AGP Executive Report

Poetry & Photography: Jane Olin’s “Intimate Conversation” brings a 15-year, tree-only series to the Monterey Museum of Art, pairing pinhole and silver gelatin craft with a “poetic love letter” to local forests. Student Protest: India’s NEET paper-leak protests escalated after a Delhi crackdown, then spread into nationwide marches and sit-ins—now focused on whether dissent is met with dialogue or coercion. Publishing/Books on Screen: Apple TV+ is adapting Rebecca Yarros’ romance novel “Peculiar Stars,” while “Kill Jackie” heads to AMC+ with Catherine Zeta-Jones starring in a gender-swapped thriller based on “The Price You Pay.” Literary Culture: The Ursula K. Le Guin House in Portland is added to the National Register, cementing her creative legacy. Short Fiction: New Times’ “55 Fiction” contest spotlights 55-word stories that are cheeky, absurd, and surprising. Community Reading: Chagrin Falls police launch “Booked and Charged,” their first book club with the library. Science & Health: A study explores bee venom as an adjunct to Parkinson’s therapy, and NMD Pharma reports research linking neuromuscular junction failure to sarcopenia.

AI & Copyright: A federal judge signed off on Anthropic’s $1.5B settlement in a landmark author-piracy case, cutting lawyers’ fees again and setting per-claim payouts around $3,000. Publishing & Books: Apple TV has rights to adapt Rebecca Yarros’ next novel, Peculiar Stars, keeping the book-to-screen pipeline hot. Literary Culture: A column on spoiler preferences argues spoilers can change the emotional experience—not just the surprise. Entertainment (Books on Screen): Reviews and coverage keep circling Nolan’s The Odyssey and how adaptation choices shift tone and meaning. Tech & Science (Reading-adjacent): NSF launches a program to unlock dataset value for AI-enabled scientific discovery, aiming to make existing research data more usable. Local Book World: Jenny Jackson returns to Ipswich to talk The Shampoo Effect, with local landmarks fueling the fiction. Trials & Authors: Salman Rushdie’s attacker faces a federal terrorism trial tied to the decades-old Satanic Verses fatwa narrative.

Publishing Deals: Bloomsbury has acquired debut novel One Hundred Minutes More by HarperNorth marketing head Alice Murphy-Pyle, signaling fresh momentum for a new voice. Book-to-World Visibility: Mystery author Sue Andrews is pushing two thrillers—Jacksonville Judas and A Killing in the Keys—via major holiday billboard campaigns, aiming to catch travelers from Thanksgiving through New Year’s. Free Speech in Court: Hadi Matar, convicted in the 2022 stabbing of Salman Rushdie, is set to face a new federal terrorism trial in Buffalo, with Rushdie expected to testify again about the attack that left him blind in one eye. Graphic Novel Spotlight: Tillie Walden’s Charity & Sylvia is at the center of Vermont Reads programming, with local events tying the book to archival history and same-sex partnership narratives. Poetry & Community: Zimbabwe poet Imbongikazi uMaNtini is building a profile in a male-dominated scene, while local readings and contests keep literature front-and-center. Literary Milestone: The Catcher in the Rye turns 75, with fresh commentary revisiting why the opening still hits.

Copyright & AI: A judge approved Anthropic’s $1.5B book-piracy settlement, the biggest in US copyright history, after authors and publishers challenged how training data was used. Streaming & publishing-adjacent culture: AMC+ grabbed exclusive US rights to Nick Harkaway’s novel The Price You Pay (as Kill Jackie), while BBC iPlayer is set to remove Ian McEwan adaptation Atonement soon—another reminder that “owning” stories is increasingly conditional. Books & reading life: A Canadian librarian’s summer picks spotlight Patricia Highsmith’s The Talented Mr. Ripley and Michael Crichton’s Jurassic Park, plus a reminder that classic summer reading still hits. Fiction spotlight: Saskatoon author Monica Goertzen Hertlein’s Hideaway blends familiar prairie place-names with far-future romance and sci-fi, drawing on older frontier myths. Poetry & attention: A piece on Mary Oliver frames “paying attention” as a kind of prayer—an invitation to read slowly and notice more. Local events: Whitby Steampunk Weekend XX returns July 24–26 with costumed storytelling and retro-futurist fun.

