Michiko Kakutani Steps Down from New York Times, Clinton Memoir, and More
Lesley Nneka Arimah on short fiction and the writing workshop; how the Trump presidency is affecting book sales; a diamond-shaped library in Minsk, Belarus; and other news.
Genre: Poetry
Man Booker Longlist Announced, the Writer’s Diary, and More
Tracy K. Smith and Carla Hayden on CBS This Morning; Octavia Butler’s Parable series as the dystopian novel of our times; poet Ocean Vuong on optimism; and other news.
Poetic Memoirs, Writing Advice, and More
The TSA will not implement policy of checking books at airport security; two publishing veterans launch a marketing company; the blurring lines between literature and video games; and other news.
Roxane Gay on HBO’s Show Confederate, Most Anthologized Poems, and More
Ten ways to organize a bookshelf; Samantha Hunt on motherhood and adolescence; the history of samizdat in Russia; and other news.
Singing Myself
“I celebrate myself, and sing myself, / And what I assume you shall assume, / For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you,” begins Walt Whitman’s 1855 poem “Song of Myself.” Filmmaker Jennifer Crandall’s video series Whitman, Alabama, featured in the July/August issue of Poets & Writers Magazine, captures a wide range of Alabamians in different settings and locales in the state, each reciting from one of the fifty-two verses of Whitman’s iconic poem. Watch the series and choose several lines from the poem that feel particularly resonant to you, either capturing the mood of the moment or a theme you’ve been thinking about for a while. Write a poem starting with Whitman’s words, and then move on to explore how this theme ties in with your own ideas about American identity, community, and interpersonal connections.
Whitman, Alabama: On the Road
Caption:
“For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you.” In this moving video series, filmmaker Jennifer Crandall travels throughout Alabama to capture local residents reading the verses of Walt Whitman’s iconic 1855 poem “Song of Myself.”
Genre:
One Step Closer to Funding the NEA, Jenny Zhang’s New Story Collection, and More
Simon & Schuster launches a science fiction and fantasy imprint; novelist Clancy Sigal has died; book theft anecdotes; and other news.
Unlike Any
Caption:
“The systemic structure built to keep me in place is the stage I dance on. Black, and woman.” This short film featuring principal ballerina Misty Copeland is paired with a poem by Saul Williams for Under Armour’s online ad campaign, “Unlike Any,” which highlights women athletes performing to poems.
Genre:
Athletes Perform to Poetry, the Prison Typewriter, and More
Stanford University Libraries adds two thousand cassette-tape recordings of Allen Ginsberg; how political books are dominating the publishing industry; Library of America editor and publisher to retire; and other news.
Junot Díaz Picture Book, Rebecca Solnit on Libraries, and More
Jamia Wilson appointed executive director and publisher of Feminist Press; publishing books with gender-neutral names; an essay primer for adults; and other news.
Pages
