Sunshine and Self-Censorship

At least nine public school districts across Florida have preemptively culled hundreds of books with alleged “sexual content” from classrooms and libraries ahead of the upcoming academic year in fear of legal action from the state. Tieshena Davis will step down as chair of the Independent Book Publishers Association after just over a year in the role. In this week’s magazine, we profiled the great Arundhati Roy ahead of the publication of her first memoir, surveyed the audiobook landscape in Mexico, and spotlighted the Phoenix-based bilingual publisher Cardboard House Press. NPR looks at how ChatGPT is increasingly targeting students, aiming to replace textbooks, study guides, and other classroom staples. The New York Times recounts how the D&D web series Critical Role spawned a bestselling romance novel starring a misunderstood orc. For the Guardian, Italian translator Vincenzo Latronico examines the grip Anglophone fiction has on the global canon, even at a time when interest in translated literature is growing. On Substack, writer Blake Butler considers what makes an “ideal publisher,” and Kent D. Wolf muses about what publishers and casinos have in common. Architects have unveiled plans for the residential conversion of Manhattan’s Flatiron building, a process that began six years ago when Macmillan vacated its offices, per New York YIMBY. The Washington Post offers some tips on hosting your own book club. And author Sallie Bingham has died at 88.