An excerpt from Joan Didion latest essay collection, LET ME TELL YOU WHAT I MEAN, was published in the Guardian, along with an essay about the author titled “California Cool and Magical Thinking: Joan Didion at 86.” Knopf published the book on January 26, 2021.

Diane Johnson’s LORNA MOTT COMES HOME received a starred review from Publishers Weekly. They write:
“Johnson makes a welcome return to her wheelhouse in this propulsive domestic dramedy of manners…[Her] usual razor-sharp prose and astute observations are on full display as she tweaks comic incidents arising out of her characters’ relationships. This provocative family chronicle resolves in a poignant ending with prospects for a promising sequel. The author’s fans are in for a treat.” Knopf will publish the novel on June 29, 2021.

Variety announced on February 5 that BIRDS OF PREY director Cathy Yan will write and direct an adaptation of GOODBYE, VITAMIN author Rachel Khong’s short story, THE FRESHENING. Actress and comedian Ali Wong, who is set to produce, says: “I was so haunted by Rachel Khong’s compelling and high concept story when I read it. THE FRESHENING is unlike anything I’ve ever worked on and I’m thrilled to develop it into a film with everyone involved. From the beginning, it was my dream for Cathy Yan to write and direct this project and I’m so incredibly grateful it came true.” The Paris Review originally published THE FRESHENING in Fall 2018, and GOODBYE, VITAMIN was published by Henry Holt and Co. on July 11, 2017.

Playwright, TV writer, and author Jen Silverman’s WE PLAY OURSELVES launched to a flurry of praise this week. To build buzz, Literary Hub published an excerpt of the book prior to its release, and Silverman sat down with the New York Times to discuss the book’s origins, the compelling nature of nemeses, drama on and offstage in the theater world, and more. Random House published the novel on February 9, 2021.

Georgia Clark’s next rom-com, IT HAD TO BE YOU, has received its first trade review: a stunner from Publishers Weekly. They rave: “THE FIRST WIVES CLUB meets LOVE ACTUALLY in this entertaining story of friendship and second chances…Clark delivers a humorous, poignant story about rebuilding after tragedy.” Emily Bestler Books will publish the novel on May 4, 2021.

GOLDEN GATES author Conor Dougherty published an op-ed in the New York Times titled “Pandemic’s Toll on Housing: Falling Behind, Doubling Up.” Dougherty writes: “As the pandemic enters its second year, millions of renters are struggling with a loss of income and with the insecurity of not knowing how long they will have a home...The nation has a plague of housing instability that was festering long before Covid-19, and the pandemic’s economic toll has only made it worse. Now the financial scars are deepening and the disruptions to family life growing more severe, leaving a legacy that will remain long after mass vaccinations.” Penguin Press published GOLDEN GATES on February 18, 2020.

INDELICACY by Amina Cain has been shortlisted for the 2021 Rathbones Folio Prize. The prize “[identifies] works of literature in which the subjects being explored achieve their most perfect and thrilling expression.” The winner will be announced March 24, 2021. Farrar, Straus, and Giroux published the book on February 11, 2020.

CROSSING THE LINE by Kareem Rosser received an enthusiastic review from InsideHook. Jason Diamond writes: “Rosser is humble and honest. His sensitivity comes across throughout the book. Vulnerability is exactly what gives CROSSING THE LINE its strength; Rosser not holding anything back is the key quality that makes this first-time author’s words worth your time.” The book was also selected as a Publishers Weekly Book of the Week: "Rosser debuts with the captivating story of how he came to be a champion polo player. This remarkable and inspiring story shines." St. Martin’s Press published the book on February 9, 2021.

New reviews are in for Lucy Ives’s short story collection COSMOGONY, celebrating its inventiveness and intellectualism. Kirkus praises: "A dozen improvisatory narratives from a mind that just won't stop… Everything a grad student in semiotics could dream of is here." Meanwhile, Booklist writes: "Ives has the rare ability to boomerang reality totally out of whack before calling it home in an even purer form." Soft Skull will publish the book on March 9, 2021.

Tor’s “30 Most Anticipated SFF Books of 2021” includes Joss Lake’s forthcoming FUTURE FEELING, praising “a wonderful world where trans identity is celebrated and centered, where trans characters are allowed to be messy and complicated and human. Soft Skull will publish the book on June 1, 2021.

WE CAST A SHADOW by Maurice Carlos Ruffin has been longlisted for the Dublin Literary Award. The book was nominated by the Chicago Public Library, who deem it "a piercing exploration of the harrowing experience of being Black in America. Ruffin uses the backdrop of a near-future Southern city where an unnamed black narrator is trying to protect his mixed-race son. This dystopian satire is sharply observed and employs unsettling humor to explore the deep scourge of racism in America." The winner of the award will be announced May 20, 2021. One World published the book on January 29, 2019.

EVERYTHING NOW by Rosecrans Baldwin received a glowing blurb from YOUR HOUSE WILL PAY author Steph Cha. She writes: “I was born in Los Angeles and intend to die here—there’s no place in the world I love more. I'm also constantly furious about the many ways it falls short of its promise. Rosecrans Baldwin has taken on the unwieldy task of portraying this unique, enormous city in all its overlapping, contradictory layers, and incredibly, he succeeds. With vivid stories and a ready knowledge of local literature and history, he captures the sunshine and noir of 21st Century L.A.: both the multitudinous roar of life and the untenable, unconscionable inequality.”
MCD will publish the novel on June 15, 2021.