Little, Brown Names Bruce Nichols Publisher, Participatory Art Under Social Distancing, and More

by Staff
4.16.20

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.

Bruce Nichols has been appointed senior vice president and publisher of Little, Brown. He succeeds Reagan Arthur, who was tapped to lead Alfred A. Knopf earlier this year after Sonny Mehta, the renowned editor and longtime leader of Knopf, died at age seventy-seven. Nichols most recently served as senior vice president and publisher of Houghton Mifflin. (Publishers Weekly)

In the first installment of the Believer’s new column, Windowside, Rhiannon McGavin celebrates art that operates as “a restorative process for both artists and audiences.” She highlights seven of her favorite projects that invite audience collaboration in some form. 

“This is a woman who chose to live in isolation to find peace toward the end of her life—and, in the process, encountered her imagination.” Ottessa Moshfegh reflects on the themes of her forthcoming book, Death in Her Hands. Originally scheduled for release this month, the book’s publication date has been postponed to August due to the coronavirus pandemic. (New York Times)

Justin Allen considers various archives, from those that are “architectural, physical, tactile” to those that are intangible. He explains how memory is a form of archive and imagines a world in which we honor and engage with memory as such. (Lambda Literary)

T Kira Madden and Rowan Hisayo Buchanan sit down to talk craft. They discuss the patterns in their respective works—the ideas and images to which they always return. (Literary Hub) 

Stacey Megally suggests organizing a “bookish” virtual scavenger hunt to pass the time with friends while social distancing. (Book Riot)

In an interview with Micah Ballard, Aaron Shurin discusses his affinity for prose poetry and maximalist poetics. (Open Space) 

Joanna Hershon, the author of St. Ivo, recommends other books that feature cults. (Electric Literature)

And the Daily Shout-Out goes to the organizers of PEN America’s World Voices Festival, who recently launched “Just Press Play,” a new playlist series curated by various authors. Laila Lalami kicked things off with a playlist featuring Nina Simone, Radiohead, Rage Against the Machine, and more.