual Arturo Schomburg—as well as Qur'ans owned by Mamdani's grandparents. www.nypl.org/press/schomb...
December 31, 2025 at 4:42 PM
Zohran Mamdani will be sworn in as NYC's first Muslim mayor on a Qur'an from the personal collection of the great Afro-Boricua intellectual Arturo Schomburg—as well as Qur'ans owned by Mamdani's grandparents. www.nypl.org/press/schomb...
Reposted by Leah Schnelbach
Rest in peace you absolute legend of an artist
December 30, 2025 at 4:36 PM
Rest in peace you absolute legend of an artist
Reposted by Leah Schnelbach
This is true and I was the only one on set excited about it (and playing the song on my phone to blank stares)
Just watched the new Knives Out and I think it's really important you know that the scene in the Seminary's Gym is filmed in the same place Rick Astley filmed the music video for Never Gonna Give You Up.
I saw the window tracery and immediately made my friends pause the film so I could tell them.
I saw the window tracery and immediately made my friends pause the film so I could tell them.
December 30, 2025 at 4:21 AM
This is true and I was the only one on set excited about it (and playing the song on my phone to blank stares)
Reposted by Leah Schnelbach
Bob Dylan attempts to explain Willie Nelson in The New Yorker's profile of Willie: www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...
December 22, 2025 at 3:28 PM
Bob Dylan attempts to explain Willie Nelson in The New Yorker's profile of Willie: www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...
Every year, no matter how bad the year, we at Reactor find at least a little joy, and then it's a joy to share it with all of y'all.
Joyception!
Joyception!
Sinners! Pluribus! Ladyknight books! Matt Murdock praying to the patron saint of lawyers! Aspect ratios! Yves from LOONA! The wedding music in Andor!
It's a weird, nerdy world. Here were some of our favorite examples from 2025:
It's a weird, nerdy world. Here were some of our favorite examples from 2025:
A Few Things That Brought Us Nerdy Joy in 2025 - Reactor
No matter how rotten the year is, we will still find joy in it
reactormag.com
December 18, 2025 at 4:48 PM
Every year, no matter how bad the year, we at Reactor find at least a little joy, and then it's a joy to share it with all of y'all.
Joyception!
Joyception!
Reposted by Leah Schnelbach
ICYMI, I wrote about @themountaingoats.bsky.social's THIS YEAR for Kismet! kismet-mag.com/reviews/not-...
Not A Memoir, Unless It Is
Tobias Carroll reviews 'This Year,' a collection of 365 annotated song lyrics by John Darnielle, author and frontman of The Mountain Goats.
kismet-mag.com
December 17, 2025 at 11:57 AM
ICYMI, I wrote about @themountaingoats.bsky.social's THIS YEAR for Kismet! kismet-mag.com/reviews/not-...
Reposted by Leah Schnelbach
Okay yes we love books at Reactor but we ALSO love movies, TV, and witches. Here are some of our favorite nonfiction articles from 2025, featuring David Lynch, folk horror, Kpop Demon Hunters, and Master & Commander:
Some of Reactor’s Best Articles About TV, Movies, and Pop Culture in 2025 - Reactor
We're looking back at some of our favorite non-fiction articles from the past year, highlighting essays focused on visual media.
reactormag.com
December 17, 2025 at 3:16 PM
Okay yes we love books at Reactor but we ALSO love movies, TV, and witches. Here are some of our favorite nonfiction articles from 2025, featuring David Lynch, folk horror, Kpop Demon Hunters, and Master & Commander:
I've spent the last three weeks wrestling with Wake Up Dead Man. Here are some of my thoughts—I have many more.
I am wildly grateful to talk about art that deals seriously with the world we've created, and somehow still holds on to hope.
reactormag.com/entirely-too...
I am wildly grateful to talk about art that deals seriously with the world we've created, and somehow still holds on to hope.
reactormag.com/entirely-too...
Entirely Too Many Thoughts About Wake Up Dead Man - Reactor
Digging in to the nuances of religion, faith, and grace tucked inside the latest Benoit Blanc mystery
reactormag.com
December 15, 2025 at 4:56 PM
I've spent the last three weeks wrestling with Wake Up Dead Man. Here are some of my thoughts—I have many more.
I am wildly grateful to talk about art that deals seriously with the world we've created, and somehow still holds on to hope.
reactormag.com/entirely-too...
I am wildly grateful to talk about art that deals seriously with the world we've created, and somehow still holds on to hope.
reactormag.com/entirely-too...
If I can find a way to write about Wake Up Dead Man every day until the end of the year, I might just make it through December.
This time out, we're ranking crime-solving clergy!
reactormag.com/an-infallibl...
This time out, we're ranking crime-solving clergy!
reactormag.com/an-infallibl...
An Infallible Ranking of Crime-Solving Clergy - Reactor
There's a surprising amount of crossover between sleuthing and pastoral care.
reactormag.com
December 11, 2025 at 5:26 PM
If I can find a way to write about Wake Up Dead Man every day until the end of the year, I might just make it through December.
This time out, we're ranking crime-solving clergy!
reactormag.com/an-infallibl...
This time out, we're ranking crime-solving clergy!
reactormag.com/an-infallibl...
Reposted by Leah Schnelbach
The Benoit Blanc trilogy might end up as one of the best artistic statements on the diseased conservatism of our era, and l think Wake Up Dead Man is my favorite of the trilogy, largely because it’s Rian Johnson trying to understand Christianity and its adherents more than having a definitive take.
