Breaking news on authors, publishers, and book-related topics

Congress to hold hearing on book bannings in schools and libraries

Apr 05 2022: Maryland Congressman Jamie Raskin, chairman of the Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, plans to hold a hearing to examine the wave of attempted book bannings in schools and libraries across the country. The hearing is set for April 7 at 10:00 a.m. ET. A ...

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Oprah Winfrey named 2022 PEN/Faulkner Literary Champion

Mar 30 2022: Oprah Winfrey has been selected as the 2022 PEN/Faulkner Literary Champion, an annual commendation that recognizes a lifetime of devoted literary advocacy and a commitment to inspiring new generations of readers and writers.

"Oprah Winfrey is a literary force field...

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For Colin Kaepernick, writing is another form of activism

Mar 30 2022: Publishers Weekly spoke with social justice icon and former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick about his debut picture book, I Color Myself Different, and writing as an extension of his advocacy.

Kaepernick, at 34, presides over a multimedia platform ...

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‘Freedom Libraries’ aim to transform prisons, 500 books at a time

Mar 25 2022: Poet Reginald Dwayne Betts’s first-of-its kind library now sits in the National Building Museum. The signature Freedom Library created by the MacArthur fellow, poet and lawyer offers people for the first time a chance to see libraries just like it that are being ...

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Poll finds public broadly opposes book banning efforts

Mar 25 2022: By large majorities, American say they oppose recent efforts to remove books from schools and libraries, and say they trust librarians to make appropriate collection decisions. The news comes from a national poll commissioned by the American Library Association, ...

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The free speech and First Amendment debate

Mar 24 2022: Shelf Awareness provides a useful overview of the free speech and First Amendment debates currently roiling the USA:

In the last week, two pieces in the New York Times have explored or touched on the issue of free speech.

Last Friday, a Times editorial entitled "...

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National Book Critics Circle Award Winners

Mar 18 2022: The winners of the 2021 National Book Critics Circle Awards were announced last night. The NBCC Awards include seven awards for books and three for reviewers. You can see all seven book winners on BookBrowse:

• Autobiography: Gay Bar: Why We Went Out by Jeremy ...

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Penguin Random House creates banned books resources hub

Mar 15 2022: Penguin Random House has created a Banned Books Resources Hub that includes tools, materials and information that can help people and organizations fighting book bans including resources for teachers, librarians, parents, students and authors/illustrators.

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