It’s a long-standing joke in lockdown now – among those of us quarantined, self-isolating, or lucky enough to keep working from home – that we don’t know which day it is. Or even which week. And did I shower this morning, or was it yesterday? Our immediate surroundings have been so similar for so long, we’ve lost the variation we typically use to put our memories in order.But of course plenty of changes have occurred. Most notably, in many countries the rules of lockdown have developed – relaxed in some places, tightened in others. Schools are reopening; hairdressers; bookshops. In some countries, restaurants are staying closed voluntarily, in others, at the government’s decree.It’s this difference, between legal instruction and personal choice, that is especially resonant in the current crisis. The difference between what you choose to do or not do, what you do and don’t agree with personally, versus what your government says you can do, has always existed. We make those choices every day. But they’re more pronounced now – more obvious. In New Zealand, schools have reopened, but attendance is voluntary. Parents and children are invited to look around, consider the health of themselves, their families, and their neighbours, and decide on what – or who – to put at risk.It’s this decision that literature might help us with. Poetry offers the unfiltered single perspective; novels the broad expanse of a country; short stories the tight focus on a region. Travel writing,... Continue reading at 'British Council global'
[ British Council global | 2020-05-15 14:46:20 UTC ]
Audible is testing a cheaper subscription tier in Australia that sounds like an answer to Spotify’s audiobook push. Like the more expensive plan, the new Standard membership gives you one free title per month. But, similar to gaming services like PlayStation Plus, you lose access to the books... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2024-05-02 19:13:47 UTC ]
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Audio platform Spotify made its first appearance at NewFronts week on Wednesday evening, part of a larger bid from the streaming platform to attract advertising to its growing inventory of digital video. While Spotify remains predominantly a music, podcast and audiobook... Continue reading at AdWeek
[ AdWeek | 2024-05-01 21:11:08 UTC ]
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According to data released by Spotify, users aged 18-34 make up 57% of the platform's audiobook listeners, while television adaptations such as 'Shōgun' and 'The Talented Mr. Ripley' have prompted a surge in demand for specific titles. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-04-19 04:00:00 UTC ]
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The change of top leadership by the trade show's parent company RX will give London Book Fair its third director in four years. The post London Book Fair: Adam Ridgway Replaces Gareth Rapley appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2024-04-18 23:01:22 UTC ]
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By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University) The short stories of John Cheever (1912-82) are among the greatest American short stories of the twentieth century. His Collected Stories runs to 900 pages and contains tales which are by turns realist, borderline magic-realist, and downright... Continue reading at Interesting Literature
[ Interesting Literature | 2024-04-17 14:00:45 UTC ]
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In WEIRD BLACK GIRLS, Elwin Cotman delivers seven short stories that go long on the absurdity and anxiety of modern Black life. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2024-04-16 13:00:00 UTC ]
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As I was preparing to record the audiobook version of my forthcoming memoir, Other People’s Words, I had some questions: What do five exclamation points in a row sound like? Four question marks? Strings and strings of periods? My publisher, Spiegel and Grau, had booked three marathon recording... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2024-04-16 08:54:15 UTC ]
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I have always loved the versatility of the short story, how it can so easily take on the forms of other things. There are playlist short stories, recipe short stories, diary and epistolary-style short stories. There are flash fiction stories, short short stories, and long short stories that... Continue reading at Electric Literature
[ Electric Literature | 2024-04-15 11:00:00 UTC ]
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Ebook and digital audiobook use by kindergarten through 12th grade students has exploded in popularity, up 20% since 2022, 286% since 2019. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2024-04-03 14:54:32 UTC ]
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Fish swim, birds fly and streaming services increase their prices. That’s (mostly) the way of things. After maintaining the same pricing for Premium for a long time, Spotify looks set to increase it twice within a year in some countries. According to Bloomberg, Spotify Premium will be around $1... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2024-04-03 14:30:13 UTC ]
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By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University) I’m often surprised by how little serious critical attention some of the work of J. G. Ballard (1930-2009) has received. ‘Having a Wonderful Time’ is a good example. Like many of the short stories from the 1982 collection Myths of the Near Future,... Continue reading at Interesting Literature
[ Interesting Literature | 2024-04-03 14:00:45 UTC ]
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As Bologna Book Plus prepares to stage its first Audio Forum, Spotify's audiobook catalogue jumps from 200,000 t0 250,000 titles. The post Spotify Expands Its Premium Audiobooks Offer: Canada, Ireland, New Zealand appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2024-04-02 20:34:05 UTC ]
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Spotify Premium users in Canada, Ireland and New Zealand will have access to 15 hours of monthly audiobook listening at no extra cost starting on April 9. Subscribers in the US, UK and Australia have had access to this perk for several months. The Premium audiobook catalog now includes more than... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2024-04-02 18:24:44 UTC ]
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OpenAI just announced that it recently conducted a small-scale preview of a new tool called Voice Engine. This is a voice cloning technology that can mimic any speaker by analyzing a 15-second audio sample. The company says it generates “natural-sounding speech” with “emotive and realistic... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2024-03-29 19:03:56 UTC ]
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'One hour of listening to an audiobook on Storytel emits 2.3 grams of CO2e,' the Swedish subscription streamer today reports. The post Storytel’s 2023 Report: The Sound of Sustainability appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2024-03-28 21:37:15 UTC ]
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Short stories can do things novels cannot because they’re short. They’re limber and can dart in and out of close-fitting places. They can be weird and daring in ways that novels cannot always sustain. Joy Williams writes in, “8 Essential Attributes of the Short Story (and one way it differs from... Continue reading at Electric Literature
[ Electric Literature | 2024-03-28 11:00:00 UTC ]
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By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University) Of all of the short stories by H. G. Wells (1866-1946), ‘The Apple’ is perhaps the most allegorical. First published in the Idler magazine in October 1896, the story concerns a schoolmaster who meets a man on a train; this man gives the teacher an... Continue reading at Interesting Literature
[ Interesting Literature | 2024-03-27 15:00:31 UTC ]
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On the off-ramp from London Book Fair and road to Bologna: rights news from Palestine, Italy, Croatia, Finland, the States and Québec. The post Rights Roundup: The Quick Pivot, London to Bologna appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2024-03-22 19:04:05 UTC ]
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Simon & Schuster lands a novel that had the London Book Fair buzzing, Celadon signs a young Harvard grad’s hot debut novel, and more Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-03-22 04:00:00 UTC ]
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A shift of focus on libraries to retail channels and an aggressive acquisition of new titles—including, recently, works by John LeCarré and Jon Fosse—led to nearly $30 million in revenue in 2023, a 39% jump for the Ohio-based audiobook publisher. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-03-21 04:00:00 UTC ]
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