I read only non-white authors for 12 months. What I learned surprised me | Sunili Govinnage

Reading science fiction, chick lit and fantasy novels by people of colour for a year brought home to me just how white my reading world wasIn 2014, I managed to read 25 novels. All of them were written by people of colour. That was the result of a small challenge I set myself: not to read books by white authors for a year. The things I learned in my year of selective reading made me pretty glad to have persevered. Rather than restricting myself, my decision to be conscious about what I read introduced me to books I ordinarily would not have bothered with. Instead of my usual crime/procedural/legal thrillers, I actually read some science fiction. And some fantasy. And I loved it. Saladin Ahmed’s Throne of the Crescent Moon and Nnedi Okorafor’s Who Fears Death are now two of my favourite books. I would never have heard of them had I not deliberately sought them out.One difference that my book list made is that it ever-so-delicately altered the way I looked at the world. It was slow at first, but opening myself up to a variety of female perspectives made me more aware of the female lives around me … Feminism, as bell hooks pointed out, is for everyone. And when we become more aware of the small injustices and tiny everyday tragedies around us, we become better people. Reading women’s voices helped me to hear them more loudly in my daily life. Our culture is getting better and better at encouraging women to speak, but it’s not doing enough to listen to what they say when they... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2015-02-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #reading women #daily life #encouraging women

Other Publishing stories related to: 'I read only non-white authors for 12 months. What I learned surprised me | Sunili Govinnage'


12 of the Best New Children’s Books Out October 2023

This list of October children's book releases includes books by Jason Reynolds, Jacqueline Woodson, Amber McBride, and more. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2023-10-03 10:34:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #october children #jason reynolds #jacqueline woodson #children's book


Fall 2023 YA Paperback Books For Your Portable, Totable Reading

Your guide to all things fall 2023 YA paperback books is here. Whether you love nonfiction, fantasy, romance, or something else, you're in luck this season. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2023-10-03 10:31:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Panel Mania: '40 Men and 12 Rifles' by Marcelino Truong

In his new work, the author of 'Such a Lovely Little War' and 'Saigon Calling' switches from memoir to graphic fiction to continue his story about the course of the Vietnam War. An 11-page excerpt. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-10-03 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #vietnam war #graphic fiction #11-page excerpt #memoir


The surprisingly punk fashion of the Bloomsbury set, including Virginia Woolf and Vanessa Bell

The Bloomsbury group’s distaste for formality helped to set the foundations for how we dress today. Continue reading at The Conversation

[ The Conversation | 2023-09-28 15:52:36 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #vanessa bell #bloomsbury group #bloomsbury


10 books to add to your reading list in October

Bethanne Patrick recommends 10 books for October, including fiction from Walter Mosley and Jesmyn Ward and memoirs from Viet Thanh Nguyen and Safiya Sinclair. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2023-09-28 10:00:03 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #including fiction #walter mosley #jesmyn ward #safiya sinclair


Bestselling author Naomi Wood wins 2023 BBC national short story award

The UEA creative writing lecturer won for Comorbidities, which judging chair Reeta Chakrabarti called a ‘sparkling gem’ that tackles serious issues with a ‘light and wry touch’• Read the story belowNaomi Wood has won the 2023 BBC national short story award for Comorbidities, a story about a... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-09-26 19:00:36 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #judging chair #bestselling author


15 Small Press Books to Read This Fall

As we move into the fall reading season, deeply imagined short stories and inventive linked essays are having a moment alongside novels. What’s thrilling about the books coming out from small presses is the breadth of range—there are intentional and accidental murders, family drama and... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2023-09-26 11:15:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #books coming #small presses #family drama #electric literature #short stories #small press


The White Review literary magazine ceases publishing

A statement cited increased costs and removal of UK state funding as the magazine, which featured writers including Paul Murray, Caleb Azumah Nelson and Sally Rooney, is to consider its future Literary magazine the White Review will not be published “for an indefinite period” according to a... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-09-26 09:06:39 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #sally rooney #white review #indefinite period #consecutive years #substantial portion #literary magazine


