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Poets & Writers Magazine
G&A: The Contest Blog
Earlier this week, just days out from the announcement of the 2012 Orange Prize for Fiction winner, news broke that the prize's namesake, telecommunications company Orange, will be ceasing its sponsorship after this year.
Grants & Awards
Your trusted source for information on writing contests, grants for writers, and more.
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May 30, 2012Gival Press
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May 31, 2012Dylan Thomas Centre
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May 31, 2012Elixir Press
Clips
5.25.12
"When you start out on a career in the arts, you have no idea what you're doing. This is great," says bestselling author Neil Gaiman in his commencement address to the class of 2012 at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. "People who know what they're doing know the rules and they know what is possible and what is impossible. You do not. And you should not. The rules on what is possible and impossible in the arts were made by people who had not tested the bounds of the possible by going beyond them. And you can."
Writers Recommend
5.23.12
"The majority of us start off asking our peers and our instructors, How can I improve my prose/poetry? How can I become 'publishable'? These are necessary and essential questions. Equally essential, yet often neglected, is the question, How can I assist other writers?..."
5.16.12
"My yoga and meditation practices have become such an integral part of my writing life that I can't imagine what it would be like to sit down to write without knowing that, at some point in the day, I will be able to unroll my mat and quiet my mind...."
City Guides
Before heading to the Iowa Summer Writing Festival, held throughout June and July, get acquainted with the reading series, bars, landmarks, and people—including our guide Jan Weissmiller, co-owner of indie bookseller Prairie Lights Books—of designated City of Literature Iowa City.
On his writers tour of Portland, Maine, award-winning author Ron Currie Jr. sets out to "dispel the persistent notion that Maine is intellectually DOA" by showcasing the city's thriving literary scene.
Native New Orleanian John Biguenet, author of seven books and many prizewinning plays, highlights postflood literary New Orleans—"a palimpsest" on which "the past bleeds through the fresh culture now being inscribed over the submerged text, centuries old."
Ander Monson, editor of DIAGRAM and author, most recently, of Vanishing Point: Not a Memoir, leads a literary tour of Tucson, Arizona, home of the renowned UA Poetry Center.
Current Issue
Our annual Writing Contest Issue features a special section on the risks and rewards of book-publication prizes, including advice from both recent winners and judges; plus strategies for creating sympathetic characters; a look at the rise of the National Writers Series; and more.
May/Jun 2012
Slideshow
As a companion to "Poetic People Power" by Rebecca Keith, here's a look at classic and contemporary books that investigate social and political themes through poetry and prose. Help us add to this visual library by sending your suggestions to editor@pw.org.
Articles
The Economics of Competition: A Look at Contest Budgets
by Staff
Organizers of writing contests are, perhaps not suprisingly, wary of publicizing details of their budgets, but the organizers of three contest programs offered to share the numbers behind their 2011 contests as part of contributing editor Michael Bourne's “The Economics of Competition,” which serves as the centerpiece of the current issue’s special section on the risks and rewards of writing contests.
Digital Digest: Meta-Analysis Goes Mainstream
by Adrian Versteegh
The website Small Demons and the X-Ray feature of Amazon’s e-readers are the first in a new crop of digital literary tools that promise to change how readers interact with texts. By equipping users with digital reference frameworks, these new meta-analytical approaches give readers immediate access to the contextual worlds of literary works.
Q&A: Tree Swenson Leaves Academy
by Catherine Richardson
As Tree Swenson prepares to step down after ten years at the helm of the Academy of American Poets in New York City, she speaks about her next role as the executive director of the Richard Hugo House and returning to the Pacific Northwest.
Concord Free Press Pays It Forward
by Alex Dimitrov
Started by husband-and-wife writers Stona and Ann Fitch, Concord Free Press is using a philanthropic publishing model to successfully distribute limited-edition books at no cost, upon request.
Poetic People Power
by Rebecca Keith
As literature concerned with today’s often-grim realities gains new prominence, a handful of literary organizations are highlighting the connection between poetry and politics and strengthening the network of socially conscious writers.
Online Exclusives
Readers Recommend
2.01.12
Looking for a good book to read? Take a look at the list of titles our readers say were the best they read last year.
Catalogue of Curiosities
1.01.12
Immerse yourself in the music, films, art, and other points of inspiration that set off the spark for our twelve debut poets of 2011.
Bodwell’s Baker’s Dozen
12.31.11
In the spirit of year-end best-of reading lists, we offer Joshua Bodwell’s Baker’s Dozen 2011 as a companion to his article “You Are What You Read: The Art of Inspired Reading Lists,” which appears in this issue’s special section on inspiration.
