Are We Even Reading Books Anymore?

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Amrita Ghosh and Bhakti Shringarpure wonder if we have stopped reading actual, physical books these days. Books are certainly being published in large numbers but a majority of our reading seems to happen on phones, computers and tablets. Not only do we get our hobby fixes from podcasts, TV binging and social media scrolling, but important cultural conversations are also happening there. Arguing passionately against this theory is publisher and poet Naveen Kishore, who is celebrating 40 years of Seagull Books, a press that has brought us translated literature from everywhere in the world. Going against our perception that people only read pulp fiction, Kishore says that book publishing is thriving and local readerships are more robust than ever. He also weighs in on our difficult cultural moment and touches upon questions of censorship, cancellation of writers and the role of publishers themselves in what he calls "cannibal times."