Orlando White
“For some poetic guidance I always find myself going back to books like the Orphan Factory and Selected Early Poems by Charles Simic; also, Reasons for Moving and The Weather of Words by Mark Strand.
Writers Recommend
In this online exclusive we ask authors to share books, art, music, writing prompts, films—anything and everything—that has inspired them in their writing. We see this as a place for writers to turn to for ideas that will help feed their creative process.
Catie Rosemurgy
“When I first moved to Philadelphia, a friend of mine was very excited to show me Marcel Duchamp’s assemblage Étant donnés: 1° la chute d'eau, 2° le gaz d'éclairage... in the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
January Gill O’Neil
“Like most writers—specifically parents who are writers—I don’t have a lot of time to find inspiration.
Joanie Mackowski
“It helps me to remember that inspiration needs courting; it won’t come if I wait passively.
Elizabeth Bradfield
“There is phenomenal beauty in the language developed for a particular field—whether it’s architecture, dentistry, tree pruning, or accounting.
Michael Cirelli
“I’m thoroughly inspired, moved, agitated, elevated by music (mostly hip-hop).
Floyd Skloot
“Notes—on Post-its, index cards, scraps of paper—have saved me as a writer.
Jill Magi
“Make a tiny book! At least once a year I write something quickly, in one day—a list poem or found-text piece—arrange it in sections, print, cut, stack the pages, staple, and make a handful of copies.
Jarvis Jay Masters
“I am inspired to write because for many, many years, while living in solitary confinement, writing was my only means of communication.
Kristin Bair O’Keeffe
“I’m an American. My husband is from Ireland. We adopted our daughter from Vietnam. We live in Shanghai, China.