Johnny Depp, True Friend, Spent $5 Million Exploding Hunter S. Thompson’s Remains

And other essential literary news from around the interwebs

Today in the book world, we learned that Ta-Nehisi Coates is going to light up the Apollo Theater, Bill O’Reilly still has a book deal, poems are for pockets, and Johnny Depp is the kind of pal who will treat your everlasting remains with the delicacy and respect they deserve — by firing that shit out of a motherloving cannon. It’s just another day on the literary interwebs…

‘Between the World and Me’ Is Being Adapted for the Stage

There are some exciting developments in the works for Ta-Nehisi Coates fans. The author of the 2015 National Book Award winner, Between the World and Me, is teaming up with his longtime friend and producer Kamilah Forbes to create a multi-media performance based on the book, which the New York Times reports will feature,“excerpted monologues, video projections, and a score by the jazz musician Jason Moran.” The show will be running at the historic Apollo Theatre starting next April. There’s still no word on exactly how the show will be cast, but Forbes says, “there’s a mix of everyday folks and celebrity voices, one night is going to be vastly different from the next.”

[The New York Times, Andrew R. Chow]

Is That a Poem in Your Pocket, Or Are You Just Excited to See Me?

Did you know that April 27th is Poem in Your Pocket Day? Yes, it’s a thing! To cap off National Poetry Month, folks all over the country are celebrating the event by folding up a poem that holds some special meaning and putting it in their pocket to share with friends, colleagues, and classmates. (We know what you’re thinking — this could get kinky. That’s poetry, guys.) The tradition started in 2002 by the Office of the Mayor in NYC, and it has since grown into a nationwide movement with sponsorship from the Academy of American Poets. The organization put together a handy guide for how to honor the day — whether at school, in the workplace, or on social media, and they also have some fantastic suggestions for one page poems that will definitely delight your friends.

[Book Riot, Karina Glaser]

Being Accused of Sexual Assault Doesn’t Affect Your Book Deal When You’re a Rich White Guy

Henry Holt has vowed to continue its support of disgraced former Fox News host, Bill O’Reilly. In a statement provided to Publishers Weekly, the Macmillan imprint said, “our plans have not changed,” with regard to publishing an as-yet-untitled O’Reilly/Dugard book due out in September. Throughout the years, O’Reilly has been a cash cow for the company. His most recent publication, Killing the Rising Sun, sold over 1 million print units, making it the best-selling adult non-fiction book in 2016. It’s still too soon to tell if Holt will face some controversy for this decision like Simon and Schuster did after contracting a deal with the unapologetic racist, Milo Yiannopoulos.

In the meantime, O’Reilly’s replacement, Tucker Carlson, is fielding his own book advance offers from publishers. Buzzfeed speculates the final figure will soar into the millions. Carlson’s representative at the literary agency Javelin, Matt Latimer, says, “Tucker’s is easily the most sought-after book by a news personality in many years, and he’s on track to get one of the biggest and certainly most well deserved deals in recent history.”

If by recent history Latimer is exclusively referring to O’Reilly, then yeah, maybe we can agree with that.

[Publishers Weekly, Jim Milliot]

Johnny Depp Spent $5 Million On a Cannon to Blast Out Hunter S. Thompson’s Remains

In coolest-funeral-EVER news, Johnny Depp is claiming that in 2005 he spent $5 million dollars on a cannon used to discharge Hunter S. Thompson’s ashes over Aspen, CO, in unison with red, white, blue and green fireworks. This matter has recently become relevant as Depp is in the midst of a financial crisis and is suing his former business managers at TMG. No need to get into the humdrum specifics of a multi-millionaire’s money woes, but can we appreciate that the father of Gonzo journalism and the author of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (adapted by Depp) got to go out in kick-ass style?

[Vulture, Jackson McHenry]

Streep, Sondheim, the Women’s March, and a Call to Arms at the PEN America Gala