Every castle has their secrets, and I think that’s true for this castle by the sea.

I’m in Trieste, hunting stories and wondering whose ghosts still walk these halls.

View of Miramare Castle in Trieste, Italy, a white stone fortress with towers rising above the Adriatic, framed by dark green trees under a pale blue sky. Text overlay reads: “O how I shall feel when I see the castle of Miramar among the trees and the long yellow quays of Trieste.” — James Joyce, 1909

“O how I shall feel when I see the castle of Miramar among the trees and the long yellow quays of Trieste.” — James Joyce, 1909

Text overlay reads: What might their mugshots reveal, not just about their alleged crimes, but about their lives, their conditions, and the worlds they moved through? What stories do we lose if we don’t go hunting for them? Aimee Baker Criminal. Deviant. Woman. Girlhunt.substack.com

Been writing about early mugshots and the women behind them—not as crime evidence but as historical erasure.

It’s not about true crime spectacle. It’s about how systems archived their faces & scrubbed their stories.

What can we learn from them? What happens if we start asking better questions?

We are hiring a tenure track poet! I’m so excited / spread the word… wesleyan.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/career...

Black and white photo of the scales of justice. The text reads: When they were caught, they begged to be sent to prison—not back to the reformatory. When asked why, Ruby said: “We could tell a plenty concerning the institution at York if we cared to.”

Side view of a 1920s mugshot of Ruby Fox. The text reads: When pressed for details Myrtle simply said, “Let the state tell you.” They were sentenced to one year in the Nebraska State Penitentiary

When she and another were finally captured, they asked to be sent to prison.

“We could tell a plenty concerning the institution at York if we cared to,” Ruby said.

These girls knew what awaited them.

GIRLHUNT returns Thursday. Subscribe if this is your kind of storytelling. www.girlhuntmedia.com

A black and white mugshot of a young woman from the 1920s. The text reads: This is Ruby Fox. In 1920 she was arrested for shoplifting in Scottsbluff, Nebraska

A black and white photo of a field with a woman in a 1920s style dress at the edge of the frame. The text reads: She had just moved to town and was staying with the Morrissey sisters. The the of them were caught with stolen clothing. One sister was charged. One walked free. And Ruby?

A black and white photo of a grated window. The text reads: Ruby was sent to the State Reformatory for women in York. She escaped. Then escaped again. And again.

A black and white photo of mountains in Wyoming. The text reads: Her last escape took her to Wyoming with another escaped inmate Myrtle Hettrick. They were free for months.

Ruby Fox was teenager when she was arrested for shoplifting in 1920.

What followed? Escape. Re-capture. Escape again.

She’s not anyone who would make history books, but her commentary alludes to a broken system.

A true story for GIRLHUNT (my Substack on forgotten women + true crime).

Solid rec! But I’m not sure I’ll make it through a fourth rewatch 😂

Just wrapped up Derry Girls with my daughter and we’re now officially showless.

What are your recs right now that would work for an almost 13-year-old? Bonus points if it’s got LGBTQIA+ representation. My kid didn’t really get into Derry Girls until Clare came out.

I like this way of thinking 😂

On my third cup of tea for the day. My dentist is going to be so annoyed the next time I see her. I’m damaging all the good work she’s already done 🫣

A ferry that takes cars over Lake Champlain is docked. The water is filled with broken up ice. Another ferry is approaching in the distance.

So thankful for my dog. Walking him helps me process and brainstorm story connections. W/O him there’s no way I would have been out today (7 degrees at my house -7 at kid’s school)

PS. These ferries break through ice. As the lake freezes we often see bald eagles since it’s one of the few open spots

Desk with a computer monitor, keyboard, mouse, and plant on a decorative container

Starting the week writing a poem in honor of a woman missing since 1972. Every poem I write is a reminder of what is lost when we don’t know their stories.

Screenshot of an audiobook player. The title is The Secret History of the Rape Kit by Pagan Kennedy. The book cover itself features a white woman obscured by the text and slightly blurred.

On my headphones right now…

The Best Thriller Books to Read Right Now (Gift Article) Whether you're looking for a classic or the latest and greatest, start here.

