Every Friday, the staff at Literary Traveler gathers up the relevant book news from around the web, bringing it together in a handy post for book lovers to peruse. Enjoy!
- Short story writers, get your pens ready (or laptops, as the case may be) for NPR’s “Three Minute Fiction Contest.” They’re looking for pieces of original prose including the words plant, button, trick, and fly. Submissions will be judged by Ann Patchett, and are due by April 11th.
- Good news for independent bookstores: Obama is a fan! Our president made a surprise stop at Prairie Lights Books in Iowa City this week to pick up a couple of children’s books for his daughters. And the LA Times even has a video!
- In case you hadn’t heard, April is Poetry Month. Take a moment to honor the occasion by stepping outside your normal reading zone and trying out poets from around the world. I plan to start by reading the works of Yehuda Amichai, one of my new favorite writers and Israel’s greatest modern poet.
- You have to respect horror author Joe Hill for his recent success, especially considering his legacy. Hill, whose real name is Joseph Hillstrom King, didn’t want to write under the shadow of his father. “I felt there was a danger – real danger – in coming out as the son of Stephen King if I couldn’t sell it under the pen name, if it wasn’t good enough,” Hill explained. Judge for yourself by picking up a copy of his second novel, Horns.
- Can science be used to explain literature? Some literary theorists believe so. University English departments are increasingly turning to the “hard” sciences to better understand the way we read, write, and think. Interested in the intersection? The New York Times has it covered.
- And finally, wear your love of books on your sleeve with these wonderful literary t-shirts. You can purchase my personal favorite here.