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Welcome to Today in Books, our daily round-up of literary headlines at the intersection of politics, culture, media, and more.
A $100K Prize to Find The Next Big Story
Eight finalists for The Next Big Story will receive a year-long writing course from The Novelry, and one winner will receive a $100,000 prize. The Novelry is an online creative writing school, and they’re behind this competition to reach a cohort of writers who don’t have access to traditional publishing circles or who might count themselves out of the writing and publishing game. “These are the sort of people who would have been where I was and made the assumption that to be a writer, you’ve got to be clever or posh,” founder and author Louise Dean told Publishers Weekly. More than 5,000 writers have already submitted entries to be judged by The Novelry team before a selection moves forward to a celebrity judging panel that includes Tayari Jones, Zosia Mamet, and Emma Roberts. Writers need only submit the first three pages of a novel concept by July 31st to participate in this competition. Get the deets here.
The Love Island Book Club?
Everyone has a book club, including Love Island USA contestant Jeremiah Brown. While my curiosity around the wild enthusiasm and bizarre, out-of-context clips of the show has never broken into viewership, I see clearly that Love Island is a whole moment. And, hey, if it gets more people reading, I’m good. Brown was voted off the show but racked up more than 2 million followers on TikTok along the way. One of these followers suggested he start a book club now that he’s done with the island, and this captivated him enough to give it a try. More than 100,000 fans were all in and chose The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller as the club’s first read through a poll. This whole scenario tickles me, and I hope we hear all about what the club thought of Miller’s excellent epic tragedy.
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A Beloved Poet and Human is Gone
Andrea Gibson, who shared their story, explorations of identity, and battle with terminal ovarian cancer has died. They were surrounded by loved ones, including their wife, Megan Falley. Gibson and Falley were the subjects of Come See Me in the Good Light, a documentary “exploring the couple’s enduring love as Gibson battles cancer.” The film, which won a Sundance Film Festival award, will air on Apple TV+ later this year. Here’s a quote from the AP News piece that illustrates how beloved and important Gibson was to so many:
Many LGBTQ+ fans said Gibson’s poetry helped them learn to love themselves. People with cancer and other terminal illnesses said Gibson made them less afraid of death by reminding them that we never really leave the ones we love.
Read more about Gibson’s life and legacy here.
Rachel Weisz to Star in VLADIMIR Adaptation: Here’s What Else We Know
The premise (and cover) of Vladimir had everyone talking about this book for a while, and now we’re getting an adaptation of Julia May Jonas’s debut novel about inappropriate relationships at a liberal arts college, and the charismatic novelist who arrives on campus and into one English professor’s life. Find out what we know about the adaptation so far.
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