Month: October 2017

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH Clutches Its Pearls

After The Daily Telegraph wrote a story villainizing a student who called for Cambridge’s English Literature curriculum to include post-colonial or BME authors, the university issued a statement that they will not be dropping any one author in favor of another. This was specifically in response to the Telegraph‘s claim that Lola Olufemi, the student who created the petition, was forcing the school to “replace white authors with black writers.” Cambridge also condemned social media harassment of the student after word of the petition spread. The fact that the Telegraph splashed a giant photo of Olufemi with that headline across their front page tells me plenty about their intentions.

The Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction Shortlists

The Carnegie Committee announced the Fiction and Nonfiction shortlists for the Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence. The Fiction finalists are: Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders, Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan, and Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward. In Nonfiction, the finalists are: The Doomsday Machine by Daniel Ellsberg, Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann, and You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me by Sherman Alexie. The winners will be announced in Denver, Colorado on February 11th.

John McCain Will Publish A Memoir

Senator John McCain will publish a memoir titled, The Restless Wave: Good Times, Just Causes, Great Fights, and Other Appreciations. Mark Salter, a speechwriter and McCain’s co-writer on this book, said the memoir will be “expansive and reflective about his career and life, the direction of our politics and our leadership in the world, and the causes and values that matter most to him.” The Restless Wave will be out in April. It seems like there are a ton of political memoirs out and upcoming as of late. I wonder why…

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Sections Of Anne Frank’s Diary To Be Read To Italian League Fans

Passages from Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl will be read aloud to fans of the professional Italian sports club, Lazio. The Italian football federation announced plans for the pre-match readings in response to antisemitic acts performed by the fans. These blindingly insensitive and racist acts include defacing Stadio Olimpico with antisemitic graffiti and stickers showing images of Frank wearing a rival jersey. Lazio’s president has also announced an annual trip to Auschwitz with young fans who have a history of antisemitic behavior.

Harper Lee’s Letters Are Up For Auction

A lot of 38 handwritten letters by Harper Lee are being auctioned for a minimum bid of $10,000. Lee wrote the letters between 2005-2010 to her friend Felice Itzkoff who died in 2011. The letters include Lee’s thoughts on Barack Obama’s inauguration day, the memorial service for the screenwriter of To Kill a Mockingbird‘s film adaptation, and aging. The auction ends October 26.

Episodes of Fear and Loathing

Hunter S. Thompson’s antics are getting a television series. Davey Holmes, showrunner for the Get Shorty series, is reportedly helming MGM Television’s new series on the gonzo journalist. The show is currently titled Fear and Loathing, but it’s still in early development–too soon to know anything about casting. You know there are some actors out there who can’t wait to pull a Johnny Depp.

Thank you to The Infinite Now by Mindy Tarquini for sponsoring today’s newsletter.

In flu-ravaged 1918 Philadelphia, Fiora Vicente, the freshly orphaned and forward-thinking daughter of the local fortune teller, has goals. She has ambitions. But when faced with a future she hasn’t planned, she has second thoughts–and casts her community into a stagnant bubble of time.

Inside the bubble, life among Fiora’s superstitious neighbors continues, but nothing progresses, swamped by a steady stream of unspent seconds. As the pressure builds Fiora realizes she must find the courage to collapse the bubble–or risk trapping her dreams in an unbearable, unyielding, and infinite Now.

Perfect for fans of The Night Circus, The Infinite Now is a quirky and unique fantasy read.

Was Pablo Neruda Assassinated?

An international group of forensic experts concluded that Pablo Neruda’s official cause of death is incorrect–he did not die of cancer. Instead, after inspecting samples from the prolific Chilean poet’s exhumed remains, they have determined that the actual cause was related to an infection. The experts have said they “can’t exclude nor affirm the natural or violent cause of Pablo Neruda’s death.” But the discovery is already stirring up old questions about whether Neruda was assassinated in his hospital bed, by way of an injection of a mystery substance, as both his nephew and personal assistant attested.

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Throws Literary Shade

Newsweek wrote about Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s new short story–namely, how it paints the first lady as a casual racist, reluctant wife of the president, and as being envious of Michelle Obama. In the story, “Mrs T” keeps a folder full of pictures of Obama on her laptop. The Americanah author wrote the story for T, The New York Times’ style magazine. Janelle Asked to the Bedroom follows a pre-election short story about Mrs T titled, The Arrangements.

Indigenous Representation On The Thor: Ragnarok Set

The Mary Sue wrote up a piece about all the ways Taika Waititi pushed for indigenous representation on the Thor: Ragnarok set. Waititi, who’s directing the film, is Māori. From shadowing opportunities for indigenous filmmakers to an opening Karakia ceremony to avoiding appropriation, Waititi did the good work for better representation and inclusion. The piece pointed out how rare it is for a movie to be turned over to an indigenous director.

Thank you to 36 Questions That Changed My Mind About You by Vicki Grant, for sponsoring today’s newsletter.

Inspired by the real psychology study popularized by the New York Times and its “Modern Love” column, this contemporary YA is full of humor and heart. It explores the interactions between Hildy and Paul, two random strangers in a university psychology study, when they ask each other the 36 questions that are engineered to make them fall in love. Told in the language of modern romance–texting, Q&A, IM–and punctuated by Paul’s sketches, this clever high-concept YA will leave you searching for your own stranger to ask the 36 questions. Maybe you’ll even fall in love.