29th January 2026.
Following on from our very popular talk on ‘The Art of Popular Science’ in October 2025, you might be interested to read that three authors won $10,000 prizes for blending Science & Literature.
Three authors who demonstrated how scientific research can be wedded to literary grace have been awarded $10,000 prizes.
On Wednesday, the National Book Foundation and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation announced the winners of the fifth annual Science + Literature awards. The books include Kimberly Blaeser’s poetry collection, “Ancient Light,” inspired in part by the environmental destruction of Indigenous communities; the novel “Bug Queen” by Anna North, the story of a forensic anthropologist and a 2000-year-old Celtic druid; and a work of nonfiction, Patricia Ononiwu Kaishian’s “Forest Euphoria: The Abounding Queerness of Nature.”
“These gifted storytellers shine a scientific and poetic light on the beauties and terrors of nature and what they reveal to us about our deepest selves, our humanity, and our existence on this planet,” Doron Weber, vice president and program director at the Sloan Foundation, said in a statement.
Ruth Dickey, executive director of the National Book Foundation, said in a statement that the new winners continue the awards’ mission to highlight “diverse voices in science writing that … enlighten, challenge, and engage readers everywhere.”
The Book Foundation presents the National Book Awards, one of the literary world’s most prestigious events. The Sloan Foundation has a long history of supporting books that join science and the humanities, including Kai Bird’s and Martin J. Sherwin’s Pulitzer Prize-winning “American Prometheus,” which director Christopher Nolan adapted into the Oscar-winning “Oppenheimer.”
Information taken from The Independent article on 21st January 2026.
23rd January 2026.
It is good to see the National Literacy Trust is promoting 2026 as the National Year of Reading. This is a major, UK-wide campaign designed to reverse the sharp decline in reading for pleasure and to rebuild a national culture of reading — for children, young people, and adults.
The National Year of Reading 2026 is a Department for Education initiative, delivered by the National Literacy Trust, with partners including:
- The Reading Agency
- BookTrust
- World Book Day
- Bookmark
- The Queen’s Reading Room
Its public-facing campaign brand is “Go All In”, with the slogan:
“If you’re into it, read into it.”
The core idea is to connect reading to people’s existing passions — like football, music, gaming, cooking, fashion, or fantasy — so reading feels relevant, enjoyable, and natural.
The campaign responds to worrying national data:
- Only 1 in 3 young people (8–18) now say they enjoy reading
- Just 25–26% of boys report enjoying reading for pleasure
- Daily reading has roughly halved over the past decade
This decline is linked to lower attainment, wellbeing, confidence, and long-term life chances.
The Year of Reading aims to:
- 📚 Reignite reading for pleasure
- 🧠 Improve literacy, wellbeing, and empathy
- 🏫 Support schools and early years settings
- 🏛️ Strengthen libraries and community reading
- 👨👩👧 Encourage family and shared reading
- 🧑🤝🧑 Recruit and mobilise volunteers and ambassadors
What’s included?
1. Schools & Early Years Programme
- Free toolkits and resources each term
- Professional development webinars
- National reading events and challenges
- Flexible programmes to embed reading culture
2. Libraries & Communities
- Public library campaigns led by The Reading Agency
- Support for:
- Summer Reading Challenge (ages 4–11)
- World Book Night (adults)
- Toolkits, displays, and community activities
3. National Moments & Funding
- Government investment in school libraries and reading programmes
- High-profile launches and events
- Celebrity and author ambassadors (e.g. Malorie Blackman, Michael Morpurgo, Richard Osman, Julia Donaldson, Leah Williamson)
4. New Children’s Booker Prize
- £50,000 prize for children’s fiction (ages 8–12)
- Judged by both adults and children
- Designed to raise the profile of great children’s books
What does “Go All In” mean?
Instead of pushing traditional ideas of “proper reading,” the campaign promotes:
- Comics & graphic novels
- Magazines
- Audiobooks
- Blogs & digital reading
- Non-fiction linked to hobbies
- Multilingual and culturally relevant texts
The message: all reading counts.
National Year of Reading 2026 | National Literacy Trust
23rd January 2026.