Our annual Writing Contests Issue features a survey of the pros and cons of submitting to contests versus open reading periods; professional application tips for grants, awards, and fellowships; an in-depth interview with poet and essayist Cathy Park Hong; an essay by Miciah Bay Gault on rewriting the narrative of women writers’ success; an inside look at book marketing; a Q&A with David Canfield of Entertainment Weekly; writing prompts, self-publishing advice, and much more.

Our September/October issue features a special section on how writers learn their art, including eight lessons in perspective and perseverance; profiles of Garth Greenwell and Edwidge Danticat; essays by five of the year’s best debut nonfiction writers; an Agents & Editors interview with Viking executive editor Ibrahim Ahmad; Amor Towles on the element of surprise in short fiction; articles on book distribution, MFA program closures, and how data modeling can help you finish your next big project; plus writing prompts, contest deadlines, and more...

Our annual Literary Agents Issue explores what agents wish you knew, including straight talk from the experts on how to connect, what it takes to sell your book, and how fast they should be answering your e-mails; a profile of Julia Phillips, author of the novel Bear; our twenty-fourth annual roundup of the season’s best debut fiction; a special report on the closure of Small Press Distribution; tips for getting indie bookstores to say yes to your book event; a poet’s account of the writing life in Alaska; plus writing prompts, contest deadlines, and more.

Our annual Writing Contests Issue features more than forty free contests for emerging writers, advice on crafting a winning entry, and tips on handling losses; a profile of novelist R. O. Kwon; Crystal Hana Kim on multilingual literature, cultural memory, and writing as translation; essays on leveraging book reviews to hone your writing skills, making sense of author questionnaires, and refusing silence as a writer during the Israeli-Palestinian conflict; reports on a serial plagiarist and managing submissions in the age of AI; plus writing prompts and more.

Our annual Writers Retreats Issue features inspiration, advice, and practical tips to turn your writers retreat dreams into reality; a profile of nonfiction writer Sloane Crosley; a conversation with Pulitzer Prize–winning poet Diane Seuss; an interview with agent Tanya McKinnon; a report on the changing economics of the author tour; a Q&A with Francisco Aragón on Letras Latinas and the landscape of Latinx literature; plus writing prompts, contest deadlines, conferences and residencies, and more.

In the Inspiration Issue we present our nineteenth annual feature on ten of the year’s best debut poets; elemental insights from five accomplished writers on the alchemy of inspiration; an interview with the executive director of Kundiman, Cathy Linh Che; an essay on why ChatGPT will never capture the genius of lived experience; an author’s perspective of the work of publicity and marketing; plus writing prompts, publishing myths, contest deadlines, and more.

Our November/December issue features a special section on university presses, book contests, literary magazines, and Substacks where writers are publishing now; profiles of memoirist Safiya Sinclair and novelist E. J. Koh; our eighth annual 5 Over 50 roundup of debut authors; an interview with Gilbert Cruz, editor of the New York Times Book Review; plus an overview of the pros and cons of hybrid publishing, a farewell ritual for the debut book, writing prompts, contest deadlines, and more.

Our September/October issue features a special section on navigating the MFA, a profile of profile of award-winning poet and essayist Roger Reeves, a conversation with poet Jane Hirshfield, essays by five of the year’s best debut nonfiction writers, an interview with Random House executive editor and vice president Jamia Wilson; articles on the pressure of early success, how humor works in writing, and the impact of prepublication demand; plus a new column on publishing myths; writing prompts; contest deadlines; and more.

Our annual Literary Agents Issue offers advice on writing a compelling book pitch, guidance on the art of comp titles, best practices for connecting with agents on social media, and tips from editors on finding an agent; a profile of Kate Zambreno, author of The Light Room: On Art and Care; our twenty-third annual roundup of the summer’s best debut fiction; information on scams targeting self-published authors; tools for building a writing practice while living with limitations; a novelist’s perspective on the editorial process; writing prompts; contest deadlines; and much more.

Our annual Writing Contests Issue features a guide to contests for emerging writers, advice from judges on standing out in a crowd, and best practices when applying to grants and fellowships; Luis Alberto Urrea gains a new understanding of his mother in Goodnight, Irene; Camille T. Dungy blooms as both writer and gardener in Soil; Brian Gresko chronicles Gina Chung’s journey to her debut novel, Sea Change; how to read the terms of your book contract; ChatGPT and the future of writing; writing prompts; contest deadlines; and more.

