Founded in 1970, Poets & Writers is the nation’s leading nonprofit organization serving creative writers.
Our mission is to foster the professional development of poets and writers, to promote communication throughout the literary community, and to help create an environment in which literature can be appreciated by the widest possible public.
Each year, tens of thousands of poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers benefit from Poets & Writers’ publications and programs. We democratize access to information about how to get published, connect writers with life-changing opportunities, provide tools for community building, and serve as the principal clearinghouse through which literary publications and organizations reach writers.
We are guided by our core values of service, inclusivity, integrity, and excellence and are committed to becoming an antiracist organization.
Publications & Programs
Poets & Writers Magazine is the leading publication of its kind. From its earliest days as a quarterly newsletter with a distribution of a few hundred copies, Poets & Writers Magazine has addressed issues of importance to creative writers, from finding an agent to promoting one’s book. Today, the bimonthly magazine is the go-to resource for writers seeking inspiration and career guidance, featuring essays on the literary life, profiles of contemporary authors, and the most comprehensive listing of literary grants and awards, deadlines, and prize winners available in print. Poets & Writers Magazine is available in digital form through the Poets & Writers app. To inspire the next generation of writers, we offer free subscriptions to Poets & Writers Magazine to award-winning young writers, and to high school creative writing teachers for use in their classrooms.
Our website, pw.org, attracts 1.7 million unique visitors per year. Highlights include our popular suite of databases that help writers navigate the marketplace and build the literary community. These include databases of literary magazines and journals, small and independent presses, literary agents, MFA programs, writing contests, writers retreats, review outlets, and literary places. The website also hosts a national literary events calendar and the Poets & Writers Directory, an essential resource for literary artists who are interested in connecting with their peers—as well as editors, agents, and reading series coordinators looking for authors and translators for new projects. Editorial content available at pw.org includes articles from Poets & Writers Magazine, online exclusives, and regular online series such as The Time Is Now (weekly writing prompts), Ten Questions (short interviews with authors), and Daily News (curated headlines from around the web that keep writers apprised of breaking news)—all produced by our editorial team.
Our newest online resource is Poets & Writers Groups, a peer-to-peer networking and collaboration platform that is home to a dynamic online community where writers form, join, and manage writing groups.
Our Readings & Workshops program has paid writers fees for giving readings and leading workshops since 1970. Each year, we provide mini-grants totaling over $200,000 to more than 750 writers for participating in literary events hosted by a variety of organizations—from community centers to major art museums—throughout New York State and California.
Get the Word Out is a publicity incubator for early career authors. During a twelve-week fellowship, writers work together with an accomplished book publicist to learn how to maximize the exposure of their forthcoming books, reach readers, and create a platform to propel their literary careers while building community among peers. After completing the program, GTWO fellows are invited to apply for a fully funded residency at Vermont Studio Center, thanks to a partnership between P&W and VSC.
We offer an extensive series of online classes, taught by leading publishing professionals and acclaimed authors, that help writers deepen their writing practice and learn about the business of writing.
Poets & Writers sponsors a select number of notable prizes for writers, including the Jackson Poetry Prize, the Maureen Egen Writers Exchange Award, and the Writers for Writers Award.
As a cofounder of The Literary Network, a coalition of nonprofit literary organizations, presses, and magazines, Poets & Writers continues to champion the cause of freedom of expression and advocates on behalf of writers for public funding of literature and the arts.
Support from our community makes all of our work possible. To learn about how you can contribute to Poets & Writers, visit our Ways to Give page.