MFA Advice for Future Applicants, Free Valentine's Day E-Books, 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 United States Department of Justice has approved the merger of Random House and Penguin. (New York Times)

Emily Temple asked fourteen poets about their favorite love poems for Valentine’s Day. (Flavorwire)

And GalleyCat rounded up ten free Valentine’s Day e-books.

After reviewing MFA program applications, Brown University’s Brian Evenson posted needed advice for future applicants, including, “Don’t try to pretend you’re something you’re not.” (Los Angeles Times)

Library Lournal takes the pulse of today’s erotic fiction.

NPR looks at the long-running and famously erudite personal ads in theNew York Review of Books.

For Valentine’s Day, poet and editor Matthew Zapruder considers Frank O'Hara’s poem, “Having a Coke With You.” (Los Angeles Review of Books)

The New York Times profiles the social media website for book lovers, Goodreads, which now has fifteen million members.

The British Library intends to make available digital versions of twenty-five thousand rare medieval manuscripts, including Petit Livre d’Amour, a collection of love poems copied in 1500, which is online now. (Financial Times)