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Middle West Press
@middlewestpress.bsky.social
Middle West Press is an Iowa-based editor and publisher of non-fiction, fiction, journalism, and poetry books. Our projects are often inspired by the people, places, and history of the American Midwest. Also #veterans. Visit: http://www.middlewestpress.com
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From "Line of Advance" & the Col. Darron L. Wright Memorial Writing Awards: The best new and established voices from modern wars & eras! NOW IN TWO VOLUMES !!

Series link here:
amzn.to/4oZPwPZ

Editor: Christopher Lyke
Covers: @battlefieldgd.bsky.social
Publisher: @middlewestpress.bsky.social
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“The sense of attrition that gave the book its suspense and power—of the inexorable taking of boys we have come to care about—has vanished.”

Enduring The Long Walk: A review by Michael Washburn.

Read the full review now at buff.ly/lWlZMtz
February 6, 2026 at 9:01 PM
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"The Post’s editorial decisions have nothing to do with my relationship with Donald Trump, and everything to do with what’s best for America. Namely, the dismantling of our constitutional rights and democratic institutions."
“Democracy Dies in Darkness” Wasn’t a Warning; It Was Our End Goal
“Jeff Bezos, the owner of the Washington Post, announced a major shift to the newspaper’s opinion section on Wednesday, saying it would now advocat...
buff.ly
February 6, 2026 at 2:00 AM
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I wrote about the strangeness of following events in Minneapolis—where I'm from—and watching a citizenship naturalization ceremony in St. Louis, which is my home now. Not sure if anyone wants or needs more words about these things, but here are mine.
jeffmanuel.com/blog-1/2026/...
Reflections on Minneapolis While Watching a Citizenship Naturalization Ceremony – Jeff Manuel
jeffmanuel.com
February 6, 2026 at 9:04 PM
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JOURNALISTS: Today at 3 PM ET, join the second part of our training on how to secure your devices against raids, seizure, and surveillance.
RSVP: Securing Your Devices Against Raids, Seizure, and Surveillance, Part 2
Join us for a live training on how to secure your computers against raids, seizure, and surveillance, brought to you by The Intercept’s Press Freedom Defense Fund. This is the second of two sessions…
interc.pt
February 6, 2026 at 4:13 PM
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A shout out and thank you to all of the contributors to our upcoming Great Lakes collection, out 3/10!

@cerena.bsky.social
@minnesotabrown.bsky.social
@gabrielbump.bsky.social
@lilacwaabigwan.bsky.social
@callenh.bsky.social
@lkress.bsky.social
@aeheelee.bsky.social
February 6, 2026 at 3:56 PM
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This goes back several decades to a different era in publishing: When the Washington Post Book World put my mother's first novel on the cover, she went from "minor California poet tries out chick-lit" to Pulitzer finalist and bestselling author. So I'm thinking of her, even more than usual.
February 4, 2026 at 8:37 PM
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"Screw the platforms. Ignore the stuff that you think sucks. Find books and art you love. Share them. Review them. Recommend them to friends. Make your own art. Share it. Hope it finds people who love it. What else can we do?" hell yeah @thelincoln.bsky.social open.substack.com/pub/counterc...
Why Literature Needs a Punk Rock Mindset
The Washington Post shutting down its books coverage is a reminder that we have to do it ourselves
open.substack.com
February 5, 2026 at 8:49 PM
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Starts tomorrow Feb. 6, 2026! Veterans, sign-up for this FREE online poetry & music workshop today! Culminates in a public performance Apr. 11, 2026!
A FREE, veterans-centered arts workshop, inspired by the poetry of U.S. veteran Brian Turner and the music of Kurt Erickson, will focus on themes of trauma and resilience. Meets on-line weekly on Fridays, Feb. 6 to Mar. 27, from 2 to 4:30 p.m. Pacific Time.

Info: www.patreon.com/posts/150037...
FREE Veterans Music & Poetry Workshop Starts Feb. 6, 2026 | The Aiming Circle
Get more from The Aiming Circle on Patreon
www.patreon.com
February 5, 2026 at 8:48 PM
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New: The Trump admin claimed it sent in hundreds of agents to raid a Chicago apartment building to nab Venezuelan gang members, but new documents confirm in the government’s own words what actually prompted the raid: allegations that immigrants were squatting in the complex.
The Real Story Behind the Midnight Immigration Raid on a Chicago Apartment Building
The Trump administration has claimed the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua had taken over the building. But new documents make no mention of the gang and reveal federal agents had information about “ille...
www.propublica.org
February 4, 2026 at 3:43 PM
“This collection ultimately left me with a profound desire to explore my own Midwest experience.”
—Kara Taghon, bookseller at The Atlas Collective
1801 5th Ave, Moline, Ill. atlascollectiveqc.com

Full review in the JAN2026 issue of @littlevillage.bsky.social :

littlevillagemag.com/book-review-...
February 4, 2026 at 3:48 PM
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"My dad came to this country undocumented. He worked hard. He was taken advantage of because of his status. The system benefited from his fear and his silence, even after he was documented. And some of you still think he doesn’t deserve to be here.