Copyright & AI: A US federal judge has finally approved Anthropic’s $1.5bn settlement with authors over alleged training on pirated books, described as the biggest copyright recovery in US history. Translation & Publishing: English PEN named 14 PEN Translates winners across 7 languages and 8 regions, including a SALT-supported Tamil poetry collection and grants aimed at expanding access to radical, intimate writing. Books to Screen: Netflix’s live-action Myron Bolitar adaptation adds a major cast lineup led by Colin Woodell, with KJ Apa and others joining; the series is based on Harlan Coben’s long-running character. Literary Culture: PEN Nepal hosted Dr. Ram Dayal Rakesh, a lifelong learner credited with helping introduce Nepali literature to wider audiences through translation. New Fiction: Ana Kinsella’s debut novel Frida Slattery As Herself gets an excerpt, teasing a long friendship that blurs into exploitation across Dublin, London, New York, and LA. Poetry & Festivals: Kyrgyzstan announced Alykul Fest - 2026, with themed submissions and an awards ceremony set for September 21. Anime & Adaptations: Square Enix/Comikey will release an English manga adaptation of the light novel I Became a Legend After My 10 Year-Long Last Stand, while the anime cast includes Chō as Gerberga.

AI & Authorship: The F. Sionil Jose Young Writers Award opened submissions with a new rule that organizers may request drafts and revision histories to prove “predominantly human authorship,” with suspected undisclosed generative AI grounds for disqualification. Publishing & Adaptations: Red Sage Studios and Sun Distribution added Gordon Korman’s YA romantic comedy Son of the Mob to their slate, with Vince Marcello directing and producing. Books on Screen: PBS/BBC/Fox are adapting Henry James’ The Portrait of a Lady with Nell Tiger Free, Gemma Arterton, Bill Nighy, and others. Poetry & Literary Events: The Poetry Foundation highlights its free readings and 30,000-volume poetry library, while the 3rd Annual Look Who’s Reading Book Festival lands July 25 in Thibodaux. Manga Watch: Shueisha’s Sakamoto Days is heading to its climax, and ANN’s Summer 2026 Manga Guide keeps updating daily. Community & Censorship: A Henrico bookstore hosted a read-in fundraiser against book bans with readings from Sara Raasch and Meg Medina.

AI & Authorship: The F. Sionil Jose Young Writers Award says it can ask for drafts and revision history to prove “predominantly human” writing, warning against undisclosed generative AI. Publishing & Culture: Georgi Gospodinov’s nature-linked “Death and the Gardener” (Italian edition) wins the Parco Majella Literary Award, while Kraków spotlights its bookshops and literary history as a UNESCO City of Literature. Books & Awards: Kavery Nambisan’s historical novel “Rising Sons” takes India’s AutHer Awards fiction prize. Literary Adaptations & Fandom: Mara Wilson cools talk of “Matilda 2,” arguing the character’s powers come from adversity. Publishing Industry & Rights: Steven Saxton urges stronger creative IP protection as AI accelerates production and blurs where manuscripts and scripts travel. Policy & Free Speech: A US judge lets Meta layoffs proceed while workers argue AI tools drove disability- and leave-related cuts. Reading Life: A Polish city travel feature points readers toward literary getaways, and a Lu Xun Prize win celebrates poems by a Chinese delivery rider.

Epilepsy Genetics: A new study in the Journal of Clinical Investigation suggests many epilepsy cases come from variants that disrupt shared biological pathways—not just single “fault” genes—pointing toward better diagnostics and treatments. School Accountability: New Zealand’s colour-coded school performance tables are drawing pushback from principals who worry the simple red/green system will unfairly stigmatize poorer communities, even as officials urge readers to look at the full reports. Faith & Form in the Bible: A review of Yael Ziegler’s Faith in a Turbulent World argues that Lamentations is tightly constructed, with its missing beats doing theological work about grief and faith. Literary Culture: Bloomsday at the Irish embassy in Washington turns Joyce into a live, communal celebration. Bookish Travel: Skyscanner and Vrbo report growing “readaways” and book-inspired trips as readers chase literary getaways. Publishing/Books: New Welsh Review names 25-year-old Imogen Davies its youngest editor, aiming to broaden what “Welshness” means on the page. Manga News: Keiichi Sigsawa launches his first original manga, Kemono-tachi no Peregrinatio, in Shogakukan’s Weekly CoroCoro. Retail Reality Check: A report on New Zealand booksellers says slow supply from Australia is the biggest threat to local stores.

