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patrickobrienstrickland.com
Patrick Strickland
@patrickobrienstrickland.com
1.9K followers 3.1K following 280 posts
Writer from Texas

Managing editor @inkstickmedia.com

Books: A History of Heartache (2026), You Can Kill Each Other After I Leave (2025), The Marauders (2022) & Alerta! Alerta! (2018)
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patrickobrienstrickland.com
Patrick Strickland @patrickobrienstrickland.com · Feb 28
I am downright stoked to get such a generous and positive review from Publishers Weekly for this story collection I’ve spent six, seven years chipping away at.

‘A History of Heartache’ is out April 21 with @melvillehouse.bsky.social —

www.publishersweekly.com/9781685892357
Stories of addiction and underemployment feature in the bare-knuckled fiction debut from journalist Strickland (You Can Kill Each Other After I Leave). The unnamed narrator of the title entry, a high school senior, dreams about heading to California from his hometown in north Texas, leaving behind his alcoholic mother and memories of his older brother who died at age 16 from a heroin overdose. In “Mockingbirds,” a former teacher, now mopping floors at an abortion clinic, is hounded by an anti-abortion protester intent on making him into a villain online. In “Rent Money,” a woman in her early 20s comes to terms with the shortcomings of her 41-year-old husband, a heavy-drinking slumlord for “meth monsters” who tries to goad her into collecting rent, a far cry from the “clean, simple life” he promised her when they got married five years earlier. Strickland laces his hardscrabble scenes with lyricism, as in “Screaming East on I-10,” when a young drifter living alongside crack addicts describes taking a hit of the drug, then notices how “night bruises the sky purple.” In each piece, grief underscores the characters’ recklessness, imbuing the collection with an unsentimental but tender emotional register. Strickland’s humane depictions of people living on the margins acknowledge the forces that shape them.
patrickobrienstrickland.com
At @inkstickmedia.com, I wrote about Louis Beam, American fascism, and the ways he helped pioneer and shape the far-right violence we're all living through today:

inkstickmedia.com/the-sedition...
The Seditionist: The Rise and Fall of an American White Nationalist
Louis Beam spent decades elevating violence to new heights in the white nationalist movement, then disappeared from public life.
inkstickmedia.com
September 29, 2026 at 2:16 PM
Reposted by Patrick Strickland
inkstickmedia.com
"The more stunts Beam pulled, the more alarmingly broad the Klan’s reach became. Toward the end of the decade, Beam and Duke hatched another plan: They would recruit active US military members into the Knights of the KKK."

By: @patrickobrienstrickland.com
The Seditionist: The Rise and Fall of an American White Nationalist
Louis Beam spent decades elevating violence to new heights in the white nationalist movement, then disappeared from public life.
inkstickmedia.com
September 29, 2026 at 1:49 PM
patrickobrienstrickland.com
For @inkstickmedia.com, I wrote about Israeli settler violence, its very long history, and some of what I saw and learned of it during the four years I spent reporting in the occupied West Bank.
inkstickmedia.com Inkstick Media @inkstickmedia.com · 17d
"Israeli settler violence is not new. In fact, from a campaign of bombings targeting Palestinian mayors in the 1980s to the arsons and deadly shootings of recent years, hardline settlers have carried out this violence against the backdrop of decades of impunity."

By: @patrickobrienstrickland.com
The West Bank's Long, Deadly History of Israeli Settler Violence
Since the 1980s, hardline Israeli settlers have carried out wanton violence, attacking Palestinians and their communities without pause.
inkstickmedia.com
September 14, 2026 at 9:24 AM
Reposted by Patrick Strickland
inkstickmedia.com
"Israeli settler violence is not new. In fact, from a campaign of bombings targeting Palestinian mayors in the 1980s to the arsons and deadly shootings of recent years, hardline settlers have carried out this violence against the backdrop of decades of impunity."

By: @patrickobrienstrickland.com
The West Bank's Long, Deadly History of Israeli Settler Violence
Since the 1980s, hardline Israeli settlers have carried out wanton violence, attacking Palestinians and their communities without pause.
inkstickmedia.com
September 14, 2026 at 8:37 AM
Reposted by Patrick Strickland
doricliterary.bsky.social
The O. Henry Prize, the oldest major prize for short fiction in America, seeks to provide a prominent platform for short story writers from around the world, at all points in their careers.
@patrickobrienstrickland.com @pintsncupcakes.bsky.social @annemarieneary.bsky.social #JeremyT.Wilson
Image shows the round O. Henry prize logo & the stylized Doric temple logo of Doric Literary. Under the heading 2027 O. Henry Prize nominations, are the nominees: "Floaters" by Jeremy T. Wilson, "Golden" by Annemarie Neary, "Apogee" by Chloe N. Clark, & "Dallas, 1931" by Patrick Strickland. The text is in white on a bright blue background.
September 10, 2026 at 4:37 PM
Reposted by Patrick Strickland
epiphanylit.bsky.social
Thank us later for this reading list of piercing short story collections, all published this year from former Epiphany contributors, including @patrickobrienstrickland.com
September 4, 2026 at 7:28 PM
patrickobrienstrickland.com
An important one by @abujamajem.com:

