Jen Benka
@jenbenka.bsky.social
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Executive Director of the Literary Arts Fund
@literaryartsfund.bsky.social
Literaryartsfund.org
Itâs an important time to back booksâ especially those published by the dedicated staff at nonprofit literary presses, where adventurous literature lives.
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2 days ago
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Jen Benka
The Booker Prizes
4 days ago
âItâs a captivating, slyly sophisticated novelâ We're delighted to announce the winner of the
#InternationalBooker2026
, supported by Bukhman Philanthropies, is Taiwan Travelogue by YĂĄng ShuÄng-zÇ, translated by Lin King. Discover the book:
thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-l...
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An impossible assignment: name only 15 books "most vital" to American literature. Here's Publishers Weekly's take. What's missing?
www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/...
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15 Essential Works of American Literature
In honor of Americaâs 250th birthday, we polled PWâs staffers and freelance reviewers, as well as members of the National Book Critics Circle, on the most essential books published in the U.S. since 1...
https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/100421-15-essential-works-of-american-literature.html
7 days ago
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One of humanityâs great art forms, literature is a lot to lose. For too long, literature and writers, and the literary arts nonprofits that champion them both, have not been supported by philanthropy. Thereâs a huge opportunity to make a difference. May this be a moment of change.
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8 days ago
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"...There is value in banding with the poets, and fighting for the value of being curious and trying to articulate the world with whatever tools are available to us." âChanda Prescod-Weinstein, physicist
www.nytimes.com/2026/05/13/s...
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A Physicist Who Thinks in Poetry From the Cosmic Edge
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/13/science/physics-prescod-weinstein.html
9 days ago
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"I think of characters as ways for me to ask questions and explore ideas. I see them as instruments. At the same time, they gain lives of their own and gain, hopefully, a certain vitality on the page which exceeds what Iâm able to consciously construct." âMegha Majumdar
therumpus.net/2026/05/04/w...
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Who Deserves Your Compassion? A Conversation with Megha Majumdar - The Rumpus
âKolkata is one of the cities in the world which is most severely affected by climate change. It has grown hotter. It is predicted to endure more storms, and more severe storms. How does it feel to re...
https://therumpus.net/2026/05/04/who-deserves-your-compassion-a-conversation-with-megha-majumdar
11 days ago
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Jen Benka
Literary Arts Fund
16 days ago
The nonprofit literary arts field supports creative writers and contributes to literary culture in uniquely impactful ways.
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Jen Benka
Lit Hub
19 days ago
The winners and nominated finalists of the 2026 Pulitzer Prizes were announced today by administrator Marjorie Miller.
buff.ly/BD6yBad
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Here are the 2026 Pulitzer Prize winners.
The winners and nominated finalists of the 2026 Pulitzer Prizes were announced today by administrator Marjorie Miller via remote video stream. The winners each take home $15,000 dollars and seriousâŚ
https://lithub.com/here-are-the-2026-pulitzer-prize-winners/
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For poets and writers wondering what to do with your archives and how... The WashU Librariesâ, with support from the Mellon Foundation, have created an incredibly helpful guide for you on digital preservation practices.
library.washu.edu/research-sup...
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Born-Digital Poetry - WashU Libraries
The WashU Libraries' Born-Digital Poetry project explores the discoverability, preservation, and use of born-digital poetry collections.
https://library.washu.edu/research-support/digital-projects/born-digital-poetry/
18 days ago
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Jen Benka
Literary Arts Fund
19 days ago
On Thursday, May 7 at 2 p.m. ET, join the Literary Arts Fund for an info session covering budget best practices. Free and online. Tips shared during this session may be useful to literary arts nonprofits interested in applying for a Literary Arts Fund grant. Register here:
zoom.us/webinar/regi...
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"Like the field, humans require periods of rest, of fallowness, because the fallow gives rise to the fertile. That before one can sing, one needs to understand the power of silence." âLauren Groff
lithub.com/lauren-groff...
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Lauren Groff: There is No Such Thing as Boredom, Only Noticing
My soul is so full that we are here together tonight. Thank you, Hannah and Maribeth for your loving, clear and steady vision for One Story. I canât believe it has been eighteen years since I had tâŚ
https://lithub.com/lauren-groff-there-is-no-such-thing-as-boredom-only-noticing/
21 days ago
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Jen Benka
Literary Arts Fund
28 days ago
Happy Indie Bookstore Day! Independent bookstores help ensure a robust literary culture, offering spaces where writersâ work can find readers. Visit an indie bookstore near you:
www.indiebound.org/independent-...
