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News, Notes, Talk

Another reason to love Pedro Pascal? He called J.K. Rowling a "heinous loser."

We already knew Pedro Pescal, gimlet-eyed star of The Last of Us and several buzzy action franchises, was a sweetheart. His Hollywood reputation stays stainless in a sea of divas. His little sister Lux is “incredibly proud” of him. And Read more >

By Brittany Allen

Here's everything that got us through this week.

This week we at Lit Hub sought deep focus, wise Dad energy, and salt. We celebrated surprises and anniversaries. We looked spring in the face and said, do your worst. Speaking of the season. Drew Broussard is “reallllly digging” a Read more >

By Brittany Allen

For this Indie Bookstore Day, here are odes to ten of our favorite bookstores.

Tomorrow, Saturday 4/26, is Independent Bookstore Day! And while every day can and should be Independent Bookstore Day (stop buying books from Amazon, stop linking to books on Amazon, stop posting the Amazon sales and the B&N sales on your Read more >

By Literary Hub

Time to re-read The Masses, the 1910s literary magazine crushed by government censorship.

This political moment in America has been chilling for free speech and dissent, but like so many things about America, this government and vigilante repression isn’t new. Before Mahmoud Khalil, Rümeysa Öztürk, and Mohsen Mahdawi speaking out against war and Read more >

By James Folta

Five incredible books edited by Toni Morrison.

Header image via Bernard Gotfryd photograph collection (Library of Congress) This month, Farrar, Straus and Giroux is reissuing a spiky, forgotten jewel of a book. You may not know the author by name yet, but you’ll recognize her acquiring editor: Read more >

By Brittany Allen

Tommy Orange has won the Aspen Words Literary Prize for Wandering Stars.

On April 23, Aspen Words announced the winner of the 2025 Aspen Words Literary Prize, which awards $35,000 each year to “a work of fiction that illuminates a vital contemporary issue and demonstrates the transformative power of literature on thought and Read more >

By Literary Hub

The Sant Jordi NYC Festival of Books & Roses is bringing the Catalan celebration to America.

Feliç Sant Jordi! The Catalan holiday, rooted in the story of the region’s patron saint, is celebrated every year around Catalonia, but is coming to NYC this week. The Sant Jordi NYC Festival of Books & Roses is a celebration Read more >

By James Folta

Here's the shortlist for the 2025 Griffin Poetry Prize.

Today, the Griffin Poetry Prize—the world’s largest international prize for a single book of poetry published in English—announced its 2025 shortlist, which was winnowed down from a pool of 578 submissions, including 47 translations from 20 languages, representing 219 publishers Read more >

By Literary Hub

A literary guide to the 2025 Cannes Film Festival.

It’s your annoying cinephile friend’s favorite time of year. In a few short weeks, the Cannes Film Festival will run roughshod over the French riviera from May 13-May 24. Some exciting pictures will compete for the coveted Palme d’Or this Read more >

By Brittany Allen

What if the final meeting between V.P. Vance and Pope Francis took place in a Dan Brown novel?

Pope Francis, who Nick Ripatrazone called our “most literary pope”, died this Sunday. Pope Francis, who despite the faults of his institution, was an admirable man who stood for the poor and the oppressed, most notably for the Palestinians, who Read more >

By James Folta

Lydia Millet! Marie-Helene Bertino! The downfall of Elon Musk! 25 new books out today!

Each week, as the wheel of the year turns, it feels as though far more than a week has passed, what with the deluge of political chaos we face almost daily, and it’s easy to start to feel drained and Read more >

By Gabrielle Bellot

Which famous authors might go to space? (A chart.)

By now you’ve for sure seen the footage of the latest Blue Origin flight, this one passengered by Katy Perry, Gayle King, Lauren Sánchez, among others. The flight technically crossed the Kármán Line into space, on a rocket courtesy of Read more >

By James Folta

Here’s everything that’s making us happy this week.

Another toughie in the books. But if you’re reading this, you made it to Friday! This week, we at Lit Hub are grateful to say the same. We generally got by on the grace of podcasts, 90s nostalgia, and the Read more >

By Brittany Allen

Books on literary agents' Manuscript Wish Lists: real or fake? (A quiz.)

Sometimes, it can be hard to know exactly what a literary agent is looking for. Other times, they just come out and tell you, via a “Manuscript Wish List” (#MSWL). These can be both helpful and oddly specific. The following Read more >

By Marco Kaye

Here are the finalists for the NYPL’s 2025 Young Lions Fiction Award.

Today, the New York Public Library announced their Young Lions Fiction Award finalists. The annual award, now in its 25th year, honors a writer under 35 for an exceptional novel or short story collection. Here are this year’s finalists: ‘Pemi Aguda Read more >

By Literary Hub

Here are some new literary portmanteaus to use alongside romantasy and cli-fi.

It was recently brought to my attention, via the Lit Hub Slack, that “thromance,” a portmanteau of thriller and romance, has joined the ranks of zippy subgenre names. Maybe it’s because of social media, but it seems like book conversations Read more >

By James Folta