Jamie FitzGerald, director of Poets & Writers’ Readings & Workshops (West), leads a discussion about resources available to writers in San Francisco, the importance of community, and how various literary communities can support one another. Panelists include Stacey Lewis of City Lights Books, Laura Moriarty of Small Press Distribution, Joyce Jenkins of Poetry Flash, Janis Cooke Newman of the Grotto, and Jason Bayani of Kearny Street Workshop.

Melissa Faliveno, associate editor of Poets & Writers Magazine, talks with the editors of literary magazines and small presses about the kind of work they publish, along with practical advice for writers looking to submit their work and tips for how to establish successful working relationships with editors. Panelists include Adrienne Gunn of TriQuarterly, Jeff Pfaller of Midwestern Gothic, Don Share of Poetry magazine, and Ben Tanzer of Curbside Splendor.

Agents Jeff Kleinman of Folio Literary Management and Renée Zuckerbrot of the Renée Zuckerbrot Literary Agency join publicist Michael Taeckens and Kevin Larimer, editor in chief of Poets & Writers Magazine, for a conversation about how authors can make a good impression—in query letters, book proposals, and even at social gatherings. A select group of audience members are invited on stage for a critique of their query letters—and one writer gets a special surprise.

Kevin Larimer, editor in chief of Poets & Writers Magazine, leads a conversation with editors Jeff Shotts of Graywolf Press and Chuck Adams of Algonquin Books, and authors Jeffrey Yang and Amy Rowland about what it means to be published by an independent press, the author-editor relationship, and how they work together to reach readers.

Bonnie Rose Marcus, director of Poets & Writers’ Readings & Workshops (East), leads a discussion about resources available to writers in Washington, D.C., the importance of community, and how various literary communities can support one another. Panelists include Elizabeth Bruce, Regie Cabico, Carlos Parada Ayala, and Sarah Browning.

Michael Szczerban, senior editor at Regan Arts, leads a discussion with agents Amy Berkower of Writers House, Eric Simonoff of the WME Book Department, Molly Friedrich of the Friedrich Literary Agency, and Meredith Kaffel of DeFiore & Company about how editors and agents work together on behalf of authors.

Bonnie Rose Marcus, director of Poets & Writers’ Readings & Workshops (East), leads a discussion about the many ways to build a life around writing. Panelists include Tina Chang, Rigoberto González, Karma Mayet Johnson, and Rich Vallar.

Poets & Writers Magazine editor in chief Kevin Larimer leads a conversation with poet Harryette Mullen, fiction writers Ron Carlson and Charles Yu, and Los Angeles Times columnist and author Meghan Daum about the personal, political, and professional rewards, ramifications, and reasons for doing what we do.

Cheryl Klein, former director of Poets & Writers’ California Office and Readings/Workshops (West), leads a discussion about resources for writers who live in Los Angeles. Panelists include Lauren Humphrey of 826LA, Rick Lupert of Poetry Super Highway, workshop and reading series leader Tracy Kato-Kirayama, and Terry Wolverton of Writers at Work.

“There is a kind of formlessness to poetry, as much as everyone is obsessed with form.” Ken Chen, the executive director of the Asian American Writers’ Workshop, talks about his personal relationship to poetry in a discussion at the Academy of American Poets’ 2013 Poets Forum. Chen is featured in “AAWW Continues the Conversation” by Arvin Temkar in the January/February issue of Poets & Writers Magazine.