Neil Gaiman and Lemony Snicket Give Away Books in NYC, National Book Awards Announced Tonight, and More

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 winners of the 65th annual National Book Awards will be announced tonight at a New York City ceremony hosted by bestselling author Daniel Handler (also known as Lemony Snicket). Early this morning, Handler and Neil Gaiman braved the freezing temperatures in Manhattan’s Washington Square Park to participate in the Great Book Giveaway, an event that pitted the authors against one another to see who could hand out the most books. “You’re cold because you’re not reading Fanny Howe,” Handler told one shivering passerby.

In more National Book Award news, Michelle Dean notes the unexpected urgency of poet Claudia Rankine’s shortlisted book Citizen in an article for the Guardian, and Elizabeth Lund previews all five poetry finalists at the Washington Post. Stay tuned to the Grants & Awards Blog for full coverage of tonight’s awards ceremony.

During the final weeks of National Novel Writing Month, writing professor Rachel Toor lists certain practices of productive writers, including rejecting the notion of “writer’s block,” and having the awareness that there are no shortcuts to make the process easier. (Chronicle of Higher Education)

This past weekend marked the inaugural year of the Inspire! Toronto International Book Fair. The consumer-oriented event featured Canadian publishers and more than four hundred Canadian and international authors, including Margaret Atwood, Anne Rice, and Chris Hadfield. (Publishers Weekly)

“Writing isn’t a craft, like carpentry or knitting. It is an art form. No number of scouring MFA critiques, no profusion of summer writing conference sessions or visits to low-residency programs, ever could have turned Linda Updike into her son John. Only talent could make that happen.” In an essay for the Millions, author Michael Bourne takes on the debate of whether or not good writing can truly be taught.

Having trouble finding an agent for your book? If it’s not about vampires, Stephen Akey thinks you may be doomed. At the New Republic, Akey discusses the problems writers face in attempting to acquire literary representation for works that might not fall into marketable categories. “Almost all agencies…are looking for one of two things: bestseller potential or the possibility of media adaptations.”

Rejoice and subscribe: Poetry isn’t dead! The Academy of American Poets announced last week that it now has 100,000 subscribers for its Poem-a-Day series, which provides both contemporary and classic poems to subscribers daily via e-mail. Academy director Jennifer Benka notes in the announcement that the rise and ease of mobile sharing has helped increase the number of poetry readers throughout the country. (Shelf Awareness)