Drew Broussard

@drewsof

he/him writer of stories and such professional bookman for Rough Draft Bar & Books contributing editor at Literary Hub occasional guitarist and singer

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Drew Broussard@drewsof· 24d

"Before this day is done, we shall be faced with an unthinkable decision."

A screenshot from Strong Bad email #10, of Strong Bad from torso up to almost top of mask on the left side of the screen and Bubs' torso on the right side of the screen.

Drew Broussard@drewsof· 26d

super 'sclusie bookmark at Rough Draft this weekend, because somebody (😬) was a bit slow on re-ordering the regular ones... while supplies last! hand-cut! a silly goof!

Drew Broussard@drewsof· 26d

So do we think Harper used AI on Jordan Harrison's cover or no? I know they're using AI on shit (I've already caught them and called them out on it, my rep is exhausted lol) — this one feels right on the line, but it's tripping my sensors and I want a second opinion.

a photo (or is it an illustration or is it both?) of a manor house with a fountain or something in front of it, but its all upside down so the sky (which is full of very impressionistic clouds) is at the bottom of the image with the chopped up text that reads MISS ARCHER, Jordan Harrison

Drew Broussard@drewsof· Jul 11

I did this in my spare time! At home! Because I wanted to!! Anyway, @deadinkbooks.bsky.social, I really do think you guys are cool as hell.

THE EDEN BOOK SOCIETY
(that we know of)

1919
A Vase of Black Roses, Thomas Cowan
His Orchard, C. Ashwood Burbidge
A Year of Plague, ??
Broken Cradle, ??
The Blood Month, ??
Thine is the Kingdom, ??

Pre-1927
Lightless Water, ??

1952
The Predator’s Legacy, Barbara Livesey
Not for Charity, Christopher Greene

1972
Holt House, L. G. Vey
Judderman, D. A. Northwood
A Dedicated Friend, Shirley Longford
The Castle, Chuck Valentine
Plunge Hill: A Case Study, J. M. McVulpin
Starve Acre, Jonathan Buckley

1988
Her Hands, Caitlin T. Vale

1993
An Attempted Bibliography of the Works of Barbara Livesey, Stephen George Wallace
The Drain, Caitlin T. Vale
Our Little Group, Patricia Rivers
On Fridays, We Eat Meat, A.S. Hopewell
The Rednexorcist, Frank Sloane
Jackie's Ghost, Norman Keane
How to Mend the Sky, Ivy Liu
Servants to the King, Marion Scott

???
The Beach House, ??

Drew Broussard@drewsof· Jul 3

Rough Draft in Kingston NY has got a few copies of (most of—the Norman Keene is still on its way) the 1993 Eden Book Society novellas from @deadinkbooks.bsky.social and holy moly are they beautiful. I've got my kickstarter pledge still coming, but I don't know if I can wait to read these....

A hand holding a sandwich of books, spines towards the camera over a wooden desk. The books are small matte paperbacks, colorful and glorious. I love them.

Drew Broussard@drewsof· Jun 26

I rather think I *will* continue to call them AI girlfriend weirdos, Stephen. It does not matter if it's 1 in 5 or 1 out of 2 of nearly everybody, it's still weird! If you have a romantic engagement with a bot, you're fucking weird!!

But his instinct toward humanism, admirable as it is, can lead to oversimplified generalizations about the technology itself. “Practically everyone who falls for the A.I. hype is dreaming of getting a human need fulfilled without having to extend moral consideration,” he writes. “That’s as true of the A.I. girlfriend weirdos as it is of the bosses hoping to use A.I. to replace half their workers and terrorize the remainder.” I’m not sure you can call them “A.I. girlfriend weirdos” when, by some estimates, one in five young adults in America have engaged romantically with A.I.

Drew Broussard@drewsof· Jun 24

It's Prime Day every day at Rough Draft, if by "Prime Day" you mean "great day to pick up Muriel Spark's classic novel THE PRIME OF MISS JEAN BRODIE" — don't buy your books at Amazon, buy them at your local indie bookstore or from bookshop dot org!! Today, tomorrow, always!!

On a faded wood picnic table sits a small stuffed giraffe with a ROUGH DRAFT BAR & BOOKS bandana. In its right hand, sorta, is a full cortado in a blue cup. Before them both sits the pastel pink Olive Edition of Muriel Spark's THE PRIME OF MISS JEAN BRODIE from Harper Perennial.

