Book News & Features

Kindle e-readers were piled high at an Amazon Fulfillment Center. The central focus of the nascent European probe will be Amazon's e-book agreements with publishers.

EU Launches Antitrust Probe Of Amazon's E-Book Business

5:08pm June 11, 2015

by Colin Dwyer

The European Union's executive arm announced Thursday that it will investigate the e-tailing giant's contracts with publishers. At issue are a few key clauses that might give Amazon an unfair edge.

Author Joyce Carol Oates, seen here at a a panel discussion last October, sparked jokes, and then a debate, by tweeting about the "barbaric" killing of a triceratops.

Arts

Joyce Carol Oates On Dinosaur-Killer Tweet: 'My Tweets Are Meant To Be Funny'

4:23pm June 11, 2015

by Bill Chappell

"So barbaric that this should still be allowed," Joyce Carol Oates wrote, in a tweet that was taken quite literally by many online readers.

Lawrence Ferlinghetti, pictured here in 2004, was the principal publisher of the writers and poets known as the Beat Generation.

Books
Arts

At 96, Poet And Beat Publisher Lawrence Ferlinghetti Isn't Done Yet

3:36pm June 11, 2015

by Richard Gonzales

The publisher of Allen Ginsberg's iconic poem "Howl" has three books coming out this year and is also working on a novel. Looking back, he says, "Everything was better than it is when you're old."

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Juan Felipe Herrera won the National Book Critics Circle Award in 2008 for his collection Half of the World in Light.

Books
Arts

Juan Felipe Herrera Named U.S. Poet Laureate

7:20pm June 10, 2015

by Colin Dwyer

Already California's poet laureate, the prolific Chicano writer bears an enduring fascination for his native state — and a passion for teaching that's likely to shape his time in the new role.

Books
Arts

A Publishing Insider Turns The Page On A Bygone World In 'Muse'

6:35pm June 02, 2015

by Lynn Neary

Poet and publisher Jonathan Galassi knows just about everyone in his industry, and a lot of them turn up in his debut novel, Muse. Lynn Neary talks to Galassi about the writing (and publishing) life.

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Novelist Saul Bellow, shown shortly after he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1976, also won the National Book Award — three times — and the Pulitzer Prize.

Books
Arts

A Century After His Birth, Saul Bellow's Prose Still Sparkles

2:23pm June 02, 2015

by Tom Vitale

Bellow's centennial is being marked with reprints and a new biography. Today, critics still savor his metaphor-rich prose; his son remembers the personal pain the great writer caused.

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In 2014, BookCon responded to the We Need Diverse Books campaign by inviting it to form its own panel. Pictured here (from left): I.W. Gregorio, Mike Jung, Matt de la Pena, Grace Lin and Jacqueline Woodson.

Books
Arts

A Year Later, #WeNeedDiverseBooks Has Left Its Mark On BookCon

3:10pm May 29, 2015

by Lynn Neary

The Twitter campaign was born out of the controversy around the lack of diverse voices in the event's panels. This year, one organizer says, the first panel they booked was with that campaign.

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#NPRreads: Gambling In The Bible Belt

1:59pm May 29, 2015

by Debbie Elliott

Also in this week's #NPRReads, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's elementary school teacher recalls the Boston bomber, a profile of Ohio's governor, Judaism in South Dakota and putting a face on the refugee crisis.

As Publishing Industry Courts China, Authors Speak Out Against Censorship

8:58am May 29, 2015

by Lynn Neary

Chinese writers and publishers are being celebrated this week at BookExpo America — the industry's largest trade event in North America. Free speech advocates are supporting silenced Chinese writers.

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A return to Pussy Galore's golden days: Honor Blackman, who played the character on screen in Goldfinger, poses with the original Bond, Sean Connery.

Books
Arts

'Trigger Mortis': New Bond Novel Brings Back Pussy Galore

5:37pm May 28, 2015

by Colin Dwyer

For author Anthony Horowitz, the book is a return to the "true" James Bond. This means an unpublished scene from Ian Fleming himself — and a long-delayed reunion with a franchise favorite.