Partition on screen: Screenwriter Nayanika Mahtani says Imtiaz Ali and Shah Rukh Khan’s Red Chillies once eyed her YA Partition novel Across the Line for adaptation, before Main Vaapas Aaunga took shape. Publishing & prizes: The Guyana Prize for Literature drama shortlist is out, with Return Passage, River, Blood, Son, Kisna and The Bell and the Bones among the contenders. Literary scandal: Chinese “prodigy” Jiang Fangzhou’s master’s degree was revoked for plagiarism, sparking massive online backlash. AI & writing culture: A new tuning approach for LLMs—reinforcement learning with metacognitive feedback (RLMF)—is pitched as a next-gen way to shape model behavior. Books in real life: A free “take a book, leave a book” library opens in Bardon Mill, backed by local authors and residents. Summer reading buzz: Lists and recommendations keep rolling, with Whistler by Ann Patchett highlighted as a standout summer release. Legal fight with a publishing angle: A University of Iowa “Center for Intellectual Freedom” faces internal power struggles and alleged lack of admin support, raising questions about how ideas get funded and governed.

Agentic IT & Linux Support: New reporting shows AI agents moving from ticket triage to end-to-end remediation on real Linux systems—promising speed, but raising fresh operational risk questions. Nanomedicine Manufacturing: A study reports scalable, reproducible gold nanorod production, moving lab chemistry toward clinical-grade manufacturing. Book World (Events & Releases): John Green announces his adult debut “Hollywood, Ending” and a Salt Lake City stop; local author Bruce Rule will sign copies of a new Sherlock Holmes adventure featuring Alice Roosevelt. Literary Culture: A New England stage conversation spotlights Yann Martel’s “Son of Nobody,” while “Bluff & Vine” marks a decade of nurturing local short fiction and poetry. Adaptation Buzz: Coverage keeps circling Stephen King and Mike Flanagan’s next King project, plus fresh debate around Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey.” Reading as Community: The Chinar Book Festival in Srinagar pushes books as a daily habit and a cultural bridge. Comics Collectibles: Image Comics teases an interactive “Ice Cream Man” one-shot with hidden cover messages.

Publishing & Books: Sharon Blackie, the Yorkshire Dales author behind eco-feminist myth memoirs like Hagitude, is still “just starting” at 60, pushing fairytales and enchantment as a modern way to rethink who we are. Debut Fiction Buzz: Frida Slattery As Herself (Scribner) lands as a fresh, multi-year love-and-career story with a bidding-war pedigree. New Reads for Summer: A library-focused “Best Books of 2026” roundup highlights titles like T Kira Madden’s Whidbey and Charlotte McConaghy’s Natural Way of Things. Short Story & Novella Spotlight: Sigrid Nunez’s It Will Come Back to You brings unforgettable short stories, while Abha Purbey’s translated novella Gulabiya reframes caste and patriarchy through a young woman’s rebellion. Literary Events: Rehoboth Beach book signings continue July 21, including Kelly Rimmer and Kate Myers. Film Tie-Ins: Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey hits cinemas, with behind-the-scenes coverage and “what to read/watch next” guides feeding the Homer wave. Tech & AI Policy (Publishing-adjacent): The EU’s Digital Markets Act directives push Google to share search data and open Android, raising stakes for AI competition.

Publishing & Memoir: Aram Saroyan turns childhood “terror and chaos” into before i forget, framing his memoir around the shadow of his father, Jack Kerouac-era literary fame. Literary Culture & Faith: Norway opens a canonization cause for Sigrid Undset, spotlighting how her writing keeps modern readers connected to Christendom. Books to Screen: Netflix adds Francesca Reale (Bridget) and Roby Attal (Felix/Wolf) to This Summer Will Be Different, adapting Carley Fortune’s romance for a Prince Edward Island-set series. Streaming Fate Watch: XO, Kitty remains in limbo after a semi-annual Netflix report, even as Man On Fire lands in the Top 20. Big Screen Homer: Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey sparks fresh debate and fandom energy, from reviews to even the accuracy of a Trojan horse popcorn bucket. Adaptation Pipeline: Paramount releases first-look images for Children of Blood and Bone, while Glassriver and Network Movie develop Áróra, an international TV drama based on Lilja Sigurðardóttir’s crime novels. Community Reading: A “Book Doof” concept keeps spreading—social reading events where people show up with books and read in near-silence.