Drew Broussard@drewsof· Jun 17

Though their site seems to be a bit glitchy at present, it looks like one of my favorite things I've written is finally out: "A Hell of a Tale" ran this past weekend with Macabre Magazine. You could call it a story about the horrors of serialized fiction. macabremagazine.com/a-hell-of-a-...

A Hell of a Tale

By Drew Broussard | June 13, 2026

Addie hurried through the still-foggy morning streets towards the harbor, following the thick brine on the air. She’d overslept, which was rare enough in a house full of noises like hers—but today, of all days! She gritted her teeth and hustled on.

Only when she turned the corner onto Dodson Street, with its falling slope and rolling cobble, did she allow herself to slow. She could see the quay now and, thankfully, she wasn’t so late as she’d feared. Only familiar faces, the same dedicated readers. She waved to Mrs. Henshaw, the washerwoman, who waved back and gestured that she was holding a spot for them both. Their camaraderie had grown strong over this print run.

“Morning, young Addie,” said Mr. Dischock as she came to his window. He always called her ‘young Addie,’ as though there was an older one to whom she was in constant comparison.

Drew Broussard@drewsof· Jun 16

If I'm getting shit like this, I'm certain that a lot of you are as well. I wish these grifter idiots would read the fucking room, and maybe this is exactly how the world leaves me behind but if that's the case PLEASE LEAVE ME BEHIND.

Drew Broussard@drewsof· May 23

I just got {REDACTED} in the mail from @twolinespress.com and they included perhaps the best season-announcement I've ever seen: a sticker sheet. LOOK AT THIS THING! I already wanted to read all of these books but now I also have THIS!!

Drew Broussard@drewsof· May 23

ep title slide from Star Trek: The Next Generation showing the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D) against a starfield with blue text above that reads "The Gang Violates the Prime Directive"

Drew Broussard@drewsof· May 16

Drew Broussard@drewsof· May 6

"Nemesis" is of course one of the very best and probably my actual favorite, but my most-quoted hark! a vagrant is absolutely: "what baby"

Daisy Buchanan on a couch, sitting on top of her baby, smoking, saying "what baby"

Drew Broussard@drewsof· May 3

Okay, here goes nothing, share your thoughts if you're so inclined! In whatever way you see fit! Just be nice if you're doing it on main!

my to-read shelf, which is actually a to-read bookcase six shelves tall with probably twenty-five books per shelf, give or take. I shan't list them all here, and for that I am sorry.

Drew Broussard@drewsof· Apr 29

What on *earth* is The Public Theater's new design aesthetic? Could someone check in on Paula Scher, see how she's doing?

the season-announcement graphic for The Public Theater's 26-27 season, which looks like it takes inspo from the scratchy-text horror novel cover trend from several years back. It also looks like it was lazily dashed off on an iPad in 2014? It looks bad, is what I'm saying.

Drew Broussard@drewsof· Apr 15

Kevin Barry, Jeff VanderMeer, Marie-Helene Bertino, Alix E Harrow, Kelly Link, Hazel Jane Plante, John Langan, Tana French, Samantha Hunt, Colson Whitehead, GennaRose Nethercott, Annie Hartnett, Bret Easton Ellis, Chris Holm, Sara Gran, César Aira, Ann Patchett, Lauren Groff, Jasper Fforde, Julia Armfield, Eliza Clark, John Darnielle

Drew Broussard@drewsof· Apr 12

"If there is a hell, I'll see you there" indeed. I cannot stop watching the replay of this song in particular. Holy moly.

Mariqueen Maandig Reznor and Trent Reznor singing in black leather and latex on a red-washed stage while creepy bodysuited forms move up a large staircase behind them. Aka mom and dad decided to have a fun night out at the club.

Drew Broussard@drewsof· Apr 9

Coming to a bookstore near you: the Tender Hearts treatment! Replacing the Where'd-You-Go-Bernadette, for all your "smart, kooky, family-driven (pun intended) literary fiction" needs!

The cover of Adam Wilson's FAIL SONS: A NOVEL that features the title in big bubble letters over a broken-down U-haul scene with the flat, vaguely graphic-novel-ish (or maybe Tumblr-comic-ish) style that made THE ROAD TO TENDER HEARTS so instantly iconic on a bookshelf.

