March/April 2024

Writer Sloane Crosley, a white woman with dark brown hair and glasses, stands with crossed arms against a white background. She wears a gray blazer draped over her shoulders and a white pinstriped shirt. There is an orange Poets & Writers logo over her head and magazine headlines to her left.

Our annual Writers Retreats Issue features inspiration, advice, and practical tips to turn your writers retreat dreams into reality; a profile of nonfiction writer Sloane Crosley; a conversation with Pulitzer Prize–winning poet Diane Seuss; an interview with agent Tanya McKinnon; a report on the changing economics of the author tour; a Q&A with Francisco Aragón on Letras Latinas and the landscape of Latinx literature; plus writing prompts, contest deadlines, conferences and residencies, and more. 

Features

Laughter, Then Loss: A Profile of Sloane Crosley

by Kate Tuttle
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After publishing five books that have proved her to be one of the funniest writers of her generation, Sloane Crosley returns with something different: a grief memoir that can still make readers laugh.

Cobbled Genius: Diane Seuss and the Strange Education of Poetry

by Bianca Stone
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Wrestling with the power of poetry in form and conversation, Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Diane Seuss’s new collection is a work that balances the weight of memory with the ability to come to song.

Time to Write, Space to Dream: Inspiration, Advice, and Practical Tips to Turn Your Writers Retreat Fantasies Into Reality

Dream Big, Travel Far: International Retreats for Writers

by Emma Komlos-Hrobsky
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A writers retreat abroad can loosen creativity, push work in new directions, or offer sanctuary to fully commit to a project. Our senior editor considers six venues that might inspire you to take an adventure with your writing.

Finding the Time (and Money): How Real Emerging Writers Make Retreats and Conferences Work

by Ananda Lima
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Devoting the time and securing the money to attend a retreat can feel especially challenging at the beginning of your literary career. Emerging and once-emerging writers share how they gathered resources to make it happen.

Yes You Can: Grants, Scholarships, and Other Support for Retreats

by Staff
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Often, the writers who could most use the support that retreats offer are the ones least able to access them. But thanks to financial aid, childcare, accessibility accommodations, and more, a retreat might be more possible than you think.

What to Pack for a Writers Retreat

by Ann Hood
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Bringing touches of comfort can help you write wherever you are. The author of The Stolen Child unpacks some of her on-the-go essentials to create a room of her own when attending retreats and conferences.

News and Trends

The Practical Writer

Publishing Myths: “Editors Don’t Edit Anymore”

by Kate McKean
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In our column debunking the myths of the publishing industry, a veteran agent explains how editors are doing more with less, shining a light on the rapidly expanding workload typical of publishing houses these days.

Making Sense of Book Events: The Changing Economics of the Book Tour

by Michael Bourne
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Although in-person book events have nearly returned to pre-pandemic levels, publishers’ post-lockdown strategies are more reserved. Authors must figure out how to best use events to build an audience in a changing literary marketplace.

The Literary Life

The Time Is Now: Writing Prompts and Exercises

by Staff
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Write a poem reimagining a unique animal attribute, a short story driven by luck and coincidence, or an essay examining the environment around you.

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