January/February 2007

Unlikely as it may seem, grandstanding, beer-hurling, author-provocateur Neal Pollack has not only written a memoir, he's written a love letter to his son.

Features

A Satirist Shows His Soft Side: A Profile of Neal Pollack

by Joe Woodward
Print Only

Fiction writer Neal Pollack writes about fatherhood in his new book Alternadad.

Catching Up With Joanna Scott: A Profile

by Daniel Nester
Print Only

Joanna Scott has been one of the best-kept secrets in American fiction. But with the recent publication of Everybody Loves Somebody, the secret may be out.  

The Crown and the Crowd: A Profile of Martin Amis

by Carl Shuker
Print Only

Author of some of the most compulsive, frustrating, and semiessential fiction of the past thirty years, British bad boy Martin Amis is back with his eleventh novel, House of Meetings.

The Adventurist: A Profile of Colum McCann

by Carolyn T. Hughes
Print Only

Fiction writer Colum McCann has traveled far and wide in search of stories. His latest literary trek led him to Slovakia, Hungary, Austria, and Italy. 

20 Years: A Look Back at the Changing Face of Literature

by Staff
Print Only

On its 20th anniversary, Poets & Writers Magazine looks back at developments in literature and publishing.

News and Trends

U.K. Imprint Attracts Debut Authors

by Neil Baker

Michael Stephen Fuchs doesn't seem particularly naive or susceptible to exploitation. The fast-talking writer has a successful day job as an Internet consultant, peppers his conversation with literary aphorisms, and, like many debut authors, can talk with an eloquence borne from personal experience about the iniquities of the publishing business. But according to some in the book trade, Fuchs has been suckered.

The Race to China

by C. Max Magee

Not unlike European explorers five hundred years ago, the United States publishing industry is looking for a route to China. And, like those explorers, each company seems to be setting a different course.

Literary MagNet

by Kevin Larimer

Literary MagNet chronicles the start-ups and closures, successes and failures, anniversaries and accolades, changes of editorship and special issues—in short, the news and trends—of literary magazines in America. This issue's MagNet features Oxford American, the Believer, Wholphin, McSweeney's, Rattapallax, the Reader, and Poetry Kanto.

The Written Image: "Skin"

by Staff

Images of participants who tattooed one word from Shelley Jackson’s 2,095-word story, “Skin,” on their bodies as part of her “mortal work of art” project.

The Practical Writer

A Novel in Three Days: Shock Therapy for Writer's Block

by Patricia Chao
Print Only

The clock ticks for a writer who's entered a 3-Day Novel Contest.

Literary Journalists: How to Get on Their Radar

by Jen A. Miller
Print Only

Eight tips on how to pitch your book to magazine writers, because (even with a publicist) being a savvy author requires honing your self-promotion skills.

The Literary Life

The Art of Reading Frederick Seidel: Poetry Without Its Poet

by John Freeman
Print Only

A look at the work of reclusive poet Frederick Seidel.

Classifieds