The Hub

News, Notes, Talk

In a new lawsuit, the Authors Guild is going toe to toe with DOGE.

This afternoon, the Authors Guild filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration. Plaintiffs, which include the guild and an independent group of scholars and writers, are protesting the sudden termination of millions of dollars in individual and institutional humanities grants. Read more >

By Brittany Allen

Want to reduce crime? Science says: build more libraries.

I’m always happy to find a new reason why libraries make eveything better, and today I’m pleased to report that some very serious academics have concluded that public libraries are the urban planning equivalent of Batman: great at fighting crime. Read more >

By James Folta

One great short story to read today: Sam Rebelein's "We Never Went Away, We Just Hid Better"

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

Rebecca Solnit! Ocean Vuong! Axe murders! 27 new books out today.

It’s just about the middle of May, and the world continues to be a phantasmagoric horror show unfolding at once too quickly and too slowly. But, through it all, and despite governmental attempts to silence artists and art institutions alike, Read more >

By Gabrielle Bellot

Authors are auctioning signed books to raise money for Crips for eSIMs for Gaza.

Sheila Heti, Omar El Akkad, Madeleine Thien, and Sarah Bernstein are among the dozens of prominent authors who are auctioning off signed editions of their books to benefit Crips for eSims for Gaza, a crowdfunding organization made up of disabled people from Read more >

By Dan Sheehan

Here are the finalists for the $20,000 DAG Prize for Literature.

Today, the DAG Foundation announced the five finalists for the DAG Prize for Literature, a new annual award that grants $20,000 to “an early-career prose writer whose work expands the possibilities for American writing.” The prize, given by musicians Alyssa Read more >

By Literary Hub

One great short story to read today: Donald Barthelme's "A City of Churches"

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

Your week in book news, in Venn diagrams.

With Popes and Pulitzers getting announced this week, it was a busy one, especially for fans of prestigious ceremonies and secretive deliberations. If you’re too busy preparing for Mother’s Day, here is the news in three quick diagrams.   Read more >

By James Folta

The Trump Administration just fired America’s top librarian.

Photo from the Library of Congress In their continued campaign to trample institutions and eject expertise from government, the Trump Administration abruptly fired Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden yesterday. Dr. Hayden was the first woman and the first African American Read more >

By James Folta

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

The theme of the week is tiny beauty. The force is in the details, as they say. So we at Lit Hub are looking closer and looking around. Drew Broussard recommends Colin Dickey’s “Glacial Errata,” a newsletter dedicated to “oddities” Read more >

By Brittany Allen

Here's what to do if your NEA grant has been terminated.

Last week, hundreds of publishers, theatre companies, symphonies, and community arts programs abruptly lost funding. Beloved institutions from the Bay Area to Harlem were rudely informed of canceled NEA grants last week. And as my colleague James Folta reported in Read more >

By Brittany Allen

One great short story to read today: madeline Ffitch’s “Seeing Through Maps”

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 Jonny Diamond

A close reading of the description for disgraced comedian Louis C.K.’s forthcoming novel.

Louis C.K., the disgraced comedian, has written a novel called Ingram, set to come out in the fall. If you need a refresher on C.K., Megh Wright’s excellent piece from 2018 lays out the sexual harassment accusations, and why C.K.’s Read more >

By James Folta

One great short story to read today: Marie-Helene Bertino's "Viola in Midwinter"

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

An ode to reading with my mom.

Illustrations by E. H. Shepard I’ve been lucky to always be around readers. I had some very good and kind teachers who recommended great books, and I had friends who got to The Lord of The Rings before me, but Read more >

By James Folta

Eve L. Ewing and pals are buying a Chicago bookstore.

We can celebrate a nice bit of bookstore news this week. Three community rock stars—including self-identified “book girlie” Eve L. Ewing—are joining forces to save an imperiled indie. As Maxwell Evans of Block Club Chicago reports, an impressive trifecta is Read more >

By Brittany Allen