Margaret Atwood and Stephen King Defend the Freedom to Read

Posted by Speakeasy News > Thursday 16 October 2025 > In the News

The New Age of Book Banning Over the past two years, North America has witnessed a resurgence of book censorship in public and school libraries. From Alberta in Canada to Florida and Utah in the United States, hundreds of books have been removed under the banner of “protecting minors” from content deemed “explicit” or “inappropriate.” … Continue reading “Margaret Atwood and Stephen King Defend the Freedom to Read”

New Reading Guides

Posted by Speakeasy News > Tuesday 04 May 2021 > Pedagogy Shine Bright Lycée

Two more Reading Guides for LLCER Terminale are available: Paul Auster’s novel Moon Palace and Arthur Miller’s play Death of a Salesman. Our Reading Guide collection helps you and your students get the most out of their set books with background information, extensive extracts and guided activities to help them understand and analyse the works. … Continue reading “New Reading Guides”

World Ballet Day

Posted by Speakeasy News > Thursday 29 October 2020 > Celebrate

We all need a bit of beauty in these difficult times, and the inspiring example of dancers who are continuing to practise their art even in lockdown. And for a literary fix, see how the emotions of great classics like Jane Eyre and The Handmaid’s Tale can be expressed through ballet. Ballet companies from around … Continue reading “World Ballet Day”

Two Books for the Booker

Posted by Speakeasy News > Friday 25 October 2019 > What's On

The 2019 Booker prize has been awarded to two authors: the established star Margaret Atwood for The Testaments and the first ever black woman winner Bernardine Evaristo for Woman, Girl, Other. Atwood’s long-awaited sequel to A Handmaid’s Tale seemed a shoe-in for the prize (although another literary icon, Salman Rushdie was also on the short-list). … Continue reading “Two Books for the Booker”

Sequel to “The Handmaid’s Tale”

Posted by Speakeasy News > Thursday 19 September 2019 > What's On

The literary event of the year in the Anglophone world is Margaret Atwood’s sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale 34 years after the original. The Testaments was released worldwide on 10 September to scenes reminiscent of Harry Potter book launches. Fans queued up at bookshops to buy the book at midnight and enjoy themed events. The … Continue reading “Sequel to “The Handmaid’s Tale””