Publishing & Culture: A new exhibition, The Porgy House, spotlights how Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess took shape in a Folly Beach cottage, tying the opera back to DuBose Heyward’s Charleston roots. Queer Media Farewell: Netflix’s Heartstopper Forever is framed as a bittersweet send-off to the series that helped normalize queer joy for mainstream audiences. Literary Events: Darlington’s Festival of Words returns with workshops, author talks, and an open mic as part of the National Year of Reading. Author Spotlight: Midlands-based debut novelist signing copies in a local bookstore, with a focus on the writing and publishing process. Armenian Literary Heritage: Antares publishes I am Clothed in God, Inside and Out: Grigor Narekatsi, aiming to bring the medieval Armenian poet’s ideas to modern readers. Books & Society: A new edition of Colorblind revisits 1968 Alabama through intertwined stories of racism, bullying, and resilience. Science Meets Storytelling: A wartime medicine piece looks at why blood logistics—not just antibiotics—shaped survival in major conflicts.

Publishing & Prizes: Rebecca Perry won the 2026 Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize for May We Feed the King, praised for crisp prose and a dream-like, memory-and-power puzzle of a museum story. Book Culture & Reading Life: Stephen King escalated his fight against Utah book bans, calling out the state’s latest move to ban his novella collection Different Seasons. Adaptations & Screen-to-Page Buzz: Netflix’s Heartstopper Forever arrives July 17, while Hulu’s Conviction adds William Jackson Harper as a series regular opposite Elisabeth Moss, based on Jack Jordan’s bestselling novel. Tech & Books/AI Rights: Major publishers sued Google over alleged use of books to train AI models, adding pressure to the copyright fight around generative systems. Science & Health (publishing-adjacent): Merck’s FDA approval of Lipfendra, the first oral PCSK9 inhibitor, and new research using AI-designed proteins to expand CRISPR-like genome editing both point to fast-moving biotech frontiers. Local Arts: Bozeman’s new print-only magazine Anemone launches as a countercultural love letter to analog reading.

Children’s Poetry Win: Seven-year-olds Memphis and Arnoldas from Norwich Road Academy took top prize at the CLiPPA poetry performance awards in London, with their “Bumblebee” piece by Simon Mole. Festival Spotlight: Carmel Book Festival returns for its second year with Pulitzer winner Jane Smiley joining panels and a free author expo. Literary Culture & Reflection: Nobel laureate Han Kang says the Paichai High School baseball-team controversy should trigger deeper societal reflection, not quick forgetting. Reading for Pleasure: A roundup of why re-reading matters, plus fresh takes on classics like The Catcher in the Rye at 75 and Louisa May Alcott’s An Old-Fashioned Girl. Community Publishing: A Westerly middle schooler self-published a supernatural fantasy debut and is already drafting a sequel. Book-to-Impact: Colleen Hoover marks 10 years of It Ends with Us with personalized anniversary copies, with profits going to domestic-violence shelters. Science & Publishing Crossover: A Phase 2 trial update begins for Molecular Partners’ MP0317 in first-line cholangiocarcinoma, with results expected in 2027.

Parkinson’s Breakthrough: Sinopia Biosciences reports preclinical results in Science Translational Medicine that its PKA-II modulator SB-0110 could make L-dopa work better while easing dyskinesia. Debut Novel Spotlight: A Vernon writer’s lifelong project, The Ghosts of Summer Island (JC Edwards), is now in print from Gingernut Books. Grassroots Literature in China: The Lu Xun Literature Prize goes to delivery rider-poet Wang Jibing, while a new China Literature Congress study spotlights “ordinary-person” writing reshaping the literary landscape. Book-to-Screen Buzz: Apple TV’s Lucky stars Anya Taylor-Joy as the con artist heroine, and The Odyssey heads to theaters July 17 with Nolan’s IMAX 70mm push. Publishing & Community: Cranberry Public Library hosts a short story and poetry reading; Bloomington’s “We’re Crankie” revives a centuries-old scroll storytelling tradition with a 2027 festival. Censorship Watch: Utah bans Stephen King’s Different Seasons from public schools, prompting King’s public backlash. Horror/Genre Adaptations: Don’t Move adapts a novel and drops a first trailer for a Sept. 11 release.