Hello.

What’s better than a bookish romance? A queer bookish romance. These LGBTQ+ romance books set in bookstores and libraries are perfect for the queer readers who love love.

Regardless of the genre, books about people who love books are always a hit with readers. The same can be said for LGBTQ+ romances set in bookstores and libraries, but in the current political climate, there is something powerful about queer people curating books for their communities and finding love, too.

While we celebrate pride, romance, librarians, and books, it’s vital to keep an eye on book-banning efforts that limit citizens’ access to freedom of speech in America. In May, HR 2616, a National “Don’t Say Trans” Bill, Passed the House in the US. All hope isn’t lost, but it’s important to act now. As Kelly Jensen points out, there is still time to stop the bill from becoming law: “Find your US Senator here. Don’t stop at contacting Senators in advance of the bill, though. Contact your representatives in the House, too, and make sure they know you’re watching what they’re doing.”

So, let’s fight for our right to read what we want as we celebrate these delightful LGBTQ+ romances set in bookstores, libraries, or other similar bookish situations.

After Hours at Dooryard Books by Cat Sebastian

In 1968 New York City, Patrick is doing his best selling used books in the city’s gayest neighborhood, when global events rattle his quiet life. First, Patrick hires Nathaniel, a secretive drifter who needs work and a place to stay. Then, his brother dies in the war, and he takes in his widow (who’s also Patrick’s best friend) and their newborn. Nathaniel didn’t expect to feel so at home hiding from the FBI in a bookstore with a queer bookseller, a grieving folk musician, a baby, and other political radicals. But the longer he stays, the more he comes to realize there is nowhere he would rather be. Together, they find a way to hope again and build a life.

Kiss Me, Maybe by Gabriella Gamez

Angela Gutierrez is an ace librarian looking to use her new online platform to secure her first kiss. She will plan an elaborate scavenger hunt and find the perfect candidate. The librarian just needs the help of the hot bartender she has an unrequited crush on, Krystal Ramirez. At this point, Krystal believes romantic love is off the table for her. But as they work together, Angela becomes less certain she wants to go through with her wild plan. Now Angela may be falling for a woman who can never love her back.

A Bluestocking’s Guide to Decadence by Jess Everlee

In Victorian London, co-owning a bookshop with her husband provides a lesbian like Jo Smith protection and security. Her husband is her best friend and her closest family, so when his paramour becomes pregnant, Joe does everything she can to help them safely deliver the baby. No self-respecting doctor would take on an unmarried pregnant woman, but Jo believes she can convince the attractive countryside bluestocking, Dr. Emily Clarke, to help. Emily may be wary of scandal, but her attraction to the bookseller overrides her good sense. As the doctor becomes acquainted with London’s underground queer scene, she finds herself warming up to Jo and the bold life ahead of her.

With Stars in Her Eyes by Andie Burke

After a severe migraine ruins her solo career debut, Courtney Starling licks her wounds in small-town Kansas, working at her best friend’s bookstore. Looking forward to burying her head in books, she didn’t expect to meet someone as wonderful as Thea Quinn. Starting a piercing job at a tattoo shop to escape her family’s expectations, Thea is stunned to find an attractive woman working next door. Joining Courtney’s historical romance book club is the perfect excuse to get to know her. As their relationship unfolds, Courtney’s past threatens to ruin their future together. But if they can chart a course forward, Courtney and Thea might just have a chance at something beautiful.

American Dreamer by Adriana Herrera

Librarian Jude Fuller is happy with the community and profession he’s built in Ithaca, but he would love to find someone to settle down with. Someone like Afro-Caribbean food truck owner Nesto Vasquez, who recently moved from New York City, looking for a place where his business can thrive. Nesto knows he should focus on work, but Jude is impossible to ignore. Jude wants to trust Nesto with his heart, even though he has been burned before. They both have to work through their baggage if they want to build a happy life together in Herrera’s delightful small-town romance.

I hope these bookish LGBTQ+ romances hit the spot this Pride month. If you are looking for other queer romance books, try these Queer Historical Romances, these Queer Hockey Romances, and these LGBTQ Romantasy Books.

In her first novel for adults, the YA author explores the dark side of writers who fictionalise their children’s lives

Children’s writers are sometimes cruel, and often damaged. And, as AS Byatt put it crisply when talking about her 2009 novel The Children’s Book: “Writing children’s books isn’t good for the writer’s own children.” Think of Christopher Milne, raging at having been Christopher Robin; Vivian Burnett, dragging Little Lord Fauntleroy behind him; Alastair Grahame, lying down on train tracks.

This is fertile material, as Byatt recognised, for a grown-up book. The American author Melissa Albert, herself a very successful children’s writer, has made it the theme of her first adult novel. The Children’s protagonist is Guinevere Sharpe, who as a grown woman is trapped by a very public version of her childhood. Her mother, Edith, a sort of JK Rowling/Enid Blyton composite, wrote an era-defining run of children’s portal fantasies called the Ninth City series, in which Guin and her older brother Ennis appeared as the named protagonists.

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It is an interesting challenge to write about someone who has been overlooked, who is overshadowed by more vibrant characters. If they are at first glance unexceptional, is that to say dull or uninteresting? Such overshadowing might be recognized as a pattern of light and shade, largely a matter of perspective, perspective that is relative and may shift over time. Despite being part of a major literary dynasty, one such woman, definitely overshadowed, and largely overlooked, is Fanny Imlay.

Fanny’s mother, Mary Wollstonecraft, was famously disparaged by Horace Walpole as “a hyena in petticoats.” It is now largely forgotten that it was not her feminist principles that Walpole was objecting to, but her republican views. He was offended that she “discharged her ink and gall on Marie Antoinette.” But times change, priorities shift, and from a twenty-first century perspective, Wollstonecraft’s politics are very much overshadowed by her feminism. Where once she was ridiculed as emotionally overwrought with outlandish opinions, now she is greatly admired for her bold life choices and the progressive views of her Vindication of the Rights of Woman. Thanks to a thorough re-evaluation in the latter part of the twentieth century, Wollstonecraft is recast as the fairy godmother of modern feminism. And somehow, along the way, the hyena insult became a feminist soubriquet, as for example in Angela Neustatter’s Hyenas in Petticoats: A look at twenty years of feminism. And feminism certainly brought about a change of perspective.

To write about Fanny is inevitably to write about how she was and is overshadowed by the originality and reputation of her mother, and by the fame and accomplishments of her half-sister.

But what of Fanny, the hyena’s daughter? In 1793, when Wollstonecraft was in Paris experiencing the French Revolution up close, she met the American “diplomat” (adventurer, blockade-runner, philanderer) Gilbert Imlay and they had a daughter Fanny. When Imlay’s affections cooled, Wollstonecraft tried to win him back by attempting to trace a cargo of silver plate (previously the property of French aristocrats) that had gone missing somewhere in Scandinavia. Imlay had been defrauded by a business associate, and he persuaded Wollstonecraft to undertake the search for the cargo on his behalf, promising that on her return, they would live together as a family, a promise that he did not keep. Taking with her only Fanny and a nursemaid, Wollstonecraft travelled to Norway, Sweden and Denmark, and during her travels, wrote dozens of letters to Imlay in which the infant Fanny might occasionally be glimpsed.

You know that as a female I am particularly attached to her, I feel more than a mother’s fondness and anxiety, when I reflect on the dependent and oppressed state of her sex. I dread lest she should be forced to sacrifice her heart to her principles, or principles to her heart. (Letters Written During a Short Residence in Sweden, Norway, and Denmark)

Was Fanny ever forced to make such a sacrifice of either her heart or her principles? Further reading leaves the question open to conjecture. Beyond a handful of letters and a rather cryptic suicide note, little hard evidence remains of Fanny Imlay.

For most writers and historians, Fanny is a minor character, overshadowed by her more famous relatives. She appears mostly in the literal and metaphorical margins of other stories and other lives. What is known, thanks in part to a report in the Cambrian newspaper of October 1816, is that at the age of twenty-two, Fanny traveled alone from London to Swansea, locked herself in a room at the Mackworth Arms Hotel and drank enough laudanum to end her life. Her body was neither officially identified nor claimed by her family, but a sympathetic coroner declared her simply “found dead” and she was buried in an unmarked grave at the expense of the parish.

It is quite probable that the distress and shame caused by Fanny’s suicide would have been enough reason for her family to erase all trace of her. Suicide, at that time, was considered to be a mortal sin and furthermore, was against the law, a law not fully repealed in England and Wales until 1961. Most of Fanny’s letters were destroyed, or at the very least, not preserved. There is no known portrait, no headstone, no heirloom, no lock of hair. Her family let it be supposed that she had gone to live with her aunts in Dublin and had subsequently died of a cold.

Why did Fanny kill herself? What drove her to this extreme action? Was it a matter of her heart or her principles? This is the story that interests me, but telling the story of Fanny Imlay is impossible without also telling the story of Wollstonecraft’s other daughter, Fanny’s half-sister.

After Gilbert Imlay had totally rejected Mary Wollstonecraft, and after, in desperation, she had made two unsuccessful suicide attempts, she met and fell in love with the political philosopher William Godwin. Despite their shared radical views on marriage as an “odious monopoly,” when Mary fell pregnant, they tied the knot. The marriage legitimized the expected baby, but by drawing attention to the fact that Wollstonecraft and Imlay had not been married, it exposed Fanny, according to Charlotte Gordon’s Romantic Outlaws, as “the most notorious bastard.” The new baby, another Mary, was born in August 1797 and would grow up to marry a poet and become Mary Shelley.

So, to write about Fanny is inevitably to write about how she was and is overshadowed by the originality and reputation of her mother, and by the fame and accomplishments of her half-sister, Mary Shelley. And there is a third sister that must be included in the story. A few days after giving birth, Wollstonecraft died of puerperal fever leaving the rather stern and bookish Godwin to raise her daughters. Finding being a single parent taxing, Godwin married his neighbor, Mrs. Clairemont, and besides a stepmother they didn’t really want, Fanny and Mary gained a stepsister, Claire Clairemont.

Claire was for a time a gooseberry in the famous relationship that blossomed between the then-sixteen-year-old Mary and the already-married poet Percy Bysshe Shelley. In 1814, when Mary and Percy scandalously “eloped,” Claire went with them. When, after six weeks abroad, they returned to London, Claire returned too and lived with them for many years. But in 1816, Claire set her sights on a poet of her own, the more wealthy, more famous, even more disreputable poet, Lord Byron. Of course she got pregnant: “this is what comes of putting it about” Byron wrote rather dryly to a friend. Of course, he subsequently dumped her, and wrote to his half-sister Augusta:

You know that odd-headed girl? I never loved her nor pretended to love her, but a man is a man, and if a girl of eighteen comes prancing to you at all hours of the night, there is but one way. (Byron: Letters and Journals)

So, scandal and drama played a considerable part in the early lives of Mary and Claire. It all makes for a good story, a story that has been told countless times. But Fanny hardly figures in it. In some retellings, she is written out and doesn’t figure at all, for example in Haifaa al-Mansour’s 2017 film, Mary Shelley.

While Mary and Claire were falling in love with Romantic poets, traveling abroad, getting pregnant, where was Fanny? What was Fanny doing? She was unconventionally educated but undoubtedly well read, intelligent and articulate. Fanny’s few surviving letters testify to her interests in poetry, education, art history, literature, current affairs, social politics, and the wellbeing of her extended family. She was entrusted by Godwin to deputize for him in his business and financial affairs. She counted Aaron Burr (former USA vice president), Samuel Taylor Coleridge (poet), Humphry Davy (scientist), Charles and Mary Lamb (writers), and Robert Owen (industrialist, politician and philanthropist) amongst her acquaintances. And yet, we know little of her day-to-day life. Fanny is a shadowy figure compared to Mary and Claire, who seem more vibrant, arguably bolder, or more reckless, and who have been significantly better preserved, better researched, and more widely written about.

