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:
Fiction writer Jonathan Basile shares his motivation behind creating libraryofbabel.info, an online version of Jorge Luis Borges’s “infinite library” described in his 1941 story “The Library of Babel.” (Electric Literature)
Poet Kim Addonizio’s new essay collection, Bukowski in a Sundress, came out yesterday from Penguin. At Interview, Addonizio contemplates topics she writes about in the book, including the culture of writing programs and the personal relationships that inform her life as a writer.
The world of comic book superheroes is slowly becoming more diverse, thanks in part to the work of Sana Amanat, a Pakistani American executive for Marvel Comics. Amanat spearheaded the 2014 launch of the Ms. Marvel series that features Pakistani American and Muslim teen Kamala Khan as its heroine. (Washington Post)
In an interview with Bookforum, fiction writer Helen Oyeyemi talks about her latest short story collection, What Is Not Yours Is Not Yours, as well as why she retells fairy tales in her work. “I’m convinced [fairy tales] are real, that they are talking about our lives as we live them. Not idealized or fantastic. They are talking about truths that we sometimes want to look away from.”
Meanwhile, at the New York Times, Pulitzer Prize–winning fiction writer Viet Thanh Nguyen discusses his work and the influences behind his award-winning novel, The Sympathizer.
Margaret Atwood’s novel Alias Grace will be adapted as a six-episode miniseries for Netflix. Canadian writer Sarah Polley will write the adaptation, and Mary Harron will direct. (Vulture)
Are you blasting through your summer reading list? Look ahead to these notable fiction titles coming out this fall, including new novels from Jacqueline Woodson and Zadie Smith. (Publishers Weekly)
If you are having difficulty starting your novel, short story, or memoir, Kelly Cherry’s recent craft essay on openings offers some strategies and inspiration. (Smart Set)
