Ten Questions for Dorothy Chan
“I consider notetaking to be an integral form of the writing process.” —Dorothy Chan, author of Return of the Chinese Femme
Tags:
Article Archive
Articles from Poet & Writers Magazine include material from the print edition plus exclusive online-only material.
On Person and Place
The author of I’ll Give You a Reason explores how setting shapes characters.
Tags:
Ten Questions for Alison C. Rollins
“I don’t hold myself to a rigid writing schedule but instead listen to my mind, body, and heart and write accordingly.” —Alison C. Rollins, author of Black Bell
Tags:
Ten Questions for Callie Siskel
“I think the arc of writing a poem is similar to the experience of ascending and descending physical terrain.” —Callie Siskel, author of Two Minds
Tags:
To Use or Not to Use First Person
The author of Short War offers some perspective on whether a first person narrator can enhance or inhibit a story.
Tags:
In This Time of War: The Muses Refuse Silence
A poet explores the struggle to balance his roles as writer, educator, and activist during the war in Gaza and the refusal of silence during a conflict that has killed tens of thousands of civilians.
Tags:
Page One: Where New and Noteworthy Books Begin
The first lines of a dozen noteworthy books, including Bite by Bite: Nourishments and Jamborees by Aimee Nezhukumatathil and Good Monster by Diannely Antigua.
Tags:
Prize Judged by Incarcerated Readers
The new Inside Literary Prize represents an opportunity to connect and honor the perspectives of incarcerated individuals by inviting hundreds of such readers to discuss and select a winner from a slate of National Book Award finalists.
Tags:
The Anthologist: A Compendium of Uncommon Collections
An introduction to three new anthologies, including Disability Intimacy: Essays on Love, Care, and Desire and A Mouth Holds Many Things: A De-Canon Hybrid-Literary Collection.
Tags:
Managing Submissions in the Age of AI
As AI makes it easier for people to generate text, literary editors are wrestling with how to weed out submissions by authors trying to pass off AI work as their own from those that use the technology in a more ethical way.
Tags:
Small Press Points: Split/Lip Press
Dedicated to “boundary-breaking prose,” Split/Lip Press is on the hunt for work that raises questions about the status quo and fits their punk aesthetic. The press publishes four titles a year, all selected from open submissions.
Tags:
Literary MagNet: Saba Keramati
The author of Self-Mythology, a debut poetry collection, introduces some of the journals that offered a home for her work, including AGNI and Poet Lore.
Tags:
The Written Image: Native Narrative Art
A new exhibit opening in June at the National Museum of the American Indian considers the important role that visual and material storytelling plays in chronicling the histories of Great Plains Native nations.
Tags:
Q&A: Maldonado Leads the Academy
The first Latinx president and executive director of the Academy of American Poets reflects on his start at the nonprofit and his vision for the organization’s future.
Tags:
Lit Mags Confront a Serial Plagiarist
One of the greatest offenses a writer can commit is to steal others’ work and present it as their own. Members of the literary community discuss the negative impact of a serial plagiarist and potential protections against further theft.
Tags:
Ten Questions for Sheila Carter-Jones
“Above all, be brave!” —Sheila Carter-Jones, author of Every Hard Sweetness
Tags:
Why Not Go Nuts? On Research
The author of Short War ponders the ways research can deepen a fiction project—and how to know when enough is enough.
Tags:
Ten Questions for April Gibson
“Take as long as you need.” —April Gibson, author of The Span of a Small Forever
Tags:
Truth Is the Arrow, Mercy Is the Bow: How to Write the Unbearable Story
The author of twelve books of fiction and nonfiction confronts the question every writer inevitably faces: Is my compulsion to tell the truth stronger than my fear of the consequences?
Tags:
Familiar Characters
The author of Short War contemplates the rewards of modeling minor characters on real people.
Tags:
Wanderer & Wonderer: A Q&A With Victoria Chang
The author of With My Back to the World talks about the importance of staying true to who we are while allowing the writing to tell us where to go, and how she views her work as a mapping of her changing mind and perception.
Tags:
Ten Questions for Garrard Conley
“Get ready for about fifteen drafts.” —Garrard Conley, author of All the World Beside
Tags:
Ten Questions for Heather McCalden
“Trust yourself; if you can manage that, the writing will come.” —Heather McCalden, author of The Observable Universe: An Investigation
Tags:
Truth in Tucson: On Translating Family Into Poetry
The author of Yaguareté White explores the poetic art of balancing fact and fiction.
Tags:
Ten Questions for Zefyr Lisowski
“Growth shouldn’t only happen on the page.” —Zefyr Lisowski, author of Girl Work
Tags: