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:

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt has filed for bankruptcy protection [2] to restructure its debt. (Bloomberg)

The Atavist, a digital publishing start-up [3] that specializes in long-form journalism, received a substantial investment from Silicon Valley, and intends to make available a free version of its publishing app. (GalleyCat)

In light of the news that Jeffrey Eugenides’s award-winning novel, The Marriage Plot, will be adapted for the big screen, Word and Film wonders what's driving Hollywood's current fascination with literary novels [4].

Meanwhile, the creatively financed film adaptation of David Mitchell's Cloud Atlas has screened [5]at the Cannes Film Festival. (Deadline)

Adam Gopnik asks, "Can science explain why we tell stories? [6]" (New Yorker)

When Tim Kreider's publisher advised him that authors promote their work by creating video book trailers [7], he was skeptical, but then remembered what video did for the musical career of Men Without Hats. (New York Times)

A one-page note written by Edgar Allan Poe to Sarah Josepha Hale [8], the author of "Mary Had a Little Lamb," recently sold for one hundred and sixty-four thousand dollars at auction. (Harriet)

Melville House asks, "Is this the laziest book-related app of all time? [9]"