"If the US is going to rejoin the international community after Trump — not remain some rogue aggressor — it needs to re-commit to respect for basic sovereignty."
August 27, 2026 at 9:52 AM
Reposted by Patrick Strickland
thrasherxy.bsky.social
nice to see the overseer class among on @inkstickmedia.com ‘s 5 books to
understand the chaos of trump 2 inkstickmedia.com/five-essenti...
Five Essential Books for Understanding the Chaos of Trump 2.0
Amid war, an anti-immigrant crackdown, and a far-right push to remake the US, Inkstick has book suggestions to understand Trump 2.0.
inkstickmedia.com
August 25, 2026 at 3:10 PM
Reposted by Patrick Strickland
inkstickmedia.com
"When Trump and his administration call immigration an 'invasion,' they are tapping into a conspiracy theory that has fueled deadly violence in the United States for nearly two centuries."
The Long, Lethal History of Trump's 'Invasion' Rhetoric
In 2018, Trump began to routinely describe immigration as an ‘invasion.’ That rhetoric has fueled deadly violence for nearly two centuries.
inkstickmedia.com
August 18, 2026 at 10:59 AM
Reposted by Patrick Strickland
inkstickmedia.com
"At the end of the controversial 'Antifa trial,' Daniel Sanchez Estrada was sentenced to three decades in prison for moving a box of zines and antifascist literature. His sister wants people to know the real Daniel."

By: @tylerfromtexas.bsky.social

inkstickmedia.com/a-prairielan...
A Prairieland Defendant's Sister Speaks Out After 'Antifa Trial'
The sister of a Prairieland Antifa trial defendant speakers out against the Trump administration's crackdown on left-wing activism.
inkstickmedia.com
July 30, 2026 at 10:03 AM
Reposted by Patrick Strickland
inkstickmedia.com
"Seven publicly traded companies hold active contracts or data agreements with ICE and DHS: GEO Group, CoreCivic, Palantir, Axon Enterprise, Thomson Reuters, RELX (whose LexisNexis division provides ICE with its Accurint database), and GlobalX Airlines."

By: @tylermcbrien.com and Jon Nealon
Are Your Investments Fueling For-Profit Immigrant Detention?
Activists around the US are turning toward divestment as ICE increasingly relies on for-profit companies to handle immigrant detention.
inkstickmedia.com
July 29, 2026 at 11:19 AM
Reposted by Patrick Strickland
inkstickmedia.com
Inkstick is hiring: We’re looking for an editorial producer who understands how people consume information online and wants to experiment with new ways of translating rigorous journalism into compelling short-form storytelling.

inkstickmedia.com/careers/soci...
Social Editorial Producer (Part-Time, Contract)
Help us build the future of national security journalism.
inkstickmedia.com
July 26, 2026 at 2:04 PM
patrickobrienstrickland.com
A development:
July 24, 2026 at 2:41 PM
Reposted by Patrick Strickland
inkstickmedia.com
Throughout Trump 2.0, experts say, white nationalist ideological tenets have gained influence inside the government.

By: @tylerfromtexas.bsky.social

inkstickmedia.com/is-white-nat...
Is White Nationalism Baked into Trump’s Immigration Agenda?
Long considered fridge ideas, white nationalist talking points have now become baked into Trump's immigration agenda.
inkstickmedia.com
July 22, 2026 at 10:11 AM
Reposted by Patrick Strickland
inkstickmedia.com
"Ninety years ago, a young American communist named William Herrick crossed the Atlantic Sea with dreams of killing fascists. He returned with a bullet in his spine and resentment for his old comrades. Decades later, he'd become a novelist and turn his pen against the left he once championed."
The ‘American Orwell’ Who Fought in the Spanish Civil War
After turning to fiction later in his life, William Herrick's chronicles of leftist betrayal earned him the nickname the 'American Orwell.'
inkstickmedia.com
July 16, 2026 at 12:58 PM
patrickobrienstrickland.com
Shocked and grateful my book made this summer reading list:
June 29, 2026 at 4:08 PM
Reposted by Patrick Strickland
inkstickmedia.com
In Texas, defendants were sentenced between 30 and 100 years because of their affiliation with a supposed 'Antifa cell' that doesn't exist.

