Fight at Hotel Chelsea, E-Book Piracy, and More

by
Evan Smith Rakoff
2.16.12

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 historic Hotel Chelsea in New York City, made famous by Leonard Cohen, and one-time home to diverse literary figures such as Patti Smith, Mark Twain, Gregory Corso, and O. Henry, is now the center of a dispute between its new owners and its long-time tenants. (DNAinfo)

Seventeen publishers have banded together to fight European e-book piracy. (eBookNewser)

Results of a new Harris Poll indicate that despite offering no human interaction, Amazon scores high on the poll's emotional appeal dimension. (Shelf Awareness)

The Guardian examines the history and difficulties of naming a publishing house.

A new off-Broadway play by Jack Canfora, Poetic License, opened yesterday. The story centers on a middle-aged poet at the height of his fame accused of plagiarism. (San Francisco Chronicle)

Meanwhile, Boston's poet laureate, Sam Cornish, will have his words set to music and movement by the Roxbury Repertory Theater. (Boston Globe)

The San Diego Union-Tribune reports on the sales decline in the category of books known as chick lit.

In a testament to the historical significance of Abraham Lincoln, the Ford's Theater's Center for Education and Leadership in our nation's capital showcases a tower of over six-thousand books about the war-time president. (Boing Boing)

In 1955, poet Marianne Moore was asked by Ford Motor Company to name its new car. Ford ultimately declined her long list of suggestions, passing over gems such as Bullet Lavolta and Pastelogram, and instead, used the name Edsel. (Lists of Note)