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:

In the wake of the horrific tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut, Alizah Salario recounts how, in 1988, as a first grader, "a woman entered my school and shot six kids [2]." (Rumpus)

Ayana Mathis tells Salon what it was like to receive a career-changing phone call from Oprah Winfrey [3].

Whether it's the rise of color tablet computers, or a resistance to upgrade old electronics, something is slowing the popularity of e-readers [4]. (Slate)

From Jimmy’s Corner to Café Loup to the Nuyorican Poets Cafe, critic Dwight Garner tours literary Manhattan [5]. (New York Times)

Meanwhile Dwight Garner lists his ten favorite books of 2012 [6], including Jeanette Winterson's Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal? (New York Times)

On his blog, author John Scalzi has advice for certain writers on social media: "Making every tweet an unsolicited ad for your work? You’re an asshole spammer [7]."

Graywolf Press will publish the first full-length poetry collection by actor James Franco [8]. (Star Tribune)

The latest episode of Other People with Brad Listi features It’s Kind of a Funny Story author Ned Vizzini [9].

If you're anywhere near the British Library, you can see Jack Kerouac's manuscript scroll for On the Road [10] until December 27.