Friday Folio: March 24, 2023

Goooood morning! Time for some news!

First, an update on this year’s Book 8 of 52: No Place to Go by Lezlie Lowe. I said at the time that I was reading it for work. That story (with an interview with Lowe) is now out: “Why Are Public Restrooms Still So Rare?” for The New York Times. I really tried to work in how Elizabeth Taylor played a role in ending paid toilets at airports, which I read about in Book 3 of 52: Elizabeth Taylor: The Grit and Glamour of an Icon by Kate Andersen Brower. Alas! (that part was also excerpted in The Washington Post).

Attempts to ban books have doubled. BIG FUCKING SIGH. Via The New York Times.

Speaking of, Publisher’s Weekly has a fascinating story of what feminist book stores are doing right now given [waves hands].

They also covered how the war in Ukraine has affecting publishing there.

I missed the news that the Trans Rights Book Readathon happened this week. Doesn’t mean we still can’t buy books! Buzzfeed has 16 suggestions.

And let’s end with a bizarre one: the publishing employee who stole 1,000 manuscripts, including from big name authors like Margaret Atwood and Ian McEwan, won’t go to jail but is being deported. I completely forgot about this until earlier this week when I was querying agents (!) and saw a big fat disclaimer on one agency website that they were aware of agents being impersonated, and that they were working with the FBI. What a weird thing.