Letting the Unspoken Speak: A Reading List of Historical Trauma in Fiction

My sophomore novel, Evil Eye, follows Yara Murad, a Palestinian American woman who begins to confront the psychological and interpersonal aftermath of her emotionally volatile childhood as her carefully constructed life begins to fall apart. In drafting this novel, which explores post-traumatic... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-09-22 08:35:35 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #historical trauma #daunting task


Read the Winners of American Short Fiction’s 2023 Insider Prize, Selected by Nickolas Butler

Last spring, I approached Nickolas Butler, internationally bestselling author of the novels Shotgun Lovesongs, The Hearts of Men, and Godspeed, to be the judge for this year’s Insider Prize, American Short Fiction’s annual literary award for incarcerated writers in Texas. He’d worked with... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-09-22 08:15:30 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #incarcerated writers #literary award #bestselling author


Transit time is learning time with Headway, now an extra $10 off

Travel is all about broadening your horizons. But when you’re at the airport, stuck in a cab, or on a train, it can feel pretty restricting. Transit time is a great time to catch up on your reading, though, and when you have Headway, you can access a world of learning right from your... Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2023-09-22 08:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #app store #headway premium #great time #extra $10 #15-minute reads #actionable insights #4/5-star rating #lifetime subscription #discounted price


Leading Christian Authors Look to Little Readers

Christian-living megaselling authors, renowned Bible scholars, Christian fiction stars, and more are eager to open the doors to faith for little ones with new books. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-09-22 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #christian fiction


Amazon restricts authors from self-publishing more than three books a day after AI concerns

The company announced the new limitations after an influx of suspected AI-generated material was listed for sale but said that ‘very few’ publishers will be affectedAmazon has created a new rule limiting the number of books that authors can self-publish on its site to three a day, after an... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-09-20 16:22:58 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #company announced #recent months #kindle #self-publish


‘It could have me read porn’: Stephen Fry shocked by AI cloning of his voice in documentary

Actor warns about dangers of artificial intelligence after discovering version of his voice based on Harry Potter audiobooksStephen Fry has issued a warning about the potential dangers of AI, after claiming that a history documentary faked his voice without his knowledge. Speaking at the... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-09-20 16:05:11 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #potential dangers #artificial intelligence #harry potter


Mystery, Mayhem, and Trauma: A Reading List for India’s 1947 Partition

Because we never spoke of it, I’ve had to imagine the conversation: Me: “Why have you never told me anything about Partition?” My grandfather: “What is there to know?” My grandfather’s reply would indicate both a lack and a surplus—a surplus of memories and visions of vehicles big and strong,... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-09-20 08:24:56 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Sharjah Book Authority Announces its 2023 Publishers Conference

The three-day Publishers Conference professional program this year runs October 29 to 31, just ahead of Sharjah International Book Fair. The post Sharjah Book Authority Announces its 2023 Publishers Conference appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2023-09-18 17:22:40 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


'Big Bang of Numbers' – The Conversation's book club explores how math alone could create the universe with author Manil Suri

A book-length thought experiment uses math to investigate some of life’s big questions. Continue reading at The Conversation

[ The Conversation | 2023-09-18 12:19:43 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #big bang #big questions #book club


TikTok Cookbook Authors

A growing number of video stars are using their online clout to break into the publishing world. And they’re changing the shape of the American cookbook. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2023-09-18 09:01:07 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #growing number #video stars #publishing world #cookbook


These drag performers say protests, threats won't stop them from reading to kids at storytime events

Drag performers who read stories to children at libraries across Canada have faced an increase in protests calling the events destructive for kids, and in some cases, even threats of violence. But the king and queens say they won't let that stop them, because storytimes are about joy and literacy. Continue reading at CBC

[ CBC | 2023-09-16 08:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #read stories #libraries


Want to understand Elon Musk (and America)? This is the book to read—and it’s fiction

‘Kill the Rich’ by Jack Allison and Kate Shapiro is a lacerating satire of America’s gonzo culture—and no one comes out unscathed. A provocative book title doesn’t always telegraph to readers what awaits inside. When it comes to those self-help books that include a naughty little swear on the... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2023-09-16 03:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book title