Yvette Benavides

Blues in Stereo is a collection of Langston Hughes' very early works—some penned when he was just a teenager and in his early 20s. The collection, curated by Danez Smith, portends the sublime talent and abilities of Langston Hughes, a master poet who went on to help define American literature.

Carys Davies' latest novel is set in Scotland in the 1840s— a time when tenant farmers were moved off their Scottish coastal lands. John Ferguson must evict a man named Ivar from his remote home. When John injures himself in a bad fall from a cliff, Ivar saves him, nurses him back to health, and the two men form an unexpected bond.

In Bruna Dantas Lobato's Blue Light Hours, when a daughter and mother live 4,000 miles apart, they both come of age, feeling a deep longing for the past but also learning about how their bond deepens because of the independence each one is learning to live with.

A fixer for journalists covering Haiti, Jean Marseille becomes the subject—and the teller—of his own story of displacement in The Four Deportations of Jean Marseille. He shares the harrowing stories of the struggle to survive the chaos and violence of Haiti and his search for a better life—for himself and his family.

Naomi Shihab Nye is the recipient of the Wallace Stevens Award, which is given annually to recognize outstanding and proven mastery in the art of poetry. The award carries a stipend of $100,000.

Jenny Minton Quigley is the editor of the series. Amor Towles is this year's guest judge.

Severo Perez’s Filmmaker’s Journey recounts Perez’s story from his humble beginnings on San Antonio’s West Side to 2024—and a celebration of his film “...and the Earth did not Swallow Him” being nominated to the National Film Registry by Congressman Joaquín Castro.

Peter Orner and Yvette Benavides discuss a sad story that makes them happy—"Stolen Pleasures" by Gina Berriault.

Taiyon J. Coleman discusses her essay collection.

An interview with Colm Tóibín about his latest book, 'On James Baldwin.'