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"I believe in an old-fashioned virtue called Doing the Freakinâ Work. Read the book, not the summary. Write the piece, not the prompt. Suffer like the artist you are. It ainât easy, but if it were easy, it wouldnât be worth doing." âColson Whitehead
www.nytimes.com/2026/04/15/o...
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Opinion | Donât Use A.I. to Do This
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/15/opinion/art-artificial-intelligence.html?unlocked_article_code=1.blA.3zK-.-6w_UhOLbzUf&smid=url-share
about 1 month ago
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Jen Benka
Guggenheim Foundation
about 1 month ago
We're thrilled to announce our 101st class of Guggenheim Fellows. Huge congratulations to these 223 exceptional individuals in the Creative Arts, Humanities, Natural Sciences, Social Sciences, and a range of interdisciplinary fields. You can find out more at
www.gf.org
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Guggenheim Fellowship: Supporting exceptional individuals in more than 50 fields â Guggenheim Fellowships: Supporting Artists, Scholars, & Scientists
Discover the Guggenheim Foundation, offering Fellowships to artists, scholars, writers, and scientists under the freest possible conditions.
https://www.gf.org
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Jen Benka
The Bookseller
about 2 months ago
Janklow & Nesbit has launched the David Bellos Translation Prize, âcelebrating outstanding translations of fiction into English and championing global literary voicesâ đ
#BookSky
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Janklow & Nesbit launches the David Bellos Translation Prize
https://ebx.sh/SGRYkU
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Jen Benka
Lit Hub
about 2 months ago
A new three part series about Charles Dickens âhas been pitched as a come-up story, with emphasis on Dickensâs flâneur tendencies.â
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A new series on Charles Dickens takes your favorite Victorian novelist to the streets.
This year, the United Kingdom has made books a special cause. The National Year of Reading is a twelve month, government-sponsored campaign to get the citizenry hyped about reading for pleasure. AnâŚ
http://buff.ly/fecHm2c
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Jen Benka
Summer Brennan
about 2 months ago
It is almost impossible to make a living as an author from selling books alone. Less than 1% of authors do it.
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Jen Benka
The Guardian
about 2 months ago
âSoon publishers wonât stand a chanceâ: literary world in struggle to detect AI-written books
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âSoon publishers wonât stand a chanceâ: literary world in struggle to detect AI-written books
US release of horror novel Shy Girl cancelled and UK book discontinued after suspected AI use, as publishers feel âcold shiverâ
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/mar/29/ai-written-books-novel-shy-girl-publishers?utm_term=Autofeed&CMP=bsky_gu&utm_medium=&utm_source=Bluesky#Echobox=1774776148
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A wonderful read...
add a skeleton here at some point
about 2 months ago
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Jen Benka
Literary Arts Fund
about 2 months ago
Join the Literary Arts Fund for a field scan exploring a segment of the U.S. nonprofit literary arts sector. Free and online. April 7, 2026, 2 pm ET. Register here:
bit.ly/4t96yxd
ASL interpretation and closed captioning will be provided. A recording will also be available on
literaryartsfund.org
.
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"For authors, this is not just a technology, itâs a moral issue. Authors feel their work has been stolen." âSeth Fishman
www.nytimes.com/2026/03/19/b...
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A.I. Is Writing Fiction. Publishers Are Unprepared.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/19/books/ai-fiction-shy-girl.html?unlocked_article_code=1.UlA.38a6.SaUTjyydUnRN&smid=nytcore-ios-share
2 months ago
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Jen Benka
The Bookseller
2 months ago
A slate of new book podcasts launched in early 2026, driven, creators say, by a âyearningâ for âmore analogue living, long-form, in-depth content,â and "curiosity, community and joy.â đ
#BookSky
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Appetite for âlongform, community and joyâ drives surge of new book podcasts
https://ebx.sh/kORMe1
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Jen Benka
Literary Arts Fund
2 months ago
âThe ability of writers to imagine what is not the self, to familiarize the strange and mystify the familiar, is the test of their power.â âToni Morrison
#LiteraryArts
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"I ambled toward Sixth Avenue, passing a stationery store on the south side of the street. The people inside browsed through notebooks, recapturing an analog age. In our different ways, weâre all deciding how we want the story to turn out." âJoshua Rothman
www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...
