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 this week’s New Yorker, James Surowiecki details Barnes & Noble’s current woes. For Page-Turner, Michael Agger writes, “I’d half-forgotten that Barnes & Noble was a bookstore, a very good one in certain ways, and I’d like to say thank you for the many pleasant hours in your well-stocked, air-conditioned aisles.”
With the documentary film Plimpton! in theaters, seven books by George Plimpton will be reissued by Little, Brown. (GalleyCat)
In 2011, French novelist Michel Houellebecq disapeared by while on book tour, then resurfaced with no explanation. A film company has created a feature film, The Kidnapping of Michel Houellebecq, with the author starring as himself. (Guardian)
Jessica Grose gathered five writing tips from Carl Hiaasen, who offers: “The best satire comes from a place of affection.” (Fast Company)
Jason Diamond considers the strange afterlife of Zelda Fitzgerald. (Flavorwire)
The visage of Jane Austen now graces British currency. Time magazine suggests a few American authors for United States notes, including Dorothy Parker, who wrote, “If you want to know what God thinks of money, just look at the people he gave it to.”
The William Faulkner estate lost its lawsuit against the makers of the Woody Allen film Midnight in Paris over the use of a Faulkner quote spoken by one of the film’s characters. (Melville House)
