Sue Librarian Ph.D.

Get to Know the Akutagawa and Naoki Prizes Here’s what goes into Japan’s most prestigeous literary awards.

I'll check these lists!
"Akutagawa nominees are typically short or novella-length stories that have appeared in one of Japan’s major literary magazines, which publish monthly+often run 300+ pages, while Naoki nominees are usually drawn from published books."
www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/...

"As Karen got to know the guards at the Northwest ICE Processing Center where she was held, she kept hearing the same thing from them: that ICE officers are paid a bonus every time they detain someone. “Individual ICE agents get money per head that they detain – the guards told me that,” Karen says.

Illustration of a person coughing. Text reads: What is whooping cough? Pertussis, also called whooping cough or the 100-day cough, is a respiratory infection caused by Bordetella pertussis bacteria. Whooping cough’s early symptoms are similar to a common cold’s, which can make it hard to initially diagnose. Testing, especially after known exposure, is vital so that treatment can begin as early as possible. Pertussis is highly contagious, spreading through droplets when infected people cough or sneeze.

Illustration of a person covering their mouth with their elbow next to a box of tissues. Text reads: What are the symptoms? Early symptoms: Runny or stuffy nose; Low-grade fever (less than 100.4°F); Mild, occasional cough. One to two weeks after the first symptoms start, people may develop violent coughing fits that can last up to 10 weeks. Later symptoms: A high-pitched “whoop” when inhaling after a coughing fit; Feeling very tired; Difficulty sleeping at night; Struggling to breathe

Illustration of a person holding an infant. Text reads: Young infants are most at risk. Babies under 6 months old may not develop the characteristic “whoop” coughing sound. They may experience choking or pauses in breathing that require hospitalization. Serious complications can include pneumonia, low oxygen levels, brain injury, and heart failure. Because the risk of complications is so high, infants under 2 months old diagnosed with pertussis should immediately be hospitalized.

Illustration of two antibiotic pills. Text reads: What is the treatment? Treatment for pertussis focuses on early antibiotic therapy to reduce contagiousness and severity. Over-the-counter cough medicines are not effective at treating coughing associated with pertussis. If you are sick, stay home for five days after starting antibiotics. Severe cases may require hospitalization for oxygen and IV fluids. Continue to practice good hygiene like handwashing and covering coughs, masking, and post-exposure antibiotics for close contacts, especially infants, to limit spread and protect vulnerable populations.

Pertussis—commonly known as whooping cough—is experiencing a major resurgence in the U.S. with nearly four times as many cases as in 2023.

Vaccines are the best protection against the highly contagious respiratory infection.

Swipe to learn more.

publichealth.jhu.edu/2026/what-to...

How toddlers in Finland's 'language nests' are saving an endangered Sámi language Special nurseries are helping the Sámi people in Finland to bring their almost-lost language back from the brink of extinction.

"Everything changed...when local children began taking part in a novel, immersive language experiment. The programme has transformed a language that was once considered doomed after being inspired by indigenous language revitalisation projects in New Zealand..."
www.bbc.com/future/artic...

Paywall, but the headline is the point.

Irish Times journalism now fully funded by subscribers Editor interview as revenue generated by subscribers to The Irish Times is now fully funding its journalism for the first time.

Revenue generated by subscribers to The Irish Times is now fully funding its journalism for the first time - ten years after starting subs strategy
pressgazette.co.uk/paywalls/iri...

Environmental Humanities Research Initiative (EHRI) Spring Panel - Feb 25, 5:30-7p, Gilman 208. Panelists include our Travis Rieder, "Is There a Duty to Be an Environmentalist?". Link for details | Humanities Institute | Johns Hopkins University krieger.jhu.edu/humanities-i...

Ars Technica Pulls Article With AI Fabricated Quotes About AI Generated Article A story about an AI-generated article contained fabricated, AI-generated quotes.

Feel like this is a good lesson to keep generative AI far from your editorial process as a matter of policy. Ars is a great website. If it can happen there it can happen to anyone that allows these tools in

BOOKS:
CLUBS
--Society of Unknowable Objects (REALLY great so far)
--The Feather Detective (nonfic; do NOT miss this, and DO give as gifts)
--Kafka's Last Trial
REQUESTED
--From Strength to Strength (nonfic)
---The Antiquarian's Object of Desire
#BookSky

It’s so funny to think about the fact that there’s people out there deferring every life decision to this

"The 76-year-old Marine Corps combat veteran and mostly retired nurse was still bleeding from his elbow and missing a hearing aid from being tackled by federal agents earlier that day..."

