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.
Lynn Steger Strong reflects on the pleasures of teaching and writing, and encourages her students from Catapult’s recent 12-Month Novel Generator course to pause and celebrate their completed drafts. “You could spend a whole life ‘being a writer’ and never notice how it’s filled with tiny pleasures.” (Catapult)
Shoshana Zuboff, author of The Age of Surveillance Capitalism, always asks her audience: “What are the concerns that bring you here?” The Guardian visits with Zuboff at one of her ever-popular book tour events, and notes that the same concerns are being echoed by audiences everywhere.
A longtime reader of Haruki Murakami, fellow Japanese writer Mieko Kawakami considers the increasingly common question: “How do you feel about Murakami’s representation of women?” She describes her own relationship with Murakami’s work, with particular attention to the short story “Sleep.” (Literary Hub)
Two Washington Post reporters consider the limits of “reading-level systems” in early education, and the ways in which strict level designations may undermine the joy of reading.
The Believer has published its first interactive comic. “Cabramatta” by Matt Huynh concerns a community of Vietnam War refugees living in Australia.
A bestselling author of young adult literature, Leigh Bardugo is publishing her first novel for adults: Ninth House. In a profile at the New York Times, she discusses the differences between the two markets, her fascination with the supernatural, and her plans for sequels.
At the Millions, John Domini discusses his latest novel, The Color Inside a Melon, and the complex task of representing the refugee crisis on the page.
Chaya Bhuvaneswar discusses her debut story collection, White Dancing Elephants, and how she balances life as both a practicing physician and a writer. (Bomb)
