Stories about Literature from January, 2013
France: NGOs Condemn Privatisation of Public Domain
Seven European free culture associations issued a statement [fr] protesting against a public-private partnership between the French National Library BNF and Proquest database [fr], whose aim is to digitize a large amount of Public Domain works and privatize them with an exclusivity period of commercialization of ten years. Activist Philippe...
Guyana: Literary Controversy
Writer Ruel Johnson has expressed concern at what he considers to be possible case of nepotism at Caribbean Press, a publishing company owned by the government of Guyana: When I saw the recent launch of young Ashley Anthony’s book Mysterious Association and the Virtu Gems [sic] I declined to publicly point out the...
“La Movida” – Revival of Spanish Language Comics in Brazil?
A panorama of Latin American comics in two parts. This post explores the invisibility among neighbouring countries within the region. Are economic factors, digital tools and collaboration going to change the way art is disseminated in these emerging markets?
Nigeria 2012: Great Challenges and Even Greater Victories
Nigeria is as large as her talents, people, hope and challenges. These are some of stories from Nigeria in 2012, a year that was a curious mix of tensions, anguish and hope for Nigeria.
Outspoken Critic Attacked at Book Promotion in China
On January 13, 2013 at a promotion event in Beijing for his book the Whole World Knows, 45-year-old Li Pengcheng, an outspoken critic and former soccer columnist, was slapped on the face by a man who said he was disgusted by the content of Li’s book. Later another man tried to attack him with a knife.
Jamaica: Handing Over “Calabash”
The world can and will run without you. Get over yourselves. Active Voice salutes Colin Channer, the founder of Jamaica's Calabash Literary Festival, whose “exemplary resignation” she thinks “ought to set a precedent in how to love something and yet be able to move on and allow others to continue...
Richard Blanco: America's First Latino Inaugural Poet
The President of the United States, Barack Obama, requested his inaugural poem from Richard Blanco, son of Cuban immigrants and the first Latino, Spanish speaker, and gay man to receive this honor.