inkstickmedia.com/antifa-trial...
'Antifa Trial' in Texas Heightens Fears of Free Speech Chill in US
Will the outcome of a controversial trial against protesters accused of being Antifa lead to a chill on free speech in the US?
inkstickmedia.com
June 26, 2026 at 10:13 AM
patrickobrienstrickland.com
I got to go on @texaspublicradio.bsky.social's Book Public, hosted by the unmatchable Yvette Benavides, and talk about my new book A History of Heartache.
texaspublicradio.bsky.social Texas Public Radio @texaspublicradio.bsky.social · May 9
Patrick Strickland discusses his story collection "A History of Heartache." These are stories set in North Texas that chart the small moments of grace, and the almost insurmountable mistakes boys inherit.

Read More👉 ebx.sh/3u0dyZ
May 10, 2026 at 3:33 PM
Reposted by Patrick Strickland
debutiful.bsky.social
Patrick Strickland, author of A History of Heartache, answered our My Reading Life Q&A so readers could get to know the books that shaped his life and influenced his writing!

debutiful.net/2026/04/23/a... @melvillehouse.bsky.social
April 23, 2026 at 11:14 PM
Reposted by Patrick Strickland
degrootfoundation.bsky.social
HAPPY PUB DAY to Director's Grant recipient Patrick Strickland @patrickobrienstrickland.com for the release of A HISTORY OF HEARTACHE through Melville House! @melvillehouse.bsky.social

Learn more & order your copy: degrootfoundation.org/a-history-of...
Headshot of writer Patrick Strickland in a light pink shirt with short brown hair and a short beard ,looking at the camera in front of a black background. The cover of his new book, A HISTORY OF HEARTACHE, is in the bottom left corner.
April 21, 2026 at 6:27 PM
patrickobrienstrickland.com
“Through his vivid, voice-driven prose, Strickland mingles societal crises and systemic obstacles with his characters’ attempts at personal survival or redemption.”

So grateful for this considerate and smart review of A History of Heartache:

chapter16.org/ghosts-of-a-...
Chapter 16 review of A History of Heartache: “The world depicted in Patrick Strickland’s debut story collection, A History of Heartache, is thick with undercurrents of personal violence, addiction, cynicism, and economic instability. Jobs are scarce and menial. Drugs are abundant. Parents slosh their wine and whiskey. Kids get high and play too rough. Through his vivid, voice-driven prose, Strickland mingles societal crises and systemic obstacles with his characters’ attempts at personal survival or redemption. Strickland’s stories persistently braid these elements together as they work to generate the stories’ thematic power.”
April 20, 2026 at 11:29 PM
Reposted by Patrick Strickland
dallasobserver.com
North Texas native Patrick Strickland will be at Deep Vellum Books this Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. to discuss his new book.

🔗 https://www.dallasobserver.com/arts-culture/patrick-strickland-history-of-heartache-book-talk-dallas-40663681/
April 20, 2026 at 5:10 PM
patrickobrienstrickland.com
"But in A History of Heartache, a short-story collection that is his first work of fiction, he returns to Texas and peels back the mask of a worn-out suburbia to reveal stark human tragedy."

I'm stoked as all heck to get this thoughtful and generous review of my book from the Dallas Morning News:
Characters stumble through uncertain lives in D-FW author's story collection
In "A History of Heartache," Patrick Strickland returns to Texas and peels back the mask of a worn-out suburbia to reveal stark human tragedy.
www.dallasnews.com
April 18, 2026 at 12:23 AM
Reposted by Patrick Strickland
southrevbooks.bsky.social
"Beyond the pain and the characters who bear it, this book is a commentary on the ways America abandons its people to fend for themselves."

@tobyleblancauthor.bsky.social reviews A HISTORY OF HEARTACHE by Patrick Strickland. @melvillehouse.bsky.social

southernreviewofbooks.com/2026/04/15/a...
“A History of Heartache” Is a World Where No Saviors Are Coming
Bleak, clear-eyed, abrasive, and thoughtful stories about the forgotten folks of East Texas.
southernreviewofbooks.com
April 15, 2026 at 1:24 PM
patrickobrienstrickland.com
Stoked that my new story collection, A HISTORY OF HEARTACHE, made this list of April's best southern books.

It's out April 21 with @melvillehouse.bsky.social

Pre-order: bookshop.org/a/121591/978...
April 14, 2026 at 6:54 PM