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:
Amazon's CreateSpace announced an agreement with the Library of Congress to make at least fifty thousand public domain books available to Amazon customers worldwide using the publisher's print-on-demand technology.
Peruvian writer Mario Vargas Llosa, "whose deeply political work vividly examines the perils of power and corruption in Latin America," was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature today. Mr. Vargas Llosa is the 102nd person to win the literary prize and will receive about $1.5 million. (New York Times)
In honor of Britain's National Poetry Day today, the British Library released two CD sets of spoken word recordings: the first an American collection featuring readings by Charles Bukowski, E. E. Cummings, Allen Ginsberg, and Lawrence Ferlinghetti; the second a British collection with performances by Dylan Thomas, Philip Larkin, and one of the earliest ever recorded poetry recitals by Alfred Lord Tennyson. (Foyles)
Japan's tenth annual poem boxing national champions take place later this month at Nikkei Hall in Tokyo. (Telegraph)
Last night the American Symphony Orchestra played a concert focused on the life and musical tastes of James Joyce at Carnegie Hall in New York City. (Wall Street Journal)
Faber has released a graphic novel version of Paul Auster's City of Glass for the PlayStation Portable gaming device before making it available through Amazon or as a print book. (Bookseller)
A recently discovered Ted Hughes poem focusing on the suicide of Sylvia Plath was read on British television news last night. (New York Times)
A librarian and his crew at Western Washington University's Wilson Library spent two years tracking down a thief who was stealing pages from rare books; thanks to their efforts the thief has now been convicted and sentenced to thirty months in federal prison. (Western Front)
