Poets & Writers

“There are certain works I return to that make me want to write, that never fail to punch me in the gut and wash out my eyes.” Debut author Jamel Brinkley recommends works by Edward P. Jones, Charles D’Ambrosio, Joanna Klink, William Trevor, and Yiyun Li.

Daily News

Roque Dalton Murder Case Reopened, Book Marginalia, and More

Jul 19, 2018

A day in the life of indie publisher Akashic Books; House of Representatives rejects amendment to...
Fore-Edge Paintings, Neil Gaiman’s Writing Prayer, and More

Jul 18, 2018

John Irving wins lifetime achievement award; longlists for National Translation Awards in Poetry...

Writing Prompts

(Not) Quitting While You’re Ahead

Creative Nonfiction

As it turns out, human beings aren’t the only ones allowing their emotions to cloud their...
Something Borrowed

Fiction

Library books carry with them stories beyond their pages. “Each one shares the stories not only...
Wholesome

Poetry

“At the etymological root of both healing and health is the idea of ‘wholeness....

Tools for writers

Tweets by poetswritersinc

Literary Events Calendar

July 23, 2018
Porochista Khakpour, Janice Lee, Leni Zumas, Cari Luna, Karen Russell
Powell’s City of Books7:30 PM
August 23, 2018
S. J. Sindu in Conversation With Kate Carroll de Gutes
Powell’s City of Books7:30 PM

Readings & Workshops

So Hyun Chang (of Bittersweet: The Immigrant Stories) at our seventh annual Connecting Cultures reading in Los Angeles. The event took place on June 4, 2017 at Beyond Baroque. (Credit: Craig Johnson)

Norma L. Eaton (of Urban Possibilities) at our seventh annual Connecting Cultures reading in Los Angeles. The event took place on June 4, 2017 at Beyond Baroque. (Credit: Craig Johnson)

Ashla Chavez Razzano (of 826LA) at our seventh annual Connecting Cultures reading in Los Angeles. The event took place on June 4, 2017 at Beyond Baroque. (Credit: Craig Johnson)

Poets & Writers Theater

Wildlife - Official Teaser I HD I IFC Films

“If you’ve got a better plan for me, tell me. I’ll try it.” Paul Dano makes his directorial debut with this film adaptation of Richard Ford’s novel Wildlife (Atlantic Monthly Press, 1990) about a teenager in 1960 witnessing his parents and... more

G&A: The Contest Blog

Palette Poetry Awards $4,000 for a Single Poem

Posted by Prize Reporter on 7.18.18

Submissions are currently open for the Palette Poetry Prize. An award of $4,000 and publication in Palette Poetry will be given for a poem that “speaks to what poetry is and can be for our world today.” Shane McCrae will judge.... more

Ampersand Episode 20: Lauren Groff, Terrance Hayes, A. M. Homes by Poets & Writers

In the twentieth episode of Ampersand, editor in chief Kevin Larimer and senior editor Melissa Faliveno preview the July/August 2018 issue, featuring a look at how authors, agents, editors, booksellers and publicists work together to reach... more

Most Recent Items

Magazine

Craft Capsule: Multiple Narrators

by Crystal Hana Kim | Craft Capsules 7.18.18

The pleasures and pitfalls of writing a novel with multiple perspectives.

Magazine

Ten Questions for Amy Bonnaffons

by Staff | Ten Questions 7.17.18

“I’m coming to believe more and more that the whole body should be engaged in the writing process.”—Amy Bonnaffons, author of the debut story collection The Wrong Heaven

agents & editors recommend

Meredith Kaffel Simonoff of DeFiore and Company

7.16.18

On why she writes, Joan Didion has said: “I write entirely to find out what I’m thinking, what I’m looking at, what I see and what it means. What I want and what I fear.” Zadie Smith has said she writes, rather, “to express the reality...”

Magazine

A Space Odyssey of Healing: Brian Turner and the Interplanetary Acoustic Team

by Philip Metres | Online Exclusive 7.13.18

Brian Turner is best known for his award-winning poetry collections and memoir about the Iraq War, but with his new project he has pushed into an entirely new dimension of creative expression.

Magazine

Craft Capsule: The Art of Research

by Crystal Hana Kim | Craft Capsules 7.11.18

How does a writer tell a story set in another country during a time before she was even born? Research, research, research.

Writers recommend

Michael A. Ferro

7.12.18

“Writing tends to be a stressful activity. I worry when I’m not writing and when I am, I often wonder whether I’m just sending off lines of ink into some abyss. While working with my editor on my first novel, TITLE 13, I developed Central...”

Magazine

The Business of Relationships: How Authors, Agents, Editors, Booksellers, and Publicists Work Together to Reach Readers

by Kevin Larimer | Special Section 6.13.18

The teams behind debut authors Jordy Rosenberg, Nafissa Thompson-Spires, Aja Gabel, Rachel Z. Arndt, and Ruth Joffre.

Magazine

Ten Questions for Keith Gessen

by Staff | Ten Questions 7.10.18

“You can almost always make something better by making it shorter.” —Keith Gessen, author of the novel A Terrible Country

agents & editors recommend

Kathy Pories of Algonquin Books

7.9.18

We are always—by our friends, our teachers, parents, the media—encouraged to “think big.” Frankly, I worry that there’s so much big thinking going on that we forget to think small. I mean small in a number of ways: Rather than focusing on...”