Drew Broussard@drewsof· Mar 7

hell yeah I've never heard of this book and it sounds dope, thanks whatever "AI" helped me out here (youraislopbores.me)

a prompt and answer from yourAIslopboresme
I asked "I'm looking for a book recommendation, something short and weird and cool and strange, but fair warning I read a lot because I run a bookstore and also talk about books professionally"
and the "AI" answered:
Read KIMMY by Alyson Greaves

(and then below: when the LLM so ahh you lowk take over its job
https://youraislopbores.me)

Drew Broussard@drewsof· Feb 21

Ziggy is less than thrilled that I've been writing this morning instead of, you know, paying attention to her.

a photo of a medium-sized Irish terrier in increasingly-desperate need of grooming sitting on the back of a couch behind my head, having not only put one arm over my shoulder, but leaning to get up in my face.

Drew Broussard@drewsof· Jan 29

Honestly embarrassing, not least of all for the Hamilton-ass branding. There was a lot of "what would Joe Papp say/do" when I was working there and I tell you what! Joe wouldn't be doing this! ESPECIALLY not after *not participating* in tomorrow's strike!

the graphic for The Public Theater's (VERY HAMILTON-CODED) "The People's Filibuster" which reads....

NEW YORK CITY
A PROTEST FOR HUMANITY
THE PEOPLE'S
FILIBUSTER
holding the floor for justice
THE PUBLIC • Jan 31 • 11AM-7pm
The Public Theater
425 Lafayette Street

Drew Broussard@drewsof· Jan 23

I am a sucker for cool in-world book swag and @littlepuss.net really knocked it out of the park with their @chariotmarketing.bsky.social collab for @ravineangel.bsky.social's PERSONA. Makes me excited to go to start my new job there (wait, what? I didn't type that?)

on a wooden table sits a copy of Aoife Josie Clements' PERSONA in paperback. on top of that paperback is a CHARIOT branded lanyard with a "default persona" ID bage clipped to it. Next to the book/badge situation is a CHARIOT branded uhhhhh stress ball I guess but it's shaped like a coffin? There's also a credit-card-sized CHARIOT card on the table as well, split red and white. It holds secrets I have not dug into yet.

Drew Broussard@drewsof· Jan 21

genuinely love seeing this kind of editorialization from The Guardian, hope to see more outlets following this lead and saying this shit loudly and clearly and often.

Trump then claims that the US has got “nothing out of Nato”, apart from protecting Europe from Russia.

[This is, frankly, offensive. Nato’s collective defence pledge, Article 5, has only been activated once, after 9/11].

Drew Broussard@drewsof· Jan 14

a screenshot from The Journeyman Project

Drew Broussard@drewsof· Jan 13

IS THIS YOUR KING

Newsom Vows to Stop Proposed Billionaire Tax in California

Gov. Gavin Newsom said he was working behind the scenes to block a proposed tax on billionaires’ wealth and was committed to defeating the measure if it reached the ballot.

Drew Broussard@drewsof· Jan 10

Oh shit I didn't realize Carmen Maria Machado won a Nobel Peace Prize but honestly I support it even as I wonder what she's doing in Venezuela instead of working on her next book. (source: nymag.com/intelligence...)

dictator who held onto power after losing his 2024 reelection bid in a landslide, Trump has blithely dismissed Maduro’s main political opponent, Nobel Peace Prize winner Carmen María Machado, as “a very nice woman” who lacks “support or respect within the country.” Instead, Trump and Rubio have propped up Maduro’s vice-president

Drew Broussard@drewsof· Dec 31

Year-in-reading! Stats + faves! 140 books this year, substantially less than the last almost-decade (full-time employment will do that) but I'm not mad about it. Also reaaaally enjoyed hand-tracking my books after years of not tracking anything post-Goodreads. More context follows, if interesting.

