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:
Merriam-Webster has added more than 840 new words to the dictionary, including “Latinx,” “hangry,” “rando,” and “Generation Z.”
To read more about how the dictionary is made, read a Q&A with Peter Sokolowski, the editor-at-large of Merriam-Webster. (Poets & Writers)
Veteran reporter Bob Woodward’s book Fear: Trump in the White House, which will be published next week, reveals a disorganized administration in which the president’s senior aides routinely conspire to “control his impulses and prevent disasters.” Trump has denounced the book and accused Woodward of being a Democratic operative. (Washington Post)
“The key to success in my life, it’s the secret that I want to share with kids and how I became successful. I’m here as a Supreme Court justice only because of books.” At the National Book Festival on Saturday, Supreme Court justice Sonia Sotomayor—who recently published the picture book Turning Pages: My Life Story—gave a talk about the impact of books. (NBC News)
Speaking of the National Book Festival, the event broke sales and attendance records this weekend. More than two hundred thousand people attended the festival to hear speakers such as Amy Tan, Dave Eggers, and Roxane Gay. (Washington Post)
In honor of J. D. Salinger’s centennial on January 1, 2019, Little, Brown will reissue a series of the author’s most beloved books, including Franny and Zooey and The Catcher in the Rye. (Vulture)
The American Literary Translators Association has announced the shortlists for its 2018 awards in poetry and prose.
“There’s probably no point in writing or reading poetry if you don’t want to take leaps.” Elizabeth Spires talks about why she writes poetry and her new collection, A Memory of the Future. (Hub)
“From the moment we sit down, it’s clear that Gary Shteyngart is much better at drinking than I am.” Helena Fitzgerald has a two-martini breakfast with Shteyngart, whose new novel, Lake Success, came out this week. (Punch)