Our annual Writers Retreats Issue features ten “award-winning” residencies, a guide to preparing for time away, and advice on surviving a toxic workshop; a conversation between poets Patricia Smith and Tyehimba Jess; an Agents & Editors interview with Mariner Books executive editor Rakia Clark; a Q&A with Samiya Bashir of Lambda Literary on creating nurturing space for all; one writer’s reflection on the power of letting go; tax tips for writers; plus writing prompts, contest deadlines, and more.

In the Inspiration Issue we present our eighteenth annual look at ten of the year’s best debut poets; a sea of ideas and recommendations for the year of writing ahead, including paintings, films, photographs, poetry rituals, and writing prompts; an interview with U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón; an essay on poetry as a kind of medicine for the soul; a guide to literary magazines as the gateway to a writing career; plus contest deadlines, recent winners, writers retreats, and more.

Our November/December issue features a special section on literary magazines, including interviews with editors, articles on getting paid for your work, slow response times, and how to navigate the editing process; a conversation with Ross Gay, author of the essay collection Inciting Joy; a profile of Celeste Ng, author of the novel Our Missing Hearts; our seventh annual 5 Over 50 roundup of debut authors; an interview with Carmen Giménez, the new publisher of Graywolf Press; mediations on a writer’s practice by Carl Phillips; writing prompts; contest deadlines; and more.

Our September/October issue features a special section on A Writer’s Education, including an overview of MFA programs creating nurturing spaces for diverse communities, MFA application advice, tips for making the most of writing workshops, and a look at twelve books on craft; a profile of novelist Namwali Serpell; essays by five of the year’s best debut nonfiction writers; Jonathan Evison on his experience with book banning; an in-depth interview with agent Annie Hwang; essays by David Sedaris, Valeria Luiselli, and Sara Nović; ten pro tips for the freelance book reviewer; self-publishing advice; writing prompts; contest deadlines; and much more.

Our annual Literary Agents Issue features a look at how an agent sells your book, agent etiquette tips, how to read a literary agency agreement, and how to use feedback from agents to get published; a profile of Kali Fajardo-Anstine on her new novel, Woman of Light, which chronicles five generations of an Indigenous Chicano family in the American West; our twenty-second annual roundup of the summer’s best debut fiction; how to sell a book without an agent; writing prompts; contest deadlines; and much more.

Our annual Writing Contests Issue features a guide to finding the right contest for you, tips for revising your work before you hit submit, and a survey of uncommon contests; a conversation between Porochista Khakpour and Elif Batuman, the best-selling author of The Idiot as well its sequel, Either/Or; an interview with Samantha Hunt about her new genre-bending work of nonfiction, The Unwritten Book: An Investigation; Jami Attenberg on 1000 Words of Summer; Courtney Maum on showing your memoir to your family; plus agent advice, writing prompts, and more.

Our March/April issue features a special section on writers groups, including a guide to starting your own; Douglas Kearney in conversation with poet Solmaz Sharif about her second collection, Customs; Rigoberto González speaks to poet Paul Tran about his debut book, All the Flowers Kneeling; Namrata Poddar on becoming a mother-writer; Steve Almond on learning from failure; Lincoln Michel on book advances; Sarah Fay on fact-checking the memoir; plus writing prompts, contest deadlines, and more.

In the Inspiration Issue we present our seventeenth annual look at ten of the year's best debut poets; essays on writing past burnout by Dan Beachy-Quick, Crystal Hana Kim, and Blair Hurley; authors Ann Hood, Manuel Gonzales, and others consider the inspiring push and pull of other arts; Beth Gilstrap on writing her latest story collection while caring for her dying mother-in-law; Michael Bourne on honoring a loved one's literary legacy; plus writing prompts, agent advice, contest deadlines, and more.

In our annual Independent Publishing Issue, six editors share their stories of starting, sustaining, and stopping a small-press publishing project; Joshua Mohr talks with Pulitzer Prize winner Anthony Doerr about his new novel, Cloud Cuckoo Land; poets Marci Calabretta Cancio-Bello, Ansley Moon, and Tiana Nobile revise the narrative of transracial, transnational adoption; Victoria Chang offers insight into creative struggle, stretching, and asking for help; and we present our sixth annual 5 Over 50 roundup of debut authors; plus tips on crafting a nonfiction book proposal, agent advice, writing prompts, contest listings, and much more.

