Washington Unbound’s 2025 Winter Booklist
by Gregory Luce and Norah Vawter
It’s been a whirlwind year and many of you are probably feeling a mixture of relief that it’s almost over and amazement that the end is so near. Here at Washington Unbound, we’re very grateful that our publication, launched barely eight months ago, has taken off so spectacularly. We would like to express our gratitude to our readers and supporters by sharing book recommendations from our contributors, local authors and literary institutions, and of course, the Washington Unbound staff. Read on for a wide variety of poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and anthologies. 34 titles in all! We hope you find thoughtful gifts, book club selections, or new reads to get you through the long winter nights.
Two local bookstores contributed recommendations: Old Town Books of Alexandria, Virginia and People’s Book of Takoma, Maryland. We hope you’ll join us in supporting these independent bookshops. Throughout the list, we’ve included links to buy most of the recommended books from both stores. Learn about Old Town Books at www.oldtownbooks.com and People’s Book at www.peoplesbooktakoma.com.
Poetry
Etymologies
By Walter Ancarrow
“A very original poetry collection.” Baltimore-born and raised Walter Ancarrow's collection Etymologies considers language as a process, rather than as a singular fixed history. These poems build imaginative worlds with a variety of creative word uses. A poetry collection that playfully questions the meanings of words.
Buy from People’s Book or Old Town Books
[Recommended by Washington Unbound contributor and DMV author Samantha Neugebauer]
Sleeping in the Courtyard
Edited by Holly Mason Badra
“With Sleeping in the Courtyard, Holly Mason Badra has not only brought a thing of beauty into the world but has also performed an act of exemplary literary citizenship. This volume gathers the work—poetry, fiction, memoir—of 35 Kurdish women writers.”
Buy from People’s Book or Old Town Books
[Recommended by Washington Unbound co-founder and poetry editor Gregory Luce. Read Greg’s full review here.]
Love Letters from Cuckold Creek
by Kristin Kowalski Ferragut
From Montgomery County, Maryland poet Kristin Kowalski Ferragut, this collection features an immense variety of poems. Most important from the literary point of view, the style of the poet has a richness of effect that creates an enduring fascination.
Buy from People’s Book or Old Town Books
[Recommended by Washington Unbound contributor and DMV poet Serena Agusto-Cox.]
Locomotive Cathedral
by Brandel France de Bravo
This is a new collection from a long-time DMV poet. With wit and vulnerability, Brandel France de Bravo explores resilience in the face of climate change and a global pandemic, race, and the concept of a self, all while celebrating the power of breath as "baptism on repeat."
Buy from People’s Book or Old Town Books
[Recommended by Washington Writers Publishing House co-president Jona Colson.]
In the House of Modern Upbringing for Girls
by Majda Gama
“Rarely has a collection of poems so perfectly embodied the experiences of the poet as does In the House of Modern Upbringing for Girls. This book, her first full-length collection, is the best volume of poetry I’ve read so far this year and likely for a long time to come.”
Buy from People’s Book or Old Town Books
[Recommended by Washington Unbound co-founder and poetry editor Gregory Luce. Read Greg’s full review here.]
What Haunts Me
by Bernadette Geyer
“What Haunts Me by Bernadette Geyer is an intimate look at kinship and all the responsibilities and history it comes with. The narrator of these poems is looking at nature, their family, and events to find the source of kinship and whether they are deserving of it. Though she now resides in Berlin, Bernadette Geyer for many years was a vivid presence in the DMV poetry community and maintains strong ties with it.”
Buy from People’s Book or Old Town Books
[Recommended by Washington Unbound contributor and DMV poet Serena Agusto-Cox. Read Serena’s full review here.]
Love is a Dangerous Word: The Selected Poems of Essex Hemphill
By Essex Hemphill. Edited by John Keene and Robert F. Reid-Pharr
“My choice for poetry book of the year. Keene has done a great service by bringing Hemphill’s adventurous and influential poems back into print—as well as including some previously unpublished work. Hemphill was a trailblazer, a hero whose impact still resounds—and hopefully this new selected volume will help new readers discover his power.”
Buy from People’s Book or Old Town Books
[Recommended by Washington Unbound featured author, D.C. poet and literary historian Kim Roberts]
Dear Empire
by Holly Karapetkova
From our review by contributor Naomi Thiers: “Holly Karapetkova seems to me a poet who understands the power of spells, of arranging words so that they get to a more primal level of meaning beyond whatever ordinary situation her words describe. I think many readers—especially those interested in wrestling with issues of race and privilege or those who like fresh takes on familiar tales—will want to come under the spell of this book.”
