News of note for readers: May 31, 2024

Catch up quick with the bookish news of the past few days ... or take a deeper dive into each story. Your choice!

• The fact that Keila Shaheen’s self-published book The Shadow Work Journal became a bestseller thanks to TikTok illustrates just how dramatic changes in the literary world have been (The New York Times).

• Yepoka Yeebo has won the 2024 Jhalak Prize, which recognizes books by writers of color, for the nonfiction work Anansi’s Gold (The Guardian).

• Speaking of nonfiction, Ta-Nehisi Coates will head back there in his next book; The Message, which comes out October 1, explores why stories matter in times like these (Associated Press).

• Read an excerpt of Wei Tchou's memoir, Little Seed, which mixes an examination of the author's relationship with her family and a field guide to ferns (Literary Hub).

• Author John Burnside, whose poetry collection Black Cat Bone received both of the United Kingdom's top poetry prizes, has died at the age of sixty-nine (The Guardian).