Category: words

Ten years ago few would have heard of the book fair in Sharjah, one of the lesser-known parts of the United Arab Emirates (uae). Today it attracts 2.3m visitors a year, double Sharjah’s population. Abu Dhabi, Doha, Manama, Riyadh—all are transforming from sleepy trade fairs to popular events. – The Economist

On its face and despite the criticisms, the Staunch Prize succeeded in doing exactly what it set out to do, “to draw attention to the plethora of violence towards women in fiction, and make space for exciting alternatives.” But as the Staunch Prize accepts entries for 2019, it has taken an even firmer stance against thrillers with violence against women, and one inflammatory claim in particular has upset crime writers anew. – Slate

It was subversive material at a time when there was not much out there. Early on, in the 1950s, it broke with other comic books in being satirical. And then when other comics were forced to clean up their act during the McCarthy era, Mad Magazine dodged that by becoming a magazine. That’s why it’s called a magazine instead of a comic. – NPR

“Readers will only be able to find the 67-year-old humor magazine at comic book stores and through subscriptions. After issue No. 10 this fall, there will no longer be new content, except for end-of-year specials which will be all new. Starting with issue No. 11, the magazine will feature classic, best-of and nostalgic content, repackaged with new covers.” – NPR

Lazy rhetorical devices plague our political discourse. But there is something especially grating about a candidate calling for a “conversation” when asked about an issue. It rings with the echo of empty ideas. It emanates the stench of platitude and prudence. The abstractness of the language renders the sentiment meaningless: Who, exactly, should be having these conversations? Where should they be taking place, and on what terms? – The Atlantic

Today, only about 40 people speak the Tayap language, and Don Kulick predicts that the language will be “stone cold dead” in less than 50 years. How did that happen? Perhaps more importantly, what cultural and economic losses paved the way? The answer might lie in the backward way we’ve been framing language death. – The American Scholar

Judith Gurewich, the publisher of Other Press. trained as a Lacanian analyst and still practices as one part-time. “She brings her intensity to her uniquely aural editing process, hosting authors at her home in Cambridge, Mass., for days at a time while they read their manuscripts aloud to her.” – The New York Times

“A review by the Northern Ireland Prison Service deemed the ban ‘not proportionate’ … Books and other reading material will now be permitted unless they overtly promote or encourage the commissioning of criminal acts or otherwise break the law.” – The Guardian

An artificial intelligence, or AI, successfully “recognizes” an author not as a person, but instead as the likeness of features that characterize a body of work. In order to find patterns across texts, the algorithmic “reader” uses a collection of textual traits—like frequently used words or punctuation—to draw conclusions about who wrote what.