Buy from People’s Book or Old Town Books
[Recommended by Washington Writers Publishing House co-president Jona Colson.]
Causa Sui
by Elizabeth Knapp
“In Causa Sui, Latin for ‘self-caused’—or perhaps more accurately in the context of this book, ‘self-inflicted’—Elizabeth Knapp has given us one of the most important collections of poetry this year. Using a wide array of emotional tones and an equally varied set of forms and styles, Knapp engages directly with many of the issues affecting our nation and our planet as a whole. By turns humorous, sad, ironic, witty, angry, resigned, these poems are essential reading and vital acts of resistance.”
Buy directly from the small press here
[Recommended by Washington Unbound co-founder and poetry editor Gregory Luce. Read Greg’s full review here.]
All About You
by Chris Nealon
“Written with keen perception and insatiable curiosity, Chris Nealon's fifth book of poetry, All About You, is both a study of personhood and a diary of release from it.”
Buy from People’s Book or Old Town Books
[Recommended by Washington Unbound featured author, D.C. poet and literary historian Kim Roberts]
Born Backwards
by Tanya Olson
“Born Backwards, Tanya Olson’s third collection, reports from inside butch culture in the 1980s American South as it traces how geography, family, experiences, and popular culture shape one queer life.”
Buy from People’s Book or Old Town Books
[Recommended by Washington Unbound featured author, D.C. poet and literary historian Kim Roberts]
Silent Tenants/Inquilinos Mudos
by Alberto Roblest. Translated by Maritza Rivera
"An important book of poetry from a local author who is an immigrant from Mexico, with many of the poems concerning the experiences/ perspectives of immigrants to the US.”
Buy directly from the small D.C. publisher Day Eight
[Recommended by Washington Unbound contributor and DMV poet Naomi Thiers]
What Monsters You Make of Them
by Christian Teresi
What Monsters You Make of Them interrogates ecology and injustice through shifting landscapes and ancient cities. Stand astonished at a painting, venerate the mugshot of a poet, riff on a comedian's quip, and recall a mentor persevering through grief.
Buy from People’s Book or Old Town Books
[Recommended by Washington Writers Publishing House co-president Jona Colson.]
Fiction
Universally Adored & Other One Dollar Stories
Short Stories by Elizabeth Bruce
“Every story in Bruce’s new collection, Universally Adored & Other One Dollar Stories, begins with the phrase “one dollar.” In her vision, the needs that can be satisfied by a single dollar are varied and surprising: a can opener, the comforts of a coin-operated massage bed, forgiveness. The power of these stories emerges in the elaboration of those needs and the sharp glimpses they provide into the fuller breadth of the characters’ lives.”
Buy from People’s Book or Old Town Books on Bookshop.
[Recommended by Washington Unbound featured author and contributor Tom Navratil. Read Tom’s full review here.]
The Revolution Will Not Be Rated G
Romance novel by Keya Chatterjee
In 2042 Washington, D.C., the United States has fractured into two starkly divided worlds: Uplands, where the elite, wealthy, and predominantly white hold power, and Lowlands, where the marginalized are abandoned to fend for themselves. Aria Petros, a fearless organizer for the underground resistance must reconnect with Neil Rao, a high school flame she hasn't seen in years--now the golden boy of Upland and son of the most powerful woman in government. Trusting him could mean salvation. Falling for him again could mean ruin.
Buy from People’s Book
[Recommended by People’s Book in Takoma, Maryland.]
The Belles
Suspense novel Lacey N. Dunham
In this richly atmospheric, dark academia debut novel, a young woman with a secretive past will risk everything—including her life—to fit in. It’s 1951 at the secluded Bellerton College, and Deena Williams is an outsider doing her best to blend in with her wealthy and perfectly groomed peers.
Buy from Old Town Books.
[Recommended by Old Town Books in Alexandria, Virginia.]
First Kicking, Then Not
Short stories by Hannah Grieco
“Hannah Grieco’s debut book is a slim but powerful collection of short stories that are at times funny, at times devastating, and always full of heart, intensity, and life. Examining motherhood, caretaking, and mid-life—particularly the gritty, imperfect parts of womanhood that we often don’t talk about or acknowledge in our society—Grieco refuses to shy away from her characters’ authenticity, awkwardness, embarrassing moments, and certainly not their imperfections.”.
Buy from Old Town Books or People’s Book.
[Recommended by Washington Unbound Co-founder and Fiction/nonfiction Editor Norah Vawter. Read Norah’s full review here.]
