The Hub

News, Notes, Talk

Here are some real book recommendations based on those fake books that AI invented.

In case you missed it, The Chicago Sun-Times and a bunch of other papers got duped into running a reading list full of made-up, AI slop. (Some of the books are real—Bonjour Tristesse, Beautiful Ruins, Dandelion Wine, Call Me By Read more >

By James Folta

Meet the 2025 Griffin Poetry Prize finalists.

Last month, the Griffin Poetry Prize—the world’s largest international prize for a single book of poetry published in English—announced its 2025 shortlist. The winner will be announced at a ceremony in Toronto on June 4th, and will receive C$130,000. Each Read more >

By Literary Hub

One great short story to read today:
James Tadd Adcox's "A Haunting"

According to the powers that be (er, apparently according to Dan Wickett of the Emerging Writers Network), May is Short Story Month. To celebrate, for the third year in a row, the Literary Hub staff will be recommending a single short Read more >

By Drew Broussard

One great short story to read today: Breece D’J Pancake’s “Time and Again”

According to the powers that be (er, apparently according to Dan Wickett of the Emerging Writers Network), May is Short Story Month. To celebrate, for the third year in a row, the Literary Hub staff will be recommending a single short Read more >

By Jonny Diamond

Tash Aw! A biography of Tim O'Brien! Lesbian hotlines! 22 new books out today.

May is nearing its end, and this has been a month that once again will be remembered most, perhaps, for its political and socioeconomic horrors, for its ever-larger steps towards American fascism. In these frightening, flummoxing times, art soothes, clarifies, Read more >

By Gabrielle Bellot

Here's what's making us happy this week.

Happy spring, fellow travelers. This week we’re back to basics with the good stuff. Physical books supplied by physical people are bringing us lots of joy. And when the pages don’t compel, we’re moving our bodies around. In the wake Read more >

By Brittany Allen

Your week in book news, in Venn diagrams.

Another big week in book news, with new releases and faux releases. Don’t get caught unaware if anyone asks you what you thought of Tidewater Dreams by Isabel Allende or The Last Algorithm by Andy Weir. Have a great long Read more >

By James Folta

One great short story to read today:
Jessi Jesewska Stevens's "Honeymoon"

According to the powers that be (er, apparently according to Dan Wickett of the Emerging Writers Network), May is Short Story Month. To celebrate, for the third year in a row, the Literary Hub staff will be recommending a single short story, Read more >

By Brittany Allen

Michael Crummey’s The Adversary has won the 2025 Dublin Literary Award.

Today, Canadian writer Michael Crummey’s “dark, enthralling novel about love and its limitations” was announced as the winner of this year’s Dublin Literary Award. Selected from a shortlist of six novels, The Adversary took home the top prize. The Dublin Read more >

By James Folta

One great short story to read today: Osamu Dazai's "Shame"

According to the powers that be (er, apparently according to Dan Wickett of the Emerging Writers Network), May is Short Story Month. To celebrate, for the third year in a row, the Literary Hub staff will be recommending a single short Read more >

By James Folta

The winners of the 2025 International Booker Prize are breaking boundaries.

The winners of this year’s International Booker Prize were announced this Tuesday. Congratulations are in order to Banu Mushtaq, author of Heart Lamp, and Deepa Bhashti, who translated the winning collection. This is the first time in International Booker history Read more >

By Brittany Allen

Nam Le has won Australia's oldest literary award for the second time.

Sixteen years after bursting onto the literary scene with his debut short story collection, The Boat (which won, or was nominated for, pretty much every major book prize in Australia), Vietnamese-Australian writer Nam Le’s first book of poetry has earned Read more >

By Dan Sheehan

Here are the CLMP's 2025 Firecracker Awards finalists.

Today, the Community of Literary Magazines & Presses (CLMP) announced the finalists for its eleventh annual Firecracker Awards, which celebrate “the best independently published books of fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry and the best literary magazines in the categories of Read more >

By Literary Hub

Dawn Macdonald's Northerny has won the 2025 Canadian First Book Prize.

Today, the Griffin Poetry Prize announced that Dawn Macdonald has won the 2025 Canadian First Book Prize for Northerny (University of Alberta Press). The prize judges called the book “a blast of crisp Yukon air. Funny and fresh, unexpected and Read more >

By Literary Hub

One great short story to read today: Kevin Barry's "Fjord of Killary"

According to the powers that be (er, apparently according to Dan Wickett of the Emerging Writers Network), May is Short Story Month. To celebrate, for the third year in a row, the Literary Hub staff will be recommending a single short Read more >

By Dan Sheehan

Looks like The Chicago Sun-Times used AI to write a reading list—and wound up with slop.

Today, a Bluesky user shared a photograph of what appears to be a summer reading insert published in this Sunday’s edition of the Chicago Sun-Times. The feature looks normal enough, until you actually read it and discover that only five Read more >

By Emily Temple

One great short story to read today: Aimee Bender, "Off"

According to the powers that be (er, apparently according to Dan Wickett of the Emerging Writers Network), May is Short Story Month. To celebrate, for the third year in a row, the Literary Hub staff will be recommending a single short Read more >

By Emily Temple

New books from Alison Bechdel! Yiyun Li! Adam Roberts! 26 new books out today.

Another Tuesday is here, and, as always, that means that a bevy of new books will be hitting the shelves. The world is still chaotic and scary, as always, but having some constants to look forward to can help. And, Read more >

By Gabrielle Bellot

One great short story to read today: "The Secret Lives of the Nine Negro Teeth of George Washington"

According to the powers that be (er, apparently according to Dan Wickett of the Emerging Writers Network), May is Short Story Month. To celebrate, for the third year in a row, the Literary Hub staff will be recommending a single short Read more >

By Drew Broussard

Here's what's making us happy this week.

Though we in the Western Hemisphere have slightly more than a month till summer starts, most of us at Lit Hub are getting a spiritual jump on the season. McKayla Coyle is calibrating their summer playlist. Emily Firetog is finding Read more >

By Brittany Allen