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:
Happy Bloomsday! At the Smithsonian, Kat Eschner writes how James Joyce, who reportedly hated memorialization, would probably hate the modern Bloomsday. The beloved literary holiday, which is celebrated on the day Joyce’s novel Ulysses takes place, is observed in many cities around the world with readings, pub crawls, and other events.
For those who prefer to celebrate Bloomsday at home, a Boston College class has developed a virtual-reality game based on Ulysses called Joycestick. Read more about Joycestick and other classics adapted to video games in “Video Games Redefine the Classics,” published in the July/August issue of Poets & Writers Magazine.
“So many book sections in newspapers and magazines used to be lively and vibrant places. Now they are gone. You just don’t see many reviews anymore. I can’t control that, so I don’t worry about it. I just try to do what I do and write books that people find every entertaining. I don’t worry about the critics.” John Grisham talks with the Rumpus about popular versus literary fiction, his friendship with Stephen King, and his most recent book, Camino Island, a thriller about the literary world.
In honor of the late Max Ritvo, a poet who died of cancer last August at age twenty-five, Milkweed Editions has launched the Max Ritvo Poetry Prize for debut poets. The winner will receive $10,000 and publication by Milkweed.
“Everything you think you know about Parker is liable to be wrong.” The Guardian considers the legacy and many misinterpretations of Dorothy Parker, “arguably the first female celebrity wit since the seventeenth century.”
“Publishing is not writing. Writing is what you do at midnight…. Writing is an act of faith, rebellion, and hope.” Nick Ripatrazone writes about the difference between writing and publishing and the advice to not talk about your book until it’s published. (Millions)
With Father’s Day coming up this weekend, the Chicago Tribune rounds up the “most ‘dad’ dad books,” including Ben Falcone’s Being a Dad Is Weird and Thomas Hill’s What to Expect When Your Wife Is Expanding: A Reassuring Month-by-Month Guide for the Father-to-Be, Whether He Wants Advice or Not.
The Association of American Publishers have released a report that shows book sales fell 6.6 percent in 2016 compared to 2015. (Publishers Weekly)
“No other non-male writer has received anything like this degree of recognition and attention. It is not clear whether this is more of a consummation or an irony, but without a doubt Woolf has herself become Shakespeare’s sister.” The Times Literary Supplement considers Virginia Woolf’s canonical status in literature.
