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:
Kentucky governor Matt Bevin has proposed state budget cuts that would shut down the University Press of Kentucky. The press releases more than fifty books a year and is particularly known for its contributions to the study of American history. (Lexington Herald Leader, Inside Higher Ed)
With Donald Trump expected to deliver his first State of the Union address tonight, twenty-two writers—including Karen Bender, Daniel Menaker, Rion Amilcar Scott, and Karen Shepard—imagine how the current presidential administration will end. (Scoundrel Time)
“When students are given opportunities to experiment with their voices and create through their own original work, they feel a sense of place and they are able to feel in charge. That’s when they shine.” Justin Parmenter argues why teaching creative writing in schools is so important. (Washington Post)
Actress Rose McGowan’s memoir about Hollywood and her experiences with Harvey Weinstein, Brave, comes out today from HarperOne. Michelle Goldberg reviews the memoir for the New York Times.
Meanwhile, author and screenwriter Bridget Lawless has launched the Staunch Book Prize, a £2,000 prize for a thriller “in which no woman is beaten, stalked, sexually exploited, raped, or murdered.” (Guardian)
In response to a French journalist asking her at an event last week if there are bookshops in Nigeria, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has written a response on Facebook. “[The question] was about giving legitimacy to a deliberate, entitled, tiresome, sweeping, base ignorance about Africa. And I do not have the patience for that.”
Poet Allison Benis White has won the 2018 University of North Texas Rilke Prize, an annual $10,000 award given to a mid-career poet.
Angry Asian Man blogger Phil Yu has recreated book covers of Ann M. Martin’s popular book series, The Baby-Sitters Club, featuring Claudia Kishi, the only Asian American main character in the series. Yu created the spoofs to show the racism the character might have experienced in the books’ setting, a suburban Connecticut town. (Public Radio International)