Ten Questions for Sherwin Bitsui
“I move between language, history, and worldviews—it’s always place between that gives me the most insight into my creative process.” —Sherwin Bitsui, author of Dissolve
Article Archive
Articles from Poet & Writers Magazine include material from the print edition plus exclusive online-only material.
Ten Questions for May-Lee Chai
“I wish it were easier for writers of color who don’t come from moneyed backgrounds to be heard and celebrated.” —May-Lee Chai, author of Useful Phrases for Immigrants
Ten Questions for Rosellen Brown
“What we need to do is make people less certain about their certainties.” —Rosellen Brown, author of The Lake on Fire
A Talk in the Woods: Barbara Kingsolver and Richard Powers
A conversation between two best-selling authors turns into an impromptu master class in fiction under a canopy of leaves in southwestern Virginia.
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Page One: Where New and Noteworthy Books Begin
The first lines of a dozen new and noteworthy books, including Natasha Trethewey’s Monument: Poems New and Selected and Alice Walker’s Taking the Arrow Out of the Heart.
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The Intersection of Art and Literature
Siglio Press celebrates ten years of publishing genre-defying books that incorporate literary and visual art.
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Literary MagNet: Laura Da’
A poet discusses four journals that published poems from her second collection, Instruments of the True Measure.
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The Anthologist: A Compendium of Uncommon Collections
A roundup of new anthologies, including Well-Read Black Girl: Finding Our Stories, Discovering Ourselves, edited by Glory Edim.
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Small Press Points: Unicorn Press
An independent press in Greensboro, North Carolina, has been publishing full-length and chapbook-length poetry collections for fifty years.
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Publishing Books About Grief
Helmed by Ann Hood, a new imprint from Akashic Books offers a home for books about grief, loss, and recovery.
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Classic Meets Graphic
An increasing number of classic books, such as To Kill a Mockingbird and Anne Frank’s diaries, are being adapted into graphic form.
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Agent Advice: Priya Doraswamy of Lotus Lane Literary
An agent answers questions on obtaining the copyright of a self-published novel and seeking a U.S. publisher from abroad.
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5 Over 50: 2018
In our third annual installment of this series, five authors over the age of fifty who published their debut books this year—Jeanne McCulloch, A. G. Lombardo, Anne Youngson, Maw Shein Win, and Laura Esther Wolfson—share their paths to publication.
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Q&A: The New Editor of the Paris Review
Emily Nemens on her new role at the storied magazine, her editing process, and her plans for future issues.
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Reviewers & Critics: Laurie Hertzel of the Star Tribune
In this continuing series, a book critic discusses Minnesota’s thriving literary community and the importance of reviewing small-press titles.
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Ten Questions for Claire Fuller
“I love getting into the nitty-gritty of a novel, right down to the sentence and the word level.” —Claire Fuller, author of Bitter Orange
Ten Questions for Simon Van Booy
“When you’re writing, get out of the way and let the story reveal itself to you. —Simon Van Booy, author of The Sadness of Beautiful Things
Ten Questions for Christopher Kennedy
“I have three states of being: feeling doubt, manifesting a vague desire to say something that seems important, and writing toward ground zero of that desire.” —Christopher Kennedy, author of Clues From the Animal Kingdom
Ten Questions for Emily Jungmin Yoon
“I find that poems in my head become louder when everything is quiet.” —Emily Jungmin Yoon, author of A Cruelty Special to Our Species
The Boat We Are Building: A New MFA Program Makes Diversity Its Mission
A new low-residency MFA program makes diversity its mission.
Ten Questions for Melanie Hobson
“I can multitask the hell out of a holiday meal preparation, but when I’m working on a novel it’s all or nothing.” —Melanie Hobson, author of Summer Cannibals
Ten Questions for Sharlene Teo
“To doubt yourself means you’re on to the right thing. I find that reassuring.” —Sharlene Teo, author of Ponti
Ten Questions for Patrick deWitt
“I’m for an industry-wide ban on the blurb.” —Patrick DeWitt, author of French Exit
Ten Questions for J. M. Holmes
“It is a terrifying process to release your literary babies into the world, where anybody can say anything they want about them.” —J. M. Holmes, author of How Are You Going to Save Yourself
My Year of Proust in the Age of Trump
A novelist takes the election of a new president and her subsequent move to Canada as an opportunity to fully immerse herself in a great work of literature.
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