Riot New Media

Why We Need Diverse Books Is No Longer Using the Term #OwnVoices

We Need Diverse Books, the grassroots nonprofit organization dedicated to getting diverse books into the hands of readers and supporting diversity and positive change from within publishing, has announced that they will no longer use the term “#ownvoices” in reference to children’s literature or its creators. The organization states, “The hashtag was never intended to be used in a broader capacity, but it has since expanded in its use to become a “catch all” marketing term by the publishing industry. Using #OwnVoices in this capacity raises issues due to the vagueness of the term, which has then been used to place diverse creators in uncomfortable and potentially unsafe situations. It is important to use the language that authors want to celebrate about themselves and their characters.”

Here Are The Winners Of The 2020 Nebula Awards

The winners of the 2020 Nebula Awards were presented by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America at a virtual ceremony this year. The winners and honorees include Network Effect by Martha Wells, Ring Shout by P. Djèlí Clark, Nalo Hopkinson, Connie Willis, and more. See the full list.

Jeanette Winterson Burns Her Own Books In Protest At ‘Cosy Little Blurbs’

Author Jeanette Winterson took issue with some of the new blurbs that were printed on her new reissue editions of many of her older books, including The PowerBook, The Passion, and Written on the Body. She called them “cosy little domestic blurbs” and stated that they “turned me into wimmins fiction of the worst kind!” In a statement to the Guardian, she clarified that she did give many of her author copies away to charity, as she had no desire to keep these editions, but she needed a “symbolic burning.” Many readers were quick to raise eyebrows, and point out that blurbs and reissues are often a chance for publishers to try new marketing strategies and for the work to find new audiences. Furthermore, women’s fiction is a category that has grown in response to the misogyny in literary fiction circles, and is quite successful. But Winterson’s actions certainly have given her books a lot more attention.

New Book Takes a Look Inside the Making of Shaun of the Dead

You’ve Got Red on You, a book that goes behind the scenes of the 2004 cult classic horror comedy film Shaun of the Dead, will be out this October. Entertainment Weekly got an exclusive look inside the book, written by Shaun of the Dead superfan and expert Clark Collis, including the (very red, obviously) cover of the book.

Sabaa Tahir Announces New Standalone Novel and TV Adaptation

Young adult author Sabaa Tahir, known for her internationally bestselling An Ember in the Ashes series, has announced that she will be publishing a new standalone novel in 2022. Fifteen years in the making, Tahir’s new novel All My Rage will draw from the author’s own experiences growing up in her family’s 18-room motel in California’s Mojave Desert. All My Rage will also be adapted for television by PICTURESTART. Sabaa Tahir will write the script with Amer Saleem.

Sarah Penner’s The Lost Apothecary to be Adapted As a Drama Series at Fox

Sarah Penner’s bestselling novel The Lost Apothecary is in the works to be adapted as a drama series at Fox. Penner’s novel, which was published in March 2021, centers around an 18th-century secret apothecary shop in London that caters to a specific kind of clientele: women who want to murder their husbands. Penner will work as a consultant on the upcoming adaptation. Fox is now looking to bring in a writer and an executive producer.

Get to Know These 9 Manhwa and Manga Set in College

Classes, relationships, newfound independence, and more: these manga and manhwa set in college explore several facets of campus life.

New Nonfiction Book By Margaret Atwood Coming in 2022

Bestselling and award-winning Canadian author Margaret Atwood is coming out with a new nonfiction book next year. Doubleday will publish Atwood’s Burning Questions: Essays 2004-2021, a collection of over 50 essays written by the author. Atwood’s essays will cover a wide range of topics, such as the economic crisis, climate change, when to dispense advice to the young, and much more. According to the publisher, questions addressed in the book include “How much of yourself can you give away without evaporating?” and “What do zombies have to do with authoritarianism?” Burning Questions is set to be published on March 1, 2022.

Salt & Straw Introduces 2021 Rad Readers Ice Cream Series

Ice cream company Salt & Straw has announced a new 2021 Rad Readers Series. The new menu features ice cream flavors inspired by their five favorite children’s authors. Flavors include Goosebumps: Monster Blood (mango ice cream, fruit punch “monster goo,” and strawberry bark “fangs”); Amulet: Fruit of the Gadoba Tree (Salt & Straw’s take on Gadoba fruit and bittersweet cacao nibs); Geronimo Stilton & The Frosted Frozen Feast (parmesan cream, mascarpone cheesecake, buttery cracker crust, and salted caramel); Smile: Words & Pictures (vanilla, stracciatella, and yellow and pink almond-infused sponge cake); and Twins: A Matching Pear (pear ice cream with a cinnamon swirl).

Barack Obama to Keynote 2021 ALA Virtual Conference

Earlier this week, the American Library Association announced that former president Barack Obama will be the featured speaker at the 2021 ALA Annual Conference & Exhibition’s closing session. On Tuesday, June 29, Barack Obama will be in conversation with Lonnie G. Bunch III, the first African American secretary of the Smithsonian. You can register for the 2021 ALA Annual Conference and find out about other speakers at their official website.

Book Vending Machines are the Best Vending Machines

Why just have a normal vending machine when you can have a book vending machine? Find out more about this literacy tool and bookish resource.