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.

VIDA: Women in Literary Arts (VIDA) has released the 2019 results from its annual survey, the VIDA Count, which gathers data on gender representation [2] in major literary publications and book reviews. Of the fifteen publications considered in the main count, only three published more than fifty percent women or nonbinary writers: Poetry, Tin House, and the New York Times Book Review. 

The MacDowell board of directors voted unanimously to remove the word “colony” [3] from the organization’s name, citing “oppressive overtones.” Although the term had already been phased out in official correspondence for some time, staff members recently circulated a petition to advocate for the formal amendment. In a press release, chair of the board Nell Irvin Painter writes, “This name change is at once a significant step and a natural evolution consistent with how the organization is widely known.” (New York Times)

More than one hundred and fifty artists have signed “A Letter on Justice and Open Debate [4]” that was published by Harper’s Magazine on Tuesday. With prominent signatories such as Margaret Atwood, Salman Rushdie, and J. K. Rowling, the letter criticized “an intolerance of opposing views, a vogue for public shaming and ostracism and the tendency to dissolve complex policy issues in a blinding moral certainty.” Since publication, the letter has been embroiled in controversy. Richard Kim, the enterprise director of HuffPost described the letter as “fatuous” and “self-important.” (New York Times)

Elyzabeth Joy Holford has been appointed executive director at the Vermont Studio Center [5]. Chair of the search committee Major Jackson writes, “By a sheer display of compassionate leadership, social consciousness, and administrative experience needed to face the challenges of our moment, Elyzabeth Holford emerged as the leading candidate among a highly talented applicant pool.” Holford succeeds Ellen McCulloch-Lovell, who was appointed interim director in July last year. 

Lee Williams revisits the work of Jean Toomer to explore the legacy of code-switching [6] in America. “Toomer’s cautionary tale posits that assimilation in American society is possible, but you must surrender your Blackness at the door.” (Electric Literature)

“Even in television and film, there’s a built-in audience of either a studio audience or the crew and other actors. This was the most solitary thing I’ve ever worked on.” Comedian Cameron Esposito talks to the Rumpus about writing her coming-of-age memoir [7], Save Yourself. 

The University of Texas Press has hired Dawn Durante to serve as its next editor in chief [8]. Durante will be moving from her current position as senior acquisitions editor at the University of Illinois Press. (Publishers Weekly)

In a new episode of Entertainment Weekly’s special audio series on queer writers, artists, and thinkers [9], Leslye Headland celebrates Fran Lebowitz and Alexander Chee pays tribute to Justin Chin.