Summer is here and there's no better time to kick back and read, read, read. At NewLit, our summer reading lists tend to be long — and we're always curious: What's on your summer reading list?

ONE OF LITHUB'S MOST ANTICIPATED BOOKS OF 2026 • NAMED A BEST BOOK OF SUMMER BY THE L.A. TIMES "A comic masterpiece. The current administration is finally getting the book it deserves."—Kirkus Ben was gracious enough to answer a few questions for us. www.newliteraryproject.org/whats-new/be...

Ben Fountain: the Interview — New Literary Project

We caught up with NewLit Board Member Ben Fountain , author of the newly released Rasputin Swims the Potomac , and he agreed to do an exclusive mini-interview with NewLit. Read on. Q: …

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Happy Birthday to us. NewLit turns 11 today. NewLit was founded on June 10, 2015. Read all about our journey on our blog today. See link. www.newliteraryproject.org/whats-new/ne...

NewLit Turns 11 — New Literary Project

Eleven years ago, NewLit started as just a dream in the mind of our founder Joe Di Prisco. He had a few ideas and the simple hope of doing good work for the literary arts and arts education, making…

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www.newliteraryproject.org/whats-new/ne... Read more with link in bio.

New Literary Project Announces Leadership Transition: Founding Executive Director Diane Del Signore to Step Aside After Seven Transformative Years; Vanessa Merina Named Incoming Executive Director — New Literary Project

OAKLAND, CA, May 21, 2026— New Literary Project  (NewLit), the Bay Area nonprofit dedicated to literary arts, arts education, and free creative writing programs across generations and communities,…

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Victoria Tatum, author of More Than Any River, will be in conversation with Joe Di Prisco, Thurs, May 7 at Orinda Books (Orinda, CA) at 7pm. See link in bio to register for this in-person event.

Erika Krouse, of Colorado, is the eleventh Recipient of the Joyce Carol Oates Prize awarded by New Literary Project. The author receives $50,000. Her most recent publication is a book of short stories, Read the full press release. See link in bio.

Meet 2026 Jack Hazard Fellow Nicole Lozano Simonsen of Sacramento, CA. 🖊️ Nicole Lozano Simonsen's short stories have appeared in Chicago Quarterly Review, Washington Square Review, Booth, among other places. Congratulations, Nicole! #JackHazardFellowship #NewLiteraryProject

Meet 2026 Jack Hazard Fellow Brittany Rogers of Detroit, MI. 🖊️ Brittany Rogers is a multidisciplinary artist, educator, and lifelong Detroiter. Her work has been published widely, including the Academy of American Poets, Lit Hub, The Hopkins Review, Lambda Literary, and Oprah Daily.

Meet 2026 Jack Hazard Fellow Luisa Muradyan of Kansas City, MO. 🖊️ Originally from Odesa, Ukraine, Luisa is the author of I Make Jokes When I'm Devastated (Bridwell Press, 2025) When the World Stopped Touching (YesYes Books, 2027), and American Radiance (University of Nebraska Press, 2018).

Meet 2026 Jack Hazard Fellow James Klise of Chicago, IL. 🖊️ James Klise is the author of novels for teens include the Edgar Award-winning mystery "The Art of Secrets" and the ALA Stonewall Honor-winning "Love Drugged." "I’ll Take Everything You Have" was a 2023 Kirkus Best of the Year selection.

Meet 2026 Jack Hazard Fellow Ambalila Hemsell of Tacoma, WA. 🖊️ Ambalila Hemsell is a writer and educator, author of the poetry collection Queen in Blue, and a recipient of a Kundiman Fellowship, a former Writer in Residence at InsideOut Literary Arts in Detroit, and a Pushcart nominee. Congrats!

Meet 2026 Jack Hazard Fellow Emily Cinquemani of Greenville, SC. 🖊️ Emily Cinquemani's poetry has most recently appeared or is forthcoming in several journals including Third Coast, Copper Nickel, Atmo, Southeast Review, NELLE, Poetry Northwest, Ploughshares, and Colorado Review. Congratulations!

