Men would rather invent an LLM than go to therapy, etc.

The point here is not that I’m a gen AI apologist (I’m not) or that ChatGPT can help us MacGyver our way out of the mental load (it can’t), but that tech is completely oblivious to the actual realities/needs of many women-identifying users. (Also: the mental load is crushing.)

Surprising no one, this post generated lots of sexist responses! Gotta love it.

Wine, Cheese and ChatGPT: Ladies’ Night in San Francisco

For the curious, from last Oct in NYT:

www.nytimes.com/2025/10/20/s...

Truly every single time management for working moms account I follow (admittedly a lot, I know it’s obnoxious) has pivoted to ”how to get AI to do this for you.” I haven’t experimented yet-- my problems are laundry and kinder pickup, not exactly ChatGPT problems.

I would like ChatGPT to do my laundry.

Dispatch from my demographic! Working moms have Prompt Parties to swap prompts to automate/outsource mental load. We're served content about how to make ChatGPT a house manager, virtual assistant, etc. Women's uptake isn't slightly surprising, because nothing else has fixed imbalanced mental load.

Yesszz!!

To “I’m not that kind of doctor,” I will now be adding “Not that kind of agent.”

Congratulations, Bench!!!

Sean! This is so kind, thank you!!

Middlemen: Literary Agents and the Making of American Fiction by Laura B. McGrath. A revealing account of how agents have shaped book publishing and the literary canon from the 1950s to today.

In Middlemen, @lbmcgrath.bsky.social rewrites literary history from the perspective of one of its most important but least visible figures: the literary agent.

Available April 28 (23 June UK pub).

Preorder yours here: press.princeton.edu/books/hardco...

#Publishing

5.) Friends texting me pics with their copies!

6.) Friends texting me with their best guesses of the books I’ve anonymized!!! (I can neither confirm nor deny but, boy oh boy, can I enjoy the guessing game!)

Solidarity!

The cover of the May/June 2026 issue of Poets & Writers magazine, featuring a close-up of author Julia Alvarez.

There are first novels, and then there are Debuts. When, how, and why did the literary debut become such A Thing? Thrilled to see this excerpt of MIDDLEMEN published at Poets & Writers!

www.pw.org/content/the_...

And also at the American Philosophical Society! bsky.app/profile/lbmc...

So, You Want to Write a Trade Book April 15, 2026. Mazur 821. 12:00 PM. Get a clear look at how trade books move from idea to bookshelf, including how to find an agent, what to send them, and what to expect throughout the publishing ...

Philadelphia!!

There are two chances to catch lit agent @aliahanna.bsky.social today. I’ll be interviewing her about her book TAKE IT FROM ME: A LITERARY AGENTS GUIDE TO BUILDING A NON-FICTION WRITING CAREER FROM SCRATCH at Temple at noon. Register here!

docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

For those hereabouts scrambling to remediate course materials in order to meet the end of the month deadline for compliance with new federal ADA Title II standards, here is the endgame as I see it: 🧵

I really truly love to talk to students! Let me talk to yours! I hope you’ll keep MIDDLEMEN in mind as you’re planning your courses or speaker series for 26-27. (Resources need not be an obstacle.)

Too kind, both of you! (Also, I really think you should be friends with each other, so let's make that happen ASAP/at ASAP.)

A white hand holding a copy of the book MIDDLEMEN: LITERARY AGENS AND THE MAKING OF AMERICAN FICTION in front of a cherry blossom tree in full bloom.

3.) My neighborhood/front yard in full bloom! 🌸

4.) This pretty pink cover (sorry not sorry)

Things making me happy this week:

1.) talking to @manshel.bsky.social’s lovely and brilliant grad students, who asked lovely and brilliant questions!

2.) This selfie from my longtime RA, who worked on the book with me and now works in editorial at Princeton UP! Peep that pink heart!🩷

I hear that OAH is in Philly! historians, come say hi at the American Philosophical Society’s publishing salon on 4/15 at 5:30! We’re talking about publishing difficult books.

www.instagram.com/p/DVtVXa0lD5...

image of some cocktail glasses and the event name: Raise a Glass With the Writers House

South Jersey folks: April 15, join me, faculty from Rutgers-Camden MFA , and a bunch of local writers and readers for a fun, casual night of cocktails at Wildfether in Haddonfield. Only $25, no pressure, no egos, just people who like books & booze hanging out
camden.rutgers.edu/event/raise-...

It took me months to make this graph. MONTHS!

Middlemen: Literary Agents and the Making of American Fiction Literary Agents and the Making of American Fiction

Mixing metaphors with abandon, wherever books are sold.

Jaw-dropping, eye-popping, whatever.

If you want to see some eye-dropping stats about the NYC literary/journo establishment’s infatuation with the rich, and why these stories keep being told… I may have a book for you.

The Millions' Great Spring 2026 Book Preview As we slowly recover from one belligerent winter, we can look to spring as a time of growth, renewal, abundance—and nothing could be more abundant than the season’s noteworthy books. Below, you’ll…

The Millions Great Spring 2026 Book Preview is out and features six of our “enlightening,” “thought-provoking, and “stylish" titles from authors @naokan.bsky.social, @drjamesbailey.bsky.social, @lbmcgrath.bsky.social, Josefa Ros Velasco, Andrew McKenzie-McHarg, and Jeremy D. Popkin:

The 2026 U.S. Book Show program is live.

June 2–3 | NYC

Sessions on literacy, community building, podcasts, global audio, distribution, page-to-screen adaptations, data strategy, and more.

Early Bird through April 30.
🔗 buff.ly/y1V0H3I

#USBookShow #Publishing #Books