Poets & Writers Magazine welcomes feedback from its readers. Please e-mail editor@pw.org or write to Editor, Poets & Writers Magazine, 90 Broad Street, Suite 2100, New York, NY 10004. Letters accepted for publication may be edited for clarity and length.
Letter
Feedback from a reader
You had me at “Writers’ History Lessons” (January/February 2026) by Serena Alagappan. After reading it the first time, I was compelled to grab a pen and underline several elements that stood out. I did not know about the Federal Writers’ Project, which is fascinating, to say the least. What resonated more was poet Kiki Petrosino’s comment, “We still need every voice...to listen to the experiences of others.” This article reminded me of my old journalism classes, learning how to do personal profiles or human-interest stories. The class was sent to the campus coffee shop to observe, listen, and then write a story. Now, years later, as a school bus driver, I recall overhearing football coaches chatting as I took a team to a game. One spoke of his mother, the first female bus driver in San Francisco, and an encounter with Jimmy Hoffa. I wanted to stop the bus, yank out the journal I carried in my bag, and record everything. I intently listened, and when the bus was empty, I began writing. That’s my thing. I believe the People’s Recorder is a necessary exercise. Writers who are not listening and recording like those in the 1930s are missing out. It is truly a “dynamic exchange.”
Penney White
Tacoma, Washington
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Social media ephemera
On a post sharing news of a coalition of major charitable organizations that have banded together to support literary nonprofits, as reported by Adrienne Raphel in “A Lifeline From Literary Arts Fund” (March/April 2026), Facebook user Millicent Borges Accardi wrote: “Grants for the arts are important and often the first funding to be eliminated in fascist governments. Money to sustain and support nonprofits and publications is necessary, but support for artists is also. I wonder if there are plans to replace the very important [National Endowment for the Arts] Grants for Individual Artists?”
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[Corrections]
Because of changes made by the sponsoring organizations after the issue went to press, the Deadlines section of the March/April 2026 issue included inaccuracies. Book Industry Charitable (Binc) Foundation, sponsor of the Susan Kamil Emerging Writers Prize, announced that five prizes of $10,000 each, rather than two prizes of $12,500 each, would be offered for an excerpt of a poetry, fiction, or creative nonfiction manuscript-in-progress by a bookseller. Additionally, the Binc Foundation revealed that the annual award program will conclude after the 2026 application period. Willow Springs Books canceled the Emma Howell Rising Poet Prize, which had a deadline of April 1. In a statement managing editor Emily Ladd said, “Like many university presses, we are experiencing funding and structural changes this year. We are optimistic that the contest will return in the future. Poets who have already submitted to the 2026 prize should expect a refund via Submittable.”