Craft Capsule: Junk Drawer

The author of I Know You Know Who I Am writes about stashing his surplus sentences and character sketches in an electronic “junk drawer.”
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Articles from Poet & Writers Magazine include material from the print edition plus exclusive online-only material.
The author of I Know You Know Who I Am writes about stashing his surplus sentences and character sketches in an electronic “junk drawer.”
Ashley C. Ford’s Somebody’s Daughter, forthcoming from Flatiron Books on June 1, 2021.
“I write four hours or one thousand words a day, whichever comes first.” —Viet Thanh Nguyen, author of The Committed
The author of I Know You Know Who I Am recalls his first attempt at writing a braided narrative.
Joss Lake’s Future Feeling, forthcoming from Soft Skull Press on June 1, 2021.
“There were so many revelations I could only have reached through the process of putting memories on paper.” —Elizabeth Miki Brina, author of Speak, Okinawa
The author of I Know You Know Who I Am praises the unique resonance of short short stories.
Lee Lai’s Stone Fruit, forthcoming from Fantagraphics on May 11, 2021.
The poet and essayist reflects on writing during the pandemic and its impact on her creative life and relationship with the writing community.
Writers Rebel NYC, a coalition of writers who are part of the activist group Extinction Rebellion, seeks to encourage conversation and action around climate change through literature.
The first lines of a dozen noteworthy books, including Libertie by Kaitlyn Greenidge and Festival Days by Jo Ann Beard.
Artist and author Jillian Tamaki sewed and embroidered a piece called Blue Quilt to document her life during the pandemic.
Writer Rachel Syme’s pen pal matching program has connected more than nine thousand correspondents from over fifty countries during the pandemic.
The independent press based in Troy, New York, prints twenty titles a year, including art books, poetry, fiction, and nonfiction, which challenge genre expectations and push boundaries.
Big Five and indie book publishers have recently increased entry-level salaries. Will it make the industry more accessible to BIPOC professionals?
The poet on five journals that published pieces from her debut collection, The Wild Fox of Yemen.
What is the role of a teacher during a pandemic? What is the role of a Black woman teaching in a red state during the Trump presidency? A poet, essayist, and professor considers the unpaid labor of women and faculty of color.
This week’s installment of Ten Questions features María José Ferrada and Elizabeth Bryer, the author and the translator of How to Order the Universe.
The author of I Know You Know Who I Am seeks to approach his characters without judgment.
The novelist and author of Craft in the Real World traces the historical origins of the creative writing workshop and its tradition of silencing writers of color.
Maggie Shipstead’s Great Circle, forthcoming from Knopf on May 4, 2021.
This series of interviews with nearly forty book editors, publishers, and agents offers a unique look at the past, present, and future of the book industry and what writers can do to thrive in today’s publishing world.
The editor in chief of Riverhead Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House, talks about her start in publishing, acquiring books, editing as a creative process, and more.
“I hate saying goodbye.” —Alex Dimitrov, author of Love and Other Poems
Donika Kelly’s The Renunciations, forthcoming from Graywolf Press on May 4, 2021.