But shadows are a trick of the light, a matter of perspective. Mary and Claire in their turn were overshadowed by the men in their lives: the Romantic poets Percy Bysshe Shelley and Lord Byron. Both poets achieved critical acclaim for their writing and notoriety for their behavior. They burned brightly and died young (Shelley at twenty-eight, Byron at thirty-six), which seemed only to add to their allure. Some of what we know about Fanny, Mary and Claire, we only know thanks to the intense nineteenth-century interest in the lives and works of Shelley and Byron. Letters, journals and manuscripts were assiduously collected, catalogued and archived by figures such as Lord Abinger whose collection is now in the Bodleian Library in Oxford, and Carl H. Pforzheimer whose collection is in the public library in New York.

Henry James captured the intensity of the literary scavenger hunt for relics of the Romantic poets in a novella first published in The Atlantic Monthly in 1888. James’s novella The Aspern Papers tells the story of how an ardent admirer of a dead poet attempts by various means to get his hands on some of the poet’s old letters. He has heard rumors that a cache of letters has been stashed away by a very old lady who was once the poet’s friend, or perhaps lover. Henry James based the narrative on real events, when American Shelley superfan, Edward Augustus Silsbee, contacted an elderly Claire Clairmont with a view to obtaining any information or documents she had concerning Shelley. Silsbee visited Claire regularly and took copious notes.

After the death of Claire and Byron’s daughter Allegra (aged five), and Shelley’s death in a boating accident, Claire and Mary finally separated. Claire then made an independent living as a governess and tried hard to distance herself from the scandals of Shelley and Byron. Such scandal, “a handle for mischief” as she called it, damaged her prospects. She wrote to Edward Trelawny who had been with them in Italy when Shelley drowned.

I disapprove of Mr Rossetti’s mentioning me at all in his Life of Shelley, my actions have nothing to do with the Poet […] Mr Rossetti should have remembered an individual’s private history is their own property, whom no one has a right to publish. (The Clairmont Correspondence)

Yet some of the snippets of information about Fanny come from Claire: from her letters to Trelawny and her conversations with Silsbee. One such snippet is that when Shelley first became a regular visitor to the Godwin household, it was not Mary that he was attracted to, but Fanny. Was Fanny upset by this transfer of Shelley’s affections, or was it she who rejected his advances? Of course, Trelawny and Silsbee were never particularly interested in asking such a question. Fanny was unimportant. She was almost entirely eclipsed by her more famous half/stepsisters, as they in turn were overshadowed by Shelley and Byron.

In a way, Claire got the last laugh. She had written no masterpiece, published nothing, but she had managed to survive the others by several decades. There was no one left to contradict her, and she got to tell her version of events.

*

It is then impossible to write about Fanny without writing about Mary and Claire, and impossible to write about Mary and Claire without writing about Shelley and Byron. Just as Fanny was overshadowed by her sisters, her sisters’ lives and reputations were overshadowed by the men they outlived. For early biographers such as Trelawny (1858), Rossetti (1886), Dowden (1886), Ingpen (1927), and White (1940), the women figure mainly as romantic interest, as muses, as admiring acolytes.

Arguably, times have changed. Mary Shelley is of considerable scholarly interest and is more talked about than her husband whose poetry is less in vogue than it used to be. She wrote many novels, short stories, biographies of other writers and was widely published, though all are eclipsed by the first novel she wrote, you know the one? The one that was originally published anonymously, the one that early readers attributed to Percy Bysshe Shelley, because it is an extraordinary story and hardly likely to have been penned by a girl. Early scholars pored over her original manuscripts to prove that he not she should be credited with authorship. Later scholars of a more feminist bent have pored over the same manuscripts to argue that she not he was most definitely the true author. And although issues of attribution have now largely been settled, there is still an issue with overshadowing.

This is what makes Fanny worth writing about. Her openness, her immediacy, her frankness in sharing how she saw things.

Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus is more read about than read. But at least its reputation now exceeds “mad scientist creates monster” and themes of man’s overreaching, paternity, and nature versus nurture are recognized, as discussed recently on Dominic Sandbrook and Tabitha Syrett’s Book Club podcast Frankenstein: Horror, Humanity, and Hubris. The novel been repeatedly dramatized for stage and screen. Some treatments have closely followed the text, such as Nick Dear’s stage play for the Royal National Theatre (2011), directed by Danny Boyle, with Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller interchangeable as Frankenstein and his creature. Others have a looser take, including Guillermo del Toro’s 2025 film starring Oscar Isaac and Jacob Elordi which aims for gothic spectacle rather than fidelity to the text. However, I suspect that in the cultural imagination Mary Shelley’s original characters are even now overshadowed by a green-headed, bolt-necked Boris Karloff.

*

Where is Fanny amongst all this scandalous conduct and penning of literary masterpieces? She seems to have lived a quiet life in Skinner Street, Holborn with her stepfather William Godwin and his second wife. Her own prospects were limited, and to some extent damaged by scandals that were not of her making. I imagine she felt rejected, left behind by her sisters, shut out from their lives. I imagine she made herself useful and anticipated a quiet future perhaps as a schoolteacher. Then in October 1816, some unknown catalyst prompted her journey to Swansea.

An assumption made by Shelley’s early biographers was that Fanny killed herself because of unrequited love. According to historian Burton Pollin:

“She was hopelessly in love with Shelley and desperate about Mary’s having captured him […] for herself.” (Pollin, 1965)

This is a theory that I find wholly implausible. From her letters, it is evident that Fanny was pragmatic about her prospects. Surely it is more credible that she would have come to terms with any hurt caused by Shelley’s early attention to her, attention which in any event, she may have rejected due to his pre-existing marriage. Pollin’s theory places Shelley at the epicenter of Fanny’s world, eclipsing all other concerns and interests. This theory is a product of its time, a more chauvinistic era, confident in the significance of men, the necessity of men, and their unquestionable desirability. It suggests a mindset that was overly invested the appeal of Shelley as a partner, and in the love-plot as every woman’s overriding desire. Contrary to this, I think Fanny’s few remaining letters and the breadth of her interests show that she was more complicated and more self-reliant. Also, Fanny seems to have been a fair judge of people. In reply to a letter from Mary mentioning Lord Byron, Fanny wrote,

“do in your next oblige me by telling me the minutest particulars of him for it is from the smallest things that you learn most of character.” (The Clairmont Correspondence)

I imagine that Fanny enjoyed Shelley’s company and admired his poetry, but was clear sighted and fully cognizant of his weaknesses as a man.

*

What makes Fanny Imlay worth writing about? Despite, and strangely because of, the slightness of evidence, Fanny is a lens through which we might view her scandalous literary family. But additionally, Fanny’s letters reveal her to have been thoroughly alive to herself and to her world; she is interesting in her own right. In a letter to Mary, she wrote:

I endeavour to be as frank to you as possible that you may understand my real character. (The Clairmont Correspondence)

An in October 1816, a week before her suicide, Fanny wrote to her half-sister:

My dear Mary, I write immediately on the receipt of yours because I think one always expresses oneself better immediately under the influence of any impression which has been made upon our feelings, and we, to a certain degree see things in a much more vivid manner under those circumstances. (The Clairmont Correspondence)

This is what makes Fanny worth writing about. Her openness, her immediacy, her frankness in sharing how she saw things. She offers a unique and objective sensibility, caught as she was, on the cusp between the Enlightenment thinking of her Godwinian upbringing and the Romanticism her sisters embraced.

In the absence of Fanny’s own explanation, it is impossible to know what was in her mind as she took the stopper from that bottle of laudanum, but I would certainly argue for reframing her, not as an infatuated love-sick girl, but as an intelligent and independent thinker. I suspect that for Fanny, rather than one overwhelming thing, there was a plurality of causes and causal contexts stacked against her. Whether we now choose to see the balance of probability tipped in favor of self-determination or irrational sentimentality, to see Fanny’s suicide as motivated by reason or romanticism, maybe it comes down to the same dichotomy recognized years earlier by Mary Wollstonecraft: Principles or heart?

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The Hyena’s Daughter by Jupiter Jones is available from Weatherglass Books.

Maggie O’Farrell’s Land, Thomas W. Laqueur’s The Dog’s Gaze, and Ann Patchett’s Whistler all feature among the best reviewed books of the week.

Brought to you by Book Marks, Lit Hub’s home for book reviews.

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Fiction

1. Land by Maggie O’Farrell

(Knopf)

14 Rave • 1 Positive • 3 Mixed • 1 Pan

“A soaring, visionary narrative that connects the known world to the misty realms of Celtic legend … As the struggling men and women in Land endure defeat and distrust victory, it is their frailty as much as their strength that wins our sympathy and holds our attention … Her lyrical descriptions bring fresh poignancy to well-worn scenes of exile.”

, Anna Mundow (The Wall Street Journal)

2. Whistler by Ann Patchett

(Harper)

11 Rave • 5 Positive • 2 Pan

Read an excerpt from Whistler here

“Is there a place in serious literature for kind, happy characters and kind, happy stories? This intimate and entertaining novel makes the strong case that there is; as demonstrated across her work, such sturdiness of spirit is part of Patchett’s generous worldview.”

, Helen Schulman (The New York Times Book Review)

3. Drayton and Mackenzie by Alexander Starritt

(Atlantic Monthly Press)

9 Rave • 2 Mixed

“It’s a mark of Starritt’s confidence that the quest to harness tidal power, the book’s main business, gets going only 200 pages in. We feel in safe hands from the start, reassured that he knows the story’s every last turn … With a joyful knack for pithy analogy, the writing holds our attention as much as the events … while there’s no shortage of chat about electrolysers and optimal blade rotation, Starritt keeps his focus on the human story of invention: dangling quietly over the action is the fact that James, lauded as a visionary, relies mostly for his ideas on other people. In the end, though, critique of disruptor-era genius is less important here than feeling and friendship.”

, Anthony Cummins (The Guardian)

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Nonfiction

1. The Dog’s Gaze: A Visual History by Thomas W. Laqueur

(Penguin Press)

6 Rave • 3 Positive • 1 Mixed

“A clever and beautiful survey of dogs in painting, with a brilliant interpretation of their role at its heart … Luminous … Laqueur takes us on a wonderfully illustrated tour of dogs in art … By the end of this clever, beautiful book, Laqueur has persuasively made his point that the dog’s function in western art is to provide an entry-point or alter ego for viewers who might otherwise feel overwhelmed or outclassed.”

, Kathryn Hughes (The Guardian)

2. 1873: The Rothschilds, the First Great Depression, and the Making of the Modern World by Liaquat Ahamed

(Penguin Press)

4 Rave • 1 Positive • 1 Mixed

“A lively and compelling account … Without ever coming out and saying so, Ahamed presents a world-spanning financial system that was rotten to its core, a machine that ran on lies, bribes and greed, busily manufacturing its own political opponents … A longtime banker and hedge fund adviser, Ahamed knows what he’s doing … Ahamed tells his story with an easy fluency and a high velocity, while navigating less familiar terrain with great confidence.”

, Trevor Jackson (The New York Times Book Review)

3. The Long Revolution: Creating a United States After 1776 by Nathan Perl-Rosenthal

(Basic Books)

4 Rave • 1 Positive

“Illuminating … Mr. Perl-Rosenthal is excellent on the Revolution’s interpretive flexibility, its capacity to be claimed and reshaped by groups far beyond the Founders’ original horizon … Widening of the Revolution’s meaning is one of the book’s most persuasive themes and gives substance to the author’s larger claim that the Revolution persists as an unfinished project … He writes with clarity and a welcome lack of cant, and he has an eye for the telling detail.”

, David S. Reynolds (The Wall Street Journal)

People participate in the Philadelphia Activities Fair at the Philadelphia Ethical Society on April 12, 2026. | Hannah Beier for Vox

Caitlin Squier-Roper, 45, recently discovered an intriguing club on Instagram: Philly Cooks a Book, a monthly meetup where locals prepare and share an assigned recipe from a specified cookbook. She could’ve enrolled through the group’s social media and shown up to a meeting, dish in hand, not knowing a single soul. So she held off on joining.

