Every day Poets & Writers Magazine scans the headlines—publishing reports, literary dispatches, academic announcements, and more—for all the news that creative writers need to know. Here are today’s stories.
The second season of Poetry in America kicked off on Saturday, and will continue airing through the fall on PBS. In each episode, Elisa New—a professor of literature at Harvard University—and a special guest focus on a single poem; the latest episode featured Marilyn Chin’s “Urban Love Poem.” Previous guests include Sonia Sanchez, Elena Kagan, and Katie Couric. (Publishers Weekly)
Rachelle Cruz considers labor precarity in America and teaching as an adjunct professor during the pandemic. “I wonder how we can use this moment not just to express gratitude for essential or underappreciated workers. How can we organize and create systems that fairly compensate, support, and recognize their value and worth?” (Poets & Writers Magazine)
City Lights Booksellers & Publishers quickly exceeded its GoFundMe fund-raising goal of $300,000. Publisher and CEO Elaine Katzenberger thanked the community for its support, but noted the business is not out of the woods yet. “It will buy us some time and the opportunity to form a strategic plan for the future that may, if it works, ultimately save the store.” (Publishers Weekly)
Maureen Corrigan recalls how millions of books were distributed to servicemen during World War II and offers her own recommended reading for weathering today’s global crisis. “Books are essential cargo.” (NPR)
“I sometimes hear criticism that too many Native writers write about tragedies or that readers don’t want to read stories about gun violence. But this is part of my reality.” Casandra López discusses her debut poetry collection, Brother Bullet, and the ethics of representing trauma. (Los Angeles Review of Books)
Andrea Bartz talks to Kirkus about her new thriller, The Herd, and releasing a book while social distancing.
In a letter to readers, the book review editors at the New York Times reflect on the state of the literary community and books industry under the pandemic.
Emily Temple highlights some of her favorite literary descriptions of rain, from Iris Murdoch’s “straight and silvery” storm to William Faulkner’s raindrops, “big as buckshot.” (Literary Hub)
And the Daily Shout-Out goes to Carmen Boullosa and Samantha Schnee, the author and the translator of The Book of Anna, which is out today from Coffee House Press. “A beguiling return to the world created by Tolstoy. This beautiful translation takes Anna Karenina’s story a step further, showing how a single tragedy ripples across generations,” writes Elliot Ackerman.
