A Look at Banned Books, Leonard Cohen the Novelist, and More

by
Evan Smith Rakoff
9.24.13

Every day Poets & Writers Magazine scans the headlines—from publishing reports to academic announcements to literary dispatches—for all the news that creative writers need to know. Here are today’s stories:

For Banned Books Week, the Los Angeles Times created a gallery of banned and challenged books, including Ralph Ellison’s National Book Award-winning novel Invisible Man, and Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis. (Los Angeles Times)

Meanwhile, GalleyCat gathered excerpts of the books that were most often challenged this year, including Sherman Alexie’s The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian and Looking for Alaska by John Green.

Forbes looks at how new digital tools are reinvigorating poetry.

Jason Diamond considers the merits of Beautiful Losers—a 1966 novel by famed songwriter and poet Leonard Cohen. (Flavorwire)

Wallace Stevens wrote poetry on slips of paper while strolling to his office; Truman Capote refused to start or finish anything on a Friday—Maria Popova showcases these and other odd habits of writers at Brain Pickings.

Today is F. Scott Fitzgerald’s birthday, and to mark the occasion, Byliner posted Fitzgerald’s 1920 story “Benediction.”