Four Lunches and a Breakfast: What I Learned About the Book Business While Breaking Bread With Five Hungry Agents

An in-depth look at book publishing as seen through the eyes of five literary agents.
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Articles from Poet & Writers Magazine include material from the print edition plus exclusive online-only material.
An in-depth look at book publishing as seen through the eyes of five literary agents.
“So much can come of being willing to shut up and pay close attention to the world around you.” —Mona Awad, author of Bunny
The author uses the 1965 novel Stoner as a catalyst for sharing his own struggles as a writer, father, and husband grappling with his own mortality.
“We have to remind ourselves why we write and why it’s important for us to tell these stories. The universe will take care of the rest.” —Nicole Dennis-Benn, author of Patsy
“I love more than anything to be alone in my imagination, but sometimes it is a dangerous place.” —Domenica Ruta, author of Last Day
“What many people won’t admit is that it’s impossible to write a novel without a pinch of selfishness, and you have to beg your loved ones to forgive you for it.” —Sara Collins, author of The Confessions of Frannie Langton
“My ideal writing environment is a semi-public place, like a shared office, or a library as long as I can avoid making eye-contact with people around me.” —Xuan Juliana Wang, author of Home Remedies
The author of the New York Times best-sellers Swamplandia! and Vampires in the Lemon Grove talks about her new story collection, Orange World.
The editors stepped down after seventeen years at the nation’s oldest poetry journal.
“One of literature’s great powers is its ability to act as a tonic against xenophobia; there’s never been a moment when that power has been more urgently needed.” —Julie Orringer, author of The Flight Portfolio
“I wish our books, as art objects, had better ways of showing more of the practice and work and failure that go into making them.” —Geffrey Davis, author of Night Angler.
The editor of What My Mother and I Don’t Talk About discusses the mother wound, the importance of writing our bodies, and editing some of her favorite writers.
Adrian Matejka, Robin Coste Lewis, and Paisley Rekdal are among the thirteen recipients of the inaugural Poets Laureate Fellowships.
“I think writing should be connected to the constant ever-evolving work of discovering, (re)imagining, and (re)claiming one’s own selfhood.” —Alison C. Rollins, author of Library of Small Catastrophes
“Look for beauty and grace even in the challenging material, whenever possible.” —Kenji C. Liu, author of Monsters I Have Been
Richard Blanco’s new book, How to Love a Country, questions the very makeup of the American narrative, and ultimately asks what it means to be American.
A roundup of four new anthologies, including the third volume of the BreakBeat Poets series, Halal If You Hear Me, edited by Fatimah Asghar and Safia Elhillo.
Funded by novelist Charles Frazier, the Cold Mountain series will highlight new literary fiction from the South.
A historical novelist discusses her experiences in self-publishing; an editor and publicist weigh in.
The online storytelling community expands to print with the launch of Wattpad Books.
Poets House in New York City launches an interactive digital exhibition of their chapbook collection.
The first lines of a dozen noteworthy books, including The Tradition by Jericho Brown and Orange World by Karen Russell.
A Houston artist turns outdated manuals, phone books, and encyclopedias into visually striking sculptures.
The Kansas City, Missouri–based independent press approaches its fiftieth anniversary with plans to launch a chapbook competition in 2020.
A fiction writer discusses five journals that published work from her debut story collection, Sabrina & Corina.