Read time: about 4 minutes
Hello, fellow readers. I don’t seem to have the time to post bookish news updates on social media anymore, so here’s a roundup of some of the more interesting bits of literary news–diverse and otherwise–that I’ve come across recently.
- Between Daniel Kraus winning this year’s Pulitzer Prize and Ben Lerner giving an interview about using AI while being named America’s most acclaimed novelist, I think we can finally put to bed all past, present and future claims that there’s no place for white men in fiction writing. To be absolutely clear, that’s no shade to either of these men on a personal or professional level. I don’t know them and I’m sure they’re both very deserving of their accolades. (Kraus, in particular, has an exceedingly lovely reputation in the horror writing community.) But I also haven’t read them and y’all know I read a little of everything that passes my eyes. Interestingly enough, none of the other hardcore readers I know had heard of these guys, either. Lots of the writers I know had, however. Again, no shade, but it’s an interesting observation of the business of publishing and literary acclaim on a few different levels. I was definitely looking like Keke Palmer when the announcement was made. [Wilmington Star, GQ]
- From a diverse reader’s viewpoint, this year’s Pulitzers were otherwise a bit disappointing. Yiyun Li won the memoir prize for Things In Nature Merely Grow and Gabriela Lena Frank(who is of East European Jewish and Peruvian Chinese descent) for music, with a particularly interesting composition that uses Andean legend to explore climate disaster. But the literary categories in particular seem to have mostly gone in an otherwise predictable direction, awarding prizes to work that shores up the mythology of America rather than re-examines or properly contextualizes it. (Yes, I am talking about that book about the Schuyler Sisters.) [The Pulitzer Prizes]
- But we still have the International Booker Prize! This year’s longlist is very interesting. I personally am pulling for French and Senegalese writer Marie N’diaye’s The Witch, which is having a bit of a renaissance after being translated into English thirty years after its original publication. [The Booker Prizes]
- There are a lot of really interesting, trailblazing releases that have just been published and are soon to be, as well. Shay Kauwe’s The Killing Spell is the first traditionally published fantasy novel by a Native Hawaiian author. It’s a magical murder mystery that delves into the complexity of language, power and the intersections of colonized peoples as they move beyond atrocity and begin to gain back a bit of their own. Sounds fascinating, right? [Bookshop]
- B. Sharise Moore, prolific children’s author and the poetry editor of award-winning Black spec-fic magazine Fiyah, has been chatting on Threads about her upcoming middle grade compendium of African mythological beings. It’s called Curious Creatures of African Folklore and while there’s not a lot of official publisher info out about it yet, you can sign up for updates on her website to get alerts about it. [B. Sharise Writes]
- Another book that’s on my radar is Ashia S Ajani’s Tending the Vines, which can perhaps best be described as a botanical history of the African diaspora in eight plants. I’m definitely going to get my hands on this one soon. [Bookshop]
- I’ve waxed poetic about Min Jin Lee’s Pachinko before on this site, and I’ve been eagerly awaiting her next novel as soon as I heard the title. Very excited that American Hagwon will be out in September. By all accounts it’s another epic story of Korean diaspora, this time starting during the 1997 financial crisis in Korea and moving through Australia and Southern California. Can’t wait. [Bookshop]
- Finally, I’ve got a few pieces of writing out recently as well that I want to tell you about. My essay “How I Became My Own Fun Auntie” (the title is self-explanatory) has been included in the coffee table book Black Women In Bloom, which will be out this summer. [Carefree Magazine]
- I’ve also got a new short story in the May 2026 issue of Lightspeed Magazine, called Sarah’s Laugh. It’s part of a larger project I’m working on that envisions revolution in a corporatocratic America, and…well, I wish it didn’t feel timely? But I wrote it four years ago, and somehow it does. Please check it out, especially if you’re Team Audiobook. The incredible Janina Edwards performs the story and did a wonderful job. Thanks in advance for reading.[Lightspeed Magazine]
That’s it for diverse bookish news of the last while, fellow readers. Kind reminder that any books you buy from links you find in this blog earn a commission that helps keep the site running, and your local library needs your patronage and book suggestions to keep their shelves stocked and diverse, especially in these times. Now, go and read something good! Peace!
Equal Opportunity Reader 