Where We Write: Detroit, Michigan
In the first of a new series about the places and communities that writers call home, poet francine j. harris wrestles with regionalism, her native Detroit, and the midwestern landscape of Michigan.
Department: The Literary Life
I Wasn’t Born Yesterday: The Beauty of Backstory
Novelist Eleanor Henderson discusses the beauty and necessity of backstory in fiction, offering a counterpoint to a previously published article in which novelist Benjamin Percy warned writers about the dangers of backstory.
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The Art of Conflict: Why Your Characters Should Struggle
The author most recently of the novel The Next Right Thing (The Dial Press, 2012) explains why conflict is at the heart of every good story.
A Crucial Collaboration: Reader-Writer-Character-Book
Character calls forth writer. Writer calls forth reader. It seems straightforward—but is it? Novelist, filmmaker, and Zen Buddhist priest Ruth Ozeki explores the relationships embedded in every novel and work of fiction.
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Bon Appétit: How Food Writing Fed My Fiction
Fiction writer Aaron Hamburger got more than he bargained for when he signed up for a class in food writing. Instead of simply learning about a new genre, he also learned some valuable lessons about the one he'd been practicing for years.
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Writing With Urgency: Propel Your Characters Forward
Fiction writer Benjamin Percy offers five steps writers should follow to jack up the momentum in their short stories.
The Calm Before the Calm: Silence and the Creative Writer
Novelist Daphne Kalotay argues the merits of silence, even when it follows the publication of an author’s book.
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Why We Write: Tilted Naked Weirdo
Fiction writer Nancy Méndez-Booth explains how Junot Díaz helped her find both her voice and the ability to tell the most uncomfortable—and most honest—stories.
The Revolution: Report From Literary Egypt
Contributing editor Stephen Morison Jr. reports on the literary community in Cairo, Egypt, interviewing authors, publishers, and booksellers about the ongoing protests, freedom of speech, and the future of Egypt.
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Open Your Eyes: Seeing Like a Writer
Contributor Tony Eprile explores the notion of how what we see (and don’t see) defines us and offers guidance to writers about harnessing the powers of observation.
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