AGP Executive Report

Vatican AI Focus: Pope Leo XIV will unveil his first encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, on May 25 in Rome—an unusual, Pope-present press event with Cardinals Fernandez and Czerny, and the encyclical’s theme squarely on artificial intelligence. Tech + Healthcare: OpenEvidence launched “Voice Mode,” a hands-free speech-to-speech medical AI that answers clinicians’ questions with spoken, cited responses. Books Saved, Not Shredded: In Fort Myers, a bookstore owner says hundreds of school books were rescued from dumpsters after a dispute over how the district “culls” materials. Reading Communities: Bolivia’s literacy gains are visible in bustling book clubs and donation boxes, but rural gaps remain stark. Local Culture Moves: Wellington’s ToiPōneke arts centre is re-opening as “Toi Aro” at 3 Market Lane, aiming to expand creative access. AI Copyright Pressure: Major publishers and authors filed a class-action against Meta over alleged training on copyrighted books and journals.

AI Breakthrough: OpenAI says its reasoning model has disproved an 80-year-old Erdős geometry limit, finding a new family of dot arrangements that beats the long-held “square grid” expectation. Secure Bookish Tech: 1Password and Keycard expand OpenAI-linked credential delegation for AI coding agents, aiming to keep secrets out of prompts and code. Local Culture & Learning: Chatham-Kent’s first Male Youth Summit tackles mental health and re-framing masculinity for about 400 Grade 7–9 students. Community Reading: Brewberry Books opens in Lake Cowichan, built from one owner’s long love of sourcing used titles. Publishing Watch: Simon & Schuster UK appoints Kirsty Bradbury as children’s MD. Big Screen: Netflix confirms One Hundred Years of Solitude Part 2 lands Aug 5, with a feature-length finale Aug 26. Health Policy Pressure: A Wisconsin coalition urges UW Health and Children’s Hospital to restart gender-affirming care for transgender youth. Book Trade Signals: Amazon ends support for several older Kindle models, pushing readers to newer devices.

Analog Pushback: A new study and a growing “chronically offline” vibe are fueling a quiet revolt against data-hungry digital capitalism—starting with kids and teens picking up flip phones, film cameras, and letter-writing again. Tech & Publishing: Google I/O 2026 doubled down on “agentic” Gemini, while the publishing world is bracing for AI-made pirated audiobooks that are faster to produce and harder to catch. Books & Awards: Nepal’s Mohan Bikram Singh won the Gokul Literature Award; Taiwan’s Taiwan Travelogue just took the International Booker Prize, with the author hoping it reaches China to spark dialogue. Local Library Life: A planned water outage will close one Sault Ste. Marie library branch for a day, with returns still possible via drop box. Community Reading: Therapy dogs are helping young readers practice aloud at Pearl Street Books. Retail Watch: Barnes & Noble is set to open a new Louisville store this fall.

University Restructuring: Harvard’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences may cut up to 25% of staff this summer, shifting admin work into shared “clusters” to close a projected $365M budget gap—layoffs could hit department administrators hardest. Local Governance & Safety: A lawsuit in Palm Beach Gardens alleges a Barnes & Noble stabbing followed a “recurring pattern” of security issues at the site, including loitering and repeated police calls. Book World & Community: A new “Sunday Bloom Market” launches in Crystal City, with a mobile bookstore among the hosts, while Trade Secrets in Lakeville keeps feeding Project SAGE with thousands of visitors and author signings. Tech & Publishing: Expedia has acquired CarTrawler, and Print Trail pushes direct-to-reader book sales via print-on-demand fulfillment. Culture: Hong Kong director Ann Hui reflects on winning the Golden Lion, and Maia Kobabe’s banned-hit graphic memoir returns in a new annotated edition.

Book World Buzz: A new anthology, Sport in the Fields and Woods, gathers Victorian nature writer Richard Jefferies’ best essays on shooting, fishing, poaching, gamekeeping, and the changing countryside—positioned as immersive rural writing, not just sporting lore. Publishing & Prizes: Taiwan’s Taiwan Travelogue by Yáng Shuang-zi (translated by Lin King) just won the 2026 International Booker Prize, the first Taiwanese work to do so. Local Politics: In Oregon’s District 5 GOP primary, Patti Adair leads and is set to face Janelle Bynum in November; in Deschutes County Position 3, Lauren Connally and Amy Sabbadini are headed to a November showdown. Everyday Life & Reading: New Zealand reports a drop in children’s enjoyment of reading, writing, and maths. Big Tech/AI in Books: Next Chapter AI is launching a free, multi-day virtual summit for publishing professionals on May 26–28. Markets Watch: South Korea’s Kospi surge is pulling more people into stocks—fast, and with worry.

