Hi KWL Community,

This week has been a tough one, and we hope you’re doing okay. As we all adjust to social distancing and what that means for each of us – whether it’s suddenly having to work from home or having to keep kids entertained throughout the day – I thought it would be nice to keep our roundup of literary news positive this week. So no scary virus-related news in here today, only happy stories and a few silver linings our current situation has granted us.

Like a lot of you, our team members are looking for things to keep us busy and distracted from the news. We’ve decided to share some of what we’ve been up to this past week – you’ll find it at the end of the round up! (Spoilers, if you like cute animals you should probably scroll down and read it.)

We’ll kick things off with one of my favourite positive story this week. In neighbourhoods around America, people have turned their little free libraries into little free pantries to help members of their community who might not have access to food right now.

Probably the biggest silver lining to come of our current situation: The social distancing initiative has forced George R. R. Martin to sit down and finish his latest Game of Thrones book!

Many authors have moved their readings and book launches online, which means they’re more accessible for all of us to enjoy!

A large archive of Pablo Neruda’s work and personal letters is being auctioned off in Barcelona next week.

Eight writers have been awarded the Windham Campbell prizes, one of the richest literary prizes.

Simone Dalton has been announced as the winner of the RBC Taylor Emerging Writer Prize.

Publisher Macmillan has decided to lift their restrictions on eBook sales to libraries.

Speaking of libraries, the New York Public Library has released an app that will allow their readers to access eBooks.

In the time when we need it most, Mike Schur will be releasing a book that mixes his two strengths: humor and philosophy (who knew this combo would be so effective?)

If you’re like me and you use humor to deal with tough situations, you might just enjoy these ten famous opening and closing lines rewritten for social distancing.

Alternatively, if you want something a little more wholesome, how about the stories behind the names famous writers gave their pets?

Like I mentioned above, the KWL Team has been adjusting to social distancing to the best of their abilities and we thought we would share how we’ve been dealing with this first week of our strange new world. If you want to share what you’ve been up to this week let us know in the comments!

Tara: I’ve been distracting myself by watching a lot of tv but worry my brain is turning to mush so have decided nows the time to attempt learning guitar.

Joni: I’ve been very anxious this week and unable to focus on reading or watching anything but the news. Going forward, I am going to limit the amount of news I consume, and focus on attacking my ever-increasing to-read list! To distract myself from worrying, I have been teaching myself calligraphy and painting a lot, which has been really fun and soothing.

Rachel: I’ve found that I need to keep myself busy or I end up on my phone obsessively refreshing my twitter feed, which isn’t great for my mental health. In an effort to start my day positively, I’ve been going for a run every morning while listening to a fun pop culture podcast, and at night I’ve been bro-ing out playing the new Call of Duty multiplayer (it’s free!) with my buds.

Steph: As I make my way into day 5 of my quarantine, I am currently watching all the tv shows I said I would watch but haven’t yet touched. First up, I am finishing my first K-drama “Romance is a Bonus Book”. It is truly a delight! This show is perfect for any romance readers fans out there. I never knew I could swoon over a couple holding hands but here I am.
Eun-ho+Dani

Laura: I did this:

Have a great weekend, everyone. Stay safe, stay home, and wash your hands.