Meet 2026 Jack Hazard Fellow Bea Chang of Seattle, WA. 🖊️ Bea Chang is a writer, feminist, and traveler. Her personal essays have appeared in Arts & Letters, Hobart, The Offiing, Redivider, and other publications. Bea’s work has received a Pushcart Prize nomination. Congratulations, Bea!

Since its inception, NewLit has awarded forty-five Jack Hazard Fellowships to writers who teach high school from seventeen different states across the nation. For Summer 2026, seven fellowships of $5,000 were awarded to creative writers who are full-time educators. See link in bio.

Seven writers. Six states. One summer free to write. We're thrilled to announce the 2026 Jack Hazard Fellows — seven extraordinary creative writers who also happen to be high school teachers. www.newliteraryproject.org/2026-jack-ha...

Congratulations to Danzy Senna, 2026 Finalist for the Joyce Carol Oates Prize. (photo credit: Dustin Snipes). Danzy Senna is the author of six critically acclaimed books of fiction and nonfiction. Her first novel, Caucasia, won the Book of the Month Award for First Fiction.

Congratulations to Jamie Quatro, 2026 Finalist for the Joyce Carol Oates Prize. @jamiejquatro (photo credit: Stephen Alvarez). Jamie Quatro is the New York Times Notable author of the story collection I Want to Show You More. Her latest book is Two-Step Devil.

Congratulations to Lori Ostlund, 2026 Finalist for the Joyce Carol Oates Prize. @loriostlund (photo credit: Dennis Hearne). Lori Ostlund is the author of Are You Happy? (Astra House, 2025).

Congratulations to Erika Krouse, 2026 Finalist for the Joyce Carol Oates Prize. @erikakrouse (photo credit: David Manak)

Congratulations to Katie Kitamura, 2026 Finalist for the Joyce Carol Oates Prize. @_katiekitamura

New Literary Project announces the five finalists for the 2026 Joyce Carol Oates Prize (JCO). L to R: Katie Kitamura (credit: Clayton Cubitt), Erika Krouse (credit: David Manak), Lori Ostlund (credit: Dennis Hearne), Jamie Quatro (credit: Stephen Alvarez), and Danzy Senna (credit: Dustin Snipes)

Congratulations to Bryan Washington,, author of Palaver, published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux, on being named to the 2026 Longlist for the Joyce Carol Oates Prize. #jcoprize #newliteraryproject Photo credit: Cydney Cosette @bry.washing @fsgbooks

Congratulations to Alejandro Varela, author of Middle Spoon, published by Viking, on being named to the 2026 Longlist for the Joyce Carol Oates Prize. #jcoprize #newliteraryproject @drovarela @vikingbooks Photo: © Allison Michael Orenstein

Congratulations to Gabriel Tallent, author of Crux, published by Riverhead Books, on being named to the 2026 Longlist for the Joyce Carol Oates Prize. #jcoprize #newliteraryproject Photo: © Michael Friberg @gabriel_tallent @riverheadbooks

Congratulations to Susan Straight, author of Sacrament, published by Counterpoint Press, on being named to the 2026 Longlist for the Joyce Carol Oates Prize. #jcoprize #newliteraryproject Photo: © Dan Chavkin. @susan.straight @counterpointpress

Congratulations to Marisa Silver, author of At Last, published by Simon & Schuster, on being named to the 2026 Longlist for the Joyce Carol Oates Prize. #jcoprize #newliteraryproject Photo by ROMY REINER @marisasilver @simonandschuster

Congratulations to Joan Silber, author of Mercy, published by Counterpoint Press, on being named to the 2026 Longlist for the Joyce Carol Oates Prize. #jcoprize #newliteraryproject @counterpointpress @joansilberauthor Photo by Shari Diamond

Congratulations to Gary Shteyngart, author of Vera, Or Faith, published by Random House, on being named to the 2026 Longlist for the Joyce Carol Oates Prize. #jcoprize #newliteraryproject Photo: © Brigitte Lacombe @randomhousebooks @shteyngart

Congratulations to Danzy Senna, author of Colored Television, published by Riverhead Books, on being named to the 2026 Longlist for the Joyce Carol Oates Prize. #jcoprize #newliteraryproject @riverheadbooks Photo: Dustin Snipes