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.

SHAMBHALA PUBLICATION • “This is my wish for you: that you take these cards, grab the topic on one side and write, write, write… Remember no good or bad. Just words on the page.”

pw.org

Poets & Writers Magazine • Volume 49 • Issue 5

EDITOR’S Note • HOW ARE YOU BREATHING?

Reactions • Poets & Writers Magazine welcomes feedback from its readers. Please post a comment on select articles at pw.org, or e-mail editor@pw.org. Letters accepted for publication may be edited for clarity and length.

An Artist’s Game of Telephone

One Page • Where New And Noteworthy Books Begin

Literary Agents of Change

Roxane Gay’s Imprint Opens Doors

Small Press Points

Literary MagNet

Cho Flies Solo With New Agency

The Time Is Now • Writing Prompts and Exercises

Lost in the Weeds • IN PRAISE OF WILD THINGS—IN THE GARDEN AND IN WRITING

Endless Work • THE RESPONSIBILITIES AND PLEASURESOF TRANSLATION

Entering Through the Side Door • A PATH FOR APPROACHING YOUR TRUTH IN DIFFICULT MATERIAL

Losing My Manuscript • ON ALMOST GIVING UP

THE FIELD OF STORIES • IN HER NEW MEMOIR, POET WARRIOR, PUBLISHED BY W. W. NORTON IN SEPTEMBER, U.S. POET LAUREATE JOY HARJO TRAVELS THE ROADS, RIVERS, AND RHYTHMS OF HER LIFE, TAKING READERS ON A JOURNEY ACROSS GENERATIONS AND SINGING POWERFUL LESSONS ON THE CYCLICAL NATURE OF TIME AND BECOMING.

The Wide Question • KAVEH AKBAR, THE AUTHOR OF CALLING A WOLF A WOLF, RETURNS WITH PILGRIM BELL, A COLLECTION OF POEMS THAT DISSOLVES THE BORDER BETWEEN KNOWING AND NOT KNOWING AND INTERROGATES IDEALS OF JUSTICE, THE SELF, AND THE DIVINE.

Pilgrim Bell

The New Nonfiction 2021

Lauren Hough

Brian Broome

Lilly Dancyger

Ashley C. Ford

Anna Qu

A DEGREE OF MY OWN

Antonia Angress • 2021 MFA in Fiction University of Minnesota in Minneapolis

Ananda Lima • 2019 MFA in Poetry Rutgers University in Newark, New Jersey

Sarah Ali • 2021 MFA in Poetry University of Massachusetts in Amherst

Caroliena Cabada • 2021 MFA in Creative Writing and Environment Iowa State University in Ames

Daniel Summerhill • 2019 MFA in Poetry Solstice Low-Residency MFA Program at Pine Manor College in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts

Olivia Muenz • 2021 MFA in Nonfiction Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge

Joshua Nguyen • 2020 MFA in Poetry University of Mississippi in Oxford

Mant Bares • 2019 MFA in Fiction Helen Zell Writers’ Program at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor

WE BUILD IT OURSELVES • A ROUNDTABLE ON RACE, POWER, AND THE WRITING WORKSHOP

Agent Advice • Jade Wong-Baxter of Frances Goldin Literary Agency

Reviewers & Critics

The Nitty-Gritty • HOW TO CREATE AN AUTHOR NEWSLETTER

Advance Listening Editions • HOW TO CREATE YOUR OWN AUDIO GALLEY

Deadlines • POETS & WRITERS MAGAZINE ANNOUNCES state, national, and international prizes in poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction. We list only prizes of $1,000 or more, prizes of $500 or more that charge no entry fee, and prestigious nonmonetary awards. Applications and submissions for the following prizes are due shortly. Before submitting a manuscript, first visit the sponsoring organization’s website for complete...