Prizes for poets and women writers announced
Two big prizes announced winners this week. The first is the Lilly Rosenberg Fellowships, which award poets under 31 $25,000 so that they can devote more time to poetry. The 2019 prizes went to Franny Choi, Jane Huffman, Jose Olivarez, Justin Phillip Reed and Michael Wasson. Read more about the winners here.
The second is the Rona Jaffe Foundation, which grants $40,000 prizes to women writers in a variety of genres. The 2019 winners are Selena Anderson, Magogodi oaMphela Makhene, Sarah Passino, Nicolette Polek, Elizabeth Schambelan, and Debbie Urbanski. Read more about the winners here.
Biblotheca encourages libraries to stop sharing data with Amazon
Yet another complaint against Amazon has been raised by Biblotheca, who urged library customers to stop sharing data with the online retailer over concerns that the company is using this data to encourage publishers to limit library lending for e-books. “As long as data is shared with Amazon by library users, Amazon will spin that data to create concern, and publishers will be forced to alter their digital library lending models or risk losing key authors,” Tom Mercer, SVP of Digital Products, wrote in a message to its customers.
Remembering literature’s most regrettable rejections
Did you know Catch-22, Harry Potter and the Sorceror’s Stone, The Help, and The Time Traveler’s Wife all were rejected by publishers numerous times before finding a home in print? The Guardian has the full list of regrettable rejections in publishing.
Curl up and read in this stunning sky-high Shanghai bookstore
Sixty thousand books found a home in a dreamy bookstore on the 52nd floor of Shanghai’s tallest buildings. Wutopia Lab designed Duoyun Books’ flagship store, naming it “Books Among Clouds. Take a look at pictures of the beautiful space here.
The 15 most popular books readers start but don’t finish
Speaking of Catch-22: Joseph Heller’s novel tops the list of classic books readers start and then abandon. See the full list of contemporary, classic, and Kindle books that readers just can’t seem to finish here.
