Poets & Writers Magazine - September - October 2020

In this issue

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.

Hashtag Highlights Anti-Black Bias

The month of June brought the continuation of daily protests around the United States, and the world, in recognition of violence against Black people and the importance of Black lives.

4 mins

Writing in Spanish Elevates Academia

An estimated fifty-three million Spanish speakers live in the United States.

5 mins

Cook's Activism at Philly Bookshop

The first time Jeannine A. Cook tried to open a bookstore, the building burned down just after she had signed the lease.

3 mins

Telling #Stories

CAN SOCIAL MEDIA MAKE US BETTER WRITERS?

9 mins

Nate Marshall – Transformation

In his second collection, Finna, Nate Marshall explores the failures and triumphs of language, the power of community, and abolition as a poetic praxis.

10+ mins

WORLD of WONDERS

IN HER NEW ESSAY COLLECTION, PUBLISHED BY MILKWEED EDITIONS IN SEPTEMBER, POET AIMEE NEZHUKUMATATHIL TURNS HER CREATIVE POWERS OF ATTENTION, PLAY, OPENNESS, AND LOVE TO A WORLD OF MAGIC AND IMAGINATION OUTDOORS, CULTIVATING THE FAMILY GARDEN AS A LOVE LANGUAGE THAT CONNECTS ALL OF US.

10+ mins

Ayad Akhtar – Truth

In homeland elegies, Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright and novelist Ayad Akhtar blurs the line between fact and fiction in an attempt to reclaim the novel: "I think that reality has outpaced the capacity for fiction to speak to us about what we have become."

10+ mins

MFA Programs in the Time of COVID-19

Writers, teachers, and administrators plan for a new normal

10+ mins

The Art of the Author Photo

How to make a lasting image

10+ mins

Reviewers & Critics

ISMAIL MUHAMMAD OF THE BELIEVER

7 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.