Ron Charles

I’ve Been Laid Off. I’m Not Done.

After 20 years at The Washington Post, I’m suddenly on my own — and still writing about books.

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Ron Charles
Feb 04, 2026
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The Long Room at Trinity College, Dublin. (Ron Charles)

I’ve been laid off.

Wednesday morning, I learned that my services as a book critic at The Washington Post were no longer needed.

My job, along with more than 300 others, was eliminated in the paper’s latest effort to reinvent itself.

How a major national newspaper will carry on without someone on staff…

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