BTW Articles

In February 2000, when Irish poet, writer, and musician Ciaran Carson was asked to translate Canto XXXI of Dante's The Inferno, Carson had yet to read the epic poem in its entirety. Now, a scant three years later, Carson's energetic translation (The Inferno of Dante Alighieri, Granta) is garnering strong praise from critics and readers.

ABA President Ann Christophersen this week writes a special open letter of appreciation and gratitude to Carl Lennertz, who is moving to HarperCollins as vice president, marketing for the HarperCollins imprint.

Dear Carl,

This year's finalists for the Book Sense Book of the Year Award in the adult fiction category include two debut novels and stories that take place in settings as diverse as the turbulent Pacific Ocean and a placid, custom-made heaven. Plots weave through backdrops of the Civil Rights Act, acts of world war, and acts of depravity. In addition to their excellence, these five novels share youthful protagonists, all under the age of 20. The enormous range of their experiences make each book uniquely compelling.

The American Library Association's (ALA) and American Civil Liberties Union's (ACLU) legal challenge of a federal library filtering law continues.

On March 5, the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments regarding the government's appeal of a lower court's ruling last May that the Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA) is unconstitutional. CIPA would require public libraries seeking government subsidies to install filtering software to block materials considered obscene, child pornography, or "harmful to minors."