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At the Poets & Writers gala on Thursday evening, author and political organizer Stacey Abrams hosted, highlighting the importance of writing and storytelling “in a time of isolation and disruption.” Of her dual careers in writing and politics, she said “The principles that undergird these facets of my life are identical,” and include “creating space for those who often don’t see themselves reflected in our narrative.” The centerpiece of the evening was an appearance by Oprah Winfrey, who was honored with the 2020 Leadership Award for “an individual who has transformed and enlivened the field.” (Last year’s event, at which […]

Small Press Distribution executive director Brent Cunningham has stepped down, following a workplace assessment that concluded SPD “needs a reboot of its management, workplace policies, and relationship between staff and leaders.” Last December, the distributor was accused by an anonymous employee of illegal payroll practices leading to employees being underpaid, as well as anti-worker hostility and abuse resulting in the employee resigning in early 2020. In a statement on December 5, the board acknowledged a failure “to exercise sufficient oversight of payroll processes, resulting in substantial underpayment to the former employee and smaller shortages for four others.” The board is […]

Winter Institute 2021 closed on Saturday morning with a keynote titled “What Now?!” from author and professor Brené Brown (previously slated to be Thursday’s opening keynote, but reschedule due to weather in Texas). Janet Geddis, owner of Avid Bookshop in Athens, moderated a discussion about leadership and, as Brown put it, “how to acknowledge what we have gone through, what still lies ahead, and how we move forward.” Speaking broadly about leadership, Brown said that one of the first steps for leading right now is “normalizing that everyone is in a struggle.” She said, “It’s very necessary right now to […]

Day two of Winter Institute kicked off with a keynote discussion among Lauren Groff, Viet Thanh Nguyen, Colson Whitehead, and moderator Michelle Malonzo titled Novelist as Citizen. The writers spoke about the role of the novelist in the wake of political upheaval, the purpose of literature, and more. Nguyen remarked that the upheavals of 2020 around George Floyd’s death “were extreme manifestations of things I’ve seen my entire life in the United States,” and Whitehead noted, “they’re ongoing dilemmas we grapple with.” Groff said, “If you’re paying attention to the world, your work is going to be political.” Asked if […]