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.
The Asian American Writers’ Workshop has announced Jafreen M. Uddin as the organization’s new executive director. Uddin succeeds interim executive director Lillian Cho, who stepped in after Ken Chen departed the workshop this past May. Uddin is the seventh director and first woman to serve in the role since the workshop’s founding in 1991. Most recently, she served as deputy director of development for special events at PEN America.
The bird population in North America has been decimated in recent decades due, in part, to habitat loss and poor window design on buildings of all sizes—skyscrapers and two- or three-story buildings alike. While the scale of the loss is invisible to many, Calista McRae looks to the early risers and the walkers—the street cleaners and the poets—who have been noticing and documenting this loss for some time. (Boston Review)
In an interview at the Guardian, Norwegian writer Vigdis Hjorth talks respecting autofiction as fiction—as a form of art—no matter how it does or does not resemble true events.
“I know a lot of people say you need seven years before you can start writing about something that’s happened to you, but I didn’t have that. I didn’t have the luxury of waiting.” Marcelo Hernandez Castillo, whose memoir, Children of the Land, comes out later this month, on the urgency of working out his questions on the page. (Rumpus)
At the New York Times, Jessica Bennett reflects on how filmmaker Greta Gerwig breathed new life into Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women.
“Writing motivates me to be curious and to be interested in people and what they do, and why they do it.” Brandy Jensen shares what she’s learned from writing an advice column. (Creative Independent)
To mark its fiftieth anniversary, the Feminist Press plans to reissue several backlist titles this year. At Literary Hub, executive director Jamia Wilson and press staff highlight some favorites.
The Millions recommends five poetry collections that are publishing this month.
