America’s Declining Literacy Rates and the (Alleged) End of Reading
As someone who loves books and has two degrees in reading and writing, America’s declining literacy rates are deeply concerning to me. I’ve read countless pieces on professionals speculating about the reasons behind the decline and what solutions might be helpful. The latest is this episode from Plain English. Host Derek Thompson talks to Atlantic staff writer Rose Horowitch and Nat Malkus of the American Enterprise Institute about America’s declining literacy rates. Their conversations have sparked a number of discussions amongst my English teacher friends.
Creative Nonfiction in Conversation: Roxane Gay and Saeed Jones
Saeed Jones and Roxane Gay discuss Creative Nonfiction at Harvard. Both writers have published successful memoirs. Their conversation delves into their own creative processes, writing in multiple genres, and the challenges of ensuring truth in their creative nonfiction. They also discuss the challenges of being Black, queer creatives existing on the internet.
10 Notecards with Scaachi Koul
Book Riot CEO Jeff O’Neal interviews Scaachi Koul about one of my favorite nonfiction books of the spring. Koul’s new book Sucker Punch delves into her life during and after her divorce. I love how her writing engages with her last collection One Day We’ll All Be Dead and None of This Will Matter, where she discusses the early stages of her relationship with her ex-husband.
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2025 Plutarch Award Longlist Announced
Biography lovers rejoice! The Biographers International Organization has announced the longlist for the 2025 Plutarch Awards. This year’s longlist includes titles by both debut and experienced biographers. The list includes:
- Survival Is A Promise: The Eternal Life of Audre Lorde by Alexis Pauline Gumbs
- John Lewis: A Life by David Greenberg
- The Mysterious Mrs. Nixon: The Life and Times of Washington’s Most Private First Lady by Heath Hardage Lee
- The Icon & the Idealist: Margaret Sanger, Mary Ware Dennett, and the Rivalry That Brought Birth Control to America by Stephanie Gorton
- The Scapegoat: The Brilliant Brief Life of the Duke of Buckingham by Lucy Hughes-Hallet
- The Rebel’s Clinic: The Revolutionary Lives of Frantz Fanon by Adam Shatz
- Monet: The Restless Vision by Jackie Wullschläger
- Reagan: His Life and Legend by Max Boot
- Candy Darling: Dreamer, Icon, Superstar by Cynthia Carr
- The Talented Mrs. Mandelbaum: The Rise and Fall of an American Organized-Crime Boss by Margalit Fox
The winner of this year’s Plutarch Award will be announced on June 5th and 6th during the 2025 BIO Conference.
That’s it for this week! You can find me over on my substack Winchester Ave or over on Instagram @kdwinchester. As always, feel free to drop me a line at kendra.d.winchester@gmail.com. For even MORE bookish content, you can find my articles over on Book Riot.