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A.I. Is Coming for Culture
Weâre used to algorithms guiding our choices. When machines can effortlessly generate the content we consume, though, whatâs left for the human imagination?
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2025/09/01/ai-is-coming-for-culture
2 months ago
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"This is not a victimless crime â generative AI competes with the people whose work it is trained on, robbing them of their livelihoods." âEd Newton-Rex
www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
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Thousands of authors publish âemptyâ book in protest over AI using their work
About 10,000 writers including Kazuo Ishiguro, Philippa Gregory and Richard Osman join copyright campaign
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/mar/10/thousands-authors-publish-empty-book-protest-ai-work-copyright
2 months ago
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"Poetry can be a source of healing." âDr. Joshua Bennett
@mit.edu
@penguinrandomhouse.bsky.social
www.wabe.org/who-belongs-...
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Who belongs in âWeâ? Poet Joshua Bennett reflects on America at 250
Poet and author Dr. Joshua Bennett describes his latest book, âWE (The People of the United States)â as âa book Iâve been writing my entire life.â The collection is divided [âŚ]
https://www.wabe.org/who-belongs-in-we-poet-joshua-bennett-reflects-on-america-at-250/
2 months ago
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Jen Benka
Lit Hub
10 months ago
The National Association of Black Bookstores aims to âamplify Black voices, and preserve Black culture by increasing the visibility, sustainability, and impact of Black bookstores and booksellers.â
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Please welcome the National Association of Black Bookstores.
Today we mark the launch of a new literary institution: the National Association of Black Bookstores. A nonprofit collective and member-based organization, the NAB2 looks to âamplify Black voâŚ
https://buff.ly/zDoAoVC
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âIt was books that taught me that the things that tormented me most were the very things that connected me with all the people who were alive, who had ever been alive.â âHilton Als
lithub.com/the-weight-o...
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The Weight of the Self: On James Merrillâs A Different Person
A number of the people I first shared my love of James Merrillâs writing with are gone now, so I write this for them as much as for you. Some of the gone people perished from AIDS, the same diseaseâŚ
https://lithub.com/the-weight-of-the-self-on-james-merrills-a-different-person/
3 months ago
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Literary arts friends, the Pulitzer Prizes are seeking a Manager of Operations.
opportunities.columbia.edu/jobs/manager...
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Manager-Operations - Morningside, New York, United States
Position Summary Reporting to the Administrator, Pulitzer Prize, the Manager, Operations independently supervises and coordinates procedural and operational aspects of the internationally renowned awa...
https://opportunities.columbia.edu/jobs/manager-operations-morningside-new-york-united-states-15a70067-47ee-4e81-a858-c1fb818701b5
3 months ago
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Writers, bewareâ "the current swirl of swindles has created 'the worst environment for writing and publishing scams that Iâve ever seen.'"
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/25/b...
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Hungry for Affirmation, Vulnerable to Scams: As a Writer, I Know the Feeling
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/25/books/review/publishing-scams.html
3 months ago
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"If you can hear us, Mr. Silverblattâyour rigorous reading will be missed." âBrittany K. Allen
@britt-kathryn.bsky.social
lithub.com/five-great-e...
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Five great episodes of Michael Silverblattâs Bookworm, in honor of the late host.
Michael Silverblatt, the dedicated host of KCRWâs Bookworm, died last Friday at 73. Bookworm ran from 1989-2022, and was nationally syndicated. Over his thirty years on the airwaves, SilverblâŚ
https://lithub.com/five-great-episodes-of-michael-silverblatts-bookworm-in-honor-of-the-late-host/
3 months ago
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"What weâve seen in the last decade is diminishing coverage for books across the entire country, and it is really devastating for writers." âCleyvis Natera
@poynterinstitute.bsky.social
www.poynter.org/business-wor...
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When newspapers cut book coverage, communities lose more than reviews - Poynter
Authors, critics and booksellers say shrinking coverage weakens local arts, literary culture and the bond between readers and newsrooms
https://www.poynter.org/business-work/2026/why-dont-newspapers-review-books-anymore/
3 months ago
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"I think (Toni) Morrison wanted to go back to what she described as village literature, which is a notion that literature is a social form, it's a community form... It has to open up questions so that we can talk about it as a community." âNamwali Serpell
www.pbs.org/newshour/sho...
