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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In this Books Are Magic event moderated by Denne Michele Norris, Rosemary Donahue reads from their essay “Thank U, Ex” and Nichole Perkins reads from her essay “Confessions of a Lonely Feminist” both published in the anthology Sex and the Single Woman: 24 Writers Reimagine Helen Gurley Brown’s Cult Classic (Harper Perennial, 2022) edited by Eliza Smith and Haley Swanson.
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Bel Canto, the award-winning novel by Ann Patchett, has been adapted into a feature film directed by Paul Weitz. Julianne Moore stars as Roxanne Coss, an opera singer who is held hostage after she performs a private concert at a birthday party for a wealthy Japanese businessman, played by Ken Watanabe.
Tags: Fiction | Bel Canto | Ann Patchett | film adaptation | movie trailer | Harper Perennial -
Megan Stielstra shares her journey as a writer and reads from her essay “Channel B,” which was included in Best American Essays and in her collection Once I Was Cool (Curbside Splendor, 2013). Her second essay collection, The Wrong Way to Save Your Life (Harper Perennial, 2017), is featured in Page One in the September/October 2017 issue of Poets & Writers Magazine.
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Roxane Gay reads part of “The Illusion of Safety/The Safety of Illusion” from her essay collection, Bad Feminist (Harper Perennial, 2014). Her debut memoir, Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body (Harper, 2017), is featured in Page One in the July/August issue of Poets & Writers Magazine.
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In this video, Challis Popkey speaks with author Sarah Gerard about her novel, Binary Star (Two Dollar Radio, 2015), and her first essay collection, Sunshine State (Harper Perennial, 2017). Gerard’s debut essay collection is featured in Page One of the May/June 2017 issue of Poets & Writers Magazine.
Tags: Fiction | Creative Nonfiction | Challis Popkey | Sarah Gerard | Binary Star | Two Dollar Radio | Harper Perennial | Sunshine State | Page One | May/June 2017 | 2017 | 2015 | interview -
"You can't be an activist or a writer or a public figure all day long, and I just have to be myself." Roxane Gay, author of the best-selling essay collection, Bad Feminist (Harper Perennial, 2014), talks about Twitter, adapting her novel, An Untamed State (Grove/Atlantic, 2014), to film, and the unexpected pressures of literary fame at the 2016 AWP conference and book fair in Los Angeles.
Tags: AWP | 2014 | interview | Harper Perennial | Grove/Atlantic | An Untamed State | 2016 | Roxane Gay | Bad Feminist | Fiction | Creative Nonfiction -
"Character is shy yet codependent, searching for love in all the wrong men." Poet and actress Amber Tamblyn reads "Untitled Actress" from her collection Dark Sparkler (Harper Perennial, 2015) for Button Poetry.
Tags: 2015 | Button Poetry | Harper Perennial | Amber Tamblyn | Dark Sparkler | Poetry -
"I didn't have any intention of representing India accurately or inaccurately. I had a story in mind and I pursued the story ruthlessly." Karan Mahajan speaks about his debut novel, Family Planning (Harper Perennial, 2008), and the creative challenges faced by a new generation of Indian writers. His second novel, The Association of Small Bombs (Viking, 2016), is featured in Page One in the March/April issue of Poets & Writers Magazine.
Tags: 2008 | interview | National Book Award | Page One | Viking | Harper Perennial | 2016 | March/April 2016 | Karan Mahajan | The Association of Small Bombs | Family Planning | Fiction -
"I find writing immediately after I've woken up is the best time." Simon Van Booy, whose new story collection, Tales of Accidental Genius (Harper Perennial, 2015), is featured in Page One in the November/December issue of Poets & Writers Magazine, speaks about his writing process.
Tags: 2015 | interview | Page One | November/December 2015 | Simon Van Booy | Tales of Accidental Genius | Harper Perennial | Fiction -
Inspired by Austin Kleon's book Newspaper Blackout (Harper Perennial, 2010), John Carroll creates colorful works of blackout poetry with pens, acrylic paint, and spray paint. Read today's poetry prompt in The Time Is Now for ideas on how to create your own.
Tags: The Time Is Now | 2010 | Harper Perennial | John Carroll | Austin Kleon | Newspaper Blackout | erasure poetry | Poetry -
In this clip from Prairie Public Broadcasting, author Louise Erdrich, who is profiled by contributing editor Kevin Nance in the current issue, talks about growing up in Wahpeton, North Dakota, and the challenges of running an independent bookstore, then reads from her new novel, The Round House.
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In Nothing: A Portrait of Insomnia, published last month by Harper Perennial, Blake Butler uses scientific data, historical anecdote, Internet obsession, and figures as diverse as Andy Warhol, John Cage, Jorge Luis Borges, and Stephen King to explore the tension between sleeping and conscious life. This bizarre trailer, directed by Drew Mobley, evokes Butler's own 129-hour bout of insomnia described in the book.
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Eva Talmadge and Justin Taylor discuss their new book, The Word Made Flesh: Literary Tattoos From Bookworms Worldwide, which will be published next week by HarperPerennial.