Every day Poets & Writers Magazine scans the headlines—publishing reports, literary dispatches, academic announcements, and more—for all the news that creative writers need to know. Here are today’s stories.
To celebrate National Poetry Month, NPR is once again inviting listeners to submit original mini poems for the chance to be highlighted on All Things Considered. Using #NPRpoetry, writers can either tweet a poem under 140 characters or share a TikTok under fifteen seconds.
Elle has revealed the cover of Lauren Groff’s forthcoming novel, Matrix. In the accompanying interview, Groff explains how a talk on medieval nuns inspired the book. “I just wanted to live in a female utopia, not worrying about men at all. And how else could you do that but go back to a nunnery, back in the days of Benedictine enclosures, where you’re just surrounded by women?”
The Word, a literary nonprofit dedicated to fostering diversity in the publishing industry, will accept applications from April 5 to April 30 for its annual Editor-Writer Mentorship program. Seven editors from various Simon & Schuster imprints will serve as this year’s mentors. The program is open to “aspiring or upcoming writers from underrepresented groups.”
“Those of us who have come from the peripheries of society and still managed to be published can attest that there are methods other than reading by which people can strengthen their writing and sharpen their tools.” Sulaiman Addonia writes about his education in storytelling outside of books. (Literary Hub)
“Everything about a story cannot be made bare like everything about a culture cannot be given exact meanings to be understood. Some mysteries must remain.” Tamil writer Ambai writes about the limits of translation. (Scroll)
Filmmakers Lynn Novick and Ken Burns talk to the New York Times about their new documentary on Ernest Hemingway. “We’re aware of the fact that he’s a controversial figure,” says Novick. “But we are living in times when we are reevaluating all these icons from our past.”
“Without self-implication, the memoirist holds readers at a distance.” Gina Frangello describes going “full-throttle feminist and full-throttle true” in the writing of her memoir, Blow Your House Down: A Story of Family, Feminism, and Treason. (Los Angeles Times)
Over in the U.K., the Reading Agency will host its tenth annual World Book Night on April 23. The virtual festivities will include a conversation between Kazuo Ishiguro and Kate Mosse. (Bookseller)
