Craft Capsule: Ordering the Story Collection

The author of Black Light explores the daunting process of ordering a story collection.
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Articles from Poet & Writers Magazine include material from the print edition plus exclusive online-only material.
The author of Black Light explores the daunting process of ordering a story collection.
The poet laureate of Brooklyn, New York, on writing hybrid forms, a life in the arts, and the racial tension at the heart of her new book, Hybrida.
The winners of the 2019 Literary Magazines Prizes are the Common, American Short Fiction, Margins, the Black Warrior Review, and the Offing.
“Listen, it can’t feel magical every day, of course, but writing does have the potential to be an act of joy.” —Courtney Maum, author of Costalegre
The author of the story collection Black Light explores the generative power of “the weird.”
“I have never before written something where the primary challenge was not one of craft or character or structure but rather of emotion.” —Helen Phillips, author of The Need
The author of Vincent and Alice and Alice discusses the challenge of plot and character development, the pros and cons of indie publishing, and what new risks he took in his new novel.
“Though this is my sixth book, I take nothing for granted.” —Peter Orner, author of Maggie & Other Stories
“Let people read your work, and listen to what they say about it.” —Caite Dolan-Leach, author of We Went to the Woods
The Poetry Society of America honored its longtime executive director, Alice Quinn, and singer-songwriter Paul Simon at its annual benefit.
“Don’t be careful; definitely not in the first draft.” —Chanelle Benz, author of The Gone Dead
Joy Harjo has been named the twenty-third Poet Laureate of the United States.
“I write to try to set myself free, and then find myself snagged on my own limitations.” —Catherine Chung, author of The Tenth Muse
Novelist Jonathan Lethem handpicks his favorite forgotten books for reissue in a series published by Pushcart Press.
The ten-year-old press publishes full-length poetry collections and chapbooks dedicated to the “values that make poetry timeless.”
A roundup of four new anthologies, including Shapes of Native Nonfiction: Collected Essays by Contemporary Writers edited by Elissa Washuta and Theresa Warburton.
The essayist on the journals that published essays from her debut collection, When You Learn the Alphabet.
Writers debate the merits of an award for a fictional thriller that does not feature violence toward women.
The first lines of a dozen noteworthy books, including The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead and Patsy by Nicole Dennis-Benn.
The small press becomes the newest imprint of the University of Nebraska Press.
In collaboration with Narrative 4, the House of SpeakEasy’s bookmobile will travel from New York City to New Orleans and give books to schools, prisons, and libraries along the way.
Our annual debut fiction roundup features novelists Ruchika Tomar, Chia-Chia Lin, Miciah Bay Gault, De’Shawn Charles Winslow, and Regina Porter.
Alice Quinn on her eighteen years as the executive director of the Poetry Society of America.
Copies of Joe Sacksteder’s story collection, Make/Shift, have been fashioned into a couture dress.
The author reflects on his growing collection of books and what it shows about his life as a reader and writer.