Celebrate this issue’s First Fiction 2026 debut authors with a virtual reading and conversation hosted by senior editor India Lena González. This virtual event took place on Thursday, July 23, at 7 PM EDT.
In the July/August 2026 issue of Poets & Writers Magazine, five established writers introduce the authors of this summer’s best debut fiction: P.C. Verrone, whose debut novel, Rabbit, Fox, Tar, was published by Catapult in June; M Lin, whose debut story collection, The Memory Museum, was published by Graywolf Press in April; Joe Bond, whose debut novel, Hope House, was published by Hub City Press in May; Amanda Rizkalla, whose debut novel, Hungered, was published by Henry Holt in May; and Devyn Defoe, whose debut novel, Burnside, will be published in August by Astra House. Read the interviews and enjoy excerpts from their debut books.