Derek Mahon, Belfast-born giant of Irish poetry, dies aged 78

Poet famed for A Disused Shed in Co. Wexford and Everything Is Going to be All Right, read on national TV as the pandemic hit, has died after a short illness

Bernardine Evaristo slams literature teaching for bias to ‘whiteness and maleness’

Booker-winning novelist uses New Statesman/Goldsmiths prize lecture to attack ‘academics who still refuse to reassess their reading lists’

Authors hope The Lost Words followup will inspire action and change

The Lost Spells by Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris celebrates the magic of British wildlife

Susie Dent ‘gutted’ after new book Word Perfect printed with host of typos

Lexicographer and Countdown personality says she can now attest to the power of ‘lalochezia’: swearing to alleviate stress

Covid-19 infections are now increasing ‘exponentially’ – but what does that mean?

The word, from the 16th century in English, was adopted in algebra

Steve McQueen and Bernardine Evaristo named among ‘100 great black Britons’

List celebrates high-achieving black British individuals over past 400 years

More than 200 writers and publishers sign letter in support of trans and non-binary people

Described as ‘a message of love and solidarity’ and with signatories including Jeanette Winterson and Malorie Blackman, it comes days after a host of prominent literary names signed a letter defending JK Rowling

Many GCSE pupils never study a book by a black author

Exam board AQA features no black writers on GCSE English literature syllabus

Number of young adult writers of colour doubles to almost 20%

Research shows improvement in diversity of YA writers but comes with warning about domination by US authors

In a ‘good country’ league table, where would the UK stand now?

Disregard for international law does not figure in Simon Anholt’s new book on what makes a nation great

Last orders! The origins of the word ‘curfew’

Pubs and restaurants are closing early in England as part of what is being called a ‘curfew’ - but where does the word come from?

Robert Taylor obituary

Journalist and academic who charted the history of modern trade unions

Elmer author David McKee: ‘I’ve never been a prize winner’

The creator of the patchwork elephant and Mr Benn has won the BookTrust lifetime achievement award. He reflects on his career and explains why his best ideas come to him in the bath

Beyond the Red Wall by Deborah Mattinson and The Northern Question by Tom Hazeldine – review

Why did the Red Wall collapse? Voices from the heartlands on Labour and the north-south divide

JK Rowling’s new thriller takes No 1 spot amid transphobia row

Troubled Blood, written as Robert Galbraith, has faced criticism for including a killer who dresses in women’s clothes, but has recorded strong first-week sales