Great Regulars: There's been grumbling in the po-biz division

of the lit world about Elizabeth Alexander's inaugural poem, "Praise Song for the Day." Part of it stems from the dreaded "instant analysis" nature created by the demands of the media.

David Ulin of the Los Angeles Times, for example, was expressing his unhappiness less than 24 hours after hearing it while the bloggers were busily pounding away at the keyboard before the applause died and Alexander sat down.

from Bob Hoover: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Inaugural images drown poem

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[John Updike's] fiction first appeared in the New Yorker magazine in the 1950s after he dropped plans to be a painter and became a full-time writer. He also wrote prolifically about novels, writers and art in numerous essays collected in a half dozen books as well as three autobiographical works. He started his career as a poet, releasing nine poetry collections.

from Bob Hoover: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Novelist John Updike dies at 76

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