Equator
Read “Pity and Fear” a new essay by Hisham Matar on what images of cruelty reveal about the limits of power.
Electric Literature
Anastacia-Reneé gives us a multi-dimensional tapestry filled with Black woman gods, time-jumpers, and parallel universes.
The Chronicle of Philanthropy
Theater of War Productions puts its hope in a seemingly dark premise: that the pain we all experience in everyday life has healing properties for America’s deep divisions.
Wallace Stevens Award
Congratulations to Cornelius Eady, winner of the Academy of American Poets 2025 Wallace Stevens Award for a lifetime achievement in Poetry.
Granta
Read “On Boredom” by Nuar Alsadir: “But when you’re bored, you’re unable to fantasize. You can’t even think.”
George Saunders Receives Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters
The National Book Foundation, presenter of the National Book Awards, announced that it will award George Saunders with the 2025 Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters (DCAL), which will be presented at the 76th National Book Awards Ceremony & Benefit Dinner.
Ibi Zoboi Longlisted for NBA
Ibi Zoboi’s (S)Kin (Versify / HarperCollins Publishers) has been longlisted for the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature.
Mahogany L. Browne Longlisted for NBA
Mahogany L. Browne’s A Bird in the Air Means We Can Still Breathe (Crown Books for Young Readers / Penguin Random House) has been longlisted for the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature.
Chigozie Obioma Nominated for Nigerian Prize for Literature
The shortlisted novels include Obioma’s The Road to the Country, This Motherless Land by Nikki May, and Sanya by Oyin Olugbile. The winner will be announced in October 2025.
Arthur Sze, 25th Poet Laureate of the United States
BFA artist Arthur Sze will serve as 25th Poet Laureate of the United States. Congratulations, Arthur!