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.
Dictionary.com has announced its 2018 Word of the Year: Misinformation. The online dictionary, which defines the term as “false information that is spread, regardless of whether there is intent to mislead,” states that “understanding the concept is vital to identifying misinformation in the wild, and ultimately curbing its impact.” It has recently added several definitions related to the evolving understanding of the word, including “echo chamber,” “confirmation bias,” “fake news,” and “post-truth.”
Netflix has announced plans to adapt several Roald Dahl classics, including Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda, and The BFG. In a press release, Netflix said its new animated adaptations will be faithful to “the quintessential spirit and tone of Dahl,” but will also build out “an imaginative story universe that expands far beyond the pages of the books themselves.” (Guardian)
Attorneys in the breach of contract and defamation suit brought against Barnes & Noble by former CEO Demos Parneros are scheduled for a hearing this week. Parneros’s attorneys plan to file a motion to dismiss a recent counterclaim filed by the bookstore chain against the recently fired CEO. (Publishers Weekly)
“I sometimes think about how Jane Jacobs talks about what makes a vital street. You don’t want homogeneity, you want a variety of buildings and shops and people. That’s what makes a vibrant and vital community, and I think of the magazine as something similar.” At Literary Hub, Madelaine Lucas profiles Brigid Hughes, founding editor of A Public Space.
Read more about Hughes and A Public Space’s recent expansion into book publishing. (Poets & Writers)
The New York Times looks at three new books of nonfiction that trace the history of race relations in America through the lens of art.
Starting today, Electric Literature has teamed up with MCD Books, an imprint of Farrar, Straus and Giroux, to launch Electric Eel, a weekly newsletter that looks at the work of artists, activists, and organizations through the lens of storytelling.
At the Washington Post, Bethanne Patrick recommends ten books to read—and gift—this December, including the Booker Prize–winning Milkman by Anna Burns and Kitchen Yarns: Notes on Life, Love, and Food by Ann Hood.
