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:
Salon has published fiction writer Justin Torres’s introduction to the new Lambda Literary fellows anthology. “Every queer story is an attempt to define queer life, and at the same time is an expansion of the definition of queer life. To my mind, queer literature is about the respect of difference, not the seductive respectability of sameness.”
Anne Tyler shares how her new novel, Vinegar Girl—a retelling of “The Taming of the Shrew”—was partially motivated by her dislike of Shakespeare and his “terrible plots.” Tyler’s novel is the latest in Hogarth’s series of modern retellings of the Bard’s plays. (Washington Post)
“It makes me sad that people don’t read more black writers. I want the notion of there having to be ‘the voice’ for black folks completely obliterated.” Ta-Nehisi Coates speaks with Bomani Jones at Playboy about becoming a public figure, the process of writing his book Between the World and Me, and the Obama presidency.
Amazon’s editorial staff has released its “Best Books of the Year So Far.” (GalleyCat)
“Some large families are like nations in a long period of civil war… I assume some families are very happy, but all unhappy families (as Tolstoy said) are different and their unhappiness worthy of inspection.” Paul Theroux discusses the large American family and the story he published in the New Yorker this week, “Upside-Down Cake.”
George R. R. Martin talks with Stephen King about evil in fiction and gun control. (Guardian)
“A woman can be in the world on her own and it doesn’t necessarily make her invisible. It just might add a different kind of visibility to her.” Fiction writer Dorthe Nors examines how middle-aged, childless women are perceived, and why she chooses to portray them in her work. (Literary Hub)
Giles Harvey profiles the long career and stylistic impact of Cynthia Ozick, whose book Critics, Monsters, Fanatics, and Other Literary Essays comes out on July 5. (New York Times)
