Publishing Heavyweights Petition White House, Congress To End Cuba Book Embargo

Publishing Heavyweights Petition White House, Congress To End Cuba Book
Embargo
Updated March 10, 20168:24 PM ET
Published March 10, 20166:36 PM ET
LAURA WAGNER

More than 50 major players in the U.S. publishing industry are
petitioning the White House and Congress to end the Cuba trade embargo
as it pertains to books and educational materials.

Calling the book embargo "counter to American ideals of free
expression," the petition — endorsed by publishing companies, authors
and agents — says "books are catalysts for greater cross-cultural
understanding, economic development, free expression, and positive
social change."

Publishers Weekly, which plans to run the petition on the cover of the
magazine's March 14 edition, posted it on its website. It says that last
month about 40 American publishing industry representatives met with
their counterparts in Havana to "build bridges of understanding and
explore opportunities for greater cultural and economic collaboration."

The petition also notes that Cuba's adult literacy rate of nearly 100
percent is among the highest in the world. It says there are plenty of
commercial opportunities for American and Cuban publishers that could
benefit "readers and writers everywhere."

The petition comes as the U.S. continues to work to normalize relations
with the island nation and just ahead of President Obama's historic
visit to Cuba on March 21-22. He will be the first sitting U.S.
president to visit Cuba since Calvin Coolidge in 1928.

Source: Publishing Heavyweights Petition White House, Congress To End
Cuba Book Embargo : The Two-Way : NPR -
http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/03/10/469987895/publishing-heavyweights-petition-white-house-congress-to-end-cuba-book-embargo