The Anthologist: A Compendium of Uncommon Collections
A roundup of new anthologies, including American Journal: Fifty Poems for Our Time, edited by Tracy K. Smith.
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Article Archive
Articles from Poet & Writers Magazine include material from the print edition plus exclusive online-only material.
Page One: Where New and Noteworthy Books Begin
The first lines of a dozen noteworthy books, including Lake Success by Gary Shteyngart and Perennial by Kelly Forsythe.
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Small Press Points: BatCat Press
A small press run by high school students in Pennsylvania publishes handmade books of poetry and prose.
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A Day in the Life of a Book Editor: Caroline Bleeke of Flatiron Books
For an editor like Caroline Bleeke of Flatiron Books, there is a lot more to the job than simply reading and editing manuscripts.
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MFA in Mind: Twenty Questions to Ask Before Applying
Why do you want an MFA? Important questions to ask yourself before you apply.
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Q&A: Baker Seeks Multiplicity of Voices
Jennifer Baker on her new anthology, Everyday People: The Color of Life, published by Atria in August.
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2019 MFA Index: Your Guide to More Than 220 Programs
A guide to 158 full-residency and 64 low-residency programs in creative writing, plus questions to consider before you apply.
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The Poetry of Perseverance: An Interview With Ada Limón
In her fifth collection, The Carrying, Ada Limón digs deep down to the roots of what she sees happening in the world today—and she is deeply troubled by what she finds.
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#MeToo: Crafting Our Most Difficult True Stories
Using elements of craft to tell powerful stories about sexual assault and trauma, with examples from work by Roxane Gay, Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich, Megan Stielstra, and others.
Breaking the Rules: When to Ignore Good Advice
A fiction writer breaks up with her novel and learns that sometimes it’s more important to follow your intuition than take advice.
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Reviewers & Critics: Sam Sacks of the Wall Street Journal
In this continuing series, a book reviewer discusses the art of literary criticism—from the value of negative reviews to critics he admires.
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Ten Questions for Jos Charles
“In a system that doesn’t value writing, but only the marketing possibility of the writer and the written object, to write is the ‘success’ itself.” —Jos Charles, author of feeld
Ten Questions for Catherine Lacey
“I don’t think beyond the book I’m writing, and I’m always writing one.” —Catherine Lacey, author of Certain American States
Ten Questions for Amitava Kumar
“I write every day and walk every day.” —Amitava Kumar, author of the novel Immigrant, Montana
Craft Capsule: “Unlikable” Characters
The author of If You Leave Me focuses not on a character’s likability but rather on making that character feel true.
Ten Questions for Alexia Arthurs
“I’ve gotten messages from people who tell me that they were waiting on a book like mine.” —Alexia Arthurs, author of the story collection How to Love a Jamaican
Craft Capsule: Multiple Narrators
The pleasures and pitfalls of writing a novel with multiple perspectives.
Ten Questions for Amy Bonnaffons
“I’m coming to believe more and more that the whole body should be engaged in the writing process.”—Amy Bonnaffons, author of the debut story collection The Wrong Heaven
A Space Odyssey of Healing: Brian Turner and the Interplanetary Acoustic Team
Brian Turner is best known for his award-winning poetry collections and memoir about the Iraq War, but with his new project he has pushed into an entirely new dimension of creative expression.
Craft Capsule: The Art of Research
How does a writer tell a story set in another country during a time before she was even born? Research, research, research.
Ten Questions for Keith Gessen
“You can almost always make something better by making it shorter.” —Keith Gessen, author of the novel A Terrible Country
Craft Capsule: Who Are You?
The desire to tell stories is one thing; finding the stories you want to tell is something else entirely.
Ten Questions for Jasmine Gibson
“Get in where you fit in, and where you don’t, break it.” —Jasmine Gibson, author of Don’t Let Them See Me Like This
Craft Capsule: Find Your Voice
A simple exercise to help lead you closer to the fiery core of your own, utterly unique, narrative style.
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Ten Questions for Lillian Li
“Avoid the word ‘it’ whenever possible. Which is to say, specificity whenever possible.” —Lillian Li, author of the debut novel Number One Chinese Restaurant