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Articles from Poet & Writers Magazine include material from the print edition plus exclusive online-only material.
How is technology changing the way we reach readers and shaping the way we write? What’s lost and what’s gained as literary culture goes digital? And how will literature continue to connect us to meaning, deep thinking, and our humanity?
When we allow AI to make the writing process less difficult, we lose the exploration that leads to new language and new questions, to insight and revelation. A thorny process is in fact the point.
From a neuroscience perspective, trading the printed page for audiobooks may not necessarily lose the brain benefits of reading—but it may shift what gets read and our ability to engage with it critically.
For a time, literary Twitter was a haven for community, pithy criticism, and sharp dialogue about the world of books. But even then, as now, the deepest engagements happen offline.
Substack has emerged as an alternative outlet for short form writing, letting writers reach audiences on their own terms and timelines. Does the platform have the power to displace print publishers?
As readers rely more and more on online retailers, what books get surfaces and centered by websites’ algorithms? And can digital recommendations ever compete with advice from a bookseller?
The author of Craft in the Real World: Rethinking Fiction Writing and Workshopping lays out a plan for identifying MFA programs that suit your life, your writing, and your creative ambitions.
The focused support, accountability, and wisdom of the right writers group can keep a literary life afloat—and keep you at the writing desk.
A writer canvasses faculty about the supportive communities, intentional mentorship, and flexibility that make low-res programs outstanding options for emerging writers.
A compendium of tools to help you find an MFA program, deepen your craft, and connect with a writers group or start your own.
When you build your own literary education from workshops and mentorships, travel and books, learning is tailored to the books you dream of writing.
Writers may dream of partnering with a literary agent who offers it all, from staunch advocacy from a sympathetic ear. But in practice, the best agent may be one who’s less fairy tale and more human.
Between signing with an agent and bringing a book to editors, writers almost always take one more crucial step: receiving edits from their agent. Agents describe what authors can expect by way of notes at this stage and how these revision prepares a book for market.
Wondering where to look and what to look for as you research agents? An industry veteran offers guidance on best resources and best practices for finding possible fits.
An agent unpacks the intangibles a query letter needs to convey, including your own sense of your story, your professionalism, and your voice.
Persistence is a virtue in landing an agent—but if you’re not connecting, when is it time to regroup? An agent offers professional wisdom on balancing tenacity and realism, and on assessing what to do next if your search has stalled.
On the long road to finishing a book-length manuscript, the affirmation and practical support of these eleven prizes for works-in-progress can give writers an invaluable boost.
A unique field of awards recognizes the capacity of writers to tell the Earth’s stories with wonder and to advocate for its protection.
The author of How to Submit: Getting Your Writing Published With Literary Magazines and Small Presses offers a guide to great prizes for poems, stories, and essays, where editors celebrate the artistry that goes into shaping these small gem of poetry and prose.
A quick guide to forty of the most inspiring prizes for short work, environmental writing, work by older writers, and works-in-progress.
Writers including CJ Hauser, Nancy Jooyoun Kim, Uttama Patel, and Ethan Rutherford reflect on the quieter wins that have affirmed them as writers, with or without a medal or trophy.
The author of Dreamt I Found You talks to editors and writers about a growing number of prizes honoring debuts at age 50, 60, 70, or beyond, recognizing that there is no one timeline for being a writer.
In a season of disappointment while trying to conceive, the author of How to Commit a Postcolonial Murder reconnects with creativity at the Summer Fishtrap Gathering of Writers.
A fortuitous residency at Jentel gives the author of Incantation: Love Poems for Battle Sites a chance to dream big and forge the first hundred pages of a new collection in just two weeks.