It wasn’t until Squier-Roper and her husband Anthony Fernandez, 42, attended the Philadelphia Activities Fair that she decided to get involved. Squier-Roper and Fernandez recently moved to Philadelphia after living in Seattle for over a decade and didn’t have a network in their new city beyond their families. When they heard about the Activities Fair, a one-day exhibition of clubs, civic groups, and community organizations enrolling new members, the couple thought it the perfect opportunity to spread their social wings.

Thousands of other people had the same idea.

On a Sunday in April, around 2,300 attendees crowded every inch of available space in a historic downtown civic center to discover, and potentially sign up, for a club. Outside, it was the perfect kind of spring day: abundant sunshine, a light breeze, giving way for the serendipitous pop-ins from curious passersby. Inside, spectators shuffled, shoulder to shoulder, in single-file lines up and down the building’s winding staircase and through two rooms of tables representing more than 40 clubs, including a community for Black artists, a book club but for podcasts, and an a cappella group, stopping to chat with organization leaders and join their ranks. It was in one of these glacial plods around the ground floor of the event space when I met Squier-Roper and Fernandez. They’d already signed up for the cookbook club, the a cappella choir, and a cycling group.

The event itself, structured as it was, was novel for the couple and Squier-Roper said she was nervous to attend. “It seems out of the box and vulnerable,” she told me. But, looking around the room, she was in good company. “It’s helpful to see how many other people are here in the same searching situation,” she said. “It’s pretty cool.”

If Squier-Roper and Fernandez have felt socially adrift as of late, they certainly are not alone. The 2025 American Psychological Association’s Stress in America survey found that about half of US adults reported feeling isolated, left out, or lacking companionship at least some of the time. According to Harvard Graduate School of Education’s Making Caring Common Project’s 2024 survey, 21 percent of respondents said they were seriously lonely, over two thirds of whom felt like they lacked belonging in meaningful groups.

Loneliness has become something of a buzzword: The US surgeon general and the World Health Organization have issued warnings about its harms, and brands and startups shill their products as the potential solution. Despite the shallowness of viral marketing campaigns and AI chatbots designed to absorb the role of friends, the problem is serious. Decades of research supports the dangers of chronic loneliness and social isolation: increased cardiovascular health risks; links to personality disorders, suicide, cognitive decline, and depressive symptoms; even a higher likelihood of mortality.

Although many Americans say they’re lonely, and perhaps have become more aware of its negative impacts, they don’t seem to be prioritizing activities that foster connection. According to the American Time Use Survey, people spent nearly half of their waking time, more than  six-and-a-half-hours, alone in 2024, compared to just under five hours in 2003. Young people spent 45 percent more time alone in 2023 than they did in 2010. What are we doing with all this time in solitude? Watching TV, staring at our phones, gaming, mostly.

Against this backdrop, a crop of community-minded organizers stumbled into a similar train of thought: People are disconnected (perhaps I am one of these people). My city has a treasure trove of hobby clubs and civic organizations. If I lead a horse to water, can I get it to drink? From this seed of an idea, a genre of connectedness events was born, the activity fair, stuff to do fair, joining fair. From Philadelphia to Oakland, a wave of well-attended one-day activity fairs are the latest grassroots efforts to combat loneliness and connect people to their communities. These festivals operate under a simple premise: getting people in a room with club representatives is more effective and less overwhelming than scouring the internet, and it lowers the barrier to entry.

“If there are things to join, people will join them,” Pete Davis, co-director of the documentary Join or Die, told me. But first they have to find them.

A nation of clubs

From the dawn of civilization, humans have hung out in group settings. The Romans had professional organizations known as collegia, medieval Europe had guilds, Victorian England had (exclusively male) social clubs. In the United States, people formed and joined groups of all kinds, from the Freemasons and abolitionist societies to women’s suffrage clubs and the Elks.

But participation in these groups has declined, as political scientist Robert Putnam famously explained in his book Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community, first published in 2000. Putnam found that enrollment in clubs of all kinds had dropped since the 1960s. Conditions have seemingly not improved. The inaugural Social Connection in America report, released last year, found that two-thirds of participants don’t belong to or never attend a meeting of any sort of organization or club. A 2024 survey from the Survey Center on American Life found that fewer than two in 10 Americans were members of hobby or activity groups, neighborhood associations, sports leagues, or parent groups.

Group membership confers many benefits. Research has shown that joining a community group led to reduced loneliness and increased social support for older adults. A scientific review found that sports team participation improved well-being, reduced stress, and increased social functioning. Being in multiple groups makes people happier.

The regularity with which you meet makes clubs effective friendship-builders: If you see someone frequently enough, it’s easier to forge a relationship with them. Even if full-fledged friendship isn’t the goal, simply making acquaintances is sufficient to stave off loneliness and foster a sense of belonging. As Putnam wrote in Bowling Alone, “As a rough rule of thumb, if you belong to no groups but decide to join one, you cut your risk of dying over the next year in half.”

America has appeared to be club-curious as of late. In the years following the Covid-19 lockdowns, many people have yearned for tangible social connection, with the proliferation of supper clubs, run clubs, silent book clubs, and other activity- and identity-focused groups. “What I’m seeing is really in this last year, such a renewed interest in hobbies, hobbies for health,” said Julia Hotz, the author of The Connection Cure: The Prescriptive Power of Movement, Nature, Art, Service, and Belonging.

Participation “on-ramps”

Activity fairs are the natural next step in bridging the gap between the crop of niche and hyper-local clubs and a curious, but overwhelmed, populace. The concept is no different than welcome week activities at college campuses where a quorum of university clubs table and recruit new members. Designed to reach members of the wider community, club fairs operate as a live directory of a city’s offerings, all under one roof. “There’s no shortage of Instagram accounts and apps of things to do, concerts, events,” Brian Adoff, the founder of Join Philly, the group that organized the Philadelphia Activities Fair, told me. “And people still can’t find stuff.”

Adoff has long understood the benefits of clubs. In 2023, he and a friend founded a choir, bringing strangers of all ages to bars for impromptu concerts. Many attendees, he noticed, were attending solo, new to the city, or both, and formed friendships from the group. But it wasn’t until he attended a screening of Join or Die, a 2023 documentary extolling the benefits of joining clubs, compounding on Putnam’s work, that Adoff thought, I want to do this.

When I checked in with Adoff at the Philadelphia Activities Fair, he was standing on a stage overlooking the ground floor of the event, getting a good glimpse of the hundreds of locals learning about the dozens of clubs he’d brought there.

Join Philly initially began as an online directory of clubs and associations, and the issue wasn’t finding clubs to showcase, there were plenty of those. It was getting people to participate. Sure, locals could scour the internet for a hobby group, but what if they weren’t even sure what to search for? What if they’re a little shy and walking into a room full of people they don’t know makes their stomach turn? Putting the club-curious in the same room as the groups solved some of these issues, a concept Adoff refers to as a participatory “on-ramp.” “That was the first on-ramp,” Adoff said. “How do we make this easier?”

C.C. Tellez, 48, the executive director of Lez Run, an LGBTQ+ running club, found this direct approach effective at quelling prospective members’ concerns. “Online, people like the idea of something, but they’re afraid to take the first step,” Tellez told me over the thrum of the Philadelphia Activities Fair. Tellez was approached in person by people who follow Lez Run on Instagram but were concerned about the pace, about being new. “We let them know we welcome everybody: different paces, different setups, whatever you’ve got going on, we welcome it here,” Tellez said.

“Versions of you”

I first became aware of activity fairs in 2025, when I learned of one happening in Lancaster, a small Pennsylvania city not far from Philadelphia. Hundreds of people crowded into a community center in the middle of winter to learn about a brewing club, rugby team, a mechanical keyboard club.

The event’s organizer, Sav Thorpe Capizzi, had a lightbulb moment after a friend invited her square dancing a few years ago, something she’d never done before. As she do-si-do-ed with strangers, Capizzi wasn’t worried about how she looked or her skill (or lack thereof). “I just felt so alive in that moment and I was just so grateful to the part of me that just said yes to potentially looking a little foolish,” she told me. “And I was like, ‘Okay, so I need to invite everybody I know to every club I can think of right now.’”

Unaware of any other event geared specifically toward adults, Capizzi sent an email first to the town library, then a guild of crafters, and eventually cobbled together a list of exhibitors. She dubbed her version the Stuff to Do Fair and from that initial event sprung an offshoot in a smaller Pennsylvania town and, also the more robust second-annual Lancaster Stuff to Do Fair. This year, Capizzi doubled the amount of exhibiting clubs to 50 and nearly 600 people attended, she said.

In Capizzi’s estimation, fear of being bad at something is the biggest barrier to entry for any potential new club attendee, feeling like you’re not the kind of person who has the body for roller derby or the wit for improv comedy. Activity fairs give the shy, the uncertain, the hesitant permission to imagine themselves as someone who does. “There’s this air of novelty of all of the versions of you that exist at each of these tables,” she said. “It’s exciting, it’s thrilling, and I think it really gives people the opportunity to see themselves actually becoming the kind of person who enrolls in a class or takes up sketching after so many years.”

An excuse to be social

The Stuff to Do Fair, as well as the Philadelphia Activities Fair and the other club fairs I came across in my reporting, were organized by individuals, and perhaps that’s part of their charm. They’re scrappy and community-driven. But it’s easy to imagine a world in which these events might be sanctioned by local governments to promote public health. Social prescribing, a practice where patients receive a script not for pills but attendance at a community group, has gained momentum around the world, with medical professionals connecting patients to cycling clubs, performing arts groups, or volunteer organizations. Recent research has found social prescribing in the United Kingdom, where it was first developed, has led to improvements in wellbeing, happiness, and life satisfaction.

In place of a medical professional linking individuals to groups and activities that might benefit their mental or physical health, there could be activity fairs. “In other countries where we have more government support for social prescribing programs, what that government support goes to are up-to-date databases of the different activities that exist,” Hotz, the author of The Connection Cure, told me. If online listings and databases are out of date, well-intentioned would-be participants could be easily deterred, however motivated they might be. Solely relying on the internet to disseminate cub information means those with unreliable access or who aren’t tech-savvy are shut out from opportunities, too.

“An activity fair, giving you the information in real time and letting you meet with the people part of it in real time, I think just goes such a long way in making sure that your interest becomes a reality,” Hotz said.

Social prescribing gives people permission to do something meaningful, and to be convivial in the process. And so do activity fairs. “What a joining fair is is answering the question, What are you doing alone that you could be doing together? by having a cooperative recruiting event,” said Pete Davis, one of the directors of Join or Die.

In addition to a traditional screening tour, Davis, and his co-director and sister Rebecca (who was a supervising producer for the second season of Vox’s Netflix show, Explained) helped dozens of community organizers across the country host their own joining fairs in order to promote their film. But even if event planners didn’t work with the Davises directly, their documentary served as a point of inspiration.

Like Adoff in Philadelphia, Jared Joiner watched the Davises’ documentary, and it set the wheels in motion for his own fair in Oakland. That his actual last name is Joiner is not lost on him. “I had not thought about it in this world of joining clubs and joining organizations until the first time that I watched Join or Die and they say ‘joiner’ so many times in it and I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, am I destined to do this work?’” he told me.

The same day that thousands of Philadelphians signed up for clubs at Join Philly, Oakland hosted its first Join-Up at a brewery in the midst of torrential downpours. Although the event had a smaller footprint, about 250 attendees and 22 organizations, many club representatives told Joiner they ran out of sign-up sheets.

Catalysts for connection

There’s something to be said about the kind of person who attends an activity fair. “There’s definitely a self-selecting group that’s like, ‘I’m going to get off the couch to go to this thing, so I better sign up for stuff once I’m there,’” Joiner says. But there are a myriad of motivating factors getting those people off the couch in the first place: a recent move, a loss, a birth, a new job, a desire to unplug, to learn a new skill.

The consequence, deliberate or not, is the forging of new social connections. When our worlds shrink to the confines of our homes and our screens, intentionally exposing ourselves to newfound (or newly rediscovered) activities and new people helps broaden them again. Clubs, with their regular, predetermined cadence and specific focus, are the ideal entry points to connection: Striking up a conversation is simple when you already have something in common, the activity itself.

