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 response to congressional representative Trey Gowdy’s using the work of writing poetry to criticize the Affordable Care Act, poet Jill McDonough shared choice words [2] with the politician in the pages of Esquire.

David Gaughran reports the Bookseller will no longer do business with self-publisher Author Solutions [3].

Meanwhile, author Chuck Wendig takes a close look at the vagaries of self-publishing [4].

On author Den Patrick’s blog, agent Juliet Mushens shines a light on the typical day of an agent [5], and the Herculean effort of responding to submissions and queries.

And on literary podcast Other People With Brad Listi, Brad speaks with agent Chris Parris-Lamb [6]. Parris-Lamb recently sold Garth Risk Hallberg’s first novel, City on Fire, to Knopf in a bidding war that drew headlines.

Novelist Aaron Gilbreath visits the Tokyo jazz club Haruki Murakami opened [7] in the 1970s. (Harpers)

For Valentine’s Day, illustrator Timothy Leo Taranto created imagined literary Valentines [8] from Raymond Carver, Herman Melville, and others. (Paris Review Daily)

And author Julia Fierro [9] showcases the loving dedications from several novels, including her own. (Book Country)