Welcome to Today in Books, our daily round-up of literary headlines at the intersection of politics, culture, media, and more.
Judge Approves $1.5 Billion Settlement in Anthropic AI Suit
Authors scored an important victory this week as a federal judge in California approved the terms for a $1.5 billion settlement between AI company Anthropic and authors whose books it allegedly pirated to train large language models. The settlement, which will apply to an estimated 465,000 books, will pay authors and publishers $3,000 for each title. Judge William Alsup initially delayed approval of the settlement during a hearing on September 8, expressing concerns about how both sides would handle the complexity of identifying eligible parties and disbursing funds. This settlement is the first of its kind and sets an important precedent in what will continue to be a roller coaster ride as questions about AI and copyright make their way through the courts and into, someday, into legislation.
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What’s the Deal with Dramione?
I always appreciate it when a critic takes a trend, especially one generated by young women, seriously and attempts to understand it on its own merits. Slate‘s Rebecca Onion, a longtime romance and fantasy reader with limited exposure to the Potter-verse, read the Dramione (Draco + Hermione) fanfic-inspired novels that have hit bestseller lists recently, and she emerged with a theory. It’s not the sex or the magic or the satisfaction of the brainy girl finding out that the too-cool guy liked her all along. No, Dramione works because it speaks to the political moment.
I have become convinced that it is the ship that helps people resolve real-life political tensions inside of fantasy. We’ve been inundated over the past decade with reporting and firsthand evidence of the rifts that the resurgence of right-wing trad thought has created between men and women.
Onion quotes YouTube creator Princes Weekes, who describes the Dramione dynamic as a love story between “the scolder in chief and the person who needs scolding the most.” I don’t need to read a single word of any of these books to understand why that’s so appealing.
Bed-Stuy Gets a Black Lesbian Bookstore
After Tiffany Dockery got laid off from Google last year, she made a move that every reader has daydreamed about but few get to experience: she opened a bookstore. Gladys Books & Wine, located in New York’s historically significant Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood, is intended to be a gathering space specifically for Black lesbians. Dockery cashed out her 401(k) to build the store, which she hopes will contribute to a renewed sense of community in a neighborhood that has been deeply impacted by displacement and the housing crisis. She also hopes that bringing people together over books can offer an alternative to “chronic online-ness.” As the Trump administration continues its attacks on people of color and the queer community, literary spaces offer important opportunities for connection, support, and activism. May Dockery’s efforts succeed.
Bring on the Bookish Sweatshirts
The coziest months are finally approaching, even if fall is more of an idea than a reality in my neck of the woods right now. You won’t be able to resist these bookish sweatshirts for your seasonal wardrobe.