Montclair Literary Festival, a program of Succeed2gether in Montclair, NJ, will host renowned storyteller Salman Rushdie talking about his latest book Languages of Truth: Essays 2003–2020 on June 22 at 8pm (EST). He will be in conversation with author Nathan Englander. The fifth annual Montclair Literary Festival will take place on Saturday October 2, 2021, a mix of in-person and online events. More information here.

Toronto International Festival of Authors has announced plans for 2021 and 2022. TIFA will return in a digital format for its 42nd edition from October 21–31, 2021. TIFA returns with in-person events at Toronto’s Harbourfront Centre for the 43rd Festival which will mark the arrival of an exciting new chapter by shifting the festival’s dates to September 22 – October 2, 2022. Also new is the launch of a new three-day crime and mystery festival (June 3–5, 2022) celebrating writers from Canada and across the world, with a particular focus on Nordic Noir in partnership with Nordic Bridges 2022.

The Virginia Festival of the Book has announced details of the Summertime Shelf Life virtual events featuring Steamy Summer Romance on July 1st and Sizzling Summer Suspense on July 29

The Elite Literature Society of Saudi Arabia has organized their first ever virtual Elite Literature Festival to connect literatures across borders and cultures. The three-day online literary festival ran from June 10 to June 12, 2021 with the aim of introducing the various genres of literature to the new generation. Speakers included author Jessica J Lockhart, American comedian writer John Vorhus, American poet John Bishop, and Dutch Author Dr Siskia Harkima.

The 2021 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction has gone to Louise Erdrich for The Night Watchman (Corsair UK, Harper US). The prize website praised a “majestic, polyphonic novel about a community’s efforts to halt the proposed displacement and elimination of several Native American tribes in the 1950s, rendered with dexterity and imagination”. Life of Malcom X takes the biography prize.

Shortlisted authors for the 2021 Women’s Prize for Fiction will have to wait a little longer for the winner’s announcement. The Awards Ceremony has moved to Wednesday 8 September from 7 July following an extended period of Covid restrictions in the UK.

Former rapper Jason Reynolds has won this year’s Carnegie medal for his gripping stories about children on their walk home from school, Look Both Ways, while illustrator Sydney Smith has won the Kate Greenaway for Small in the City.

Bologna Book Fair has named its top children’s publishers of the year – see who has made the list here.

The shortlist for the Palestine Book Awards has been announced, celebrating books in English about Palestine.

The sad news of the death of best-selling author Lucinda Riley has been announced this week. The Seven Sisters author sold more that 30 million copies around the world.

Need to liven up the summer reading list when school gets out for summer? Here are ten new children’s books to read in translation.