Ten Questions for Deb Olin Unferth
“There was a time when I would have called my nonwriting life an impediment, but these days I see it more like I need to be a whole person.” —Deb Olin Unferth, author of Earth 7
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Article Archive
Articles from Poet & Writers Magazine include material from the print edition plus exclusive online-only material.
Humor Writing Is No Joke
The author of Patient, Female (Milkweed Editions, 2026) encourages writers to experiment with perspective to find humor.
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Ten Questions for Nicholas Goodly
“It’s good to have a group of friends who make you feel like you can do anything.” —Nicholas Goodly, author of Star Power
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Ten Questions for Gregory Orr
“Work continuously and discipline yourself for this art that you love.” —Gregory Orr, author of We Interrupt This Broadcast
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Ten Questions for Tom Lin
“I collect fragments of language as they occur to me.” —Tom Lin, author of Babylon, South Dakota
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Ekphrasis: Harnessing the Power of Visual Art
The author of Discipline (Random House, 2026) considers the propulsive effect describing art can have on fiction.
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Ten Questions for Paige Lewis
“You can surely be a writer who doesn’t read. But you won’t be a very good writer.” —Paige Lewis, author of Canon
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Thought, Speech: Dialogue Without Quotation Marks
The author of Discipline (Random House, 2026) reflects on the value of blending interior and exterior language with less punctuation.
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Ten Questions for Beth Piatote
“Every poem has work to do in the world, and recognition is the moment that the soul meets the poem it needs at that time.” —Beth Piatote, author of distant water
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Overheard: Writing Third Person Through First Person
The author of Discipline (Random House, 2026) reflects on fusing points of view in fiction.
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Ten Questions for Douglas Stuart
“I think every mistake or every moment of doubt is just part of the process.” —Douglas Stuart, author of John of John
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Ten Questions for Emma Copley Eisenberg
“I had to become a different person in order to write the version of this book that readers will hold in their hands, and for a long time I wasn’t that person yet.” —Emma Copley Eisenberg, author of Fat Swim
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The Tiny Window and the Great Novel
The author of Unstuck: A Writer’s Guide (Tin House, April 2026) offers insight on how to make time for writing when it feels like there’s no time to spare.
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Ten Questions for Bob Hicok
“I’m looking for my honest response when my eyes first fall upon a poem.” —Bob Hicok, author of Breathe
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Always Beginning, Always Continuing: On Non-Expertise
The author of Unstuck: A Writer’s Guide (Tin House, April 2026) encourages writers to embrace being an amateur in all corners of their lives.
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Beware of Scams Targeting Writers
Scams targeting writers remain a threat, and Poets & Writers urges the literary community to be vigilant to avoid falling prey to scammers and frauds.
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Disclosures: Earning, Sustaining, and Honoring Your Readers’ Trust
While writing a novel containing themes of sexual abuse, an author worked hard to earn and sustain her readers’ trust, which was reciprocated by readers in the form of unexpected, personal disclosures at launch events.
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The Joy of the Tortured Artist: Why We Write, Even When We Hate to Write
A celebrated memoirist considers why putting pen to paper can be so emotionally taxing—and what the rewards are when we persist.
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Q&A: Gumnit Leads Little Free Library
The new executive director and CEO of Little Free Library discusses the power of community organizing and the importance of championing banned and diverse books.
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The Written Image: Friends Who Came to See Me
The Morgan Library & Museum illuminates the poet John Ashbery’s artistic and personal influences through an exhibition of manuscripts and twenty-five works on paper.
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Literary MagNet: Alan Chazaro
The poet Alan Chazaro highlights journals that have published his poems, which meditate on the “physical and social dimensions” of space.
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Small Press Points: 42 Miles
Founded in 2010 at Indiana University in South Bend, 42 Miles Press publishes “stirring, daring” poetry and encourages authors to submit work they “might be afraid to send elsewhere.”
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The Hellbender Gathering of Poets
Poets gather in Black Mountain, North Carolina, to reflect on our climate-changed world.
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Page One: Where New and Noteworthy Books Begin
The first lines of a dozen noteworthy books, including Hungered by Amanda Rizkalla and I Was Bonnie & Clyde by Laura Kasischke.
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The Closure of CCA
As the California College of the Arts prepares to shut down in spring 2027, students and faculty at the state’s oldest private arts school are left in the lurch.
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