The U.S. Selfies Announce 2021 Finalists
The U.S. Selfies, now in their second year, have announced the 2021 finalists. Publishers Weekly and BookLife launched the Selfies Awards in 2020 to honor the best in self-published works. In adult fiction, the finalists are Paty Jager’s Fox Goes Hunting; N.D. Jones’s A Queen’s Pride; Lilianne Milgrom’s L’Origine: The Secret Life of the World’s Most Erotic Masterpiece; Charlie Newton’s Privateers; Adam Pelzman’s The Boy and the Lake; Penny Reid’s Engagement and Espionage, Solving for Pie; and Nicolas Lietzau’s Dreams of the Dying. There are also seven finalists in the children’s book category. You can download a free e-book sampler of the shortlists here.
Artists and Authors Contribute to Literary Tarot Project
Brink Literacy Project’s new Kickstarter, The Literary Tarot, is creating a full 78-card deck covering all the major and minor arcana, but with a literary twist. To help reimagine the cards, they’re working with some of the literary world’s most beloved authors and artists. Contributors and their tarot/literature pairings include: Celeste Ng pairs “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” and The Hanged Man; Carmen Maria Machado pairs Carmilla and the Ace of Light; Leigh Bardugo pairs The Secret Garden and the Ace of Parchment; Margaret Atwood pairs Jane Eyre and the Queen of Light; Victor LaValle pairs Lovecraft’s “The Outsider” and the Tower. You can see the full list of contributors and examples of the cards on The Literary Tarot’s Kickstarter. Estimated delivery for the cards is April 2022.
Portage NAACP Creates Social Justice Coloring Book
The NAACP in Portage County, Ohio has created a coloring book to teach local children the ABCs of social justice. “The Social Justice Coloring Book” will be distributed in schools, community centers, and housing developments throughout Portage County. Each of the illustrated coloring book pages covers the alphabet of social justice, from “A is for Anti-Racism” to “Z is for Zero tolerance for hate.”
Announcing the Winners of the 2021 LAMBDA Literary Awards
Last night, the winners of the 33rd Annual Lambda Literary Awards (affectionately called “the Lammys”) were announced via a virtual ceremony. Here are the winners, including Kacen Callender, Jenn Shapland, and more.