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Namwali Serpell celebrates Toni Morrison's literary genius in 'On Morrison'
In her new book, award-winning novelist Namwali Serpell takes on Toni Morrison, one of the towering figures in American literature. Serpell guides readers through Morrisonâs extraordinary body of work...
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/namwali-serpell-celebrates-toni-morrisons-literary-genius-in-on-morrison
3 months ago
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"Change me, drastically if possible. Transform me. Make me other. Thatâs what I ask of booksâboth when I read them and when I write them." âCristina Rivera Garza
lithub.com/cristina-riv...
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Cristina Rivera Garza on Writing a Genre-Blending Excavation of Family History
I have long admired the work of Cristina Rivera Garza, the much lauded writer of novels, short stories, poetry, essays and criticism, translator, University of Houston Distinguished Professor, founâŚ
https://lithub.com/cristina-rivera-garza-on-writing-a-genre-blending-excavation-of-family-history/
3 months ago
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Jen Benka
Literary Arts Fund
4 months ago
"We believe that everyone in our country deserves meaningful access to the veracity, beauty, imagination, and continual revelation that the arts and humanities provide." âElizabeth Alexander, President of
@mellon.org
, a co-founder of the Literary Arts Fund
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Opening Up the Arts and Humanities for All Americans
https://www.mellon.org/article/opening-up-the-arts-and-humanities-for-all-americans-elizabeth-alexander
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Writers George Saunders, Roxane Gay, and Jodi Picoult, among others, have joined the Human Artistry Campaign's "Stealing Isn't Innovation" effort to protest tech companies using copyrighted creative work without permission to build AI language models.
www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/bus...
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One of the First Big Anti-AI Campaigns From Hollywood Is Launching Now
Writers, actors and other musicians have come out in support of the Human Artistry Campaignâs âStealing Isnât Innovationâ push for licensing and opt-out mechanisms for human-created works.
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/celebrities-back-stealing-isnt-innovation-campaign-ai-1236479303/
4 months ago
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then let us believe the product of our lives is greater than the sum of us âElaine Mintzer
www.scientificamerican.com/article/poem...
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Poem: âE = mc²â
Science in meter and verse
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/poem-e-mc/
4 months ago
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Jen Benka
The Associated Press
4 months ago
Rachel Eliza Griffiths is releasing her memoir, "The Flower Bearers," after enduring profound personal tragedies.
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The pain, and joy, of Rachel Eliza Griffiths' writing journey
Rachel Eliza Griffiths is releasing her memoir, âThe Flower Bearers,â after enduring profound personal tragedies.
https://bit.ly/3YNbfzK
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âWriting, which is a kind of paying attention, can be an act of love, an illumination...â âLarissa Pham
@literaryhub.bsky.social
lithub.com/writing-towa...
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Writing Toward the Void: Larissa Pham on Facing Your Fears in Fiction
Whatâs the scariest scenario you can imagine? Mine goes something like this: Imagine a woman wrote a bookâno, a revenge fantasyâabout a mentor who abused his power. What if that bookâs subject encoâŚ
https://lithub.com/writing-toward-the-void-larissa-pham-on-facing-your-fears-in-fiction/
4 months ago
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"Words can empower or break a person, a community, a nation. But when we share stories with one another, we are reminded of our shared humanity." âShugri Salh
www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/...
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Somali Author Shugri Salh on the Power of Words
Shugri Salh, author of the memoir âThe Last Nomad,â reflects on her picture book debut, âSuubanâs First Day,â current events, and how words have the capacity both to heal and to harm.
https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-book-news/article/99458-somali-author-shugri-salh-on-the-power-of-words.html
4 months ago
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"We don't survive if we don't figure out how to hear, respect and see each other. And I think that literature has superpowers to do that." âElizabeth Alexander, poet and President of the
@mellon.org
Foundation on the new
@literaryartsfund.bsky.social
www.pbs.org/newshour/sho...
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Literary Arts Fund created to rekindle a love for reading
According to a recent study, reading for pleasure has fallen by 40% in the last 20 years, continuing a long-running downward trend. By many measures, reading skills for both students and adults contin...
