J. K. Rowling Libel Lawsuit, Two New Sappho Poems, and More

by
Evan Smith Rakoff
1.31.14

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:

J. K. Rowling has filed a libel lawsuit against the Daily Mail over a recent article about Rowling’s struggles as a single mom. In response to the lawsuit, the Daily Mail removed the article. (Guardian)

Amazon announced its net sales increased 22 percent in 2013, compared to 2012, totaling over seventy-four billion dollars. (GalleyCat)

In bricks-and-mortar bookstore news, an independent store named Writer’s Block Book Shop opened in Las Vegas, and a Books-A-Million shuttered in Michigan. (Shelf Awareness)

Classicist Dirk Obbink recently discovered two unknown poems by Sappho. Obbink, a lecturer in Papyrology and Greek Literature at Oxford University, was shown the ancient papyrus by a private collector. (NPR)

Julie Bosman showcases Book the Writer, a new enterprise launched by novelist Jean Hanff Korelitz, which pays authors to appear at book clubs. (New York Times)

Norman Mailer was born on this day in 1923, and to mark the occasion Brain Pickings gathered Mailer’s thoughts on success.

The archives of the late Barney Rosset’s legendary Grove Press are on exhibit at the Special Collections Research Center at Syracuse University Library. (Melville House)