Literature on Lockdown 2: #CultureConnectsUs

As quarantine continues, we’re all noticing that we respond to lockdown differently. While many spend each day providing care, food and other necessities, those of us privileged enough to be 'stuck at home' are seeing our friends’ and family members’ behaviour change under the new conditions: for every extrovert sibling climbing the walls, trying to come up with excuses to go to the supermarket for a change of scenery, there’s the indoor kid sitting cross-legged under the table, drawing a complicated map of a world that exists only in their head. While one bored teenager starts a 4am livestream of his first attempt to make sourdough, another is enjoying her regular sleep pattern, having re-read Anne of Avonlea before bed.Countries, too, are responding differently. New Zealand’s government – having already assured its public that the Easter Bunny is a key worker – are taking a pay cut in solidarity with their workers, while in other countries public figures are donating money towards research, charities are helping out those affected by the virus, and individuals are setting up neighbourhood mutual aid groups or doing a hundred laps of their back garden to raise millions for public health services. Meanwhile, organisations worldwide continue to come up with new, imaginative responses to the lockdown. In this week’s newsletter, the British Council looks to colleagues in Jamaica and Cuba to discover how their arts scenes have kept audiences going through quarantine, while... Continue reading at 'British Council global'

[ British Council global | 2020-04-17 15:42:05 UTC ]

Other news stories related to: "Literature on Lockdown 2: #CultureConnectsUs"


A Home Health Aide With Feathers

The following story was chosen by Ottessa Moshfegh as the winner of the 2025 Stella Kupferberg Memorial Short Story Prize. The prize is awarded annually by Selected Shorts and a guest author judge. This story will be performed by an actor this spring. To hear more great short stories performed... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2025-05-28 11:10:00 UTC ]
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How Meghan built her pioneering partnership with Netflix

As the first season of her podcast ends, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, is looking to build on the success of As Ever, the brand she built with Netflix. Meghan carries many titles these days. Besides being the Duchess of Sussex, she’s a podcaster, a philanthropist, a children’s book author, the... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2025-05-27 07:30:00 UTC ]
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Martha Hall Kelly: On Personal History Inspiring Historical Fiction

In this interview, author Martha Hall Kelly discusses how a reading recommendation planted the creative seed for her new book of historical fiction, The Martha’s Vineyard Beach and Book Club. The post Martha Hall Kelly: On Personal History Inspiring Historical Fiction appeared first on Writer's... Continue reading at Writer's Digest

[ Writer's Digest | 2025-05-25 12:00:00 UTC ]
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How To Prepare For Pride Month in Libraries in 2025

A handy guide to preparing your library now for Pride month, including ideas for educating patrons about the current attacks on LGBTQ+ books, libraries, and more. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2025-05-23 12:15:00 UTC ]
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‘My legal work sows the seeds of my stories’: International Booker prize winner Banu Mushtaq

The author and activist, who was subject to a fatwa in 2000, has won the prestigious prize for translated fiction for her short stories about the lives of Muslim women. She and her translator Deepa Bhasthi explain how Heart Lamp’s themes ‘are universal’• ‘Radical translation’ of Heart Lamp by... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2025-05-23 12:00:30 UTC ]
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Elisha Cooper on the Beauty of Imperfect Children’s Book Art

In the work of artists I admire, all the training and discipline come out in an act of letting go: a splotch of ink, a wayward wash of color. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2025-05-23 09:00:04 UTC ]
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This Week’s Bestsellers: May 26, 2025

Ocean Vuong’s second novel, The Emperor of Gladness, debuts at #2 on our hardcover fiction list and is the newest Oprah’s Book Club pick. Plus Kennedy Ryan’s third Skyland romance, Can’t Get Enough, lands at #2 on our trade paperback list, and Joe Abercrombie lightens his usual grimdark fare... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2025-05-23 04:00:00 UTC ]
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How libraries are becoming launchpads for music careers  

Beyond books, cities like Huntsville that invest in library innovation are building economic resilience. In an era dominated by artificial intelligence and smartphones, one of the most overlooked engines of economic growth sits quietly at the heart of every neighborhood: the public library.  Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2025-05-21 22:34:00 UTC ]
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What libraries are getting rid of after Trump’s order to dismantle the IMLS

Libraries’ e-book and audiobook programs are especially vulnerable to the Trump administration’s budget cuts. Libraries across the United States are cutting back on e-books, audiobooks, and loan programs after the Trump administration suspended millions of dollars in federal grants as it tries... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2025-05-19 19:30:00 UTC ]
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Actually, It’s Ok to Steal Your Ideas. Sort Of… (Or: Learning to Love My Literary Influences)

Last month I found myself on a Zoom call with the members of a book club who’d read my debut novel; truly, a bucket list moment in my writing life. Near the end of the call, someone asked the question I suspect every fiction writer gets at some point: Where do you get ideas from? Simple, […] Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2025-05-19 08:58:23 UTC ]
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It May Be Too Late for Rural Libraries to Weather the IMLS Storm

Small towns in red states overwhelmingly voted in support of cutting federal spending in their own backyard. Now the future of their libraries—and their communities—is in flux. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2025-05-16 04:00:00 UTC ]
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7 queer African works of art: new directions in books, films and fashion

Seven queer African creative works you should know about, from short stories to music videos. Continue reading at The Conversation

[ The Conversation | 2025-05-15 13:05:42 UTC ]
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Here are the guest editors (and covers) for the Best American Series 2025.

The Best American Series is a literary institution. But just in case you’re stumbling upon it for the first time: Each book in the annual series showcases of best short fiction and nonfiction in a given year, from short stories to essays, science and nature writing, to food writing. Each... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2025-05-14 13:00:31 UTC ]
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Want to reduce crime? Science says: build more libraries.

I’m always happy to find a new reason why libraries make eveything better, and today I’m pleased to report that some very serious academics have concluded that public libraries are the urban planning equivalent of Batman: great at fighting crime. I stumbled upon this information via a post by... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2025-05-13 17:57:51 UTC ]
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Karen E. Bender on Channeling Contemporary Anxieties Through Speculative Fiction

My last Lit Hub conversation with Karen E. Bender was in 2018, just before her collection The New Order was published. She mentioned that she read John Cheever’s short stories in graduate school: “Cheever’s sentences just made my brain light up. He packs more into a paragraph—about love,... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2025-05-13 08:58:28 UTC ]
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Keep Your Book Club Fresh With These Book Club Accessories

Get into these cute totes, pretty notebooks, and helpful guides that will make your book club run smoothly and get members hype Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2025-05-12 13:00:00 UTC ]
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Book Riot’s Deals of the Day for May 10, 2025

A Zora Neale Hurston classic, an award-winning YA, a Reese Witherspoon book club pick, domestic suspense, and more of today's best book deals Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2025-05-10 11:30:00 UTC ]
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Adrienne Adams on the issues: Crain's mayoral candidate Q&A

Crain’s asked the nine leading candidates in the June Democratic primary for mayor of New York City to answer questions about their stances on the city’s biggest issues. Below are the answers by Adrienne Adams, the City Council speaker and lawmaker from Southeast Queens. Adams, who made a late... Continue reading at Crains New York

[ Crains New York | 2025-05-07 23:51:19 UTC ]
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Clea Young: Allow Yourself Fallow Periods To Recharge

In this interview, author Clea Young discusses the difference in inspiration between a novel and short stories with her new collection, Welcome to the Neighbourhood. The post Clea Young: Allow Yourself Fallow Periods To Recharge appeared first on Writer's Digest. Continue reading at Writer's Digest

[ Writer's Digest | 2025-05-07 12:00:00 UTC ]
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