AI Ethics and Safety — A Contradiction in Terms? Podcast Episode · On with Kara Swisher · 01/02/2025 · 53m

A great wide-ranging conversation on AI ethics and safety with me, @mdredze.bsky.social @ruchowdh.bsky.social and of course @karaswisher.bsky.social. I don’t think putting ethics and safety together is a contradiction in terms! podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/o...

Fed up with your world? Visit ours. Picture of the Clarkesworld robot looking over at the cover of our February issue. That cover features a robot looking out at the sea while standing on the beach with their hands clasped behind their back. The water comes gently towards their feet. Peaceful ocean and sky. A contemplative moment of peace. Cover art by Matt Dixon.

It's time for your periodic reminder that we count on subscriptions to keep the lights on.
clarkesworldmagazine.com/subscribe/
Thank you.

'Maybe we can role-play something fun': When an AI companion wants something more With a loneliness epidemic gripping many parts of the world, some people are turning to AI chatbots for friendship and relationships. But is it really all just harmless fun?

"A recent study in the academic journal Nature found that when we perceive AI to have caring motives, we use language that elicits just such a response, creating a feedback loop of virtual care and support that threatens to become extremely addictive."

www.bbc.com/future/artic...

Literature and Cultural Studies program cut, replaced with Computational Cultural Studies - The Tartan In Feb. 2024, Richard Scheines, Dean of the Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences, placed an administrative hold on admissions to Carnegie

This is bleak as hell. Who cares about literature when you’ve got computers?

Way to go Carnegie Mellon. Our tech oligarchs will not reward your loyalty

the-tartan.org/2026/02/09/l...

In a moment that calls for courage, we get this:

AI Doesn’t Reduce Work—It Intensifies It One of the promises of AI is that it can reduce workloads so employees can focus more on higher-value and more engaging tasks. But according to new research, AI tools don’t reduce work, they consisten...

Oh hey.

Sure, I go to the library for books, but also sometimes I go just to exist in a space that's welcoming, organized, comfortable, judgement-free, and run by knowledgeable, helpful, passionate people, because that energy is straight up medicinal

#BookSky

"Researchers from Johns Hopkins, Georgetown and Yale universities recently found that 60 FDA-authorized medical devices using AI were linked to 182 product recalls, according to a research letter published in the JAMA Health Forum in August."

Trump to exclude Democratic governors from usually bipartisan meeting at the White House President Trump is hosting an annual meeting with governors at the White House, but he will not invite any Democrats, only Republicans, breaking tradition.

abcnews.go.com/Politics/tru...

Amazon Ring Cashes in on Techno-Authoritarianism and Mass Surveillance Ring founder Jamie Siminoff is back at the helm of the surveillance doorbell company, and with him is the surveillance-first-privacy-last approach that made Ring one of the most maligned tech devices....

Icing on the cake is that hyper-pro police surveillance founder Jamie Siminoff, who recently returned to the CEO roll and dismantled years of privacy reforms appeared in the commercial.

Read more:

Just bought a copy of the extraordinary "The Feather Detective." I've raved about it everywhere + book club is now reading it. @cbsweeney.bsky.social, thx for this *riveting* true story! S&S, another sale made AFTER I got it from my public library. I read 1st, then buy. @simonandschuster.bsky.social

China Boy (1991) + Honor and Duty (1994). Two superb books about young Kai Ting and his family in America, and his later experiences at West Point (wch author Gus Lee did attend, + later became its 1st Chair of Character Development). Don't miss these! #BookSky
@penguinrandomhouse.bsky.social

What departments will he be working with, Denis?

Trump’s New Tax Law Saved Amazon Billions Breaks for investment and research lowered the company’s payments to the U.S. government.

Trump said he would fight for “forgotten Americans.” I didn’t know that meant Jeff Bezos.

Despite making $89.5 BILLION in profits last year, Amazon paid just 3.1% in taxes.

This is what Republicans’ SNAP & Medicaid cuts were for.

Guess that ‘Melania’ doc really paid off.

The Library of Amorlin (The Age of Beasts, #1) A brilliant con artist and a secretive librarian collid…

More "best of February/March" book lists coming my way. This book has a powerful library AND magical creatures -- sign me up. #BookSky www.goodreads.com/book/show/22...

I was just denied entry to the Dilley detention facility while my constituent, seven-year-old Diana, remains inside.

What kind of sick, horrific conditions are children being forced to endure in there?

I will be back tomorrow. Accountability can’t wait.

Gladys Mae West obituary: mathematician who pioneered GPS technology She made key contributions to US cold-war science despite facing huge barriers as a Black woman.

No joke: I got angry hate mail today for writing an obituary of a Black woman scientist—because the person felt she did didn’t deserve the recognition.

Which just makes me want to share it again: www.nature.com/articles/d41...