Carmen Maria Machado Speaks Out Against Book Bans, Shortlists for London Book Fair International Excellence Awards, and More

by Staff
5.11.21

Every day Poets & Writers Magazine scans the headlines—publishing reports, literary dispatches, academic announcements, and more—for all the news that creative writers need to know. Here are today’s stories.

“Book bans deprive students of a better understanding of themselves and each other. As a writer, I believe in the power of words to cross boundaries at a time of deep division.” Carmen Maria Machado speaks out against a recent effort to ban her book In the Dream House from high school reading lists in Leander, Texas. (New York Times)

The London Book Fair has announced the shortlists for its International Excellence Awards, which honor “publishing achievement” across the globe. This year the program features seven categories, including the Literary Translation Initiative Award and the Rights Professional Award. The shortlisted publishers, bookstores, libraries, and publishing professionals hail from fifteen different countries. (Bookseller)

HarperCollins has officially acquired Houghton Mifflin Harcourt’s trade division. First announced in March, the $349 million deal was completed yesterday. (Shelf Awareness)

Black Privilege Publishing, a new imprint under the Atria Publishing Group at Simon & Schuster, is releasing its first title today: Tamika D. Mallory’s State of Emergency: How We Win in the Country We Built. Helmed by Charlamagne Tha God, Black Privilege Publishing seeks to open “new doors in the publishing marketplace by amplifying Black and brown narratives.” (Kirkus)

Richard Warren Baron, the former owner and publisher of the Dial Press, died on May 9 at age ninety-eight. During his tenure, the Dial Press published books by James Baldwin, Norman Mailer, and Thomas Berger, among many other distinguished authors. (Publishers Weekly)

“Centuries of the patriarchy have driven us to react in specific ways.” Entertainment Weekly profiles Lisa Taddeo ahead of the publication of her second book, Animal.

Publishers Weekly reports on tensions between union employees and management at Powell’s Books in Portland, Oregon, due to disagreement over the rehiring process, specifically whether the store is obliged to reinstate workers to their previous positions and salaries.

The Millions spotlights new books out today, including The Rock Eaters by Brenda Peynado and Swimming Back to Trout River by Linda Rui Feng.