Toward the end of my afternoon at the Philadelphia Activities Fair, I ran into Deborah Winter and Terry Borden, both 71, as they finished a lap on the first floor of the exhibition. Winter is moving to Philly soon, and although Borden has been a resident for two decades, they both are still on that never-ending path toward community. “It’s hard to find your people,” Borden told me.

Through clubs they signed up for, a book club, a skill-share, they hope to find both friendships and more casual relationships, something they’re already practicing. As it turns out, the two women are new friends themselves, recently introduced by a mutual.

Even if they didn’t branch out at any of their new groups, I thought, at least they could reminisce, some day in the future, about this event, about the time they went out on a limb and joined a few clubs. Maybe the groups were boring or not quite the right fit, maybe they weren’t. But they tried something unfamiliar, together, and that’s something.

Sawmill worker dies in machinery accident at Alabama lumberyard June 4, 2026 | 1:03 pm CDT

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Woodworking Industry News

Sawmill worker dies in machinery accident at Alabama lumberyard

By

Larry Adams

June 4, 2026 | 1:03 pm CDT

Print

A man was killed in an industrial accident at a Tuscaloosa County, Alabama, lumber mill. 

According to the Tuscaloosa County Sheriff's office, deputies responded to a medical call at approximately 7 p.m. on June 3 at W.G. Sullivan's lumber yard and sawmill in the 16000 block of Highway 171.

Tuscaloosa Violent Crimes Unit Capt. Jack Kennedy said the employee had been severely injured by industrial machinery and was pronounced dead on the scene.

The Sheriff's Office's Violent Crimes Unit (VCU) is conducting a death investigation alongside the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences Medical Examiner's Office, but investigators said there is currently no indication of foul play.

Kennedy said that because there is nothing to suggest foul play, authorities will not be releasing the victim’s name.

.

Have something to say? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.

About the author

Larry Adams

| Editor

Larry Adams is a Chicago-based writer and editor who writes about how things get done. A former wire service and community newspaper reporter, Larry is an award-winning writer with more than three decades of experience. In addition to writing about woodworking, he has covered science, metrology, metalworking, industrial design, quality control, imaging, Swiss and micromanufacturing . He was previously a Tabbie Award winner for his coverage of nano-based coatings technology for the automotive industry. Larry volunteers for the historic preservation group, the Kalo Foundation/Ianelli Studios, and the science-based group, Chicago Council on Science and Technology (C2ST).

Read more articles from this author

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When [Marsupial] picked up a vintage Sansusi P-L45 turntable, he figured it would be an easy fix: a few capacitors, a belt or two, and maybe a new cartridge, the usual. But it turned out the electronics were fried, which set the stage for an upgrade that turned it into what may be the world’s only ESP32-driven, Home Assistant integrated, linear tracking turntable.

That last bit, the linear tracking, is why the turntable originally had a microprocessor in the first place: rather than an arm that pivots along the groove naturally, fancy turntables towards the end of the golden era of vinyl slid the needle along a linear track at a variable speed to follow the spiral groove on the record. You can see that in action in the demo video below, though it’s of a working version owned by [BFinks].

The fancy linear mechanism required electronic control to match the speed to the RPM, and in the example of Sansusi’s P-L45, that was provided by an NEC microcontroller on a daughter-board labelled “F4992 CPU”. CPU is a grandiose title, perhaps, but that’s irrelevant since the chip on the board was deader than disco.

That meant [Marsupial] had some reverse engineering to do, figuring out exactly what that chip did to drive this board, in order to replicate its behavior on an ESP32-S3. Luckily the golden era of vinyl correlated with the golden era of service manuals, and the manuals are still available, so [Marsupial] had a big leg up on that. After making the turntable work like stock, what else to do with the extra capability of the ESP32 than plug it into HA and make it really automatic?

Of course it wasn’t quite that easy: a new daughter-board was created that needed to do level shifting to the ESP32’s modern 3.3 V logic as well as hardware debounce on some inputs. The whole saga is very well documented on [Marsupial]’s blog WeAreAllGeeks. The link here takes you to the overview, but he’s got a lot more info on other pages, and of course links to the firmware and PCB design if you happen to have a Sansusi turntable in need of a brain transplant.

Vinyl lovers will appreciate this project much more than the last ESP32 “turntable” we featured, which was anything but. If you want to get into records but don’t have a turntable, you can always make your own.

With how much time many of us spend in our cars, it makes perfect sense to consider them a second home. Yet even if that’s not the case, there are still good reasons to connect a car to one’s smart home solution like Home Assistant, such as to keep track of certain parameters for easy monitoring and reminders. This is what [The Stock Pot] channel recently demonstrated using a widget that connects to the OBD-II port inside the car, as not every car comes with its own app yet.

The used dongle is the ESP32-S3-based WiCAN from Australian company MeatPi. This device runs the open source WiCAN firmware. After plugging the dongle into the OBD-II port of the car, the device powers on and can be configured via Wi-Fi like any other smart device these days. After that it’s just another Wi-Fi device on the network.

Since each car’s ECU will represent data differently, you need a car-specific configuration, which can take some tweaking. The idea of integrating with Home Assistant is directly supported by MeatPi, with a handy documentation page. Of course [The Stock Pot] shared their configuration if you want to feel inspired. Among the parameters monitored you get things like fuel level, days to service and coolant temperature.

Although you could make the argument that it mostly saves you from having to waddle over to the car to check the data there, being able to remotely access the OBD-II port of a car does seem rather practical even outside of home automation concepts, such as gathering performance statistics and early failure warnings, especially for aspects like tire pressure and unhappy engine or BEV battery conditions that can quickly go from an inconvenience to very expensive.

Welcome back to The Spark, our monthly celebration of how people just like you are creating positive change, one meaningful step at a time. The Spark is generously supported by Laura Rice. Sign up to Reasons to be Cheerful’s weekly newsletter here and you’ll get The Spark in your inbox at the start of each month

In this issue

Throw a block party and make your street safer

How neighborly rides can fix a transit desert

Does your community need a walk audit?

A safer street disguised as a block party

The leafy residential neighborhood that runs along Ninth Street in Berkeley, California, is frequently used as a high-speed corridor by drivers passing through. But on a Saturday in April last year, this speeding traffic was banished from one block of the street, and replaced with a two-way bike lane, rubber speed humps and cones that would allow only local traffic to enter.

The new configuration, which lasted just one afternoon, employed a touch of harmless subterfuge. Ninth Street neighbors and the local organization Bike East Bay got a permit from the city for a block party, then turned the “party” into a shining example of how safer, slower, human-centered streets can benefit a neighborhood. Alongside a potluck and a free repair station set up by a bike shop, volunteers surveyed locals about how they liked the bike lanes and street features.

While short-lived, pop-ups like this can give residents a chance to try out different street configurations, and provide data that can then be used to advocate for longer-term change.

Pop-ups like the one on Ninth Street often include a free bike repair station. Courtesy of Bike East Bay

“I’ve experienced the impact of seeing it,” says Hilary Near, the Ninth Street resident who applied for the block party permit.

Cycling is booming in the U.S. During the pandemic, between 2019 and 2022, the number of daily trips Americans took by bicycle increased by 37 percent. In places with mild weather and robust bike infrastructure, cycling rates rose even more. Yet in many U.S. neighborhoods, riding a bike can be dangerous. Almost 1,000 cyclists are killed in crashes involving motor vehicles in the U.S. each year.

Infrastructure, research finds, is key to making cycling safer, and more popular. Building out features like protected bike lanes improves safety not just for cyclists, but all people using roads. Running parallel to a main traffic corridor, Berkeley’s Ninth Street has long been popular with cyclists. It’s unusually wide, a legacy of the early 1900s when an electric trolley ran along the street. It has painted markings and signage designating space for cyclists, but cars are often double-parked, and the width of the street can tempt motorists to drive at higher speeds.

Near has cycled along Ninth Street for years, she says, but it wasn’t until she moved into a house there that she became more interested in how the thoroughfare could be reconfigured. “It could be so much better,” she says.

Near attended a Bike East Bay meeting at a curry restaurant on her corner and learned that the organization was interested in setting up a pop-up on her street.

The group had staged short-term pop-ups before, partnering with local residents. “People get really used to how a street looks and operates,” says advocacy director Robert Prinz. “It’s sometimes hard to think about what else could be there.”

A pop-up, Prinz says, is a chance to “try before you buy.” While residents get a taste for how their streets could work differently, organizers can gather feedback and data that builds a case for more permanent projects. This can help municipalities overcome a barrier for active transportation infrastructure: limited resources. With data from pop-ups, funding applications are more competitive, Prinz says. “Any edge that a city can give itself to eke out the competition gives them a better shot of accessing that funding.”

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Many East Bay pop-ups have led to change. The first the organization held, a temporary bike lane on Telegraph Avenue in Oakland, helped realize a bikeway now separated from traffic by concrete barriers.

To put together a pop-up, Prinz suggests starting small. Focus on testing out changes on a single neighborhood street or intersection; busier streets will likely require more coordination with authorities.

Collaborate with lots of local groups, he advises, including business associations, even if they don’t seem to perfectly align. Recruit volunteers, and take advantage of their skillsets. More than 50 volunteers contributed to the Ninth Street pop-up. While Near got the permit and communicated with neighbors, others painted sample road signs in advance, and surveyed road users about the different transportation features on display.

In general, Prinz says, pop-ups don’t need to be expensive. For the Ninth Street pop-up, Bike East Bay had grant funding to buy portable supplies, like speed bumps and posts, which the group now loans out for demonstration projects in the area. But in the past, they’ve staged pop-ups with nothing but cardboard and a little paint.

Learn more about how to organize a bike pop-up with Bike East Bay’s webinar, and find more resources from the Tactical Urbanism Guide.

In transit deserts, neighbors become rideshares

No car? No problem. This isn’t a sentiment generally heard in rural areas. But in Central Vermont, when someone needs a ride but can’t drive themselves, they can call up Free Wheelin’.

Free Wheelin’ is an almost entirely volunteer-run organization that was launched in 2019 by two friends who often drove their neighbors to medical appointments, the store or the bank. Riders call a central number to schedule a ride at least two days in advance, and volunteers sign up for slots that suit their schedule.

Free Wheelin’ helps people in rural Vermont get around. Credit: MindStorm / Shutterstock

They started it in response to a stark reality: An estimated 30 percent of U.S. rural areas don’t have any reliable non-car transportation options at all. For people who don’t drive, including some older adults, people with disabilities and others without access to a car, that can make life in rural America a constant mobility challenge.

Free Wheelin’ has a cadre of volunteer drivers who offer their passenger seats and their time to anybody who needs a ride. The group provides about 100 free rides a month. Similar volunteer-run services operate in upstate New York and southern Minnesota.

Learn more about volunteer-run ride programs from the Rural Health Information Hub.

Could a “walk audit” improve your community’s walkability?

While interest in active transportation like biking and walking has been growing since the Covid pandemic, a hurdle for many people is a lack of safe infrastructure. Forty percent of Americans say their communities are not walkable.

A simple first step toward making a community more pedestrian-friendly, advocates say, is to do a walk audit. These audits can be used by individuals or groups to explore a neighborhood’s pedestrian potential. Walk audits have been first steps toward realizing significant change in some communities, like revamping a busy artery road that divides the city of Harrisonburg Virginia.

Find a toolkit to lead a walk audit from AARP.

The post The Spark: Banishing Cars With a Block Party appeared first on Reasons to be Cheerful.

Located up in the Colorado mountains in the historic mining town of Georgetown lies the Hotel de Paris. Opened in 1875 by Louis Dupuy, the Hotel de Paris quickly became known for it's luxury amenities and gourmet French cuisine during the Colorado gold rush. The hotel is very well preserved and holds over 5,000 items from the late 1800s, many of which are original to when Dupuy owned the hotel.

Louis Dupuy was born as Adolphe François Gerard in France in 1844. After leaving seminary school for culinary school, he immigrated to the US in 1866 where he became a writer for a New York paper. After being caught plagiarizing, he joined the US Army. They moved him out to Cheyenne, Wyoming before he deserted and went to Denver, Colorado. He joined Rocky Mountain News as a mining reporter which lead him to Georgetown. He soon became a miner and worked in nearby Silver Plume where he was hurt in a mining accident. The local community raised enough money to help him change careers and rent a local bakery and two adjacent buildings which he turned into the Hotel de Paris.

