A new collection of rejigged tales gets much closer to the spirit of these stories than the ‘traditional’ versions we’re force-fed There’s a book called Politically Correct Bedtime Stories, written by James Finn Garner, which used to be on my parents’ shelves, and is now on mine. Published in 1994, it was a massive bestseller in its time, satirising changing social attitudes and acting as an amusing corrective for the holier-than-thou: Little Red Riding Hood, for example, finds the wolf’s suggestion that it isn’t safe for a little girl to walk through the woods alone “sexist” and “offensive in the extreme… ” but, she says, “I will ignore it because of your traditional status as an outcast from society, the stress of which has caused you to develop your own, entirely valid, worldview”. It also stands as a reminder that the so-called culture wars, all that rightwing fury at the “tyranny of woke”, are simply the political-correctness-gone-mad wars of yesteryear rebranded for a new, digital age.Right-on children’s books have had a resurgence, as demonstrated by the success of series such as Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls. This autumn, children have been gifted four rejigged fairytales in the form of Vintage Children’s Classics’ new Fairy Tale Revolution series, which sees Bluebeard, Cinderella, Hansel and Gretel and The Ugly Duckling revisited by Malorie Blackman, Rebecca Solnit, Jeanette Winterson and Kamila Shamsie respectively. They are all just lovely: sweet and funny... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2020-11-04 09:00:13 UTC ]
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This essay isn’t about World War II. But like any historical fiction writer publishing in 2023, it’s impossible to ignore the recent wave of WWII novels that fill bookstore shelves at the moment. As someone who reads and enjoys many of these books but has no desire to write one, I have a theory... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2023-10-17 08:45:05 UTC ]
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Victor LaValle’s 2017 literary horror novel, The Changeling, contains another book at its center: Maurice Sendak’s children’s tale Outside Over There. In Sendak’s story, goblins steal a neglected baby while “Papa is away at sea,” replacing her with a child made of ice. In LaValle’s novel, rare... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2023-09-07 08:37:37 UTC ]
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Patty Lin says that Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Matthew Perry and co forced rewrites of gags they didn’t like by performing them badlyFriends may have been a worldwide smash hit that made megastars of its cast, but – according to one of its writers – the actors weren’t always trying their... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2023-08-24 10:34:01 UTC ]
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What was meant to help create a worker-owned coop in Feminist Book Club has turned into a need to recuperate from a series of office break-ins. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2023-08-08 14:41:31 UTC ]
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Christian publishers gave their top honors to the two authors and named 'Find Your People' Christian Book of the Year. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-05-10 04:00:00 UTC ]
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The annual meeting, held on April 28 at the Harvard Club of New York, included a daylong program with panel discussions and presentations that highlighted accomplishments and key challenges facing BISG's members. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-05-08 04:00:00 UTC ]
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My particular variety of feminism has long been one devoted to the idea that women’s lives are not solely defined by their familial roles (wife, mother, sister, etc). Women’s lives are shaped by the communities they build, run from, collide within, and redefine. Communities of women, those whom... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2023-04-18 08:52:31 UTC ]
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‘My Lucy Friend Who Smells Like Corn’ is the opening story in Woman Hollering Creek and Other Stories, a 1991 collection of short stories by the American writer Sandra Cisneros (born 1954). In the story, a young girl describes her friendship with a girl named Lucy, and it emerges that […] Continue reading at Interesting Literature
[ Interesting Literature | 2023-04-13 14:00:16 UTC ]
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How funny to curate a list about Boston when I never really considered it my home—possibly not until my new novel, The Lioness of Boston. I moved a lot as a kid—house to apartment, town to city, out of the country, back in, out again, until I finally moved back to the US and my […] Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2023-04-13 08:52:53 UTC ]
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After the death last year of children’s author Shirley Hughes, her son took hundreds of her books, including the award-winning Dogger, to libraries in Ukraine, where reading is helping to heal the children traumatised by warThe National Library of Ukraine for Children in Kyiv, a city at war for... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2023-04-09 07:00:44 UTC ]
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As book banning efforts, assaults upon women’s autonomy, and more intensify, both old-school feminist bookstores and new intersectional feminist shops are drawing customers seeking a safe space and solace in books. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-03-17 04:00:00 UTC ]
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A lost Atlantic puffin found itself in a bit of a bind after crashing down onto a busy New Brunswick street, far from where the seabirds are supposed to be found this time of year. Continue reading at CBC
[ CBC | 2023-03-04 11:00:00 UTC ]
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I met Erica Berry at the Monson Arts Residency in 2019. From the outset, it was clear Berry was not only a kind, loving person, but also a person of great thought-fullness. I have enjoyed reading her work ever since and was thrilled to hear her debut book was on the way. Wolfish: Wolf, Self, […] Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2023-02-22 09:52:37 UTC ]
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While some of the most popular writers on the publishing platform were able to convert their sizable Twitter following into newsletter subscriptions, a huge Twitter presence isn’t necessarily a prerequisite for Substack success. In just a few weeks, Elon Musk has created a number of questions... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2022-11-18 05:00:00 UTC ]
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In his memoir “A Heart That Works,” the comedian and actor grapples with the pain of losing a child, and how to keep living. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2022-11-12 10:00:26 UTC ]
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Andrew Kirtzman explains how America's Mayor became a nonsense-peddling Trump loyalist. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2022-09-16 10:00:50 UTC ]
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A new memoir on the unfinished sexual revolution explores the difficulty of enacting one’s political beliefs in intimate spaces. Continue reading at The Atlantic
[ The Atlantic | 2022-08-14 11:00:00 UTC ]
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The following first appeared in Lit Hub’s The Craft of Writing newsletter—sign up here. At a literary festival a few years ago, during question time after a panel discussion, an audience member told me, “You’re one of those intuitive writers,” stepping hard on the adjective. Aren’t we all... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2022-08-12 08:52:32 UTC ]
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With a powerful woman at its center, ‘The Daughter of Doctor Moreau’ is a gripping tale that melds horror, history and a little romance Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2022-07-28 11:00:11 UTC ]
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