For young people in publishing, many conversations with industry veterans invoke mentions of the "good old days," a bygone era of long lunches and lavish parties. Today, newcomers navigate a very different, far less social professional environment—shaped in many ways by the pandemic—in which hybrid work models and tight budgets are the norm.
A coalition of literary organizations, anti-censorship advocacy groups, and Florida education stakeholders has formally opposed Florida House Bill 1539, legislation they claim would significantly restrict students' access to books in Florida public schools.
The legal back-and-forth over Iowa Senate File 496 continues with attorneys representing the state defendants filing a motion challenging the March 25 decision by U.S. District Court judge Stephen Locher of the Southern District of Iowa that reinstated a preliminary injunction against book restrictions in Iowa. The filing asks that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit review Locher's most recent decision.
It has long been assumed that William Shakespeare's marriage to Anne Hathaway was less than happy. He moved to London to pursue his theatrical career, leaving her in Stratford-upon-Avon and stipulating in his will that she would receive his "second best bed", although still a valued item.
As generative AI continues to reshape content discovery and consumption, industry leaders are increasingly advocating for licensing frameworks that protect creators while enabling technological innovation. At a recent panel discussion titled "Licensing Is a Win-Win: The Exciting AI Partnerships Between Creators and Tech"—part of the "The Story Starts With Us," a day-long forum cohosted by the Association of American Publishers and the Copyright Alliance—executives from publishing, entertainment, and AI development highlighted the commercial and ethical imperatives of establishing sustainable licensing models.
Meta has been accused of illegally using copyrighted material to train its AI models — and the tech giant's defense is pretty thin.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee filed a lawsuit April 16 against the Rutherford County Board of Education in response to the banning and restriction of more than 140 books from school libraries in that Tennessee county. The suit, filed in the U.S. District Court Middle District of Tennessee at Nashville, was brought on behalf of three Rutherford County families and PEN America, and alleges that the bans are illegal and a violation of First Amendment rights.
A second copy of a book bound in the skin of a notorious 19th-century murderer is now on display at a Suffolk museum.
However, Horrible Histories creator Terry Deary has told the Guardian that the volume is a "particularly sick" artefact which "shouldn't be on display".
The Association of American Publishers filed an amicus brief on April 11 supporting authors in their class action lawsuit against Meta for copyright infringement related to AI training.
The brief argues that Meta's use of copyrighted works to train its LLaMA AI model fails to meet fair use standards and contradicts the company's claims that licensing options for such content don't exist.
They pick a title, read it and then gather to discuss it in detail.
But unlike more traditional book clubs, many of these groups add on another activity — or multiple — to turn their gatherings into social events rather than introverted hangs.