GalleyCrush: The Freezer Door
Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore’s The Freezer Door, forthcoming from Semiotext(e) on December 8, 2020. Editor’s Note: This book’s publication date has been changed to November 24, 2020.
Article Archive
Articles from Poet & Writers Magazine include material from the print edition plus exclusive online-only material.
I’m Writing to You: Letters From Writers of the Black Literary Community
Eleven writers pen letters addressed to fellow Black writers, to their ancestors, to gatekeepers, to members of the media, and to allies, among others.
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Dear Fellow Black Writers
“If you, too, hear the voice of white supremacy ringing in your ear, know that writing is resistance.”
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Reviewers & Critics: Ismail Muhammad
The critic on combining book reviews and cultural criticism, exposing readers to challenging views, and reading multiple books at once.
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To My Precious Black Son
“The list of what you can’t do is endless because I know how quickly #blackboyjoy can become #sayhisname.”
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To the Tentatively Hopeful
“I fear that this moment will not last long enough.”
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To Writers Struggling With Their Whiteness
“Telling stories of ourselves that offer not comfort but complexity is the way to maintain an honest dialogue.”
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A Note to Shareholders
“I continue pushing and trudging through blanketing whiteness so heavy it often obstructs my vision.”
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Q&A: Cook’s Activism at Philly Bookshop
The owner of the recently opened Harriett’s Bookshop, which specializes in the work of Black and women authors, talks about the arts as a tool for social change and her vision for the store.
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The Written Image: Julie Chen
Using a unique fabrication process, Julie Chen constructs beautiful and inventive artists’ books that explore metaphysical ideas.
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Literary MagNet: Hafizah Geter
The poet and essayist on her approach to publishing in literary journals and her path to writing her debut poetry collection, Un-American.
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Small Press Points: Vegetarian Alcoholic Press
The Milwaukee press releases twelve books of poetry, fiction, drama, art, and comics a year and focuses on publishing writers without MFAs or literary connections.
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The Anthologist: A Compendium of Uncommon Collections
Four new anthologies, including We Want It All: An Anthology of Radical Trans Poetics and Love After the End: An Anthology of Two-Spirit and Indigiqueer Speculative Fiction.
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Writing in Spanish Elevates Academia
A growing number of creative writing graduate programs in the United States offer dedicated spaces for students to learn and write in Spanish.
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Telling #Stories: Can Social Media Make Us Better Writers?
The effects of social media on the creative process—although it can help writers identify and pay attention to the quotidian moments of their lives, does it siphon off their storytelling energy?
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Page One: Where New and Noteworthy Books Begin
The first lines of twelve noteworthy books, including Just Us: An American Conversation by Claudia Rankine and Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi.
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Hashtag Highlights Anti-Black Bias
The #PublishingPaidMe hashtag highlights anti-Black bias within the publishing industry and opens up the conversation about how editors determine book advances.
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Dear White Readers, Gatekeepers, and Members of the Media
“These acts of solidarity are worthless if you are not consistently supporting and standing up for us every single day.”
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Dear White Publishers
“I would like to be among the crop of Black writers who emerged from the ashes of a torched racist system.”
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A Letter to the Allies
“I hope you decide to continue this uproar, as this unprecedented age rolls on.”
Return to the MFA: A Call for Systemic Change in the Literary Arts
The author considers how race is discussed in MFA versus literature PhD programs and argues that the MFA—and the literary culture and community it props up—is due for a reevaluation.
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World of Wonders: An Interview With Aimee Nezhukumatathil
In her new essay collection, World of Wonders, poet Aimee Nezhukumatathil turns her creative powers of attention, play, openness, and love to a world of magic and imagination outdoors.
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My Beloved Black Ancestors
“How can I love a people who want to destroy me? How can I protect myself in that love?”
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We Need New Metaphors: Reimagining Power in the Creative Writing Workshop
The author describes creating a community-driven workshop where students are not asked to check their politics and identities at the door, and offers a series of questions for instructors to ask themselves before leading a class.
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Dear Black Queer Boy
“You place yourself in the story, and one by one you begin to fill in the holes the world has left behind.”
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