"That’s the cruelty of ICE logic."
Letter to the editor: Like millions of migrants, my dad is indispensable - Little Village
By Anthony Arroyo, Des Moines ICE is a continuation of America’s oldest tradition: state-sanctioned violence against people of color, especially Latinos. It grows out of a history that has always […]
littlevillagemag.com
February 3, 2026 at 8:35 PM
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"Just minutes ago, a friend witnessed six black ICE SUVs tear through the parking lot of an elementary school outside his living room window," writes David Huckfelt, a musician in Minneapolis.

"When the bottom falls out of your sense of safety here in America, where will you turn for help?"
Thoughts on a terror campaign from an Iowan living in Minneapolis - Little Village
I am no journalist, no reporter, and also not inclined to repackage the uncomplicated and readily evident facts of the last few weeks from my home here in Minneapolis, pretending […]
littlevillagemag.com
January 31, 2026 at 5:51 PM
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The headline should be, "DHS to keep 2,000 immigration officers in Minnesota."

Instead, it seems the entirety of the traditional media went with, "DHS to withdraw 700 immigration officers from Minnesota."

This presser worked like a charm.
Homan in Minneapolis: "Effective immediately, we will draw down 700 people effective today."
February 4, 2026 at 3:43 PM
As a veteran-owned business, Middle West Press is proud to administer and underwrite The Aiming Circle—an on-line community of practice that serves writers of themes and topics related to war and military service.

Members include poets and playwrights, scholars and soldiers, essayists and analysts!
Here’s our latest salvo of RESOURCES, TIPS, and MARKETS for writers of military- and war-themed fiction, non-fiction, poetry, scholarship, and more!
www.aimingcircle.com/2026/01/a-ro...

* Feb. 17: On-Line Colloquy on Vets-Writing Groups

* Jan. 28 Reading to Celebrate 'Proud to Be' Vol. 14

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January 30, 2026 at 9:25 PM
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January 30, 2026 at 12:12 PM
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Congratulations to all these amazing writers!
We are elated to announce the BRAVE NEW WEIRD Award Winners, Class of 2025!

This year's Table of Contents truly has something for everyone...as long as you like it Weird.

BRAVE NEW WEIRD: The Best New Weird Horror + More Vol. Four is out in July.

Congratulations, Weirdos🖤☠️

tinyurl.com/47f6tt48
BRAVE NEW WEIRD: The Best New Weird Horror + More, Vol. 4, Table of Contents! — tenebrous press
The Weird Fiction scene is as healthy now as it's ever been, and I think this collection—our fourth!—might have the broadest appeal yet. Much as Tenebrous continues to evolve, so has our selections pr...
tenebrouspress.com
January 30, 2026 at 3:39 PM
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Dear media, remember: you cannot both sides journalists being arrested for filming a protest. We’re supposed to have a free press, as guaranteed in the First fucking Amendment. Say that shit.
January 30, 2026 at 3:33 PM
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“Independent” is doing too much work in this first wave. They are arresting journalists and just like everything else they’ve done, they’re testing the limits of our resistance by starting wt vulnerable margins.
January 30, 2026 at 3:45 PM
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Some immigrant parents, fearful of their children facing similar uncertainty if they were to be arrested, detained or deported are taking the extreme step of legally transferring parental authority to teachers, co-workers, fellow parishioners and neighbors.
Fearing ICE, parents make plans for their children’s care
Some families give legal authority to others to make key decisions about a child’s life if a parent is detained and deported.
bit.ly
January 25, 2026 at 3:30 PM
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'A sea of people': Thousands turn out for anti-ICE march in downtown Minneapolis
January 23, 2026 at 10:32 PM
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this photo. minneapolis. 💜

📷️ Alex Kormann/Star Tribune
January 23, 2026 at 10:04 PM
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Here's our cast meeting our Kaiju...

"Easy big fella," George Costanza would say.
January 23, 2026 at 3:09 PM