If you’re looking for a new (or old!) thriller or crime novel to read, the Book Review’s new interactive feature can definitely help you out.

Hearing a disturbance in the living room, I found my dog ripping into something. He had taken my book from the shelf and was eating it. And I mean my actual book. The one I wrote. Is this a sign of something?! 😭

Thank you for appreciating him! The rest of the family does not 😭

A Santa ornament whose suit is gold glitter hangs on a Christmas tree.

Glitter Santa has returned!

The Best Crime Novels of 2024 (Gift Article) Our columnist on the year’s most outstanding crime novels.

My Best-of crime novel list is up:

Hand holding the book “Barbara Newhall Follett: A Life in Letters” edited by Stefan Cooke. A large mixed breed dog with shaggy black and gray fur sniffs the top corner.

Today’s book mail apparently needs to pass inspection before going on the shelf.

Teachers & librarians! Want an author to Zoom into your classroom for World Read Aloud Day February 5th? Check out @katemessner.bsky.social's list here: katemessner.us20.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=...

I have one spot left! Sign up here: www.signupgenius.com/go/10C084CA4...

Across the country, people are starting meal preparations and traveling to be with friends and family.

Tell us your favorite dish on the Thanksgiving table, and we’ll share our knowledge about the work behind the ingredients. #WeFeedYou

A 1929 newspaper image. The text at top reads "Caterpillars Are Her Hobby." Below is a smiling woman standing near some flowers. Below that is a closeup of her hand with six large caterpillars on her palm.

I mean, I guess...good for her for finding her passion?

A black and white newspaper photo from 1927. It features a 12 year old girl with her long hair pulled back in a simple low ponytail. She is in side profile facing right. Her left arm is bent across her lap across what looks like a legal pad notebook. Her right hand holds back some of its pages. In the background are bookshelves. The text below reads: Barbara Newhall Follett, twelve-year-old daughter of Wilson Follett, who recently published her first novel, "The House Without Windows"

Every episode of our podcast she goes by Jane features my original poems written in honor of the missing or unidentified women we feature. These is read by celebrity guests like Kathy Najimy, Louise Penny, or Tonantzin Carmelo.

I think I need us to book a well-known novelist for this one...😔

My more experimental/lyric pieces went to Black Warrior Review and Guernica.

cover image for the podcast she goes by jane. The background is grey with black tree trunks. The text "she goes by Jane" is in the center in white.

A cover image for an episode of the podcast she goes by Jane. The background is grey with black tree trunks on top. At the top of the image is the logo for Evergreen Podcasts. In the center top it reads "Episode 63 Mimi Boomhower" and to the top right is the logo for Killer Podcasts. In the center is a circle containing a black and white photo of a white woman who appears to be in her 40s. The photo looks to have been taken in the 1930s. Her body is at an angle to the camera and she's looking to the right. Her dark hair is pulled back and she's wearing pearls. At the bottom left of the image are the podcast hosts, Aimee and Vanessa, two white women in their 40s. They stand next to text that reads "she goes by Jane." In a circle to the left of the image is a photo of the actress Amber Dawn Fox.

Long before she became a ghost story or a reality television crew clattered through her house, Mimi Boomhower was a party-loving, big-game-hunting woman who had been lying about her age for years. And in 1949 she became part of one of LA's biggest mysteries.

Listen here: shorturl.at/CEmJJ

After nearly nine years at Esquire, I’ve been laid off from my role as Books and Fiction Editor. I’m looking for a new full-time role where I can use my storytelling skills, in the book world or beyond it. If you know of anything, I’m at adriennewestenfeld@gmail.com. (🧵1/10)

I go to one at Chapter One Coffee and Tea and they are mostly 20-30 year olds (lots of my former students) and 2 books are presented each month and everyone votes. The other one I go to is at the library and it’s 40-80 year olds and we vote from a list and anyone can add to the list.

They each have their own vibe/procedure! There’s a new boba shop in town and the one hosted there is all “TikTok” popular books, but the one at the Koffee Kat is a silent book club where you hang out and read and discuss before and after.

BOOKS WE LOVE DAY!

I’ve read only 18 of these so far with plenty more sitting in my tbr.