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:
The Dominican Republic has revoked the Order of Merit award given to Junot Díaz in 2009. The government rescinded the award after Díaz—who was born in the Dominican Republic—publicly advocated for the rights of the Domincan Republic’s undocumented immigrants, calling the country’s immigration policy a “human rights crisis.” The Dominican Republic’s consul, Eduardo Selman, said that Díaz’s statement was “anti-Dominican.” (Flavorwire)
“Like the rest of us, / He will learn his grave, / Feel the weight of the entire country on his chest.” The Los Angeles Times profiles Syrian poets who document and respond to the suffering caused by Syria’s civil war.
Over at the PEN American Center blog, Antonio Aiello hosts a roundtable discussion with editors and writers about the state of diversity and equity in the publishing industry. Participants include Pulitzer Prize–winning poet Gregory Pardlo, Alexander Chee, Amy King, Camille Rankine, and editor Jeff Shotts of Graywolf Press.
At the Atlantic, writer Joy Lanzendorfer considers the issue of whether literary journals should charge writers fees to submit their work.
Award-winning poet Aimee Nezhukumatathil has been named the poetry editor of Orion Magazine, a national bimonthly publication exploring the connection between art and the environment. Nezhukumatathil is the recipient of an NEA fellowship, and is the author of three published poetry collections.
To make passwords more secure, but also easy to remember, consider the “passpoem.” Researchers at the University of Southern California have created a password generator that turns random strings of characters into poetry, resulting in passwords that are both memorable and harder for computers to crack. (NPR)
This Halloween, it’s out with the vampires, in with the ghosts. The Guardian’s Sarah Hughes notes the apparent resurgence of the “good old-fashioned ghost story,” citing new haunting tales from authors including Gillian Flynn, David Mitchell, and Kate Mosse.