2025 in review
BOOKS READ: 140
* - 13
++ - 46
+ - 36
✓ - 28
~ - 17
☹️ - 1

2025 Releases: 71
Olde Releases: 62
2026 Releases: 7

STARRED 2025 READS:
The Atlas of Hell — Nathan Ballingrud
Exit Zero — Marie-Helene Bertino
Gifted & Talented — Olivie Blake
Red Sword — Bora Chung, tr. Anton Hur
DIE, BOOK 1 — Kieron Gillen / Stephanie Hans
The Everlasting — Alix E. Harrow
The Road to Tender Hearts — Annie Hartnett
Steering the Craft — Ursula K. Le Guin
Ultramarine — Mariette Navarro, tr. Eve Hill-Agnus
Money to Burn — Asta Olivia Nordenhof, tr. Caroline Waight
There is No Antimemetics Division — QNTM
Big Fan — Alexandra Romanoff
We Hexed the Moon — Mollyhall Seeley

Drew Broussard@drewsof· Dec 28

In better news, I want to share the 2025 bestseller lists from Rough Draft, because they really blew my mind when we ran them. Check out the top twenty fiction and non-fiction titles we sold in 2025, then read on (if you want) for some musings about the state of it all.

The 2025 Fiction Bestsellers from Rough Draft Bar & Books ("displayed" in four rows of five, backdropped by one of the brick arches inside the store)

1-5: LITTLE MYSTERIES, Sara Gran; HOW TO BE EATEN, Maria Adelmann; ULTRAMARINE, Mariette Navarro, tr. Eve Hill-Agnus; THE ROAD TO TENDER HEARTS, Annie Hartnett; ALL FOURS, Miranda July
6-10: THE EMPEROR OF GLADNESS, Ocean Vuong; ATMOSPHERE, Taylor Jenkins Reid; THE ONCE AND FUTURE WITCHES, Alix E. Harrow; PEW, Catherine Lacey; THE GOD OF THE WOODS, Liz Moore
11-15: I WHO HAVE NEVER KNOWN MEN, Jacquline Harpman, tr. Ros Schwartz; MR SALARY, Sally Rooney; DIARY OF A WIMPY KID: PARTYPOOPER, Jeff Kinney; JAMES, Percival Everett; UNIVERSAL HARVESTER, John Darnielle
16-20: MARTYR!, Kaveh Akbar; A DIFFERENT KIND OF TENSION, Jonathan Lethem; HEART THE LOVER, Lily King; NORTH SUN, Ethan Rutherford; EVERYONE IS LYING TO YOU, Jo Piazza

The 2025 Non-Fiction Bestsellers from Rough Draft Bar & Books ("displayed" in four rows of five, backdropped by one of the brick arches inside the store)

1-5: THE SERVICEBERRY, Robin Wall Kimmerer; BRAIDING SWEETGRASS, Robin Wall Kimmerer; THE PHOENICIA DINER COOKBOOK; MUTUAL AID, Dean Spade; NINETEEN RESERVOIR, Lucy Sante
6-10: ONE DAY EVERYONE WILL HAVE ALWAYS BEEN AGAINST THIS, Omar El Akkad; ON TYRANNY, Timothy Snyder; WHAT IS COLOR?, Steven Weinberg; FOREST EUPHORIA, Patricia Ononiwu Kaishian; CAT, Rebecca van Laer
11-15: FORAGING & FEASTING, Dina Falconi; GEOLOGY OF THE HUDSON VALLEY, Steven Schimmrich; LOVE IN A F*CKED-UP WORLD, Dean Spade; ABUNDANCE, Ezra Klein & Derek Thompson; THE STORY OF HISTORIC KINGSTON
16-20: IS A RIVER ALIVE?, Robert Macfarlane; SIX SEASONS, Joshua McFadden; HOW TO FUCK LIKE A GIRL, Vera Blossom; HOT SHEET, Olga Massov & Sanae Lemoine; THE BOOK OF ALCHEMY, Suleika Jaouad

Drew Broussard@drewsof· Dec 20

An iMessage text exchange that begins with the cover of Pope Leo XIV's forthcoming book (it's a dark brown cover, thin gold border, POPE LEO XIV in white text then, under that, PEACE BE WITH YOU! in gold text, with smaller white text beneath reading "MY WORDS TO THE CHURCH AND TO THE WORLD" and then there's the man, the myth, the American pope raising his hands and looking fly.

Then there are the following texts:
(blue)—just impossible to not read this with the thickest accent
(blue)—ayyyy i'm da pope
(gray)—He's raisin da roof
(blue)—hahahaha
(blue)—god bless us, every one
(blue)—except the cubs
(blue)—*spits*

Drew Broussard@drewsof· Dec 10

If anybody has some money and a platform and wants to hire me to run a book club, I'm available! Might even be able to convince a man to read (gasp) a book about a woman solving a mystery!