Zachary Fletcher
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zfletcher.bsky.social
Zachary Fletcher
@zfletcher.bsky.social
79 followers 250 following 60 posts
journalist, book reviewer (publishersweekly.com), bookseller, “librarian” (@thestorygraph.com), syracusian/seattleite

fletcherzachary.weebly.com

he/him
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zfletcher.bsky.social
new piece up for @seattletimes.com this week, just in time for the Big Dark!

I've put together a list of books best read with rain falling outside and hot tea flowing inside...shoutout to the friend who asked for "winter beach reads" that inspired this.

www.seattletimes.com/entertainmen...
Embrace the Big Dark with these 6 books
Head somewhere warm and dry with one of these six genre- and tone-spanning recommendations.
www.seattletimes.com
November 26, 2025 at 5:29 PM
zfletcher.bsky.social
doing a cool thing tonight! I’ll be talking with Maria Reva about her debut novel ENDLING, one of my favorite books of the year. seattle friends: come hang @ Third Place Books, 7pm!!
November 4, 2025 at 3:51 PM
zfletcher.bsky.social
Two new pieces up in @seattletimes.com this week!

-I chatted with Shigeko Ito about her debut memoir and how writing is a way to untangle childhood trauma
-Rae Rose's 'The Sacred Stone Camp' tells the story of LaDonna BraveBull Allard organizing against the Dakota Access Pipeline

(links below)
October 10, 2025 at 5:40 PM
zfletcher.bsky.social
finally got around to reading Tove Jansson’s The Summer Book. and I’ve somehow managed to finish it on the last day of August, and on the final day in our home before moving out. what a gem!
August 31, 2025 at 6:11 PM
zfletcher.bsky.social
“The heart of the review is emotion, the stirrings of the soul, receptiveness to the life-changing power of art…” @newyorker.com

www.newyorker.com/culture/the-...
In Defense of the Traditional Review
Far from being a journalistic relic, as suggested by recent developments at the New York Times, arts criticism is inherently progressive, keeping art honest and pointing toward its future.
www.newyorker.com
August 30, 2025 at 5:06 PM
Reposted by Zachary Fletcher
seattletimes.com
Federal agents showed up northeast of Lake Cushman to check identification of crew members fighting Washington's largest active wildfire.
Federal agents arrest firefighters working on WA wildfire
Federal agents showed up northeast of Lake Cushman to check identification of crew members fighting Washington's largest active wildfire.
www.seattletimes.com
August 28, 2025 at 2:25 AM
Reposted by Zachary Fletcher
mellymeldubs.bsky.social
For PW, I wrote about the persistent gender gap in fictional animal characters—a pattern I noticed while analyzing 100s of picture books with @puddingviz.bsky.social.

It's a more interesting (and pervasive) problem than I first thought.

#kidlit #booksky

🔗: www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/...
A dot plot titled '"nthropomorphized Animals in Popular Children's Books (*Animals That Appear in 10+ Books)" showing the proportion of animals depicted with gendered pronouns. Animals toward the left side are more often represented as male (he/him), and those toward the right are more often represented as female (she/her). Birds, ducks, and cats lean female. Bears, monkeys, dogs, elephants, foxes, wolves, and frogs lean male. Each animal is represented by a colorful, illustrated face. Screenshot of Publishers Weekly article titled "The Sneaky Gender Bias in Picture Books: Animal Characters" that includes photo of the author, a woman with brown hair and glasses. Text reads: "Melanie Walsh is an assistant professor in the Information School and an adjunct assistant professor in the English department at the University of Washington. She uses data to analyze contemporary culture, especially literature and publishing. She is currently at work on a book, When Postwar American Fiction Went Viral: Protest, Profit, and Popular Readers in the 21st Century, which follows the surprising social media afterlives of five iconic American authors. Here she shares her investigations into the subtle gender imbalance often at play in picture books featuring animal characters. I recently published a data analysis with The Pudding, a digital publication known for data-driven storytelling, about animal characters in picture books. We read approximately 300 popular English-language picture books from the past 70+ years and noted the gender of any anthropomorphized animal character that was important to the story. We found that male animal characters were twice as common as female characters across all the books. Some strong animal stereotypes also emerged: frogs and dogs were boys; birds and cats were girls. Even more surprising, according to our data: this disparity is not obviously improving, even over the last 25 years."
August 5, 2025 at 11:29 PM
zfletcher.bsky.social
the fam saw my @seattletimes.com beach reads piece and took notes for our trip 😍 from the library to boot!!!
A stack of books that includes: There Are Reasons for This, by Nini Berndt; Backhanded Compliments by Katie Chandler; Colored Television by Danzy Senna; and Love Is A War Song by Danica Nava.
August 19, 2025 at 12:25 AM
zfletcher.bsky.social
“What are music or books if not ways / to trap us in rumors? The freedom of fine / cages!”