In our annual MFA Issue, eight recent graduates offer insights on the realities of applying to, choosing, and attending an MFA program; Felicia Rose Chavez, Viet Thanh Nguyen, Matthew Salesses, and Namrata Poddar discuss race, power, and the writing workshop; Laura Da' interviews U.S. Poet Laureate Joy Harjo about her new memoir, Poet Warrior; Kaveh Akbar talks about his new poetry collection, Pilgrim Bell; plus essays on the art of truth by five debut nonfiction writers; how-to articles on author newsletters and audio galleys; advice from an agent; writing prompts; contest deadlines; and much more.

In our annual Literary Agents Issue, authors share their successful query letters, writers discuss getting "the call" that could lead to representation, and four agents share what they read when they're not working; plus Destiny O. Birdsong's profile of poet and scholar Clint Smith, author of How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning With the History of Slavery Across America; our twenty-first annual roundup of the summer's best debut fiction; Kristen Radtke's loneliness project; savvy self-publishing tips; writing prompts; contest deadlines; and more.

Our annual Writing Contests Issue features a stress-free guide to seventy-five writing contests with no entry fees; Diane Seuss's notes on order in poetry and in life; Sarah Ruhl on writer’s block during the pandemic; Kavita Das on copyediting as a process for (or against) social change; J.T. Bushnell on building a novel; advice from agent Iwalani Kim; interviews with New York Times book critic Jennifer Szalai and Writer Mother Monster podcast host Lara Ehrlich; writing prompts; and more.

Our annual Writers Retreats Issue features a look at the uncertain future of conferences and residencies during the pandemic and how writers are finding community and connection; profiles of novelist Imbolo Mbue and essayist Melissa Febos; Tiana Clark on writing in the time of COVID; Laura Maylene Walter on launching a debut novel during quarantine; an interview with poet and BOA Editions editor-at-large Aracelis Girmay; writing prompts; contest deadlines; and more.

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.

Our November/December issue features an interview with Rumaan Alam on his third novel, Leave the World Behind; a conversation with novelist Naomi Jackson and Danielle Evans, author of the new story collection and novella The Office of Historical Corrections; our fifth annual 5 Over 50 roundup of debut authors; a roundtable discussion with six Black editors on independent publishing; essays on publishing the narratives of BIPOC writers in the Midwest and the ethics of reading blind submissions; advice on revising your poetry manuscript; writing prompts, contest listings, and more.

Our annual MFA issue features an in-depth look at the MFA in flux, including reports on how programs are planning for COVID-19, the rise of the online MFA, reimagining power in the creative writing workshop, what happens when a low-residency program closes, and a call for systemic change in the literary arts; an interview with poet Nate Marshall on his second collection, Finna; Ross Gay and Aimee Nezhukumatathil in conversation; playwright Ayad Akhtar on his new novel, Homeland Elegies, letters from writers of the Black literary community; the art of the author photograph; how social media effects our writing; critic Ismail Muhammad; writing prompts; and more.

Our annual Literary Agents Issue features profiles of eleven agents on what they want to read and how to query them; an in-depth look at the growing trend of agents representing poets; an interview with former poet laureate and Pulitzer Prize winner Natasha Trethewey; our twentieth annual roundup of the summer's best debut fiction; special reports on the effects of COVID-19 on the business of books, indie bookstores, literary festivals, and authors' creativity in quarantine; writing prompts; and more.

Our annual Writers Retreats Issue features a survey of writing residencies at national parks; a conversation with author Jacqueline Woodson and poet Natalie Diaz; profiles of novelist Emily St. John Mandel and debut poet Monica Sok; Bethanne Patrick on the life of a book critic; a look at the changing role of book publicists; life lessons learned at author readings; writing prompts; contest deadlines; and more.

In the Inspiration Issue we present our fifteenth annual roundup of the year’s best debut poets; artist Diane Samuels turns famous works of literature inside out; Sarah Ruhl demystifies writer’s block; Grant Faulkner finds new ways of seeing rejection; Michael Bourne reveals the quiet power of literary agent assistants; and author and indie publisher Kelly Link discusses her return to bookselling; plus writing prompts, contest deadlines, and more.

Our November/December issue features essays by eight industry innovators on the future of independent publishing; a conversation with celebrated author Carmen Maria Machado on her new memoir, In the Dream House; Mahogany L. Browne talks to poet Reginald Dwayne Betts about his third collection, Felon; our fourth annual 5 Over 50; the inspiration and insanity of National Novel Writing Month; plus interviews with Washington Post book critic Carlos Lozada and Yale Series of Younger Poets judge Carl Phillips.

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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.

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Poets & Writers Magazine - May - June 2020

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