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:
“Ragtime, like so much of Doctorow’s fiction, is pinned to a particular, acutely rendered moment in American history.” Bill Morris explores the history, style, and influence of an American classic. (Millions)
Eleanor Catton, winner of the 2013 Man Booker Prize for her second novel, The Luminaries, discusses writing the book and the importance of ensuring “that structure did not trump plot.” (New York Times)
In the New Yorker, Maria Bustillos delves into the psychological reasons concerning why an author would forgo literary fame and publish anonymously.
"The coldest winter I ever saw was the summer I spent in San Francisco." The Huffington Post reveals twenty quotes wrongly attributed to Mark Twain.
Jason Diamond exhumes seven lost literary works from some of the world’s most accomplished authors. (Flavorwire)
The estate that Nobel Prize-winning poet T. S. Eliot bequeathed to his wife, who died in 2012, will be sold at auction by Christie’s. (Los Angeles Times)
BuzzFeed offers twenty thoughtful gift ideas for bookworms this holiday season.
“And while part of me is so not ready for the onset of sneaky snow days, another part was perversely pleased.” Caitlin O’Neil discusses the creative process in “Writing Is Like Making Snowballs.” (Ploughshares)
