Apple Unveils iBooks for Macs, Scarlett Johansson Sues Novelist, and More

by
Evan Smith Rakoff
6.11.13

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:

The Wall Street Journal's L. Gordon Crovitz weighs in on the DOJ’s e-book pricing lawsuit against Apple: “There’s nothing unlawful about revenue sharing or most-favored-nation pricing.”

Meanwhile, yesterday at the Worldwide Developers Conference, Apple showcased its new iBooks e-book store for Mac computers. (iBooks was originally created for tablet computers and smartphones.) (Shelf Awareness)

Alexander Nazaryan shares his thoughts on the constant use of web-enabled devices, which has caused some to push for classifying a new mental illness called Internet Use Disorder. Nazaryan writes, “I need my gadgets. I don’t want to be cured.” (New York Times)

Robert Pinsky reveals why “Dedication for a Plot of Ground,” an early work by William Carlos Williams, is a great poem.

Film star Scarlett Johansson is suing Grégoire Delacourt, a French author whose bestselling novel features a character that is Johansson's doppelgänger. (Independent)

From Zadie Smith to Claire Messud to Jennifer Egan—Jason Rice explains how he discovered great writers, who also happen to be women. (Medium)

Filmmaker Sam Zalutsky has launched a Kickstarter to help fund How to Make it to the Promised Land, based on a short story by Ellen Umansky.