yalereview.org/article/rita...
Dove: "Dedication"
A poem by Rita Dove: "Ignore me. This request is knotted — / I'm not ashamed to admit it."
yalereview.org
August 14, 2025 at 3:04 PM
zfletcher.bsky.social
next piece is up for @seattletimes.com — it’s all about Seahawks football and why the Legion of Boom era is so special!

www.seattletimes.com/entertainmen...
Relive the Legion of Boom era with Seattle journalist's new book
“The Franchise: Seattle Seahawks: A Curated History of the Legion of Boom Era” by Seattle writer Michael-Shawn Dugar collects stories from the team's LOB days.
www.seattletimes.com
August 7, 2025 at 7:10 PM
Reposted by Zachary Fletcher
seattletimes.com
“The Franchise: Seattle Seahawks: A Curated History of the Legion of Boom Era,” by Seattle writer Michael-Shawn Dugar, collects stories from the team's LOB days.
Relive the Legion of Boom era with Seattle journalist's new book
“The Franchise: Seattle Seahawks: A Curated History of the Legion of Boom Era” by Seattle writer Michael-Shawn Dugar collects stories from the team's LOB days.
www.seattletimes.com
August 6, 2025 at 8:35 PM
zfletcher.bsky.social
new @seattletimes.com piece up!

I chatted with Peter Ames Carlin about his new book on Springsteen and the making of “Born to Run.” you could listen to the album…or read the book (out from @doubledaybooks.bsky.social 8/5)!

www.seattletimes.com/entertainmen...
New book offers behind-the-scenes look at the making of ‘Born to Run’
"Tonight in Jungleland" covers the years Springsteen and his band spent writing and recording the record, which celebrates its 50th anniversary in August.
www.seattletimes.com
August 1, 2025 at 5:17 PM
Reposted by Zachary Fletcher
seattletimes.com
Ken Jennings spoke with us to discuss writing over 1000 Kennections puzzles, interacting with the community of solvers and growing up in a games household.
New puzzle book from Ken Jennings prompts readers to make 'Kennections'
The Seattleite spoke with us to discuss writing over 1000 Kennections puzzles, interacting with the community of solvers and growing up in a games household.
www.seattletimes.com
July 24, 2025 at 11:03 PM
zfletcher.bsky.social
next up for @seattletimes.com: Ken Jennings! I spoke to the one and only Jeopardy host/champion about his daily puzzle diet and how it feels to run a puzzle named after yourself (to be clear: Ken told me he doesn't like the name 'Kennections'). Happy puzzling!!

www.seattletimes.com/entertainmen...
New puzzle book from Ken Jennings prompts readers to make 'Kennections'
The Seattleite spoke with us to discuss writing over 1000 Kennections puzzles, interacting with the community of solvers and growing up in a games household.
www.seattletimes.com
July 26, 2025 at 12:11 AM
Reposted by Zachary Fletcher
zentronix.bsky.social
First Water Mirror Echo review is in!

“Chang persuasively argues that Lee’s presence on screen helped shape the idea of what it means to be Asian in America. This definitive account cements Chang as a preeminent chronicler of Asian American history.”

