ArtsJournal: Arts, Culture, Ideas

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An Online Library At The Heart Of A Battle Over AI And Copyright

For critics, Books3 isn’t a boon to society—instead, it’s emblematic of everything wrong with generative AI, a glaring example of how both the rights and preferences of artists are disregarded and disrespected by the AI industry’s main players, and something that straight-up shouldn’t exist. - Wired

Writers Condemn Use Of Misleading Book Blurb Quotes On Jordan Peterson Book

On 15 August, prominent writers criticised the way their reviews had been quoted on the back cover of the paperback edition of Peterson’s book, published by Penguin Random House. - The Guardian

Profits Are Down At All The Big US Publishers But One

"Simon & Schuster was the only one of the country's four largest trade publishers to show an improved profit margin in the first half of 2023 compared to last year. While industry sales were generally flat, companies cited higher costs as the major reason profit margins shrank." - Publishers Weekly

Federal Judge Puts Hold On Texas Book Rating/Ban Law

"During a brief online status conference on August 31, federal judge Alan D. Albright said he will issue a preliminary injunction blocking enforcement of HB 900, Texas's controversial new book rating law. The highly anticipated decision comes ... just a day before the law was set to take effect." - Publishers Weekly

Fight Over “Woke” Coverage Is Tearing Apart Atlanta Magazine

“ use terms like ‘woke’ and we shouldn’t be taking on issues that are divisive and we can ill afford to lose any readers and stop it, stop it, stop it." - Washington Post

Star YA Author John Green Never Wanted To Get Caught Up In The Library Culture Wars, But …

"But a recent dust-up over whether his books are appropriate for teens feels more personal, and like an escalation of a growing movement to ban and restrict access to books." And it's more painful to him because it's his beloved home state, Indiana. - The New York Times

Bookstores’ Author Events Are Changing In The Post-Pandemic Era

"Many publishers have scaled back on national author tours, … (so there's) a different kind of thinking about store programming: bookstores are scheduling earlier, focusing on local and regional authors rather than national tours, and being more creative when it comes to both author events and authorless programming." - Publishers Weekly

How Goodreads Went Wrong

On the surface, Goodreads seems to have mission clarity. It bills itself as “the world’s largest site for readers and book recommendations” and frames its function as one of community making. In practice, Goodreads is great for many things, but none of them includes what it’s ostensibly “for.” - The Walrus

“Collaborative Metamorphosis”: An Author And A Translator Talk About How They Work Together

Author Carlos Fonseca: "I now always say that I have a little (of translator)Megan McDowell in my mind, even when I write in Spanish." (podcast with transcript) - Slate

Britain’s Obscenity Law Vs. Nabokov’s “Lolita”

Once Graham Greene reviewed the novel (in its original printing from Paris) in the The Sunday Times in 1955, George Weidenfeld knew he wanted to publish it in the UK. Then came a campaign for the passage of an updated Obscenity Law, without which there would be no hope. - Literary Hub

Time For Another Full-On Attack On Book Blurbs

Blurbs have always been controversial—too clichéd, too subject to cronyism—but lately, as review space shrinks and the noise level of the marketplace increases, the pursuit of ever more fawning praise from luminaries has become absurd.  - The Atlantic

An Iowa School District Banned “Friday Night Lights” Because ChatGPT Flagged It

"The short-lived ban ... was part of school officials' attempts to comply with a new state law that requires books available to Iowa students to be 'age-appropriate” and free of 'descriptions or visual depictions of a sex act'" and held teachers personally liable for violations. - MSN (The Philadelphia Inquirer)

Will AI Disrupt Wikipedia?

Sure, the implementation of A.I. technology will undoubtedly alter how Wikipedia is used and transform the user experience. At the same time, the features and bugs of large language models, or LLMs, like ChatGPT intersect with human interests in ways that support Wikipedia rather than threaten it. - Slate

Alice Winn’s In Memoriam Wins A Debut Fiction Prize

In Memoriam, "inspired by archive clippings from a student newspaper, chronicles the love story between two first world war soldiers," and inspired the Waterstone judges in turn. - The Guardian (UK)

What US Literature Has To Say About Forgiveness

"Most would define forgiveness as a moral good, a virtuous act. ... But what about the fact that forgiveness cannot restore what’s been lost to grievous harm? What of the transgressed person’s grief or rage?" - The New York Times

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