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/literary-arts-fund-created-to-rekindle-a-love-for-reading
4 months ago
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"The benefit of reading more than one book at a time is that no matter how different the two books are, they always end up speaking to each other in ways I couldnât have imagined." âLaura Dave
time.com/7344842/read...
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The Benefits of Reading Two Books at Once
Pairing a book for focus with one for escape makes reading richer.
https://time.com/7344842/reading-two-books-at-once-benefits/
4 months ago
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"Poetry is alive; it celebrates our human experience with language, voice and reflection." âLaura Tohe, newly appointed Poet Laureate of Arizona
news.asu.edu/20260114-uni...
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ASU Professor Emeritus Laura Tohe named poet laureate of Arizona | ASU News
Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs announced on Wednesday the appointment of Arizona State University Professor Emeritus Laura Tohe as poet laureate for the state of Arizona.
https://news.asu.edu/20260114-university-news-asu-professor-emeritus-laura-tohe-named-poet-laureate-arizona
4 months ago
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What indy titles are indy bookstore shoppers reading? Launching today: a new and alternative best-sellers book list from the Independent Publishers Caucus and
@americanbookseller.bsky.social
...
www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/...
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Independent Publishers Caucus Launches Bestseller List with ABA
The Independent Press Top 40 is a new weekly bestseller list that ranks the most popular fiction and nonfiction titles from indie publishers, as sold by American Booksellers Association member stores.
https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/99435-independent-publishers-caucus-launches-bestseller-list-with-aba.html
4 months ago
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Jen Benka
Poetry Daily
4 months ago
Today's Feature: Alyse Knorr and Kate Partridge Remember Mel Nichols Read here:
poems.com/features/wha...
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Alyse Knorr and Kate Partridge Remember Mel Nichols
When she describes, in this poem, the letters âtaking flight down the river of quaking aspens,â and then opens the next stanza by rendering how âthe world is moon milk spilled on dark grass / among th...
https://poems.com/features/what-sparks-poetry/alyse-knorr-and-kate-partridge-remember-mel-nichols/
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âIâm interested in writing my way through, around, above, and below my life, as a way to navigate lifeâs joys, beauties, and sadnesses all at once.â â@victoriachang.bsky.social
www.nybooks.com/online/2026/...
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Community Poetry | Victoria Chang, Velislava Kuzmenko
In her poem âThe Swan, No. 20 (Hilma af Klint)â from the Reviewâs October 23, 2025, issue, Victoria Chang delineates the line of beauty (a word that
https://www.nybooks.com/online/2026/01/10/community-poetry-victoria-chang/
4 months ago
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"It feels like, to me, creativity is...this sort of vast collective consciousness, and I am, you know, a guy with a radio, turning the dial, tuning into it and trying to tune into it day after day." âBenjamin Wood
lithub.com/benjamin-woo...
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Benjamin Wood on the Creative Life Force
First Draft: A Dialogue of Writing is a weekly show featuring in-depth interviews with fiction, nonfiction, essay writers, and poets, highlighting the voices of writers as they discuss their work, âŚ
https://lithub.com/benjamin-wood-on-the-creative-life-force/
4 months ago
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reposted by
Jen Benka
Literary Arts Fund
4 months ago
"I hope with every book I write that it heals something in someone." âTayari Jones
@tayari.bsky.social
on her new book, "Kin."
#LiteraryArts
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Tayari Jonesâs Healing Words
Before finishing her latest novel, the bestselling author had to overcome serious illness and self-doubt.
https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/authors/profiles/article/99357-tayari-jones-s-healing-words.html
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"If youâre still looking for a New Yearâs resolution, 'read more books' could well be good for national morale." âBrittany Allen,
@literaryhub.bsky.social
lithub.com/in-2025-most...
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In 2025, most Americans read fewer than four books.
According to a YouGov poll released at yearâs end, American reading habits stay in the toilet. Four in ten Americans didnât read a single book during our last spin around the sun. And oâŚ
https://lithub.com/in-2025-most-americans-read-fewer-than-four-books/
5 months ago
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âA joy that wears down the rock of no." âCornelius Eady
m.youtube.com/watch?v=cjYQ...
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INAUGURATION HIGHLIGHT: Cornelius Eady Delivers Chilling Poem at Zohran Mamdaniâs Inauguration |AC14
YouTube video by DWS News
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=cjYQdpMxcxo&pp=0gcJCR4Bo7VqN5tD
5 months ago
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