Poets & Writers Magazine - January - February 2021

In this issue

In the annual Inspiration Issue we present our sixteenth annual roundup of ten of the year’s best debut poets, a rare glimpse into the writing notebooks of eight acclaimed authors, including Juan Felipe Herrera, Terrance Hayes, and Aimee Nezhukumatathil; an interview with the Nation's poetry editor, Kaveh Akbar; Kate Meadows on the magic of sitting down to play; Michael Bourne on the nitty-gritty of requesting permissions; plus writing prompts, contest deadlines, and more.

Grants Celebrate Disability Culture

In October, twenty disabled artists were announced as the first class of Disability Futures Fellows and received grants of $50,000 each, to be used in whatever way is most useful in supporting their work.

5 mins

Books Offer Lifeline in Incarceration

In the first letter Danny Harris wrote to Gary Fine from solitary confinement, he made what seemed to Fine like a simple request.

5 mins

Little Libraries, Big Impact

Early in March a box was erected outside the Association for the Advancement of Mexican Americans (AAMA) in Houston.

3 mins

Akbar Edits Poetry of the Nation

In September the Nation, a bastion of progressive journalism since 1865, welcomed Kaveh Akbar as its newest poetry editor, succeeding Stephanie Burt and Carmen Giménez Smith.

3 mins

The Time Is Now

Writing Prompts and Exercises

3 mins

Button Chair

The magic of sitting down to play

8 mins

The Smudge and the Scrawl

Inside the Writer’s Notebook

10+ mins

A Life in Poetry

Our sixteenth annual look at debut poets

10+ mins

The Nitty-Gritty

HOW TO SEEK PERMISSIONS

9 mins

A New Chapter

The board is very pleased that Melissa accepted our invitation to lead the organization forward.a

3 mins

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Poets & Writers Magazine Description:

For more than twenty years, Poets & Writers Magazine has been a trusted companion to writers who take their vocation seriously. Within its pages, our readers find provocative essays on the literary life, practical guidance for getting published and pursuing writing careers, in-depth profiles of poets, fiction writers, and writers of creative nonfiction, and conversation among fellow professionals.