Lisa Lucas Named Guernica Publisher, Warner Bros. Seeks Lawsuit Dismissal, and More

by
Staff
7.1.14

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:

The online art and politics magazine Guernica, which celebrates its tenth anniversary this year, has named Lisa Lucas as its new publisher and has announced plans to launch a print version of the magazine, which Lucas will oversee. Lucas had been serving as the publisher in a volunteer capacity before accepting the new role, which marks the first full-time, paid position for the nonprofit journal. (New York Observer)

Warner Bros. has filed a motion to dismiss charges filed in April as part of a $10 million lawsuit by author Tess Gerritsen over production of the 2013 film Gravity. Gerritsen has alleged that Warner Bros. violated the terms of the contract to adapt her 1999 book of the same name. (Hollywood Reporter, Time)

La Casa Azul Bookstore in the East Harlem neighborhood of New York City is collaborating with John Jay College of Criminal Justice to launch a book drive for unaccompanied immigrant children who are being transported to the area for deportation proceedings. The store seeks Spanish-language books in good condition appropriate for children of all reading levels beginning July 10. (Los Angeles Times)

Meanwhile, at the American Library Association's annual conference in Las Vegas over the weekend, around fifty librarians hosted a series called Guerilla Storytimes, which teaches adults new techniques for sharing books with children. (GalleyCat)

Ala’ Alsallal, a twenty-eight-year-old entrepreneur and founder of the four-year-old Internet book retailer Jamalon, is selling books banned by governments of various Middle Eastern countries to readers throughout the region. (Forbes)

A student at the University of Southern Maine recently discovered a rare original photograph of nineteenth-century British poet Alfred Lord Tennyson while touring the home of American writer Sarah Orne Jewett in South Berwick, Maine. (Foster’s Daily Democrat)

The New York Times features authors Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Dinaw Mengestu, and Ishmael Beah, among others, as part of a group of African-born writers whose work is garnering major international acclaim.

After years of being confused with the award-winning English novelist of the same name, journalist Sarah Hall explores the tricky business of the nom de plume. (Guardian)