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:
After the news that presidential candidate Michele Bachmann suffers from intense migraines, literary journalist Joan Didion weighs in with insight from her 1968 essay "In Bed." (Slate)
Due to state budget cuts and the vagaries of the digital age, University of California Press is suspending its New California Poetry series, which published works by emerging and established poets with a commitment to "innovative and aesthetically wide-ranging literary traditions." (Millions)
After learning that Helen Fielding’s 1996 book Bridget Jones’s Diary will be recast as a musical next year, with British singer Lily Allen writing all new songs for the production, Word and Film offers up its ten favorite books adapted to the musical stage.
The Guardian lists five iconic writers it considers famous for the wrong books, and asks readers for suggestions and whether they agree. Kazuo Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go is his weakest novel? Really?
In the wake of Borders dissolution: The Wall Street Journal suspects Barnes & Noble is retooling as a software company; GalleyCat helps Borders e-book owners transfer to Kobo; Publishing Perspectives writes a postmortem; and the Chicago Sun-Times advises customers on what to do next.
In literature-to-film news, it looks as if Ron Howard will direct a film version of Jon Krakauer's 2003 book, Under the Banner of Heaven (Hollywood Reporter), and Bradley Cooper has signed on to star in an adaptation of John Milton's book-length epic poem "Paradise Lost" (ArtsBeat).
The folks over at Booklicious have compiled clips of a handful of world-famous writers captured on film. One wouldn't typically imagine footage exists of Tolstoy, but it does.