Book Trade & Publishing: 4th Estate has acquired Will Adolphy’s Boys Online after a “hotly contested” auction, while Commonwealth Short Story Prize organizers are reviewing their process after speculation a winning story may include AI text. Local Bookstores & Community Spaces: Atticus Books & Music in Fountain Hills plans a separate music-only storefront this summer, and Cedar Falls has started West 22nd Street reconstruction near UNI Bookstore (10–12 weeks). Culture & Reading Life: Parker Arts released a 10-year cultural plan aimed at making the town a “thriving cultural destination,” and UBC’s Chan Centre is set for a graduation rush with 28 ceremonies across seven days. Tech, Policy & Access: Texas is asking a federal appeals court to enforce its app-age verification law, and Texas Tech faces backlash for restricting how faculty teach gender identity and sexual orientation. Science & Wonder: Ocean Census says researchers found 1,121 previously unknown marine species in a year.

Indigenous stewardship wins a big conservation boost: A major literature review in People and Nature finds Indigenous land stewardship delivers conservation outcomes that are “superior to, or at least equal to” state-run protected areas—pushing calls to strengthen Indigenous land tenure and rights. Reading & publishing tech keeps getting smoother: Rakuten Kobo and StoryGraph announce June integration for native progress syncing, while Barnes & Noble’s CEO backs selling AI-written books in stores. New books keep landing: Han Kang’s The Vegetarian makes The Guardian’s “100 best novels written in English” list, and a new Zero to $100M business book targets the decisions that separate scaling companies from those that stall. Health research with real-world impact: A pediatric GI surgery trial reports an enhanced recovery protocol cut opioid use and complications. Local culture, on the move: Seattle’s downtown gets a fresh bookstore moment as Starbucks layoffs add to the city’s “momentum vs. worry” debate.

Printing Fix: Minotaur says Louise Penny and Mellissa Fung’s indie-exclusive The Last Mandarin shipped with six missing pages, so booksellers will get QR codes now and physical booklets of the missing content by May 20. Publishing & Deals: Fox & Ink Books snapped up AM Howell’s debut adult novel Stolen Things, while New Hampshire’s Books-A-Million opened a bigger North Conway location at Settlers Green. AI in Books: Barnes & Noble CEO James Daunt told NBC he’d sell AI-written books as long as they don’t pretend to be something they aren’t—plus Parexel launched ParexelAI to speed clinical trials. Crime Court: In Luigi Mangione’s case, a judge suppressed items found in his backpack at a McDonald’s but allowed items found later at the stationhouse, including the alleged 3D-printed gun. Community Reading: Rath Literary Festival unveiled a lineup built around kids, free workshops, and a June 4 opening screening of Wuthering Heights.

Automated Reading, Real Fast: Sri Lanka’s The Book Studio just rolled out the country’s first fully automated book vending machine—“everywhere can be a reading space,” now built into everyday foot traffic. Culture War in the Spotlight: A new commentary argues the Left wanted a culture-war script, but it’s starting to lose—while another piece questions whether Trump is “at war” for PR reasons. Higher Ed Under Pressure: Black studies is described as the most targeted part of academia, with universities dismantling departments and narrowing the pipeline for future scholars. Tech vs. Access: Sci-Hub’s “Sci-Bot” brings an AI upgrade to the fight for free research. Local Book Life: State College’s new poet laureate, Carmin Wong, is pushing poetry into schools and the wider community. Bookish Tech & Health: A sham-controlled trial reports implantable tibial nerve stimulation improved quality of life for urgency urinary incontinence.

Oldest English poem found: Irish researchers say they’ve uncovered “Caedmon’s Hymn,” the oldest surviving English poem, hidden inside a medieval Latin manuscript in a Rome library—an astonishing 7th-century link to the earliest written English. Film industry shake-up: France’s Canal+ chief says the company will stop working with hundreds of industry professionals who signed a petition against billionaire Vincent Bollore’s “far-right” influence—fresh tension at Cannes. Publishing momentum: Oman’s Writers’ Society announces 42 new 2026 titles, with printing handled in-house for the first time via a new distribution house. UAE resilience book launch: Sheikh Nahyan witnessed the release of Tenacity: The UAE’s Finest Hour, recounting the first 31 days of Iran attacks from a Dubai-based firsthand perspective. Tech integrity rule: ArXiv will ban authors for a year if submissions show clear signs of unchecked AI-generated “slop,” like hallucinated references or placeholder instructions. Local culture & community: North Pima County libraries list a full week of kids and family events, from chess and Lego builds to mystery book clubs.

