Kuala Lumpur is the 2020 World Book capital; more political books in the US released and compete with growing sales of Woodward’s ‘Fear’; and PRH has a new CFO.
In Norwich, the National Centre for Writing Formally Opens at Dragon Hall This Week
Dedicated to ‘exploring the artistic and social power of creative writing,’ Norwich’s National Centre for Writing, is having its formal launch week in its redeveloped new home that includes the 15th-century Dragon Hall.
Greece Opens Athens’ Year as UNESCO’s World Book Capital
International officials and media gather on World Book Day to open the 18th UNESCO World Book Capital program in Athens, celebrating what Greece’s Prokopis Pavlopoulos calls ‘the powerful potential of books.’
Lithuania’s ‘Day of the Book Smugglers’ Comes to the UK Ahead of London Book Fair
Taking to the streets on Lithuania’s annual ‘Day of the Book Smugglers,’ a team of fashionable book runners delivered Lithuanian writings to agents’ offices, publishing houses, and media newsrooms ahead of the London Book Fair.
A UNESCO Honor Today in Havana and a Francophone Bookshop in Bucharest
Named for Mexican novelist and diplomat Jaime Torres Bodet, UNESCO’s honor recognizes a Cuban institution’s presence in literature and the arts; and in Bucharest, a French bookselling success.
UNESCO World Arabic Language Day in Paris Features Sharjah’s Sheikh Al Qasimi
UNESCO’s World Arabic Day focuses on the world’s 5th most-spoken language with a number of high-profile speakers, including the ruler of Sharjah.
UNESCO and IEA Release New 5-Year International Literacy Report: Boys Lagging Girls
A substantial 18-point lag in male students’ performance compared to female students’ in the new 5-year PIRLS report on reading literacy from UNESCO, IEA.
UNESCO Names Seven Cities in Literature Among 64 ‘Creative Cities’
Nine African cities are included in the new listing of ‘Creative Cities’ from UNESCO, seven of them for an emphasis on literature among urban settings.
Kalimat Foundation’s Ara Initiative Helps Sight-Impaired Children Read
The Ara program from the Kalimat Foundation in the United Arab Emirates is working to make reading accessible to sight-impaired children in the Gulf region.
Bokova and Al Qasimi Certify Sharjah as UNESCO World Book Capital 2019
Calling for ‘a more open dialogue regionally and internationally,’ Bodour Al Qasimi accepts UNESCO’s designation of Sharjah as World Book Capital 2019.