The arrival of the railroad in 1877 improved Georgetown's growth and business. Dupuy made sure the hotel was up to date with the newest and nicest amenities of it's time. Every room had a sink with both cold and hot water, gas lighting (replaced by electric in 1893), and radiant heating. The hotel held on strong until 1893 when the silver crash hit Georgetown's mining driven economy, which didn't recover. Dupuy died in 1900 and left it to his housekeeper and close friend Sophie Gally. She died very quickly after him. In 1903, the Burkholder family purchased the building and made it into a boarding house. They owned it until 1954 when the Colonial Dames of America purchased it from them after years of declining business. It has been a museum ever since.

The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1970 and later named a site of the National Trust for Historic Preservation in 2007.

Entering the hotel is truly a step back in time. The original furniture and ornate decorations are floor to ceiling due to the hotel and boarding house closing and immediately becoming a museum.

Meet Vegetable Tian, a colourful Provençal vegetable bake that I absolutely love! It’s full of beautiful colours, Mediterranean vibes, and looks as good as it tastes. Serve it as a side dish or enjoy it as a vegetarian main. Let’s go!

Nagi's Notes

If you want a cook up vegetables in a way that looks like you made way more effort than you actually did, and tastes unreasonably delicious for what is essentially a 4 ingredient recipe (veg + olive oil + garlic + tomato paste), this is the recipe to reach for. I mean, look at me, with a beaming smile usually reserved for potatoes and cheese!! 🙂

Vegetable Tian

I’ve been a ratatouille guy for as long as I can remember, but when I want something a little more special, I make a Vegetable Tian. It uses many of the same ingredients, just presented in a much more impressive way! It’s a classic Provençal dish from the south of France where thinly sliced summer vegetables are packed tightly into a dish, layered or sitting upright, then simply flavoured with fruity olive oil, garlic and the classic French herb mix, herbes de Provence before being baked.

When it comes out of the oven, the tops of the vegetables are lightly caramelised while underneath they become soft and delectable, all infused with lovely garlicky flavours. I also like to spread a little tomato paste and garlic in the bottom of the dish. As it bakes, it turns into a delicious little sauce that can be spooned over the Tian when serving.

And if you were wondering, “tian” is actually the name of the shallow pottery dish traditionally used for this recipe in France. It’s pronounced “tee-ahn”. 

Ingredients in Vegetable Tian

You might have seen Vegetable Tians arranged in beautiful spirals with perfectly matching rounds of vegetables. They do look stunning, but the reality is it’s impossible to find eggplants, zucchinis and tomatoes that are all the same size. For me, a neat row arrangement in a rectangular dish makes much more sense.

It still looks beautiful on the table, but it’s far easier to assemble and much more forgiving when your vegetables are not perfectly matched.

Eggplant (aubergine), Just a regular eggplant. Try to choose a small to medium one. I cut it in half lengthwise, then slice it into half-moons so it sits at a similar height to the zucchini and other vegetables once arranged in the dish.

Zucchini (courgette), Look for fairly chunky zucchinis so they’re closer in width to the onion and tomato slices. It makes the final Tian look a little more uniform.

Red onion, I prefer red onion here because of its sweeter flavour. For me, it works better than regular brown or yellow onions in this dish.

Tomato, I use truss tomatoes here in Australia and like them nice and ripe. But any regular tomato will work perfectly fine. Just avoid cherry tomatoes as they are too small for this recipe.

Extra virgin olive oil, If you have a good fruity extra virgin olive oil, this is a lovely recipe to use it in. There are only a few ingredients here, so you can really taste it.

Garlic, The garlic needs to be finely chopped with a knife so it can be sprinkled evenly over the vegetables. A garlic press makes it too wet and pasty, which doesn’t work as well.

Tomato paste, Spread over the base of the dish before adding the vegetables, it combines with the olive oil, garlic and vegetable juices as everything bakes, creating a beautiful sauce underneath. Get that crusty bread ready! Some recipes use passata / tomato purée, but I prefer tomato paste because it gets naturally diluted by the water released from the vegetables.

Herbes de Provence, This is a simple mix of herbs (thyme, oregano, rosemary and savory or marjoram) that is typically Provençal-style and widely used in France. It’s a bit tricky to find outside of France, but so easy to make your own at home, I’ve included it in the recipe card or see here for a larger batch to keep. If you’re in France, you can buy it everywhere!

How to make Vegetable Tian

Some recipes skip the step of salting the zucchini and eggplant to draw out excess moisture. For me, it’s worth to do it for two reasons. Firstly, it helps prevent the Tian from being saturated in water. Without this step, the vegetables end up steaming rather than roasting. Secondly, it helps them cook a little faster so all the vegetables are done at the same time (tomato and onion cook faster).

Salt eggplant and zucchini, In a bowl, toss the eggplant and zucchini with salt, then put them into a colander set over a bowl, then leave for 30 minutes. The vegetables will sweat and you will see droplets of water on the surface which will drip through the colander. There is no need to pat each slice dry.

Prepare sauce, Mix and spread olive oil, tomato paste and half of the garlic over the base of a rectangular ceramic baking dish. The one I’m using is 30 x 20 x 5 cm / 12 x 8 x 2″.

Layer vegetables in dish, Arrange the vegetable slices in the dish in rows (watching the video is helpful here), alternating in this order: eggplant, zucchini, onion and tomato. You will get around 14 rows. Pack the vegetables in quite tightly so they stay upright, they shrink as they bake. As you get to the end, push the rows together so you can fit all the veggies in. Tuck in any vegetable slices left over at the end where you can.

Seasoning the vegetables, I like to toss the zucchini and eggplant with a little extra salt before layering, as most of the salt comes off as they sweat. I don’t toss the tomato or onion slices with salt as they are too delicate. But don’t worry, they still get seasoning from being packed tightly alongside the zucchini and eggplant, and salt we sprinkle over the whole dish in the next step.

Drizzle and season, Drizzle the remaining olive oil over the top, then sprinkle evenly with the remaining garlic, salt, black pepper and Herbes de Provence.

Bake and serve, Bake for 40 minutes in a 200°C / 400°F (180°C fan-forced) oven until the vegetables are soft and slightly browned around the edges. The vegetables should be cooked but not mushy, still holding their form enough to scoop out without falling apart.

What to serve with Vegetable Tian

This Vegetable Tian will serve 6 as a main or 8 as a side. It makes a great vegetarian / vegan main course served simply with some crusty or fresh bread on the side to mop up all the sauce.

It is also the perfect side to roasted or grilled meats or fish, such as Poulet Rôti (French Roast Chicken), pork chops, crispy pan fried fish or whole baked snapper. I especially enjoy it alongside other French and Mediterranean dishes, where it fits right in, but honestly, I’d happily serve it with almost any Western-style meal.

While it’s wonderful served warm straight from the oven, I also love it at room temperature. Try it served alongside cold meats and cheeses. For an extra Mediterranean touch, you could even scatter over some crumbled feta or chopped Kalamata olives during the last few minutes of baking.

Bon appétit!, JB

FAQ, Vegetable Tian

Can I make Vegetable Tian ahead?

Yes! You can assemble the Tian up to 24 hours ahead and keep it refrigerated. Take it out of the fridge about 30 minutes before baking so it loses some of the chill. You can also bake it ahead and serve it at room temperature, which is actually very common in the south of France.

Do I really need to salt the zucchini and eggplant?

I recommend it. It helps draw out excess moisture so the vegetables roast rather than steam, and it also helps the zucchini and eggplant cook at a similar rate to the tomatoes and onions. It’s an extra step, but I think it’s definitely worth it.

Can I use different vegetables?

Absolutely. While tomato, zucchini, eggplant and onion are the classic combination, you can add or swap vegetables depending on what you have. For example, capsicum (bell pepper) works well. Though I would avoid vegetables that cook very quickly or release too much water.

Can I freeze Vegetable Tian?

I don’t recommend freezing it. The vegetables become quite soft once thawed and can release a lot of liquid. This dish is at its best fresh or refrigerated and enjoyed over the next few days.

Why is my Tian watery?

This usually happens if the eggplant and zucchinis weren’t salted beforehand. Don’t worry too much though. The juices are full of flavour and can be soaked up with some good crusty bread.

Watch how to make it

Print

Vegetable Tian

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Recipe video above. I love this colourful Provençal vegetable bake! It’s full of vibrant colours and lovely garlicky Mediterranean flavours, making it just as good as a side dish as it is a vegetarian main. While it feels especially at home alongside French and Mediterranean food, the flavours are so adaptable that it will happily sit beside almost any Western-style meal.

Enjoy warm or at room temperature.

Course Side Dish, Vegetables, Vegetarian, vegetarian main

Cuisine French

Keyword french vegetable side dish, vegetable bake, vegetable tian, vegetarian dish

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

Servings 6 to 8

Calories 208cal

Author Chef JB (RecipeTin)

Ingredients

6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

4 garlic cloves , finely minced with a knife

2 tbsp tomato paste

1 eggplant (aubergine), cut in half lengthways then sliced 8mm / 0.3” half moons (~380g / 13.5oz)

3 zucchini (courgette), sliced into 6mm / 0.25” rounds (~180g / 6oz each)

3 red onion , sliced into 3mm / 0.1” rounds (~140g / 5oz each) (use a mandolin if you have one)

5 tomato , sliced into 5mm / 0.2” rounds (~140g / 5oz each)

2 tsp cooking / kosher salt , (or half for table salt, +50% for flakes)

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 1/2 tsp herbes de Provence , buy or make your own (only 4 simple herbs) (Note 1)

Cups, Metric

Instructions

ABBREVIATED RECIPE

Sweat the eggplant and zucchini, spread oil, tomato paste and garlic in a dish. Arrange vegetables, alternating, drizzle/sprinkle with oil, Herbs de Provence, salt and pepper. Bake 40 minutes.

FULL RECIPE

Preheat oven, Preheat oven to 200°C / 400°F (180°C fan-forced).

Sweat eggplant and zucchini, Toss eggplant and zucchini slices in a bowl with 1 teaspoon of salt. Place them in colander over bowl to sweat and leave to drain for about 10 minutes while you slice the remaining vegetables and prepare the baking dish. (Note 2)

Prepare baking dish, Spread 1 tbsp olive oil, tomato paste and half the garlic over the base of a ceramic baking dish (30cm x 20cm x 5cm / 12" x 8" x 2"). As the vegetables bake, they will release their juices which will mix into it to create a beautiful sauce underneath.

Season again, Give the colander a shake to remove excess water off the eggplant and zucchini (no need to pat them dry), then put them back into a bowl. A lot of salt comes off with the water, so toss with another 1/2 teaspoon of salt.

Layer vegetables, Arrange the vegetables vertically in the dish, alternating eggplant, zucchini, onion and tomato (I do it in this order). I usually make around 14 rows (the video is very useful here). Don't be afraid to pack the vegetables in quite tightly. They will shrink as they bake, so arranging them snugly together helps them stay upright. (Note 3)

Season top, Drizzle all-over with remaining olive oil. Sprinkle evenly with remaining garlic, remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt, black pepper and Herbes de Provence.

Bake, Bake for 40 minutes until the vegetables are soft and lightly browned on the edges. Serve immediately, or leave to cool and serve at room temperature.

Notes

1. Herbs de Provence, Probably the most used herb blend in France. You can make it yourself (see below for exact quantities for this recipe, or see here to make a jar to keep) though you can sometimes find it at specialty stores here in Australia.

3/4 tsp thyme, 1/2 tsp rosemary, 1/4 tsp marjoram, 1/8 tsp oregano (all dried herbs)

2. Salting the eggplant and zucchini first helps draw out excess water so the tian does not become watery as it bakes. And for the eggplant, it also helps it cook faster.

3. Assembling, As you get toward the end, you’ll need to gently push the vegetables against the side of the dish to make room for the last few rows. If you have extra vegetable slices after assembling the tian, just gently slide them wherever you can between the layers.

