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:
Penguin Random House has partnered with Save the Children to launch its #ProjectReadathon Million Minutes. From now until April 23, people are invited to read free excerpts of books on the campaign’s website—the longer you read, the more books Penguin will donate to children throughout North America. (Publishers Weekly)
“[Grace Paley’s] life was dedicated to knowing how hard it was to act—and how necessary. The writing and the activism were mirror images of one of the most integrated lives it has been my privilege to witness.” Vivian Gornick remembers the activism of writer Grace Paley. (Lit Hub)
Donald Trump has plugged a book, Reasons to Vote for Democrats, on Twitter. The 256-page book is almost entirely blank. (Los Angeles Times)
Yesterday was National Haiku Day, and the form cropped up everywhere—from Congressman Eric Swalwell’s tweet criticizing Trump’s refusal to release his tax returns to the Boston Globe’s daily news roundup, which invited readers to write haiku about chocolate. (Hill)
At the Atlantic, James Parker considers the work of poet Patricia Lockwood—whose memoir, Priestdaddy, comes out in early May—and how she might be one of the few poets linguistically dexterous and Twitter-fluent enough to address the current political climate.
Tracy O’Neill interviews fellow fiction writer Fiona Maazel about how she gets started on a book, her theory of humor, and her new novel, A Little More Human, just out from Graywolf. (BOMB)
Lena Dunham talks with Signature about Lenny Books, her new book imprint with Random House; what’s next after the conclusion of HBO’s Girls; and her reading habits.
Lisa Ampleman questions how poetry, Catholic tradition, and social justice can intersect by looking at the work of poets Natalie Diaz and Philip Metres. (America Magazine)
