Michelle Boone’s appointment "may mark a turning point for the foundation, which has been criticized as insular and slow to respond to changing times. In addition to serving as commissioner for the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events under former Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Boone is wrapping up her tenure as chief program and civic engagement officer for Navy...
"Milman Parry was arguably the most important American classical scholar of the 20th century, by one reckoning 'the Darwin of Homeric Studies.' At age 26, this young man from California stepped into the world of Continental philologists and overturned some of their most deeply cherished notions of ancient literature. Homer, Parry showed, was no 'writer' at all. The Iliad...
“A lot of customers, they really don’t even think about fonts or look at fonts. It’s only when they zoom in, that they see a g is different! It’s really , once you use them, what feels natural? Are there quirky characters that get in the way? Do the numerals feel right, and readable? I think we’re stretching what’s...
"I think this week marks a sea change in publishers’ interest in their authors’ behavior. The cancellation of Bailey’s books came just a day after news broke that hundreds of employees at Simon & Schuster have submitted a petition demanding that the publisher cancel its two-book deal with former vice president Mike Pence and refuse to sign any additional...
"Honkaku translates as 'orthodox', and refers to the crafting of fiendishly clever and complex puzzle scenarios – such as a murder in a locked bedroom – that can only be solved through logical deduction. … Honkaku stories have more in common with a game of chess than some modern thrillers, which can be filled with surprise twists and sudden...
"This month, the museum, Jane Austen's House, touched a nerve when its director said that it would include details about Austen and her family's ties to the slave trade, including the fact that her father was a trustee of a sugar plantation on the Caribbean island of Antigua. … The reaction from the British tabloids was swift." - The...
"Most publishers contacted by PW said they are deferring making any concrete plans about tours until authors feel comfortable going back on the road and booksellers and librarians feel comfortable hosting in-store events." - Publishers Weekly
So how did the author of How to Do Nothing survive the various self-isolations, lockdowns, and other stay-at-home initiatives before vaccines got their start? For one thing, she remembered what she had learned about social media, "this way of engaging with the attention economy that feels toxic to me, that I talk about in the book, how much that’s...
By 20-year-old Aaron Yang's estimate, "he's now contacted around a thousand libraries and acquired untold numbers of pencils, stickers and awards." Is ... is this OK? Librarians are torn. - NPR
Ready to read? The shortlist for the international prize, which is for a book translated into English in Britain and Ireland, features a couple of authors who write in French. The list includes science fiction, memoir, and more. Chair of the judges for the shortlist, Lucy Hughes-Hallett, said, "This is a fantastically vigorous and vital aspect of the way...
"Unlike the cozy bookstore in your town, online booksellers don't choose each book they're offering. The role of curator — if it exists at all — has effectively been passed from seller to customer. Under this system, if a title attracts sufficiently convincing and public objections, that title is taken down from the website. … This feels like a...
In our pandemic world, casual conversation has been all but eliminated. The closest thing I get these days is saying “thank you” to a delivery person or greeting a grocery store clerk. Even then, I’m hesitant to linger—every unnecessary moment with a stranger feels taboo, every breath a hazard. And, now, in the absence of chit-chat, I feel isolated...
In that era, a Grammar was second only to a Bible as a necessary object in a God-fearing household. While the Bible provided moral instruction, the Grammar, as a guide to correct linguistic behavior, might shore up confidence and help one get ahead in the world. A pageant of pedants, both male and female, squabbled for their share of...
Novels started out long in the 18th and 19th centuries, got shorter in the early 20th century, and really started bulking up (especially genre fiction) after 1991. What's more, readers love novellas all over Latin America and in South Korea and they appear regularly in continental Europe, but you almost never see new novellas published in the Anglosphere. Why?...
