Springtime in Tirana: Report From Literary Albania
In a continuing series on international writing communities, contributing editor Stephen Morison Jr. spends time with four authors in Tirana, Albania.
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Article Archive: Online Exclusive
Articles from Poet & Writers Magazine include material from the print edition plus exclusive online-only material.
House Hunting: Finding a Home for Your Characters
A fiction writer’s habit of imagining the lives of people who live in her favorite houses leads to serious research for her novel.
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Tracy K. Smith Named U.S. Poet Laureate
Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden has named Tracy K. Smith the next poet laureate of the United States.
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In Technology We Trust: A Q&A With Victor LaValle
The author of four novels, most recently The Changeling, published by Spiegel & Grau in June, talks about the evolution of his new book, minimal dads, and writing a female character.
Patricia Lockwood’s Hart and Hind: An Answer Song
Novelist and singer-songwriter Ben Arthur finds inspiration in a chapter of poet Patricia Lockwood’s memoir, Priestdaddy.
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Let’s Play: Intuition, Imagination, and Black Creativity
A new exhibit at Pro Arts Gallery in Oakland celebrates the idea of “fun as a revolutionary event” and explores AfroSurreal notions of intuition and imagination.
The Impossible Is Now Possible: A Conversation
Barbara Gowdy, whose novel Little Sisters is published this month by Tin House Books, and novelist Helen Phillips discuss profound empathy, how literature can change women’s relationships to their bodies, and writing against the odds.
Ten Writers Reading Ten Short Stories for Short Story Month
In celebration of Short Story Month, we’ve assembled ten of our favorite audio recordings of authors reading from story collections featured in Page One: Where New and Noteworthy Books Begin during the past five years.
Amanda Gorman Named National Youth Poet Laureate
On April 26, nineteen-year-old Amanda Gorman of Los Angeles was named the first national youth poet laureate.
The Two Feet of One Walking: Poets March for Science
Poets for Science is engaging poets from across the country in the March for Science on April 22.
Craft Capsule: The Art of Targeted Revision
Poets and writers share their notes on writing in this series of micro craft essays. In the latest installment: assigning clear and objective tasks during the revision process.
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Madness, Exile, and Resistance: An Interview With Samrat Upadhyay
Nepali author Samrat Upadhyay discusses his writing process, exile literature, and his new story collection, Mad Country.
“Grant Me a Voice, and Speaking Eyes”
Poet, playwright, and novelist Angela Jackson explores the teenage years of Pulitzer Prize–winning poet Gwendolyn Brooks.
DIY: How to Make and Bind Your Own Chapbook
Whether you end up distributing your own prose or poetry at a reading or collecting the work of your friends in limited editions, these instructions on how to create and bind your own chapbooks offer hours of bookmaking fun.
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Finding a Way Out of the Maze: A Q&A With Dan Chaon
The acclaimed author of Among the Missing, a finalist for the National Book Award in 2001, talks about his new novel, Ill Will.
The Deepest Stuff: A Q&A With Susan Orlean
The New Yorker staff writer and bestselling author of The Orchid Thief talks with musician Ben Arthur about her music, inspiration, distraction, adaptation, and her new book about the Los Angeles Public Library fire in 1986.
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5 Over 50 Reads 2016
Read excerpts of the debut books by 2016’s 5 Over 50: Desiree Cooper, Sawnie Morris, Paul Vidich, Paula Whyman, and Paul Hertneky.
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The World Beyond: A Last Interview With Max Ritvo
Max Ritvo, the author of Four Reincarnations (Milkweed Editions, September), spoke with poet Dorthea Lasky two months before his death from cancer. He was twenty-five.
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First Fiction 2016
In our sixteenth annual First Fiction roundup, five debut authors—Yaa Gyasi, Masande Ntshanga, Rumaan Alam, Maryse Meijer, and Imbolo Mbue—discuss their first books. Introduced by Angela Flournoy, Naomi Jackson, Emma Straub, Lindsay Hunter, and Christina Baker Kline.
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An Open Door: A Profile of Richard Russo
For the past thirty years, from the publication of his first novel, Mohawk, to his latest, Everybody’s Fool, a sequel to his beloved 1993 novel, Nobody’s Fool, Richard Russo, the Pulitzer Prize–winning “patron saint of small-town fiction,” has remained the same generous, optimistic, hardworking writer he’s always been, welcoming readers into his books and his heart.
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Pushcart Prize Turns Forty
The Pushcart Prize, a venerable nonprofit award series and press, released its fortieth-anniversary prize anthology this month. On the eve of its release party, Poets & Writers staff looked into the history of the prize, and what has kept "one of the last bastions of non-corporate writing" alive and well over the years.
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MFA Nation 2016: A Compendium of Graduate Programs in Creative Writing
Start your MFA research with this comprehensive guide to more than 170 full- and low-residency programs in creative writing, expanded and updated for 2016. Each listing includes detailed information such as core faculty, special features, funding, tuition, application fees, and deadlines. The free PDF also includes a regional index, a cost-of-living comparision, and a handy Application Tracker to keep track of your applications.
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Three Poets Laureate: Lightning Rods for Poetry
Three poets laureate—Luis J. Rodriguez, Joseph Bathanti, and Natasha Trethewey—talk about the various initiatives and influences they've brought to the position, and what the role means to them.
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Piazze and Pasquinades: Report From Literary Rome
In a continuing series examining the lives of writers in the international writing community, contributing editor Stephen Morison Jr. spends time with three authors in Rome who share a common desire "to shake free from a past so impressive it's suffocating."
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Ten Years of Debut Poets
Since appearing in our annual Debut Poets roundup, a number of the one hundred and twelve poets we’ve highlighted have gone on to create a wealth of interesting and important work. The following list includes each poet we’ve featured in the past ten years, his or her debut collection, and the many full-length books that followed.
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