The hubbub surrounding this publication confirms that literary criticism in the American and British mainstream press is hopelessly provincial, and as inextricably linked as The Human Centipede.

Chinese writer Liu Xiabo, winner of the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize, will soon be making waves in the English language literary world, as two prominent American publishers have announced forthcoming collections of Xiaobo’s work.

Poet Dean Young, author of ten books and perhaps the leading American surrealist, has a degenerative heart condition that requires an immediate transplant. You can help by making a donation to the National Foundation for Transplants.

In response to the lack of poetry books featured in Best Book lists from the majority of the mainstream press, here is a list of ten great collections of poetry which were published in 2010. The list will be added to throughout the week, so be sure to check back.

“No one reads poetry anymore” is perhaps the most often voiced complaint from contemporary poets, and despite the fact that what they really mean is “No one reads my poetry,” it is difficult to argue this point when one casts an eye on the barren landscape of poetry criticism in the mainstream media.

Halloween has always been an inspiring time for poets. Here are a few classic Halloween poems and a few unlikely ones as well.

A quick roundup of this week’s most interesting literary links.