When Jokha al-Harthi and Marilyn Booth won the Man Booker International Prize last year, for Booth’s translation of Sayyidat al-Qamr (Celestial Bodies), many hurried to note that al-Harthi was the “first Omani woman writer” to have a book in English translation.While true, this may give the mistaken impression that there is something new about women's writing from the Gulf. But women on the peninsula have been composing sophisticated literature for centuries. Al-Khansa (575-645 AD), who was born and died on the Arabian Peninsula, is said to have been told by an admiring male writer that she was “the greatest poet among those with breasts.” Al-Khansa is said to have replied, archly: “I am the greatest poet among those with testicles, too.” Her work can be read, in vibrant translation, in James Montgomery’s Loss Sings.Prominent poet-filmmaker Nujoom Ghanem, in a 2016 interview that focused on her literary ancestors, had a similar barb: “The majority of poets in our world are male, but quantity does not make quality.” Yet among the younger generation of writers, women often dominate. In Yemen, the UAE, Kuwait, and elsewhere, emerging women writers have been flooding into writing workshops and literary seminars. Each Gulf country could have its own list of 10 women writers. Here are just a few to seek out:Raja Alem (Saudi) – Alem was the first woman to co-win the International Prize for Arabic Fiction (IPAF), for her classic Mecca novel The Doves’ Necklace (translated by Adam... Continue reading at 'British Council global'
[ British Council global | 2020-02-19 10:26:57 UTC ]
The first novel to be published by Stormzy’s new imprint #Merky Books, That Reminds Me by poet and podcaster Derek Owusu, has been longlisted for the £10,000 Desmond Elliott Prize for debuts. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-04-06 14:35:00 UTC ]
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James Patterson has a long history of helping independent bookstores. In in 2014, he donated $1 million to indie bookstores, and staring in 2015, his Holiday Bonus program has given payments between $500 and $5,000 to bookstore employees each year. Now, as bookstores struggle to keep afloat... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-04-03 14:23:07 UTC ]
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A 2014 picture book with the timely topic of patience returns Mo Willems to our list. Plus Broken Earth series author N.K. Jemisin launches a new trilogy with ‘The City We Became,’ and ‘Station Eleven’ author Emily St. John Mantel check in with ‘The Glass Hotel. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-04-03 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Julia Alvarez's "Afterlife" is her first novel for adults in 15 years. She talks about loss, fragmentation and "American Dirt." Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2020-04-02 22:24:09 UTC ]
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Save Your Bookstore points you to the best way to get cash to shuttered booksellers near you. As COVID-19 has forced small bookstores to close, many are wondering how they’ll survive—though a surge in support from communities placing online orders is helping. A new app is designed to let you... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2020-04-01 14:00:29 UTC ]
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Starting this week, Washington D.C.’s Kramerbooks & Afterwords Cafe is using Postmates, an app largely used for food delivery, to get books in the hands of readers in the D.C. area. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-04-01 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Sixteen-year-old Porter Square Books is the first New England bookstore in more than a decade to receive this honor and the second bookstore in Cambridge, Mass. Texan Bob Barnett, a sales representative for 25 years, was named Rep of the Year. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-04-01 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Bookshop.org has reached a new milestone in generating revenue for independent bookstores. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2020-03-31 20:01:01 UTC ]
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Indigo Books and Music, Canada's dominant bookstore chain, closed all of its 199 retail locations on March 18. On Friday, March 27, the company laid off 5,200 of 7,000 total employees. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-03-31 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Simon & Schuster has launched a company-wide effort to support the newly established independent bookseller–focused online bookstore Bookshop.org and its affiliate network of independent booksellers. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-03-31 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Indie booksellers in New England and in California will be getting additional assistance from their regional bookstore associations, including management counselling, tech support, and promotional opportunities. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-03-30 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Portland's beloved indie bookstore Powell's Books rehired more than 100 employees after seeing a surge in online orders. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2020-03-29 18:12:16 UTC ]
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Regional independent booksellers associations are working to support their members with information, digital resources, virtual events, promotions, and more. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-03-27 04:00:00 UTC ]
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On this episode of Sheltering, Maris Kreizman talks to Kate Elizabeth Russell about her recent novel, My Dark Vanessa. Kate shares the things that are helping to get through this time of isolation: Fiona Apple, the game Animal Crossing, and eating “like she’s at a sleepover.” Kate’s local... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-03-25 19:00:22 UTC ]
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We’ve already brought your attention to the ways you can help bookstores (and bookstore workers) during the coronavirus pandemic, and here’s another one: a collective of recently laid-off booksellers has started an online storefront at Bookshop.org (in case you missed it, Bookshop is the new... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-03-25 15:14:23 UTC ]
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Chicago authors are spotlighting the unique plight of two local indies that both closed to walk-in traffic on March 16: one bookstore that was only officially open for one day, and another that had changed ownership two weeks earlier. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-03-25 04:00:00 UTC ]
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More than a dozen out-of-work booksellers in New York City have launched The Bookstore at the End of the World on Bookshop.org, to "make money doing what they do best." Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-03-25 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Welcome to episode one of The Antibody Reading Series, a weekly reading and Q and A hosted by Brian Gresko. Tonight’s guests are Kendra Allen, Maisy Card, and Hilary Leichter. You can buy their books from The Antibody‘s local indie, Greenlight Bookstore or from Bookshop.org: Kendra Allen, When... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-03-24 23:55:25 UTC ]
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THESE TIMES: Francesca Marciano on the new silences filling the streets of Rome · Want to help a bookstore? Buy a gift card · And don’t forget bookstore workers! | Lit Hub Coronavirus Coverage “We look for evidence of race not because it mattered to them but because it matters now.” Katy Simpson... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-03-24 10:30:38 UTC ]
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“Then the Fish Swallowed Him,” the first novel in English by the Iranian-born Amir Ahmadi Arian, makes for unnerving reading. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2020-03-24 09:00:00 UTC ]
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