Poets & Writers Theater
Every day we share a new clip of interest to creative writers—author readings, book trailers, publishing panels, craft talks, and more. So grab some popcorn, filter the theater tags by keyword or genre, and explore our sizable archive of literary videos.
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“What persuades in poetry, what moves, what transforms—and what is memorable—starts with music.” Jorie Graham talks about the importance of musicality and the influences of American modernist and English romantic poetry on her writing. Graham’s new collection, Fast (Ecco, 2017), is featured in Page One in the May/June issue of Poets & Writers Magazine.
Tags: Poetry | Jorie Graham | Fast | Ecco | 2017 | Page One | May/June 2017 | Big Think -
“It's important that the criticism be constructive because otherwise it's destructive.” In a video for Big Think, Jacqueline Woodson explains the three stages of critique that are part of her writing process. Woodson speaks about her most recent novel, Another Brooklyn (Amistad, 2016), in “A Great Good” by Rigoberto González in the September/October issue of Poets & Writers Magazine.
Tags: Jacqueline Woodson | Big Think | 2016 | Amistad | September/October 2016 | Another Brooklyn | Fiction -
The Canadian poet, novelist, literary critic, essayist, and environmental activist who this week won the 2014 Orion Book Award from Orion Magazine for her novel MaddAddam (Nan A. Talese, 2013), is seen here discussing her creative process as part of Big Think.
Tags: Big Think | Nan A. Talese | Orion Book Award | Orion Magazine | Margaret Atwood | MaddAddam | Fiction -
“I worry about what’s going to happen with those good, younger writers.” Author John Irving discusses the past, present, and future of the publishing industry and the challenging literary landscape for first-time novelists.
Tags: John Irving | Big Think | Fiction -
Author Nathan Englander explains that the age-old writing advice "write what you know" isn't about events but rather about universal emotions like love, loss, and longing.
Tags: Big Think | Nathan Englander | Fiction -
Novelist and screenwriter Tom Perrotta, author most recently of The Leftovers (St. Martin's Press, 2011), offers advice to writers and debunks the maxim of always writing what you know.
Tags: interview | talk | St. Martin's Press | 2011 | Big Think | Tom Perrotta | The Leftovers | Fiction -
According to Salman Rushdie, the key to writing is concentration, not inspiration. He tells the fine folks at Big Think that writing "requires deep attention to your characters, to the world they live in, and to the story you have to tell."
Tags: interview | Salman Rushdie | Big Think | Fiction