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:
Best-selling author James Patterson is launching a second writing contest to find a coauthor for his next book. Students enrolled in Patterson’s MasterClass are eligible to apply. Earlier this year, Patterson hosted a similar competition and selected Kecia Bal; their coauthored book, The Dolls, went on pre-sale on Friday. (GalleyCat)
“In the year that David Bowie died, Brexit shocked us, ‘Hiddleswift’ was a thing and Trump trumped, we are all asking ourselves, was 2016 really the worst year ever?” That’s the synopsis for Michael Joesph’s new book, F*CK YOU, 2016, which comes out tomorrow. (Bookseller)
Meanwhile, poet Nin Andrews interviews poet Dante Di Stefano about his book, Love Is a Stone Endlessly in Flight, as well as the anthology Di Stefano is editing in response to Trump’s impending presidency. (Best American Poetry)
The Financial Times reports on the current success of the audiobook, and its early use as audio recording for the blind.
American nonfiction writer Janie Johnson has come under fire for relaying comments on social media that London has been radically changed over the past two decades due to the influence of Islam. (Telegraph)
Adam and Ashley Levy, the husband-and-wife cofounders of the Oakland-based Transit Press, discuss their new publishing venture, which specializes in books in translation. (Publishers Weekly)
At the Ringer, a writer discusses how the popular and mysterious new show Westworld is really a story about writing and writer’s block.
