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 Library of Congress announced yesterday that it will archive all public tweets posted since the inception of Twitter in March 2006, as well as all current tweets going forward. (New York Times) Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal found that diary entries from the eighteenth and nineteenth century bear remarkable similarities to current Twitter posts. As one researcher notes: "It's amazing how much human nature really hasn't changed that much."
The PEN American Center has named imprisoned Burmese blogger Nay Phone Latt as the recipient of this year's PEN/Barbara Goldsmith Freedom to Write Award. Latt, also a poet, is serving a twelve-year prison sentence "for distributing news and views via his blog."
Booker Prize-winning author Arundhati Roy is being investigated by police in India over her links with Maoist insurgents and could face years in prison if convicted. (Sydney Morning Herald)
Nearly three times as many books were self-published in 2009 than were published through traditional venues. (Publishers Weekly)
Apple has delayed the worldwide release of the iPad for a month because of "surprisingly strong U.S. demand." (New York Times)
Literary gossip: The British Library released audio recordings of Ted Hughes and Sylvia Plath talking about their relationship. (Guardian)
Seattle's legendary Elliott Bay Book Co. opened yesterday at its new home in the Capitol Hill neighborhood. As one customer put it, "I miss the old quaintness, but I'm glad the floors still creak." (Seattle Times)
Want to see the complete list of words David Foster Wallace circled in his dictionary? (Slate)
