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:
In the Guardian, novelist Neil Gaiman writes about his experiences while visiting two Syrian refugee camps in Jordan.
Natasha Trethewey’s term as the nineteenth poet laureate of the United States, during which she has been tasked with raising the country’s awareness of poetry, comes to an end this month. (Here and Now)
Chipotle’s “Cultivating Thought” project, a collaborative effort by CEO Steve Ells and author Jonathan Safran Foer to publish short fiction and essays on the restaurant’s packaging, is receiving criticism for failing to include Latino authors among the ten writers asked to participate. (Los Angeles Times)
E-book platform OverDrive, which enables distribution of digital materials to libraries, schools, and retailers around the world, has partnered with self-publishing service Smashwords to provide public library patrons with access to two hundred thousand titles by eighty thousand different independent authors. (Digital Book World)
Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City made 2,701 images from books in its library available this week in the museum’s online collection, along with 391,552 other images. (Paris Review)
Goodreads, the social media website for book lovers, introduced a new "Ask the Author" feature on Wednesday, which allows users to connect with their favorite writers. (Washington Post)
Editor and publisher Amy Einhorn will leave Putnam, where she has run her eponymous imprint for seven years, at the end of June, when she will move to an undisclosed new publisher. (Publishers Lunch)
Palestinian Australian author Samah Sabawi, who was scheduled to speak at a public debate in Melbourne, Australia, next month on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, has been removed from the line-up due to her support of sanctions against Israel. (Sydney Morning Herald)
DittoDitto, a small publishing and distribution house based in Detroit’s Corktown neighborhood, will expand this July into an independent bookstore. (Model D)