November 29, 2025 at 8:18 PM
The Benoit Blanc trilogy might end up as one of the best artistic statements on the diseased conservatism of our era, and l think Wake Up Dead Man is my favorite of the trilogy, largely because it’s Rian Johnson trying to understand Christianity and its adherents more than having a definitive take.
Today is New-Benoit-Blanc-Mystery-In-Theaters-Day! That's like, the BEST day!
I'm seeing this movie at least 2 more times before it hits Netflix, and I'm gonna essay about it, but for now here's a non-spoiler review of the film.
(OK, one spoiler: I LOVE IT.)
reactormag.com/movie-review...
I'm seeing this movie at least 2 more times before it hits Netflix, and I'm gonna essay about it, but for now here's a non-spoiler review of the film.
(OK, one spoiler: I LOVE IT.)
reactormag.com/movie-review...
Wake Up Dead Man Is a Miraculous Film - Reactor
Faith AND Reason??? In THIS economy???
reactormag.com
November 26, 2025 at 2:15 PM
Today is New-Benoit-Blanc-Mystery-In-Theaters-Day! That's like, the BEST day!
I'm seeing this movie at least 2 more times before it hits Netflix, and I'm gonna essay about it, but for now here's a non-spoiler review of the film.
(OK, one spoiler: I LOVE IT.)
reactormag.com/movie-review...
I'm seeing this movie at least 2 more times before it hits Netflix, and I'm gonna essay about it, but for now here's a non-spoiler review of the film.
(OK, one spoiler: I LOVE IT.)
reactormag.com/movie-review...
I wrote this essay about The Great Pumpkin roughly a billion years ago, but it's still one of my favorites. 🎃
reactormag.com/celebrating-...
reactormag.com/celebrating-...
Celebrating Sincerity with It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown - Reactor
It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown first aired on October 27th, 1966, meeting CBS’s demand for another Peanuts holiday-themed special that could run annually, like the previous year’s A Charlie Bro...
reactormag.com
October 31, 2025 at 5:17 PM
I wrote this essay about The Great Pumpkin roughly a billion years ago, but it's still one of my favorites. 🎃
reactormag.com/celebrating-...
reactormag.com/celebrating-...
For those of you who feel left out of Spooky Season every year, I've done my best to find quality documentaries about horror movies that are not, in themselves, horrific, and probably won't scare you.
Probably.
Probably.
Look, not everybody wants to be terrified out of their mind every Halloween. Some of us want a calm, cool, collected documentary about the people that do. @leahschnelbach.bsky.social recommends 10 horror documentaries!
reactormag.com/celebrate-sp...
reactormag.com/celebrate-sp...
Celebrate Spooky Season Without the Jumpscares in Ten Horror Documentaries - Reactor
These in-depth documentaries will give you the movie trivia and references you'll need to get through Halloween...
reactormag.com
October 23, 2025 at 5:37 PM
For those of you who feel left out of Spooky Season every year, I've done my best to find quality documentaries about horror movies that are not, in themselves, horrific, and probably won't scare you.
Probably.
Probably.
It's possible that I spent too much time on this essay about the Superhero Industrial Complex's attempt to cope with the terrible realities of 2025—but this piece is my favorite thing I've written this year.
reactormag.com/what-can-sup...
reactormag.com/what-can-sup...
What Can Superheroes Do in the Face of Entropy? - Reactor
Three recent superhero movies respond to disorder, uncertainty, and other existential threats...
reactormag.com
October 21, 2025 at 5:07 PM
It's possible that I spent too much time on this essay about the Superhero Industrial Complex's attempt to cope with the terrible realities of 2025—but this piece is my favorite thing I've written this year.
reactormag.com/what-can-sup...
reactormag.com/what-can-sup...
Reposted by Leah Schnelbach
Congratulations to Vajra Chandrasekera (@vajra.me), recipient of the 2025 Ursula K. Le Guin Prize for Fiction for Rakesfall!
Chandrasekera's book was chosen by authors Matt Bell, Indra Das, Kelly Link, Sequoia Nagamatsu, and Rebecca Roanhorse.
Chandrasekera's book was chosen by authors Matt Bell, Indra Das, Kelly Link, Sequoia Nagamatsu, and Rebecca Roanhorse.
October 21, 2025 at 4:18 PM
Congratulations to Vajra Chandrasekera (@vajra.me), recipient of the 2025 Ursula K. Le Guin Prize for Fiction for Rakesfall!
Chandrasekera's book was chosen by authors Matt Bell, Indra Das, Kelly Link, Sequoia Nagamatsu, and Rebecca Roanhorse.
Chandrasekera's book was chosen by authors Matt Bell, Indra Das, Kelly Link, Sequoia Nagamatsu, and Rebecca Roanhorse.
Be warned/enticed: I spend half of this review going off about The Black Phone 2's deeply weird theological implications.
"The Shining-meets-A Nightmare on Elm Street-meets-The More Emotional Moments Of Doctor Sleep"; even when The Black Phone 2's plot dials out, strong performances and genuine scares pick right back up 📞
reactormag.com/movie-review...
reactormag.com/movie-review...
The Black Phone 2 Creates Genuine Scares Despite Some Static on the Line - Reactor
Excellent acting and atmosphere elevates some shaky worldbuilding.
reactormag.com
October 17, 2025 at 3:29 PM
Be warned/enticed: I spend half of this review going off about The Black Phone 2's deeply weird theological implications.