The Power of Metaphors, Tom Wolfe, Independent Bookstores, 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:

“To my mind, it’s one of the deepest gratifications the poet or fiction writer knows.” In the New Yorker, Brad Leithauser explores the unique internal satisfaction of writing a successful metaphor.  

The New York Public Library bought a collection of Tom Wolfe’s manuscripts and letters, which includes an original draft of his debut novel, The Bonfire of the Vanities, for $2 million. (Guardian)

“They are arbiters of the joy of reading, not of some preconceived notion of taste.” Author Denise Kiernan explains why book lovers should support independent bookstores on Small Business Saturday. (Huffington Post)

The first book published in English in North America, the Bay Psalm Book, printed in 1640 by Puritans in Massachusetts, sets a record as the most expensive book ever sold at auction. (New York Times)

Critics and editors at the Washington Post offer a comprehensive introduction to the literary side of Washington, D.C.

Maureen Corrigan recommends a literary escape from the travel anxieties and holiday stress of “Thanksgivukkah.” (NPR)

“The human being needs language, and the human being needs language to be treated well—not just with easy, throw-away sentences.” In the Atlantic, Joe Fassler examines the many ways literature can touch the human soul and create a greater sense of empathy.