A New NEA Reading Survey, Lambda Appoints Executive Director, and More

by Staff
1.13.10

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:

The NEA's latest Survey of Publication Participation in the Arts charts a 2 percent drop in adults who engaged in nonrequired reading between 2002 and 2008, as well as a 4 percent decline in adults who read poetry over the same period. In slightly more encouraging news, the survey reported a 3 percent increase in adults who read "literature" (defined as plays, novels, or poetry) over the six-year span.

The Lambda Literary Foundation appointed a permanent executive director. 

A new Chinese literary agency with a focus on marketing authors to Western audiences is attracting top talent (Publishing Perspectives).

Random House and EA Sports announced the release of a new version of Longfellow's translation of Dante's Inferno, as a promotional tie-in for a video game based on the epic poem (1up).

The central character in David Foster Wallace's acclaimed work of fiction, Infinite Jest, is putting on an art show at Columbia University (Rumpus). 

To celebrate the one hundredth anniversary of Leo Tolstoy's death, Quirk Books announced the upcoming release of Android Karenina (GalleyCat). 

Barnes & Noble's Nook won Best Gadget of 2009 at the Crunchies Awards (Bookseller).

British indie bookstores have seen sales drop as much as 50 percent due to unusually low temperatures and heavy snow this winter (Bookseller).

The contenders for the Morning News' Sixth Annual Tournament of Books were announced today.