We’re Gonna Get Through This Together
Short stories by Z Hanna
“A smart, lyrical, and incisively witty short story collection about the murky waters we find ourselves in when we try to fight against injustice and search for a place to belong. At once satirical and earnest, this collection explores race, class, gender, sexuality, and the politics of activism. It’s a genuinely funny book, I laughed out loud on a number of occasions, and the humor is relatable whether it’s cringey, quirky, or sweet. But this book is also an exercise in making the reader uncomfortable. In a good way.”
Buy directly from the publisher.
[Recommended by Washington Unbound Co-founder and Fiction/nonfiction Editor Norah Vawter. Read Norah’s full review here.]
If You Leave
Literary novel by Margaret Hutton
“If You Leave, the richly-drawn debut novel by Margaret Hutton is the story of two women who are unlikely friends. But whereas the trope of unlikely friends usually signals a well-trod exploration of those aforementioned opposites, protagonists Lucille and Audrey offer something fresher and more relatable because they resist those neat, contrasting boxes.”
Buy from People’s Book or Old Town Books on Bookshop.
[Recommended by Washington Unbound contributor Katy Gathright. Read Katy’s full review here.]
Ladies, Ladies, Ladies
Short stories by Kristen Zory King
“This collection of flash fiction offers an intimate glimpse into the lives of 18 women. Though each lady is distinct in circumstance and temperament, there is a common theme running through these narratives. King’s protagonists are raw, messy, and vulnerable. This book is as affirming as it is pleasing to read, and serves as a comforting reminder for women to take up as much space as needed.”
Buy from Old Town Books or People’s Book.
[Recommended by Washington Unbound editorial assistant Samantha Segal. Read Samantha’s interview with the author here.]
The Book of Ralph: A 20th Anniversary Edition
Literary novel by John McNally
“One of the best fiction authors I know and a former fantastic instructor of mine is John McNally, who used to live in D.C. and was formerly the Jenny McKean Moore Professor of Fiction at George Washington University. I was one of the fortunate participants in his workshop. In 2024, his The Book of Ralph: A 20th Anniversary Edition was released by Hypnotic Highway and includes both the fantastic novel, The Book of Ralph, as well as a host of bonus stories.”
Buy from People’s Book or Old Town Books on Bookshop.
[Recommended by Washington Unbound featured author Elizabeth Bruce.]
Nick and Lorraine Were Lovers
Short Stories by David C. Metz
There are no superheroes in Nick and Lorraine Were Lovers, just ordinary people caught in moments of crisis as they get on with their lives. A middle-aged corporate lawyer confronts a painful childhood memory in the wake of the George Floyd protests. A college student is on a mission to rescue his former lover from herself.
Buy from People’s Book or Old Town Books.
[Recommended by Washington Unbound contributor Katy Gathright.]
Dixon, Descending
Literary novel by Karen Outen
“It’s hard to say what I loved more as I read it—the rich characters or the lively, convincing descriptions of both everyday moments and literal, top-of-the-world moments. These two elements—and a story revolving around two middle-aged Black men attempting to summit Mt. Everest and how that attempt fractures their lives—weave a tapestry that is a joy to become wrapped up in.”
Buy from People’s Book or Old Town Books.
[Recommended by Washington Unbound contributor Naomi Thiers. Read Naomi’s full review here.]
The Princess and the P.I.
Romance novel by Nikki Payne
An amateur online sleuth must enlist the help of a jaded PI to clear her name while taking down a shady tech start-up in this exhilarating romantic suspense novel. Fiona Addai is ready to set her plan in motion. To honor the anniversary of her brother’s death, she’s going to steal back his brilliant invention from the ruthless corporation that stole and claimed it as their own.
Buy from Old Town Books
[Recommended by Old Town Books in Alexandria, Virginia]
Happy Land
Literary novel by Dolen Perkins-Valdez
A woman learns the incredible story of a real-life American Kingdom—and her family’s ties to it—in this enthralling novel from the New York Times bestselling, NAACP Image Award-winning author of Take My Hand. Nikki hasn’t seen her grandmother in years. So when the elder calls out of the blue with an urgent request for Nikki to visit her in the hills of western North Carolina, Nikki hesitates only for a moment.
Buy from Old Town Books
[Recommended by Old Town Books in Alexandria, Virginia.]
Duet for One
Literary novel by Martha Anne Toll
Martha Anne Toll’s second novel Duet for One is a lovely, meditative, lyrical book that drew me in immediately. I want to say that this is a quiet novel, but it's about music and musicians, so that seems like the wrong word. Especially because Toll excels at describing the classical music that permeates this story so well that I can almost hear the music swelling. But it’s a thoughtful book, a philosophical book, and a novel that made me feel calm and quiet as I read.
