Jesse Sutanto Wins the Comedy Women in Print Award for Dial A for Aunties
Jesse Sutanto has won the Comedy Women in Print Prize, the UK’s only award for humorous writing by women, for her novel Dial A for Aunties. Joanne Harris, the chair of the judging panel and the author of Chocolat, said Sutanto’s novel was packed with “absurd situations, hilarious dialogue, wonderful family dynamics and crackling with comic energy.” Sutanto said winning the £3,000 award felt “unreal.” She added, “I feel like a lot of women are raised to be very humble, and when people give us compliments, we’re supposed to be like, ‘Oh, no, it’s not that big a deal.’ “Yesterday, my husband said to our five-year-old, ‘Mama did an amazing thing, she is certified the funniest female author in an entire country.’ And my five-year-old was like, wow, and I said, ‘Oh, no, Papa is just exaggerating.’ He said, ‘I’m literally not,’ and then it hit me and I had to have a moment because that’s just too big. I needed to have a moment to let it sink in.” The prize was set up in 2019 by comedian and writer Helen Lederer. Sutanto’s win was announced at a ceremony at the Groucho Club in London on Monday.
Barnes & Noble Announces We Were Liars Prequel
Barnes & Noble has just announced the upcoming publication of Family of Liars, E. Lockhart’s prequel to her New York Times bestselling novel We Were Liars. Barnes & Noble will carry an exclusive edition of the book featuring a unique jacket, a customized case and end papers, a map of Beechwood Island, a Sinclair family tree, an author Q&A, a playlist/mix tape, Tipper’s lemon pound cake recipe, and more. Family of Liars will be out on May 3, 2022.
School District Pulls 29 Books from Libraries
A Kansas school district has removed 29 books from circulation in school libraries. Julie Cannizzo, the assistant superintendent for academic affairs for Goddard Public Schools, sent an email out to principals and librarians with a list of the books and said the district is assembling a committee to “rate the content of the books on the list.” Cannizzo wrote, “At this time, the district is not in a position to know if the books contained on this list meet our educational goals or not. Additionally, we need to gain a better understanding of the processes utilized to select books for our school libraries.” The list includes several acclaimed novels, such as The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison, The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas, The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky, and the Pulitzer Prize-winning play Fences by August Wilson.
12 Free Short Stories by Your Favorite Authors
Looking for short stories from your favorite authors that you can read for free? These short stories by your favorite authors will entice and enchant you with bookkeeping aliens, ant writing, and sentient drones.