Roundup: NBA Winners, David Petraeus’ Love Poetry, Teaching Creative Writing, and More

by Mark Athitakis | Nov-19-2012

Last week the National Book Awards were given in fiction to Louise Erdrich for her novel The Round House, in nonfiction to Katherine Boo for Behind the Beautiful Forevers, in poetry to David Ferry for Bewilderment and in young people’s literature for William Alexander’s Goblin Secrets. Barbara Hoffert reports on the event for Library Journal.

Tess Lewis reviews three novels by Swiss author Urs Widmer for the New Criterion.

“If I am ever in the Situation Room/I will be dreaming/Of your wild biographical eyes.” David Biespiel imagines the love poetry of fallen general David Petraeus at the Rumpus.

Julia M. Klein reviews Richard Russo’s memoir, Elsewhere, for the Chicago Tribune.

Steve Weinberg reviews Mark Binelli’s Detroit City Is the Place to Be for the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.

Jane Ciabattari reviews Alice Munro’s story collection Dear Life for the Boston Globe; Karen L. Long reviews it for the Cleveland Plain Dealer.

Can creative writing be taught? The Los Angeles Times’s David L. Ulin and Carolyn Kellogg take on the question in a Google hangout.

Laura Miller reviews Lydia Millet’s novel Magnificence for Salon.

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