Leftovers and storage, Will keep for 3 days in the fridge. Reheat gently in the oven or microwave until warmed through. You can also enjoy it at room temperature, which is actually very common in France during summer. I honestly love it the next day! Not suitable for freezing.

Nutrition per serving (6 serves).

Nutrition

Calories: 208cal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Sodium: 835mg | Potassium: 820mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 1160IU | Vitamin C: 39mg | Calcium: 57mg | Iron: 2mg

Remembering Dozer

These two photos were taken at the very first RecipeTin Eats HQ I worked at. Looking at them now, they make me smile because they capture Dozer doing one of his favourite things at the time with me, oven watching.

Here, we were working on developing Pastéis de Nata (Portuguese tarts). We came very close to cracking it, but in the end we never quite got there. Dozer, of course, was extremely interested in the whole process and he always wanted a front-row seat to see what was going on, and I’m not fooled, probably his fair share of the tarts as our number one taste tester.

We miss you every day buddy. ❤️

The post Vegetable Tian appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

The classic blanket fort is a simple structure. Entry level hideouts often only require a bedsheet and a couple of chairs, and it doesn’t take much effort to expand the floorspace to accommodate guests. Constructing an intimidatingly expansive blanket enclave is a much bigger feat of engineering, however. At least, that’s what it looks like from photos showcasing the newest Guinness World Record holder for the largest blanket fort. The current champions? Local residents and high schoolers in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The fort needed to be tall enough to allow inhabitants to sit comfortably inside it. Credit: Robert Edward / Clark County, Nevada Robert Edward

At 14,103-square feet, the billowy project overshadows the previous record holder (12,291-square-feet) that was built in South Carolina in 2024. According to the official announcement from Nevada’s Clark County, the job necessitated a small army of volunteers and community partners using a design envisioned by engineering students at Las Vegas’ West Career & Technical Academy. All told, the blanket fort included hundreds of sheets draped over tent poles and anchored by ropes, pipes, and even binder clips.

Confirming the fort’s record breaking size required a visit from an official Guinness World Records adjudicator. The assessor didn’t simply measure the floorspace inside the Desert Breeze Community Center’s basketball court, though. Eligibility requirements included making sure there weren’t any gaps between sheets larger than one inch, ensuring all sheets touched the ground, and determining minimum height requirements that allowed a person to “sit comfortably” inside the tent.

An inspection from an official Guinness adjudicator was required before certifying the structure. Credit: Robert Edward / Clark County, Nevada

A good blanket fort’s temporary nature is part of its appeal, and the recordbreaking project has since been disassembled. After all, Desert Breeze Community Center still needs its gym for pickup basketball games.

The post World’s largest blanket fort built at Las Vegas community center appeared first on Popular Science.

The Changma Basin in northwest China’s Gansu province is famous for its many ancient bird fossils. Or, at least, pieces of fossils. Paleontologists have documented over 100 prehistoric avian dinosaur remains buried across the region, many resembling the digestive pellets regurgitated by owls living today. For years, researchers suspected that a similar predator was responsible for the fossil fragments, but lacked a convincing candidate.

Experts now have a plausible suspect. According to a study published today in the Annals of Carnegie Museum, a cousin of the fearsome Velociraptor stalked the Changma Basin around 120 million years ago. But with its long feathers and four “wings,” Jian changmaensis didn’t ambush its prey from high in the air like a falcon. Instead, it more likely swooped in like a flying squirrel.

“It’s the only dinosaur found at this site that wasn’t a bird, it was a carnivore, and it was much bigger than everything else that we’ve found there,” Jingmai O’Connor, a study co-author and Field Museum associate curator of fossil reptiles, explained in a statement.

Paleontologists theorized the dinosaur’s anatomy based on its upper arm fossil. Credit: O’Connor et al.

Named after a winged mythological creature from Chinese folklore, J. changmaensis belongs to a dinosaur subgroup known as microraptors. These feathered predators were speedy and small, often only about the size of a crow. J. changmaensis was comparatively large, however. While O’Connor’s team has so far only recovered a portion of its upper arm, they believe the dinosaur likely featured a roughly four-foot wingspan. That puts it at about the size of a barn owl.

Although larger than its fellow microraptors, paleontologists believe J. changmaensis physically resembled its relatives. This means the dinosaur likely featured both forearm wings as well as rudimentary “wings” on its hind legs. Microraptors couldn’t soar through the skies, but their feathers served a purpose

“Jian and the other microraptors probably weren’t capable of true, powered flight, but they could probably glide like a flying squirrel,” explained O’Connor.

Matt Lamanna, a study co-author and Carnegie Museum’s curator of vertebrate paleontology, said the team’s discovery offers “critical new insight” into the Changma region’s biological history while helping contextualize today’s avian dinosaur descendents.

“For decades, the Changma site has been renowned among paleontologists for its extraordinary bird fossils,” Lamanna added. “Now, with the discovery of Jian, we finally know what was eating them.”

The post Velociraptor’s cousin flew like a flying squirrel appeared first on Popular Science.

In another sign of their growing independence, eaglets Sandy and Luna appear to have spent their first night alone in the nest. According to Friends of Big Bear Valley (FOBBV), parents Jackie and Shadow slept not too far away last night. The pair spent the night in the nearby roost tree. The chicks reportedly also told Fiona the squirrel to scram, just like mom.

The eaglets are growing rapidly, so room in the roughly six-foot-wide nest in southern California is becoming a premium. Both chicks also need room for activities, as they practice their flapping and stomping.

On June 2, Sandy also branched for the first time. Branching is when an eaglet perches on the limb of a tree, and is an important developmental stage that usually occurs when chicks hit 9 weeks old. Once on the tree limb, the young birds can flap their wings, jump, and then land on a lower branch or back in their nest. Branching helps strengthen their flight muscles and helps them become more agile and better at landing ahead of fledging.

Sandy and Luna are expected to fledged sometime in early July. All of their antics are available 24/7 with the FOBBV live cam.

Jackie and Shadow’s 2026 babies: Everything you need to know

It’s been another roller coaster nesting season for Jackie and Shadow, a pair of internet-famous bald eagle parents living in San Bernardino National Forest in Southern California. After two of their eggs were destroyed by ravens in January, Jackie and Shadow laid two new eggs that have successfully hatched.

Chick 1 hatched on April 4 at 9:33 p.m. PDT, while Chick 2 followed on April 5 at 8:30 a.m. Their large nest in Big Bear Valley east of Los Angeles is livestreamed 24 hours a day by nonprofit Friends of Big Bear Valley (FOBBV) and has captivated millions.

On May 1, FOBBV announced the chicks’ names: Sandy and Luna.

How long will the chicks stay in the nest?

Chicks usually stay in the nest until 10 to 14 weeks of age.

What challenges do the eaglets face?

Before leaving the nest, the chicks face threats from other birds of prey, including hawks, ravens, other eagles, and owls. Inclement weather can also present challenges for the chicks. In 2025, a March snowstorm resulted in the death of one of Jackie and Shadow’s three chicks.

During fledging, only 70 percent of eaglets survive. One of the greatest threats is from cars that can injure or kill the birds while they scavenge for food on roadkill.

Who are Jackie and Shadow?

The pair first got together in 2018 and successfully raised chicks in 2019 and 2022. However, their eggs failed to hatch in 2023 and 2024. Only 50 percent of eagle eggs successfully hatch, so this pair has already beaten the odds.

What happened to Jackie and Shadow’s 2025 eaglets?

In 2025, Jackie laid three eggs that all hatched in early March. On March 13, a strong snowstorm dumped up to two feet of snow and battered the nest with strong winds. Only two of the chicks were visible on the live cam when the storm passed by the next morning. FOBBV later confirmed the passing of one of the chicks. The two surviving chicks were later named Sunny and Gizmo after 54,000 names were submitted by fans.

What happens after chicks fledge?

Young eagles usually fledge, or leave the nest and fly, when they can flatten their wings and have feathers capable of flight. This typically occurs when the birds hit 10 to 14 weeks of age. Males also tend to take their first flight a little sooner than females.

According to FOBBV, fledglings from Southern California have been spotted as far south as Baja California, as far north as British Columbia, and as far east as Yellowstone National Park.

About 70 percent of bald eagles survive the fledgling stage. FOBBV does not tag their eagles, so it’s not possible to follow the chicks’ journeys after they flee the nest.

Can I help Jackie and Shadow?

Yes. Environmental groups are currently fundraising $10 million to protect Jackie and Shadow’s foraging area from development. Learn more at SaveMoonCamp.org.

The post Eaglets Sandy and Luna spend their first night alone on the nest appeared first on Popular Science.

The expanded 2026World Cup sees a record 48 teams compete to lift the biggest prize in football, but while there are plenty of new faces and potential fairytales in North America this summer, one thing remains the same, the usual suspects are favourites once again.

While 2018 winners and 2022 runners-up France will bid to make a third World Cup final in a row this summer, it’s European champions Spain who head into the tournament as favourites, with Luis de la Fuente’s side hoping to build on the success of Germany two years ago.

La Roja surprised plenty of fans and pundits in a superb run to the final at Euro 2024, and their World Cup campaign should provide a similarly comfortable route through to the knockout rounds.

Two-time winners Uruguay will provide a fairly stern test for Spain early on and will be confident of qualifying in second as they look for another surprise run to the latter stages, while third place is up for grabs, on paper anyway, between 61st ranked Saudi Arabia and 69th ranked Cape Verde, who are one of the feel-good stories of the summer after qualifying for a first World Cup in their history.

Group H fixtures

(all times BST)

15 June, 5pm: Spain v Cape Verde, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta

15 June, 11pm: Saudi Arabia v Uruguay, Hard Rock Stadium, Miami

21 June, 5pm: Spain v Saudi Arabia, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta

21 June, 11pm: Uruguay v Cape Verde, Hard Rock Stadium, Miami

27 June, 1am: Uruguay v Spain, Estadio Akron, Zapopan (Mexico)

27 June, 1am: Cape Verde vs Saudi Arabia - NRG Stadium, Houston

Spain

Luis de la Fuente’s side begin the tournament as favourites after a hugely successful last few years that started with a victorious Euro 2024 campaign two summers ago. La Roja have been in fine form since beating England in Berlin, losing just once, in the 2025 Nations League final, on penalties to Portugal.

Spain have not come close to winning football’s biggest prize since their famed campaign of 2010, but there is a feeling at home that this squad is the best equipped to do so since the days of Iniesta, Xavi and co. After exiting the tournament at the round of 16 stage to Morocco in Qatar, a semi-final berth would be the minimum expectation this time round, but in private there might be questions asked if this side doesn’t go all the way.

Many of the same names from the 2024 squad will be present in North America this summer. De la Fuente has already made a bold move in selecting a squad devoid of any Real Madrid players, with both Dani Carvajal and Dean Huijsen left at home as La Roja go for a blend of experience and youthful verve. Lamine Yamal will once again be the focal point of the squad, supported by the likes of Rodri, Pedri and Mikel Oyarzabal, who scored the winner in Berlin two years ago.

There are some questions over defensive options and the fit of some of the attackers in the squad, but if de la Fuente can successfully adapt the game plan used in 2024, Spain may well end this summer with another star over the famous crest.

Lamine Yamal could miss some of Spain’s early matches due to a hamstring issue picked up in April (AFP/Getty)

Squad:

Goalkeepers: Unai Simon (Athletic Bilbao), David Raya (Arsenal), Joan Garcia (Barcelona).

Defenders: Marcos Llorente (Atletico Madrid), Marc Pubill (Atletico Madrid), Pedro Porro (Tottenham), Aymeric Laporte (Athletic Bilbao), Eric Garcia (Barcelona), Pau Cubarsi (Barcelona), Marc Cucurella (Chelsea), Alejandro Grimaldo (Bayer Leverkusen).

Midfielders: Rodri (Manchester City), Martin Zubimendi (Arsenal), Mikel Merino (Arsenal), Pedri (Barcelona), Gavi (Barcelona), Fabian Ruiz (Paris St-Germain), Alex Baena (Atletico Madrid).

