Jill Cox-Cordova

Laura Pegram—author, educator, painter, and jazz vocalist—first had the vision to launch Kweli Journal 15 years ago. Now Pegram talks to LJ about the publication’s moving origin story, its new commemorative anthology Sing the Truth, and plans for its future. 

Resources for study, developing knowledge, and exploring issues—created by experts and designed to illuminate—are critical tools. The year in reference showcases how essential facts-based resources are and how they can be harnessed for endeavors as profound as saving lives or as soul-satisfying as fixing a bike.

In every review, TJ’s storytelling ability reflects his exceptional talent to capture each book’s premise and get to its core.

Moving memoirs, historical accounts, lively performing arts books, and scientific inquiries number among these real-world reads.

Discover the delights of illustrated nonfiction about crafts, travel, cooking, self-help, and gardening.

Best Books is almost here! On December 2 we announce our winning titles. To celebrate we are counting down to our big reveal by highlighting some of our 2023 picks, titles we still treasure, reread, and suggest widely. This week, in advance of Thanksgiving, we offer two choices, a van life adventure and a cozy-adjacent crime fiction debut.

Salem Press, 75 years old this year, offers multivolume resources that meet the needs of many readers. LJ talked to Leslie Mackenzie, Salem’s president and publisher, about Salem’s vision for reference and its approach to making its materials accessible to all.