AI & Education: A Guyanese writer argues AI literacy depends on two earlier skills—regular literacy and digital readiness—warning that students often drop out around Grade Nine, leaving classrooms unable to build the foundation AI demands. Sleep Health: Researchers report early-morning workers have been a “blind spot” in shift-work treatment trials, with new work aiming to target fatigue tied to body-clock timing. Humanities vs Hype: Tech leaders are suddenly praising the humanities, but one columnist calls it wishful thinking—arguing AI can’t replace empathy, emotion, or real human understanding. Nuclear Waste Scrutiny: Japan’s remote Minamitori Island is under attention for rare-earth mining and possible radioactive waste disposal, raising ecosystem fears. Book World: Doha’s Doha International Book Fair inaugurated Alqantara publishing and distribution, while Kashmir’s literary scene continues to rally around bookstores and publishing bridges. Community Safety: Berkley police seek help identifying people behind anti-Semitic fliers.

Literary Afterlife: George Saunders’ new novel Vigil brings back his “talking dead” setup from Lincoln in the Bardo, but with a twist: Jill “Doll” Blaine is an “elevated” guide who shepherds hundreds of souls, mixing ghostly residue with angel-like intervention. Debut Buzz: Stacey Yu’s Kitten turns a cat into a literary riddle—magic vs. feral, class anxiety vs. tenderness—anchored by a cash-strapped 22-year-old and her estranged mother. Community & Culture: Laramie County names its 2026 Outstanding Graduates, while Georgian Days in Washington, DC runs May 17–26 with dance, trivia, and a diaspora literary magazine launch. Science Spotlight: Antarctic ice cores confirm radioactive iron-60 from a supernova has been drifting to Earth for at least 80,000 years. Policy Watch: CBSE makes three languages compulsory from Class IX (starting July 1, 2026) but keeps the third language off the Class X board exam.

Book Culture & Awards: George Saunders’ new novel Vigil doubles down on the “talking dead” tradition, revisiting the cemetery-as-stage idea that echoes back to Spoon River Anthology. Literary History: Japan marks Takuboku Ishikawa’s 140th birthday with a Morioka exhibition spotlighting Donald Keene’s lifelong fascination with the poet’s modern diaries. Publishing & Reading Habits: Reyna Grande’s Migrant Heart lands as a trauma-informed essay collection that also experiments with new formats. Health & Science (book-adjacent): ENHERTU® gets FDA approval for two new uses in HER2-positive early breast cancer. Local Community: Flagstaff’s May 19 special election ballots decide whether to ratify the Flagstaff Regional Land Use Plan 2045. Tech & Policy: A new memo tackles how AI is reshaping regulatory policy and rulemaking.

Community Spotlight: Friends of the Crowell Public Library just held a Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon, spotlighting the Book Shoppe volunteers who keep the library’s donation-driven book shop running and turning it into a real community meeting place. Local Events: Waterford Libraries announced author Jen Bray will visit Dunmore East on June 9 for a talk on her debut thriller The Lies Between Us. Publishing & Culture: At Cannes, Polish director Pawel Pawlikowski’s Fatherland is being framed as a film about the messy complexity of history, not a neat thesis. Books in the Crosshairs: Tennessee’s Knox County Schools is removing Alex Haley’s Roots from school libraries as part of a broader ban list. Science & Health: PhotoPharmics says its Phase 3 Light for PD trial hit “last patient last visit,” with topline results set for the World Parkinson Congress.

Education Policy Delay: The Philippines’ higher education regulator says the revamped General Education curriculum won’t roll out until 2028, after schools and universities pushed back on cutting GE units and reshaping subjects like ethics, arts, literature, and Philippine history. Publishing & AI: Korean publishers are bracing for “AI readers,” with the industry calling for copyright rules and fair compensation as books become training material. Arts & Culture: San Quentin’s Arts in Corrections program faces a funding setback, while the Berlin Philharmonic will host Han Kang for a September reading tied to a new literature-and-music series. Book World: Elizabeth Strout’s new novel gets a mixed reception, and a fresh look at George Saunders’ afterlife fiction highlights how “ghost” and “angel” ideas keep evolving in American storytelling. Science & Climate: A study finds 50–60% of soil carbon sits deeper than 12 inches, pushing climate models to look below the surface.

Literary Culture: George Saunders’s new novel Vigil revives his “talking dead” style from Lincoln in the Bardo, with a twist: Jill “Doll” Blaine is tasked with a plutocrat’s inner world, blending ghost-like residue with angelic intervention. Publishing & Reading Deals: Criterion fans get a big nudge—every DVD/Blu-ray is 30% off (including 4K and preorders) through May 25, plus a reminder that physical discs still mean “yours, not the platform’s.” Local Book Life: Nebraska’s state poet Jewel Rodgers is bringing spoken-word power to students via workshops and open mics, while community library stories keep rolling in—from DeKalb’s long-serving volunteer to a Cortland elementary librarian building a welcoming reading hub. Science & Access: New research lays out consensus contracting steps meant to improve gene-therapy payment models and patient access. Controversy Watch: A UK reform candidate was removed from a council count after alleged remarks calling a councillor a “cripple,” with police involvement reported.