Every day Poets & Writers Magazine scans the headlines—publishing reports, literary dispatches, academic announcements, and more—for all the news that creative writers need to know. Here are today’s stories.
Artists Shannon Finnegan and Bojana Coklyat talk to BOMB about their multimedia project, Alt-Text as Poetry, which expresses the value and urgency of creative alt text. “We are so used to compliance-oriented access: checking a box and moving on. But access can be nourishing and generative,” says Finnegan.
When Penguin Random House announced earlier this week that it was increasing the price of Amanda Gorman’s forthcoming collection, Call Us What We Carry, by five dollars, numerous booksellers voiced concerns over what would happen to those preorders that were placed at the original price point. Penguin Random House has since promised to “honor the original price” for those orders that were made before the price change announcement. (Publishers Weekly)
Dub poet Jean Breeze died earlier this month at age sixty-five. She was a trailblazer, known as the first woman to earn acclaim in dub poetry, a genre of performance poetry that was developed by Caribbean communities. Of her legacy, longtime friend Owen Blakka Ellis remarked, “She beautifully embodied the intersection between literary rigor and performance power.” (New York Times)
“I realized fiction would allow for compression. I could cover a lot of events in one chapter. I could turn four cousins into one. And I could use my imagination to develop my characters.” Vinod Budjeet, the author of Silent Winds, Dry Seas, reflects on the appeal of autobiographical fiction. (Paris Review Daily)
“We’ve now arrived at the era of status merch.” Eileen Cartter of GQ comments on the coveted merchandise box—featuring a bucket hat—being used to promote Sally Rooney’s latest novel, Beautiful World, Where Are You.
“I don’t think anyone should write with publication in mind. The story is going to come out of you, but whether it ever sees a submission queue is another matter.” Fiction writer Tara Campbell offers a window into her creative writing pedagogy. (Electric Literature)
Emily Temple of Literary Hub has crafted a flowchart to help readers decide between the many highly anticipated books that are forthcoming this fall. Questions such as “How much time do you have?” and “How did you feel about school?” determine the recommendation.
Tina Jordan of the New York Times takes readers on a tour of New York City locations with storied literary pasts, including the Chelsea Hotel, the Nuyorican Poets Cafe, and the Odeon.
