Here are a few things that have recently caught our attention.

• The Academy of American Poets has received a $4.5 million grant (its largest ever) from the Mellon Foundation in support of its Poets Laureate Program for the next three years.
• Flatiron Books has elected to cancel tour events for American Dirt in response to backlash over the novel’s controversial public reception. Read their statement on the NPR website.
• A few pieces from Literary Hub:
  • Kaitlyn Greenridge writes on literary motherhood and attending a conference with a 6-week-old child.
  • Over 130 authors have written an open letter to Oprah, asking her to reconsider her endorsement of American Dirt.
• Jerry Craft’s New Kid became the first graphic novel to win the Newbery Medal.
• The PEN America Literary Awards have been announced. See the complete list on their website.
• Lee and Low has published a survey illustrating the publishing industry’s minimal progress in achieving diversity.
• Fairfax County (Virginia) Public Library announced that they achieved a record-breaking two million digital book checkouts in 2019. Among the year’s most checked-out books are John Grisham’s The Reckoning and Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale.
• Margaret Atwood is ready to publish Dearly, her first collection of poetry since 2007.

Image Credit: The Washington Post / Harper Collins