Sideways Ghost Stories: A Q&A With Laura van den Berg

The author of the story collection I Hold a Wolf by the Ears talks about ghost stories, writing in the direction of the unknowable, and creativity during quarantine.
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Articles from Poet & Writers Magazine include material from the print edition plus exclusive online-only material.
The author of the story collection I Hold a Wolf by the Ears talks about ghost stories, writing in the direction of the unknowable, and creativity during quarantine.
Taylor Johnson’s Inheritance, forthcoming from Alice James Books on November 10, 2020.
“We need the industry to be more reflective of the audience.” —Adrian Tomine, author of The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Cartoonist
The author of Horsepower reimagines the bildungsroman to honor the narrative arc of Black childhood.
João Gilberto Noll’s Harmada, translated from the Portuguese by Edgar Garbelotto, forthcoming from Two Lines Press on November 10, 2020.
A novelist recalls the challenges and rewards of publishing a second novel—twenty-seven years after his debut.
This week’s installment of Ten Questions features Ryad Girod and Chris Clarke, the author and the translator of the novel Mansour’s Eyes.
“Feel for the thread. Follow it through the dark.” —Kendra Atleework, author of Miracle Country
The author of Horsepower examines and resists the racism and subconscious anxieties that infect the U.S. literary imagination.
Khaled Mattawa’s Fugitive Atlas, forthcoming from Graywolf Press on October 20, 2020.
“Kevin Killian always told me great fiction lets you know how things smell.” —Andrew Durbin, author of Skyland
The author of Horsepower suggests putting aside knowledge and focusing on unlearning.
Tyree Daye’s Cardinal, forthcoming from Copper Canyon Press on October 6, 2020.
“There’s a balance to be struck between what you reveal and what you hold back.” —Sophie Mackintosh, author of Blue Ticket
Hiroko Oyamada’s The Hole, translated from the Japanese by David Boyd, forthcoming from New Directions on October 6, 2020.
“Writing is supposed to be fun. Enjoy yourself.” —Kyle McCarthy, author Everyone Knows How Much I Love You
Bryan Washington’s Memorial, forthcoming from Riverhead Books on October 6, 2020.
“I always write better from a place of joy than I do from a place of discipline.” —Emily Temple, author of The Lightness
The author of This Is One Way to Dance resists genre limitations and seeks her own unique form.
Love After the End: An Anthology of Two-Spirit and Indigiqueer Speculative Fiction, edited by Joshua Whitehead, forthcoming from Arsenal Pulp Press on September 22, 2020.
The author of Writing Past Dark: Envy, Fear, Distractions, and Other Dilemmas in the Writer’s Life talks about the impetus for writing the book, response after its publication, and its lessons for a new generation of writers.
An in-depth look into whether the number of poets represented by literary agents is on the rise, and how agents help poets achieve their career goals.
Writers have been cooking up a bright array of foods, from strawberry chiffon cake to Sichuan chili fish, while heeding orders to stay at home during the pandemic.
The press publishes immersive, imaginative chapbooks of poetry, prose, and art, which are printed and folded in the style of a map.
With the spread of COVID-19, organizers of literary events across the United States have devised creative ways to move programming online and build community among writers.