Buy from Old Town Books or People’s Book.
[Recommended by Washington Unbound Co-founder and Fiction/nonfiction Editor Norah Vawter. Read Norah’s full review here.]
The Great Grown-up Game of Make Believe
Short Stories by Lauren D. Woods
"The stories in The Great Grown-Up Game of Make-Believe depict contemporary family life with fresh, gritty realism; they don't sugar-coat things. Yet their lyrical beauty offers glimpses of uplift and joy."
Buy from People’s Book or Old Town Books on Bookshop.
[Recommended by Washington Unbound featured author and contributor Tom Navratil.]
Nonfiction
Keep Your Ear to the Ground: A History of Punk Fanzines in Washington, DC
By John R. Davis
Archivist and musician John R. Davis unveils the development of punk fanzines and their role in supporting D.C.'s hardcore and punk scene from the 1970s into the twenty-first century. He sheds new light on D.C.'s scene and highlights some of its key personalities, including many who are often left out of punk history, with high-quality images of rare zines and insights from numerous interviews with zine creators and musicians.
Buy from People’s Book
[Recommended by People’s Book in Takoma, Maryland. Learn more at www.peoplesbooktakoma.com]
The Devil Reached Toward the Sky: An Oral History of the Making and Unleashing of the Atomic Bomb
By Garrett M. Graff
On the 80th anniversary of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings, the Pulitzer Prize finalist whose work is “oral history at its finest” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) delivers an epic narrative of the atomic bomb’s creation and deployment, woven from the voices of hundreds of scientists, generals, soldiers, and civilians.
Buy from Old Town Books
[Recommended by Old Town Books in Alexandria, Virginia. Learn more at www.oldtownbooks.com]
Shakespeare Theatre Company: The History of a Classical Theatre
By Alexis Greene
If you are a theater-lover, a D.C. history aficionado, and/or someone interested in the inner workings of an arts organization, I’ve got a book for you. It’s an oversized, glossy, beautiful volume, with over 250 photographs. So it’s a fun read, and a visual delight. But I was surprised at the depth and specificity of the history. The author has a PhD in theater, is an educator and critic, and has written two previous books and edited several others on theater.
[Recommended by Washington Unbound Co-founder and Fiction/nonfiction Editor Norah Vawter. Read Norah’s interview with the author here.]
Buy from People’s Book or Old Town Books on Bookshop
The Lost Trees of Willow Avenue: A Story of Climate and Hope on One American Street
By Mike Tidwell
In 2023, author and activist Mike Tidwell decided to keep a record for a full year of the growing impacts of climate change on his one urban block right on the border with Washington, DC. A love letter to the magnificent oaks and other trees dying from record heat waves and bizarre rain, Tidwell's story depicts the neighborhood's battle to save the trees and combat climate change.
Buy from People’s Book
[Recommended by People’s Book in Takoma, Maryland. Learn more at www.peoplesbooktakoma.com]
Anthologies
America’s Future: Poetry & Prose in Response to Tomorrow
Edited by Caroline Bock & Jona Colson
This anthology features 164 bold, thought-provoking writers and 179 works of poetry, fiction, essays, visual language, and more. The anthology arrives at an urgent moment in our nation’s history, when many are anxiously questioning: What are the possibilities for the future?
Buy from People’s Book or Old Town Books via Bookshop
[Recommended by Washington Unbound contributor and DMV poet Serena Agusto-Cox]
Capital Queer
Edited by Jona Colson and Caroline Bock
This collection spotlights bold, queer voices from D.C., Maryland, and Virginia—celebrating love, resilience, and identity in a powerful literary tribute to pride and community. It’s the first in a series of pocket-sized collections from the Washington Writers’ Publishing House, showcasing our region’s rich cross-section of literary talent.
Buy from People’s Book or Old Town Books via Bookshop
[Recommended by Washington Unbound Co-founder and Poetry Editor Gregory Luce]
Latino Poetry: the Library of America Anthology
Edited Rigoberto González.
“González includes writers in the Americas from the 17th century to the present. Though this is not specifically a D.C. area book, there are a substantial number of contributors with D.C. ties, including: Elizabeth Acevedo, Marjorie Agosín, Claribel Alegría, Francisco Aragón, Oliver Baez Bendorf, Richard Blanco, Rhina P. Espaillat, Blas Falconer, Juan Felipe Herrera, Ada Limón, Pablo Medina, John Murillo, Ruth Irupé Sanabria, Dan Vera, and William Carlos Williams.”
Buy from People’s Book or Old Town Books
[Recommended by Washington Unbound featured author, D.C.poet and literary historian Kim Roberts]
