World of Wonders: An Interview With Aimee Nezhukumatathil
In her new essay collection, World of Wonders, poet Aimee Nezhukumatathil turns her creative powers of attention, play, openness, and love to a world of magic and imagination outdoors.
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Article Archive
Articles from Poet & Writers Magazine include material from the print edition plus exclusive online-only material.
Return to the MFA: A Call for Systemic Change in the Literary Arts
The author considers how race is discussed in MFA versus literature PhD programs and argues that the MFA—and the literary culture and community it props up—is due for a reevaluation.
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My Beloved Black Ancestors
“How can I love a people who want to destroy me? How can I protect myself in that love?”
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Dearest Tayari
“Where do Black folks put all this pain? Where do we put all our anger?”
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Dear Black Queer Boy
“You place yourself in the story, and one by one you begin to fill in the holes the world has left behind.”
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Ten Questions for Shruti Swamy
“Often it was the help of an outside perspective that allowed me see what I was trying to do.” —Shruti Swamy, author of A House Is a Body
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GalleyCrush: Rest and Be Thankful
Emma Glass’s Rest and Be Thankful, forthcoming from Bloomsbury Publishing on December 1, 2020.
Ten Questions for Melissa Faliveno
“It’s pretty clear that the entire system is due for a serious reckoning.” —Melissa Faliveno, author of Tomboyland
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Ten Questions for francine j. harris
“I write sporadically and edit often.” —francine j. harris, author of Here Is the Sweet Hand
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Five Cinematic Author Events
For an alternative movie night, view these extended readings and conversations with literary luminaries Zadie Smith, Édouard Louis, Min Jin Lee, Ocean Vuong, and Joy Harjo.
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Craft Capsule: The Cinema Factory
The author of Horsepower recalls the tricks that helped her revise and assemble her collection.
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Five Hot Summer Fiction Readings
Leah Hampton’s F*ckface: And Other Stories, Megha Majumdar’s A Burning, Marie-Helene Bertino’s Parakeet, Karen Tei Yamashita’s Sansei and Sensibility, and C Pam Zhang’s How Much of These Hills Is Gold.
GalleyCrush: Butter Honey Pig Bread
Francesca Ekwuyasi’s Butter Honey Pig Bread, forthcoming from Arsenal Pulp Press on November 30, 2020.
Ten Questions for Cherie Dimaline
“I would remind myself that every book has its own life and to just have faith in the story.” —Cherie Dimaline, author of Empire of Wild
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Sideways Ghost Stories: A Q&A With Laura van den Berg
The author of the story collection I Hold a Wolf by the Ears talks about ghost stories, writing in the direction of the unknowable, and creativity during quarantine.
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GalleyCrush: Inheritance
Taylor Johnson’s Inheritance, forthcoming from Alice James Books on November 10, 2020.
Ten Questions for Adrian Tomine
“We need the industry to be more reflective of the audience.” —Adrian Tomine, author of The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Cartoonist
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Craft Capsule: The Black Bildungsroman
The author of Horsepower reimagines the bildungsroman to honor the narrative arc of Black childhood.
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GalleyCrush: Harmada
João Gilberto Noll’s Harmada, translated from the Portuguese by Edgar Garbelotto, forthcoming from Two Lines Press on November 10, 2020.
Zen and the Art of Quicksand: My Twenty-Three-Year Descent Into Literary Failure, Rejection, and Redemption
A novelist recalls the challenges and rewards of publishing a second novel—twenty-seven years after his debut.
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Ten Questions for Kendra Atleework
“Feel for the thread. Follow it through the dark.” —Kendra Atleework, author of Miracle Country
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Ten Questions for Ryad Girod and Chris Clarke
This week’s installment of Ten Questions features Ryad Girod and Chris Clarke, the author and the translator of the novel Mansour’s Eyes.
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Craft Capsule: Craft Is Not Objective
The author of Horsepower examines and resists the racism and subconscious anxieties that infect the U.S. literary imagination.
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GalleyCrush: Fugitive Atlas
Khaled Mattawa’s Fugitive Atlas, forthcoming from Graywolf Press on October 20, 2020.
Ten Questions for Andrew Durbin
“Kevin Killian always told me great fiction lets you know how things smell.” —Andrew Durbin, author of Skyland
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