On sale 9/23. Preorder now! watermirrorecho.net
July 21, 2025 at 4:22 PM
Reposted by Zachary Fletcher
katiecampbell.bsky.social
Hot take alert: "I think the books that people read on light rails aren't actually what they're reading." Elliott Bay Book Company's Sofia Brekkan calls y'all out on today's episode of Meet Me Here from @kuow.org 👀
Here's what Seattle readers are into so far this year
I'm just about to finish reading my 40th book this year, yet nothing makes me freeze quite like being asked: "Have you read [insert popular book here]?"
www.kuow.org
July 16, 2025 at 5:57 PM
Reposted by Zachary Fletcher
riverheadbooks.bsky.social
we stand by our original statement ☝️😌
July 14, 2025 at 6:36 PM
zfletcher.bsky.social
this is one of my crowning achievements thank you @riverheadbooks.bsky.social

(also, read the new Patricia Lockwood this September it will make your brain hurt in the best ways!!)
July 8, 2025 at 8:44 PM
zfletcher.bsky.social
My latest piece for @seattletimes.com is up today! This time, I wrote about some books to take to the beach (woohoo paperbacks!) and escape from whatever it is we're trying to escape from these days. Happy summer reading!

www.seattletimes.com/entertainmen...
Need a beach read? Try these 5 new and upcoming books
These five novels span genres and offer gripping tales to get lost in.
www.seattletimes.com
July 3, 2025 at 5:30 PM
Reposted by Zachary Fletcher
npr.org
The WNBA is adding three new teams: Cleveland will join in 2028, Detroit begins play in 2029 and Philadelphia will be added to the roster in 2030. This will bring the league to a record 18 teams. https://n.pr/44h8HMo
The WNBA is expanding again, adding 3 new cities for a record 18 teams
The WNBA is adding three new teams: Cleveland will join in 2028, Detroit begins play in 2029 and Philadelphia will be added to the roster in 2030. This will bring the league to a record 18 teams.
n.pr
June 30, 2025 at 4:37 PM
zfletcher.bsky.social
picked up a copy of this new Clint Eastwood book and did a double take 🤯🤯
The cover of a new book called “Clint” by Shawn Levy. A sleeve obscures the title of the book just enough to make it look like the book is not titled “Clint” but “C*nt.”
June 30, 2025 at 2:45 PM
zfletcher.bsky.social
inspired use of the space between quotes!

www.nytimes.com/2025/06/08/s...
Twenty years later, Frey sees himself as a maverick and dismisses the controversy with a string of expletives. "We've all been told to be polite, to be good little boys, to go to college and follow the rules," Frey told me from his extra-large mohair Eames chair, which he had custom-made so that he could sit in lotus pose. "Not me."
June 16, 2025 at 3:54 PM
Reposted by Zachary Fletcher
nymag.com
As a journalist who writes often about aviation safety, my first reaction to Nathan Fielder’s ‘The Rehearsal’ was skepticism. But then I started talking to experts in the field.
Can Nathan Fielder Save You From Dying in a Plane Crash?
As a journalist who writes often about aviation safety, my first reaction to Nathan Fielder’s ‘The Rehearsal’ was skepticism. But then I started talking to experts in the field.
www.vulture.com
May 19, 2025 at 1:10 PM
Reposted by Zachary Fletcher
maris.bsky.social
"The King Features summer reading list is an insult to journalists who care about the truth, to authors who are looking to get any coverage they can, to book critics & anyone who works on putting books out into the world. More importantly, it’s an insult to readers." --me
lithub.com/you-see-gene...
You See? Generative AI is Bad At Doing My Job
This past Tuesday I received 37 pitches for upcoming books from 37 different publicists representing 37 different authors. I am always aware of how many books keep coming out and how little space t…
lithub.com
May 22, 2025 at 12:00 PM
Reposted by Zachary Fletcher
drewsof.bsky.social
Want to know what you should read this summer? Ask a bookseller. Ask a writer. Ask a librarian. Ask a living, breathing human being. Hell, ask me! It's been a while since I've done one of these, so let's do it: one like = one summer reading book rec.
rachaelking70.bsky.social Rachael King @rachaelking70.bsky.social · May 20
This was just posted by @tbretc.bsky.social on another platform. The Chicago Sun-Times obviously gets ChatGPT to write a ‘summer reads’ feature almost entirely made up of real authors but completely fake books. What are we coming to?
May 20, 2025 at 2:59 PM