Touchy literary topics: May 31, 2024

As you might've guessed from the headline, we have a full slate of posts on topics you wouldn't necessarily broach with someone you've just met ... unless you're a gambler.

They're all still about literature, but there will be discussions of politics in each — so consider yourself warned.

• Kelly Jensen's roundup of the week's book ban and censorship news lead with editorial cartoons depicting the current challenge-friendly climate (Book Riot).

• The Edinburgh International Book Festival is following the Hay Festival's lead and cutting ties with investment management firm Baillie Gifford, in response to calls to end the sponsorship from participating authors and activists (The Guardian).

• Artificial-intelligence company OpenAI has announced even more deals with media companies to access their human-produced content (Literary Hub).