his week, we started rolling out our summer digital issue on our website. It will appear in full on the Apple News+ newsstand on July 18. Conceiving and producing this edition—our second-ever online-only issue—while working remotely was an exciting challenge, and I’m proud to share the results with you. One of my favorite features in it is a profile of the scholar and author Ibram X. Kendi by journalist Donovan X. Ramsey. I feel grateful that Kendi, known for his best-selling book How to Be an Antiracist, shared his time with us right now, given how busy he is. He recently moved to Boston to join the faculty of Boston University and to launch the new BU Center for Antiracist Research, while also releasing an Antiracist Baby board book and finding time to take care of his 4-year-old son. In our profile, Kendi tells Ramsey he has mixed feelings about the sudden interest in his work. “Like any writer, I write so people can read and reflect on themselves and their society,” he says. “But at the same time, the cause of that, and certainly people being outraged at the police violence and larger issues of racism in our country, it sort of makes it bittersweet.” Read the full story below, and stay tuned next week for the issue’s exciting cover story. (Hint: It’s a joint profile of a celebrity power couple.)

Elsewhere in the newsletter, read Colm Tóibín’s essay on a new wave of young, talented Irish authors (I just read Exciting Times, a novel by one of the featured writers, Naoise Dolan, over the weekend and really enjoyed it); learn about a new art project that deploys sky-writing via a feature on Black Lives Matter co-founder Patrisse Cullors; and enjoy a gorgeous travel story about the Greek Isle of Hydra that’s sure to inspire wanderlust. Also, check out an interview with the photographer Tyler Mitchell about his favorite things and how the fashion and photo industries can take responsibility for addressing racial exclusion. And don’t miss our latest My Monday Morning, featuring Elle Fanning, who tells us about the breakfasts she makes and what she and her sister, Dakota, have been up to during lockdown.

Wishing you a safe and restful weekend!