Poets & Writers Magazine

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.

GRANTS & AWARDS • THE WRITING CONTEST NEWSLETTER

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Poets & Writers Magazine • Volume 52 • Issue 4

EDITOR’S Note • PARSING THE DIFFICULT PASSAGES

Reactions

The End of Small Press Distribution

CONTRIBUTORS

A New Imprint for Latinx Authors

Page One • Where New And Noteworthy Books Begin

Connecting Writers to Agents of Color

IN MEMORIAM

Small Press Points

Literary MagNet

THE WRITTEN IMAGE

Arleta Little Leads the Loft at Fifty

The Time Is Now • Writing Prompts and Exercises

Why We Write • HOW POETRY AND PROSE HELPED DELIVER ME FROM A 241-YEAR PRISON SENTENCE

The Waiting Seasons • ONE POET’S LIFE IN ALASKA

Hope and Terror • IN HER SECOND NOVEL, BEAR, PUBLISHED BY HOGARTH IN JUNE, JULIA PHILLIPS TAKES INSPIRATION FROM A BROTHERS GRIMM FAIRY TALE TO TELL THE HAUNTING STORY OF TWO SISTERS WHO ENCOUNTER A MYSTERIOUS CREATURE IN THE WOODS THAT FORCES THEM TO CONFRONT THE EQUALLY UNEXPECTED TRUTH ABOUT THEIR “LONG AND PRECIOUS SISTERHOOD.”

First Fiction 2024

’Pemi Aguda • whose debut story collection, Ghostroots, was published by Norton in May

Jiaming Tang • whose debut novel, Cinema Love, was published by Dutton in May

Michael Deagler • whose debut novel, Early Sobrieties, was published by Astra House in May

Yasmin Zaher • whose debut novel, The Coin, will be published in July by Catapult

Gina María Balibrera • whose debut novel, The Volcano Daughters, will be published in August by Pantheon

WHAT AGENTS WISH YOU KNEW • 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

I’ll Read What She’s Writing • Advice for Agent Speed Dating

When It Happens to You • What to Do When an Agent Makes Contact

Fair Expectations • What Can a Writer Expect From Their Agent?

Persistence, Partnership, and Keeping the Faith • What Your Agent Wishes You Knew While You’re Out on Submission

Publishing Myths • “Agents don’t read your e-mails.”

Set Your Pitch Apart • GETTING INDIE BOOKSTORES TO SAY YES TO YOUR BOOK EVENT

Opening Our Pages • AN EDITOR’S JOURNEY TO PUBLISHING INCARCERATED WRITERS

Deadlines

Submission Calendar

Recent Winners

Conferences & Residencies

Gala Honors the Power of Words