Getting lost at the London Book Fair, Li-Young Lee on poetry, and more
News, Reviews, and Interviews
Archivists discovered unpublished works by Pablo Neruda in 2014, and those works will be published in English this May in a collection titled Then Come Back: The Lost Neruda.
Bookstores designed for women have gained traction in China in recent years, and this article in the New York Times features Lady Book Salon and the long journey of Chinese feminism.
Entries for the FT/Oppenheimer Emerging Voices Awards are open through May 3.
Sweden is promoting a cultural relationship with Nigeria through a play titled What the Hunter Saw. The play is based on a selection of Swedish poet Tomas Tranströmer and Nigerian poet Wole Soyinka’s poems.
Recent Neustadt Prize finalist Don Paterson has been shortlisted for the 2016 Griffin Poetry Prize for his book 40 Sonnets. Also among the finalists is Neustadt juror Joy Harjo’s Conflict Resolution for Holy Beings.
In this interview, Belarusian Nobel laureate Svetlana Alexievich discusses the wake of Chernobyl on its 30th anniversary and writing nonfiction as literature.
The Washington Post features this year’s Pulitzer prizewinning poet Peter Balakian. See also the full list of 2016 Pulitzer Prize winners, which includes Viet Thanh Nguyen, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and more.
What’s the big deal with Hamilton? The New York Times shares why the “mega-buzzy bio musical” about Alexander Hamilton has received glowing accolades including the 2016 Pulitzer Prize and a Grammy Award.
Via Literary Hub, Marta Bausells writes about the perks of getting lost at the London Book Fair.
In this interview, Paris-based Syrian exile and poet Adonis talks about Arab identity, immigration, and his recent book. For more, you can also read WLT’s recent interview with Adonis.
Poet Li-Young Lee chats with the Los Angeles Review of Books about how thinking in poetry is the closest thing to enlightenment, making handmade jewelry, his brother, and more.
Fun Finds and Inspiration
Mental Floss lists 10 facts about poets laureate for National Poetry Month.
In this interview with Reading Rainbow’s LeVar Burton, he shares how his mother influenced his reading and the importance for parents to inspire children through their own reading habits.
Looking for a new podcast? Book Riot lists a few podcasts that are hosted by authors.
This video illustrates six of the more than 70 words for “rain” found in Galicia, a region of Spain known for its rainy weather and distinctive language that overlaps both Spanish and Portuguese.