Forwards: Yeremy Pino (Crystal Palace), Victor Munoz (Osasuna), Mikel Oyarzabal (Real Sociedad), Ferran Torres (Barcelona), Lamine Yamal (Barcelona), Dani Olmo (Barcelona), Nico Williams (Athletic Bilbao), Borja Iglesias (Celta Vigo).

Star player - Lamine Yamal, Barcelona: It’s difficult to pick a star man in a team that will include the likes of Pedri and 2024 Ballon d’Or winner Rodri, but teenage sensation Lamine Yamal stands out this summer as Spain’s main man. The 18-year-old was the breakout star of the tournament as Spain won Euro 2024 and he has only improved since two summers ago. He comes into his first World Cup off the back of another title-winning season at Barcelona, having scored 16 goals and registered 12 assists in just 28 games in La Liga. Yamal is at risk of missing the first two group games for La Roja after picking up a hamstring injury late into the season, but expect him to hit the ground running one he returns as he looks to add the biggest trophy of all to an already impressive cabinet.

Breakout talent - Marc Pubill, Atletico Madrid: Such is the talent in the Spain squad that most of its members are already household names, though defender Marc Pubill could be the player who has the most to gain from his call-up this summer. The 22-year-old has already impressed at times for Atletico Madrid this season - with manager Diego Simeone saying he is “growing at an enormous rate” - and while he’s not been able to nail down a starting spot at the club, his versatility at the back means he could feature for La Roja this summer in what could be the first major steps of a successful international career.

Fifa ranking: 2.

Odds to win the World Cup: 5/1, latest odds at The Independent via Oddsjam.

Uruguay

La Celeste are famed as one of the World Cup’s biggest over-achievers, having won the competition in 1930 and 1950, and the 2026 crop of players will be hoping to emulate the likes of Luis Suarez and Diego Forlan as they look to advance to the latter rounds.

Manager Marcelo Bielsa is said to be stepping down after the tournament, with the former Leeds boss leading the side into a second major tournament after finishing a respectable third at the 2024 Copa America.

And while Bielsa’s squad doesn’t possess the same level of talent as the previous golden generation, that Copa run and the performance against England in March showed that they are capable of digging in and getting results against ‘better’ sides.

With plenty of defensive steel, a bit of midfield nous, including Rodrigo Bentancur and Giorgian de Arrascaeta, and potential match-winners in the form of players such as Valverde and Darwin Nunez, Uruguay could be among the dark horses this summer. Having failed to get out of the group in 2022, a place in the quarter-finals this time around would likely be seen as a successful campaign, and a repeat of 2010 would be seen as a small miracle.

Fede Valverde will be key to Uruguay's hopes as the South Americans look to punch above their weight once more (Getty)

Squad:

Goalkeepers: Sergio Rochet (Internacional), Fernando Muslera (Galatasaray), Santiago Mele (Junior FC)

Defenders: Guillermo Varela (Flamengo), Ronald Araujo (Barcelona), Jose Maria Gimenez (Atletico Madrid), Santiago Bueno (Wolves), Sebastian Caceres (Club America), Mathias Olivera (Napoli), Joaquin Piquerez (Palmeiras), Matias Vina (Flamengo)

Midfielders: Manuel Ugarte (Manchester United), Emiliano Martinez (Palmeiras), Rodrigo Bentancur (Tottenham), Federico Valverde (Real Madrid), Agustin Canobbio (Fluminense), Juan Manuel Sanabria (Atletico San Luis), Giorgian de Arrascaeta (Flamengo), Nicolas de la Cruz (Flamengo), Rodrigo Zalazar (Braga), Facundo Pellistri (Panathinaikos), Maximiliano Araujo (Sporting), Brian Rodriguez (Club America)

Forwards: Rodrigo Aguirre (Club America), Federico Vinas (Real Oviedo), Darwin Nunez (Al Hilal)

Star player: Federico Valverde: Real Madrid captain Fede Valverde is Uruguay’s talisman, and he’ll lead the Celeste as they look to make another surprise run to the latter stages of the World Cup. Valverde is coming off the back of a disappointing season at club level but his undoubted talent and versatility mean he remains one of the most useful players in world football. He might want to improve his record of goal contributions, having scored just nine times this season at club level, but as shown with his goal against England and a hat-trick against Manchester City, the 27-year-old remains a man for the big occasion. With the help of Nunez and Gimenez, can Valverde spur his nation into another surprise performance?

Breakout talent: Maxi Araujo: The battle to be Uruguay’s breakout star this summer may well be between ‘rival’ wingers in Club America’s Brian Rodríguez and Sporting’s Maxi Araujo. The former scored 13 goals in 34 games for the Mexican club and has become known for his pace, but 26-year-old Araujo has been a key man for Sporting for a couple of seasons now. He’s hardly a nobody after winning a Primeira Liga title last season - and putting in a great performance in Sporting’s 4-1 win over Man City in the Champions League, but this could be the tournament where more fans begin to notice him.

Fifa ranking: 17.

Odds to win the World Cup: 100/1.

Saudi Arabia

2026 marks a seventh World Cup finals for Saudi Arabia, though the 2034 hosts have plenty to do if they want to equal their best-ever performance.

Saudi Arabia got to the round of 16 the last time the World Cup was held in the USA in 1994, though their previous six tournaments have all ended at the group stage. The fact that there will be some third-placed teams qualifying in this expanded tournament gives the side hope of making it out of Group H, though realistically a group-stage exit still feels the most likely outcome.

Nevertheless, this is a team that will benefit from the experience of qualifying for the last two World Cups, while new manager Herve Renard brings great international expertise having won Afcon with Zambia and the Ivory Coast previously.

A 1-0 loss to Jordan in the semi-finals of the Arab Cup at the end of last year demonstrated the limitations of this Saudi side though, and it remains to be seen if they can build on their previous tournament experience, in any case, a place in the round of 32 would be seen as a huge success.

Salem Al-Dawsari, who scored the famous winner in 2022 against Argentina, remains Saudi Arabia’s key man (PA Wire)

Squad:

Goalkeepers: Mohammed Al Owais (Al Ula) Nawaf Al Aqidi (Al Nassr), Ahmed Al Kassar (Al Qadsiah), Abdulqudus Attiah (Al Taawoun)

Defenders: Abdulelah Al Amri (Al Nassr), Hassan Tambakti (Al Hilal), Jehad Thikri (Al Qadsiah), Ali Lajami (Al Hilal), Hassan Kadesh (Al Ittihad), Saud Abdulhamid (RC Lens), Mohammed Abu Al Shamat (Al Qadsiah), Ali Majrashi (Al Ahli), Moteb Al Harbi (Al Hilal), Nawaf Boushal (Al Nassr), Zakaria Hawsawi (Al Ahli).

Midfielders: Mohammed Kanno (Al Hilal), Abdullah Al Khaibari (Al Nassr), Ziyad Al Johani (Al Ahli), Nasser Al Dawsari (Al Hilal), Musab Al Juwayr (Al Qadsiah), Alaa Al Hajji (NEOM SC), Salem Al Dawsari (Al Hilal), Khalid Al Ghannam (Al Ettifaq), Ayman Yahya (Al Nassr), Sultan Mandash (Al Hilal), Saleh Abu Al Shamat (Al Ahli).

Forwards: Feras Al Buraikan (Al Ahli), Abdullah Al Salem (Al Qadsiah), Saleh Al Shehri (Al Ittihad), Abdullah Al Hamdan (Al Nassr).

Star player: Salem Al-Dawsari: Midfielder Al-Dawsari had perhaps the best moment of his career so far when he scored the goal that beat Argentina in Qatar in 2022, and in 2026 the 34-year-old once again leads his team at a World Cup, hoping to go one better than last time in making it out of the group. He scored eight goals in just 26 games from left wing at club level this season, and he’ll need to replicate that sort of form if Herve Renard’s side are to make the round of 32.

Breakout talent - Saud Abdulhamid: Lens defender Abdulhamid, who is on loan at the club from Roma, is the only player in the squad who plays his club football outside of Saudi Arabia, and he was part of the squad that just won the French Cup to secure the first trophy in Lens’ history. It was also an immensely successful season in the league as they finished second in Ligue 1, just six points behind PSG. While Abdulhamid often featured for Lens at right wing-back, he has been used as a traditional right-back in defence at international level too. At 26 years old, this could be the stage where he takes the next step in his career ahead of potentially playing in the Champions League next season.

Fifa ranking: 61.

Odds to win the World Cup: 1000/1.

Cape Verde

2026 marks a first appearance at a World Cup for Cape Verde, with manager, and former player, Bubista leading his nation to the world’s biggest tournament with a qualifying campaign that produced seven wins from 10 games against the likes of Cameroon and Angola.

On the pitch they will be led by former Lille and Nottingham Forest forward Ryan Mendes, with a supporting cast including Omonoia’s Willy Semedo, Benfica’s Sidny Lopes Cabral and the qualification campaign’s top scorer in Dailon Livramento.

The minnows head into the tournament with nothing to prove but everything to gain, with their best previous tournament performances coming as they reached the quarter-finals of Afcon in 2013 and 2023.

The celebrations seen when Cape Verde secured qualification show that hopes are not exactly high for their performance in North America this summer, and that will not have changed when they were drawn in a group against Spain and Uruguay. However, with the expanded tournament leaving room for third-placed sides to qualify, there can always be dreams of making it to the round of 32 at the first time of asking.

Daylon Livramento was Cape Verde's top scorer in qualifying and will likely lead the line in North Amercia (Getty)

Squad:

Goalkeepers: Vozinha (Chaves), Marcio Rosa (Montana), CJ dos Santos (San Diego).

Defenders: Stopira (Torreense), Roberto Lopes (Shamrock Rovers), Joao Paulo (FCSB), Diney (Al Bataeh), Logan Costa (Villarreal), Steven Moreira (Columbus Crew), Wagner Pina (Trabzonspor), Sidny Lopes Cabral (Benfica), Kelvin Pires (SJK).

Midfielders: Jamiro Monteiro (PEC Zwolle), Kevin Pina (Krasnodar), Deroy Duarte (Ludogorets), Telmo Arcanjo (Vitoria Guimaraes), Laros Duarte (Puskas Akademia), Yannick Semedo (Farense).

Forwards: Ryan Mendes (Igdir), Garry Rodrigues (Apollon Limassol), Willy Semedo (Omonia), Jovane Cabral (Estrela Amadora), Gilson Tavares (Akron Tolyatti), Dailon Livramento (Casa Pia), Helio Varela (Maccabi Tel Aviv), Nuno da Costa (Istanbul Basaksehir).

Star player - Dailon Livramento: Veteran midfielder Ryan Mendes may be the anchor of the team but forward Dailon Livramento was the key man in qualification, scoring five times in a historic campaign. The 25-year-old failed to find the net for his new side Casa Pia since joining in September, though he found opportunities hard to come by. Conversely, he scored and assisted in the 4-2 loss to Chile in March, showing that he remains a focal point of the team at international level.

Breakout talent - Sidny Lopes Cabral: Versatile Benfica defender Sidny Lopes Cabral looks certain to be Cape Verde’s breakout star this summer, helped in part by his €6m move to Benfica in January. Jose Mourinho is said to have personally approved the signing of the 23-year-old, who impressed for Portuguese side Estrela Amadora in the first half of the season. Lopes Cabral can play at both full-back and on the wing, though he may be used as a more attacking option at times this summer, something he can do to great affect, as shown with a hat-trick against Casa Pia in November and a goal and assist against Chile in March.

Fifa ranking: 69.

Odds to win the World Cup: 2000/1.

Group H prediction

Spain should face little opposition in their bid to finish first in Group H, though their match against Uruguay should be an interesting one (and perhaps a good early yardstick for how the favourites are performing early on). La Celeste should have more than enough to qualify in second, while Saudi Arabia will hope to sneak into the last 32 via a third-placed finish. It looks like it will be difficult for Cape Verde to earn any points in their maiden World Cup journey, but, as Saudi Arabia proved against Argentina in 2022, anything is possible with enough morale and belief.

