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News, Notes, Talk

Pennsylvania students are protesting their school district's ban on books by authors of color.

These past few weeks, Pennsylvania’s Central York School District students have been protesting outside their schools after their school board’s conversation about a proposed diversity curriculum turned into a list of banned books. Last October, the Central York school board Read more >

By Walker Caplan

On its 25th anniversary, here's a look at Oprah's Book Club—by the numbers.

25 years ago today Oprah Winfrey launched what would soon become the most powerful and influential force in American publishing: Oprah’s Book Club. Each month for over fourteen years, the beloved talk show host, cultural tastemaker, and undisputed “Queen of Read more >

By Dan Sheehan

Proof goth is not dead: A first edition of Frankenstein just set a world auction record.

Mary Shelley was goth before it was cool. She wrote Frankenstein—sometimes described as the world’s first science fiction novel—as part of a horror story writing game. She lost her virginity to Percy Shelley on top of her mother’s grave. (To Read more >

By Walker Caplan

How to write like Cheryl Strayed.

On this day in 1968, Wild author Cheryl Strayed was born in Spangler, Pennsylvania. At this point, the former Dear Sugar columnist needs no introduction. However, like many authors, Strayed’s success occurred after years of considerable struggle. In an interview with Manjula Read more >

By Vanessa Willoughby

Here’s the longlist for the 2021 National Book Award for Fiction.

Today, the National Book Foundation announced their longlist for the 2021 National Book Award for Fiction. This year’s longlist features three debuts and includes, appropriately for this year, many novels that ask questions about the nature of home. These ten Read more >

By Emily Temple

Here’s the longlist for the 2021 National Book Award for Nonfiction.

Today, the National Book Foundation announced their longlist for the 2021 National Book Award for Nonfiction. This year’s judges for the National Book Award in Nonfiction are Eula Biss, Aaron John Curtis, Nell Painter, Kate Tuttle, and Jerald Walker. The Read more >

By Emily Temple

Stephen Sondheim is working on a new musical—with David Ives.

Here’s a new “Shakespeare wrote King Lear in quarantine” for you: Stephen Sondheim just finished a new musical. In an interview last night with Stephen Colbert—a lifelong Sondheim fan who played Harry in New York Philharmonic’s 2011 production of Sondheim’s Read more >

By Walker Caplan

“Poetry is telegrams of the human soul”: Watch a rare video interview with Richard Brautigan.

Today marks the 37th anniversary of the death of Richard Brautigan, imaginative poet, novelist, and short story writer, best known for his novel Trout Fishing in America. Despite his fame and to his embarrassment, Brautigan was never treated with the Read more >

By Walker Caplan

A new study suggests that backlash against critical race theory is linked to white fear.

In news that will only surprise people who think Barack Obama’s election magically cured racism: a recent NBC News analysis found that many schools that are experiencing intense backlash over critical race theory are also becoming less white. NBC’s study, Read more >

By Vanessa Willoughby

Zibby Owens to publish books using a company-wide profit-sharing model.

Zibby Owens, the memoirist, editor, and entrepreneur who’s risen to prominence over the last few years via her much-beloved author-interview podcast Moms Don’t Have Time To, is launching her own publishing house, Zibby Books. Founded in partnership with writer and Read more >

By Jonny Diamond

Here’s the longlist for the 2021 National Book Award for Poetry.

Today, the National Book Foundation announced their longlist for the 2021 National Book Award for Poetry. This year’s longlist is made up almost entirely of first-timers—with the exception of Forrest Gander, who was longlisted in 2018 for his poetry collection Read more >

By Emily Temple

Which brave streaming service will give us America's Next Top Poet?

We’ve all had a lot of fun(?) this week with the announcement of the late capitalist monstrosity that is The Activist—a reality competition show in which activists compete for likes from both social media and Julianna Hough in order to Read more >

By Jessie Gaynor

Here are the recipients of the 2021 American Poets Prizes.

The Academy of American Poets has just announced the recipients of the 2021 American Poets Prizes. Considered to be one of the most valuable and prestigious poetry prizes in the US, the Academy of American Poets has recognized and funded Read more >

By Snigdha Koirala

Here's the longlist for the 2021 National Book Award for Translated Literature.

Today, the National Book Foundation announced the longlist for the 2021 National Book Award for Translated Literature. This year’s longlist includes books originally written in seven different languages—Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Korean, Russian, and Spanish—and includes works by three previous Read more >

By Emily Temple

Colin Meloy's novel is becoming a full-length stop-motion movie.

Back in 2011, Colin Meloy, the lead singer and songwriter for The Decemberists, released a children’s novel called Wildwood. Illustrated by his wife Carson Ellis, who also illustrated The Mysterious Benedict Society, the novel follows two young friends, Prue and Read more >

By Walker Caplan

Read the short story that introduced Jeeves the butler to the world.

This week marks the anniversary of the first publication of P.G. Wodehouse’s short story “Extricating Young Gussie,” which features the first appearance of two of Wodehouse’s most beloved characters: Bertie Wooster, the rich gentleman, and Jeeves, his wise and competent Read more >

By Walker Caplan