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.
“Imposter syndrome does not live here.” The four women behind Sarabande Books share the principles of running their author-oriented press, now in its twenty-fifth year. (Voice-Tribune)
In good news for those of us who go starry-eyed for a hero in a costume, CBS Studios has announced that The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay author Michael Chabon will be the showrunner for the upcoming series Star Trek: Picard.
“No publisher can avoid distributing through Amazon and, for all intents and purposes, Amazon dictates the economic terms, with publishers paying more for Amazon’s services each year and receiving less in return.” At yesterday’s hearings on Competition and Consumer Protection in the 21st Century, the Association of American Publishers urged the Federal Trade Commission to scrutinize the online platforms dominating the publishing industry. (Publishers Weekly)
At the PBS NewsHour, N. K. Jemisin answers reader questions about her novel The Fifth Season. “I think, in all of my fiction, I am interested in exploring protagonists that are not normally seen in adventure stories or stories about changing the world.”
“She has this laser-like intensity. All of the niceties just go by the wayside.” Issac Bailey and other authors describe the intimate editing process of Other Press publisher Judith Gurewich. (New York Times)
At the Paris Review, Anthony Madrid offers a handy guide to writing ancient Greek epitaphs.“You got your block of stone, you got the cutter standing there, chisel in hand, waiting for what to put.”
“For many contemporary poets, the exclamation mark is a mere grimace; for others, a small curse. It was not always this way.” On the rise and fall of one particularly attention-getting punctuation mark. (Millions)
“It’s like if I vomited into a plastic bag and then someone reproduced hundreds of bags of my vomit so people could buy my vomit and examine it around the world. But the vomit has been refined and worked on, it’s good vomit.” Poet and novelist Joseph Grantham on the joys of the writing life. (Creative Independent)