Andy Farrell has committed his future to Ireland after signing a new long-term deal through the end of the 2031 Rugby World Cup.

Farrell had been the subject of speculation with his existing contract due to expire after next year’s tournament in Australia.

The head coach had been linked with former club Saracens and mentioned as a possible successor to Steve Borthwick with England rugby, but has put pen to paper to extend his stay in Dublin.

Farrell led the British and Irish Lions to series victory over the Wallabies last summer and is a strong contender to take the reins again in New Zealand in 2029.

Beyond that, he can now look towards guiding Ireland into the next two World Cups as he bids to break their run of quarter-final exits and challenge for a first competition crown.

“I am incredibly proud to continue this journey with Irish Rugby,” Farrell said. “It is a privilege to work with such a talented group of players and staff, and to represent the supporters whose passion and unwavering support drive this team forward and inspire us every time we take the field.

"What excites me most is the increasing strength and investment in pathways and the quality of talent coming through. There is a real confidence in the system that has been built across the provinces and age-grade programmes, and I believe with sustained effort that the best is yet to come."

The 50-year-old took over from Joe Schmidt after the 2019 World Cup and has won two Six Nations titles at the helm, including a grand slam in 2023.

Andy Farrell has won two Six Nations titles with Ireland (Getty)

His side bounced back impressively from an opening defeat to France in this year’s campaign to finish second.

Ireland are next in action in July as they begin the inaugural Nations Championship with matches against Australia, New Zealand and Japan.

"We are delighted to secure Andy through to 2031,” Kevin Potts, chief executive of the IRFU, said. “He is a truly world-class coach and an exceptional leader who has helped shape Ireland as one of the most exciting and consistent teams in the world.”

Farrell’s unavailability will be seen as a blow to England, although Rugby Football Union (RFU) chief executive Bill Sweeney admitted in March that he had not spoken to the Englishman.

Farrell previously served as a defence coach under Stuart Lancaster between 2011 and 2015. He has since been highly-regarded and well settled within the Irish capital, though, after joining Schmidt’s staff as an assistant in 2016.

Perez during his presentation as candidate for the presidency of Real Madrid [Getty Images]

Florentino Perez has promised to make a club-record offer for an unnamed "great player" if re-elected as Real Madrid president on Sunday.

He said he would offer "about 150 million euros" (£130m) for an attacking player - but said it was not Bayern Munich's Harry Kane, Michel Olise or Manchester City's Jeremy Doku.

Perez, 79, also ruled out signing Erling Haaland - as was promised by election challenger Enrique Riquelme earlier this week.

Haaland's club Manchester City have since stated there is "no chance" of such a transfer and are threatening legal action against Riquelme.

Real Madrid is owned entirely by members who decide its president. Each pay an annual fee of around £130 and nearly 100,000 of them will vote on Sunday.

Following his first election in 2000, Perez pursued a 'Galacticos' policy of signing expensive world-class players including Luis Figo, David Beckham and Zinedine Zidane.

Real Madrid won two La Liga titles and a Champions League before Perez resigned in 2006 amid disappointing results.

In 2009, he successfully stood for the presidency again unopposed and has done so a further four times in his 17-year second term.

Trailing La Liga champions Barcelona by eight points, Real Madrid ended the 2025-26 season with no major trophies for the second season in a row.

As the season drew to a close, Perez called a news conference in which he railed against the club's enemies and urged those unhappy with his leadership to run against him for president.

Renewable energy magnate Riquelme stepped forward, leaving Perez to compete with another candidate to retain his role for the first time in 20 years.

On Wednesday, Perez promised voters he would initiate a Galacticos-style transfer bid days after he hopes to be re-elected.

"I have some news for you," he told Spanish TV show Horizonte.

"On Tuesday or so, I'm going to make an offer to a major Champions League club for a great player. It would be the largest transfer fee Real Madrid has ever paid in its history."

Perez was asked the identity of his target and the scale of the fee.

"Olise is a great player but it's not Olise," Perez said. "It's not Doku either.

"We're going to make a significant offer, at least around 150m.

"He needs to be a player from midfield who can go forward. And it's not Haaland.

"The player is not from the Premier League. And the first thing we'll do is talk to the club.

"It's a signing meant to generate excitement because that's what it's all about, generating excitement."

He also reminded voters his re-election would activate already-agreed deals for manager Jose Mourinho, Inter Milan defender Denzel Dumfries and Ibrahima Konate, whose contract at Liverpool won't be renewed.

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PROVIDENCE, Chariho softball passed its prerequisite again.

The Chargers’ trip through the Division I losers’-bracket final was a breeze for the second straight year. Adriana Jeannenot was her usual self in the circle, and at the plate against North Kingstown. Madeline Dorgan was the perfect table-setter during a three-hit performance on a postcard night at Rhode Island College’s Dayna A. Bazar Softball Complex.

Second-ranked Chariho’s next test, the one it needs to ace after the 9-2 victory on Thursday, is No. 1 La Salle. And for the second straight spring, the Chargers need to beat the Providence school twice to earn their first softball championship. La Salle bested Chariho, 7-3, in the winners’-bracket final last Sunday to reach the title round. And the Rams handed out the same result in a 13-0 finish a year ago.

“It’s the same feeling,” Jeannenot said. “Just trying to go in there confident, and as a team, really just trying to gel and put runs on the board. If we tie together some hits, I feel like we had good hits [last game against La Salle], we just didn’t tie them together.”

Dorgan and Anna Tretton started Thursday’s game with a pair of singles before Jeannenot doubled off the right-field wall to plate the first two runs. Alana Valuk grounded into a fielder’s choice and scored Gabriella Ricci for a 3-0 advantage. That was enough run support for Jeannenot, who surrendered one earned run on six hits with 10 strikeouts.

Chariho struck for four more runs in the second frame as Dorgan tripled to the same spot in right that Jeannenot clipped in the first. A walk, another two-RBI double from Jeannenot, and an RBI from Riley Myer and the Chargers were on their way to Saturday’s championship affair.

“It's surreal,” Tretton said. “I feel like I knew from the beginning, I knew we were good. Obviously we had to work to get here, but it feels like we were destined to be here in the end.”

This season is different for the Chargers, they ditched the uneasy feeling that Rhode Island College produces. They’ve made the drive to Providence enough times over these last two seasons to learn the quirks of the championship venue. The higher outfield walls, the sun setting in right, the infield dirt, it’s all familiar. And then there is the added reality that Chariho already beat La Salle twice in the regular season.

“I think we just need to be confident,” Tretton said. “We need to know that we have the skill set to do it. I think maybe there were some nerves being here the second time, but I think now that we've played here a few times this year, we should be good.

“I know we played here a lot before, but this year it feels different. Especially today it felt like everyone was comfortable, even at warm-ups. It felt like everyone knew we were supposed to win today and keep playing.”

Those wins were important steps for the program, as is each victory the Chargers compile at RIC. But finding the next result won’t be as relaxed as La Salle is searching for a fourth straight title.

“I'm just so proud of us, no matter what,” Dorgan said. “We play for our seniors, we play for each other. Obviously we want to win, but even with a loss, I'm just going to be so proud of all of us. I've been playing with these girls since I was eight years old, and it's just a full- circle moment.”

North Kingstown’s season ends, but it was a year of improvement for the Skippers. The Skippers doubled their win total to 16 this spring and return most of their team next season. Freshman pitcher, Alexis St. Germain limited Chariho to two runs over four innings in a relief role.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Score of North Kingstown vs. Chariho D-I softball playoff on June 4 2026

DFB Pokal: the draw for the first round takes place on Saturday

A total of 64 teams have qualified for the first main round. All 18 Bundesliga clubs, along with the top 14 teams from last season’s 2. Bundesliga, are in the first pot; the other teams are in the amateur pot (positions 15 to 18 in the 2. Bundesliga, positions one to four in the 3. Liga, and 24 representatives from the regional associations). First, a ball is drawn from the amateur pot, followed by one from the first draw pot. The team drawn first has home advantage.

All 32 teams in the professional pot:

Borussia Dortmund (Bundesliga) FC Bayern Munich (Bundesliga) Leipzig (Bundesliga) VfB Stuttgart (Bundesliga) TSG Hoffenheim (Bundesliga) Bayer 04 Leverkusen (Bundesliga) SC Freiburg (Bundesliga) Eintracht Frankfurt (Bundesliga) FC Augsburg (Bundesliga) 1. FSV Mainz 05 (Bundesliga) 1. FC Union Berlin (Bundesliga) Borussia Mönchengladbach (Bundesliga) Hamburger SV (Bundesliga) 1. FC Köln (Bundesliga) SV Werder Bremen (Bundesliga) VfL Wolfsburg (Bundesliga) 1. FC Heidenheim (Bundesliga) FC St. Pauli (Bundesliga) FC Schalke 04 (2. Bundesliga) SV Elversberg (2. Bundesliga) SC Paderborn (2. Bundesliga) Hannover 96 (2. Bundesliga) SV Darmstadt 98 (2. Bundesliga) 1. FC Kaiserslautern (2. Bundesliga) Hertha BSC (2. Bundesliga) 1. FC Nürnberg (2. Bundesliga) VfL Bochum (2. Bundesliga) Karlsruher SC (2. Bundesliga) Dynamo Dresden (2. Bundesliga) Holstein Kiel (2. Bundesliga) Arminia Bielefeld (2. Bundesliga) 1. FC Magdeburg (2. Bundesliga)

32 teams in the amateur pot

Eintracht Braunschweig (2. Bundesliga) SpVgg Greuther Fürth (2. Bundesliga) Fortuna Düsseldorf (2. Bundesliga) Preußen Münster (2. Bundesliga) VfL Osnabrück (3. Liga) FC Energie Cottbus (3. Liga) Rot-Weiss Essen (3. Liga) MSV Duisburg (3. Liga) Waldhof Mannheim (Baden State Cup winners) Würzburger Kickers (Runners up in the Bavarian Regional League) 1860 München (Runners up in the Bavarian State Cup) VSG Altglienicke (Berlin State Cup winners) VfB Krieschow (Brandenburg State Cup winners) SV Hemelingen (Bremen State Cup winners) Hamburg Eimsbütteler Ballspiel Club (Hamburg State Cup winners) SV Wehen Wiesbaden (Hesse State Cup winners) Hansa Rostock (Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania State Cup winners) Viktoria Köln (Middle Rhine State Cup winners) SC St. Tönis (Runners up in the Lower Rhine State Cup) Lüneburger SK Hansa (Winners of the Lower Saxony State Cup, Amateur Competition) SSV Jeddeloh 2 (Winners of the Lower Saxony State Cup, 3rd Division/Regional League) Eintracht Trier (Rhineland State Cup winners) 1. FC Saarbrücken (Saarland State Cup winners) Erzgebirge Aue (Saxony State Cup winners) Hallescher FC (Saxony-Anhalt State Cup winners) 1. FC Phönix Lübeck (Schleswig-Holstein State Cup winners) Bahlinger SC (South Baden State Cup winners) TSV Schott Mainz (South-West State Cup winners) Carl Zeiss Jena (Thuringia State Cup winners) SC Verl (Westphalia State Cup winners) SG Sonnenhof Großaspach (Württemberg State Cup winners) SV Westfalia Rhynern (Oberliga Westfalen winners)

An overview of the dates:

📆 Return date set, Barça begin pre-season on 13 July

The FC Barcelona first team already knows its roadmap for the start of the 2026/27 preseason. The side managed by Hansi Flick has the return to action marked on the calendar as it prepares for a demanding season.

The blaugrana players will return to work on July 13. As usual, the first few days back from vacation will be devoted exclusively to the traditional medical and fitness tests.

After the first training sessions on the pitches at the Joan Gamper Sports City, the coaching staff has planned an international preparation phase. Barça will travel to England for an intense preseason training camp.

Training camp in England at the end of July

The blaugrana squad will stay at St George's Park from July 27 to August 3. These facilities are a major benchmark in English football and the usual base of the England senior national team.

It will not be the first time the Catalan club has visited this high-performance complex. Barcelona already had a productive preseason stay at these same facilities in the summer of 2014, a year that ended in historic fashion.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.