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:
Amazon announced releases of upgraded versions of its Kindle Fire tablet devices. (Publishers Weekly)
Meanwhile, Mashable chats with a smiling Jeff Bezos about the future of the retail giant.
Peter Matthiessen, octogenarian, former CIA agent, and co-founder of the Paris Review, will publish a new novel called In Paradise. (New York Times)
Sony has optioned screen rights to David Baldacci’s new novel, six months before its release. (GalleyCat)
“My own candidate for Punctuation Mark of the Year would be the much-maligned apostrophe.” Mary Norris explains that today is National Punctuation Day. (New Yorker)
The Portland Press Herald looks at the life and work of author Nicholson Baker, who makes his home in South Berwick, Maine.
Author Roxane Gay considers new books by writers of color, including Milk & Filth by Carmen Giménez Smith, and Diriye Osman’s Fairytales for Lost Children, and more. (Nation)
For the New York Times, Zoë Heller and Mohsin Hamid debate whether fictional characters should be likable.
On his blog, Andrew Scott shares his thoughts with authors on self-promotion.
