Our annual Writers Retreats Issue features twenty-two of the most inspiring retreats in the country; a profile of Marlon James on the release of his new epic fantasy novel, Black Leopard, Red Wolf; an interview with Valeria Luiselli about her new novel, Lost Children Archive; a conversation with poet Ilya Kaminsky about his new collection, Deaf Republic; the second installment of How to Get Paid; Reviewers & Critics; the art of translation; writing prompts; and more.
March/April 2019
Features
Angles of Experience: An Interview With Valeria Luiselli
In all of her writing, including five books, most recently the novel Lost Children Archive,Valeria Luiselli grapples with enormous questions about immigration, incarceration, and the invented spaces of language and identity.
Shape-Shifter: A Profile of Marlon James
The Man Booker Prize-winning novelist whose new book, Black Leopard, Red Wolf, is the first title of an epic fantasy trilogy, sits down with Kima Jones for a conversation about the freedom of genre-defying fiction.
Still Dancing: An Interview With Ilya Kaminsky
Fifteen years in the making, Ilya Kaminsky’s Deaf Republic is a dramatic masterwork, a parable-in-poems that confronts the darkness of war and terror with the blazing light of “a poet in love with the world.”
Special Section
Twenty-Two of the Most Inspiring Writers Retreats in the Country
Twenty-two writers, including Alexander Chee and Rebecca Makkai, offer their personal take on the best retreats for productivity, motivation, networking, and more.
Top Ten Retreats for Emerging Writers
Ten of the best retreats, workshop programs, conferences, and festivals for emerging writers across the country.
News and Trends
Sewanee Celebrates Thirty Years
The annual twelve-day conference at the University of the South, featuring workshops, craft lectures, and a historic community of writers, turns thirty.
The Center for Fiction’s New Home
The Center for Fiction relocates to Brooklyn, New York, with plans to expand its membership, events, educational offerings, and resources for fiction writers.
The Anthologist: A Compendium of Uncommon Collections
A round-up of four new anthologies, including A People’s Future of the United States: Speculative Fiction From 25 Extraordinary Writers edited by Victor LaValle.
The Written Image: Mira Jacob’s Good Talk
A graphic memoirist explores issues of race, identity, family, and America through conversations with her six-year-old son.
Q&A: MacDowell’s Young Set to Retire
After twenty-two years as the executive director of the MacDowell Colony, Cheryl A. Young discusses the future of the prestigious residency program.
Small Press Points: BOAAT Press
Founded in 2014 by Sean Shearer, BOAAT Press publishes both traditional books and handmade chapbooks of poetry by emerging writers.
Literary MagNet: John Sibley Williams
A poet discusses five journals that published poems from his third collection, As One Fire Consumes Another.
Page One: Where New and Noteworthy Books Begin
The first lines of a dozen noteworthy books, including Casting Deep Shade by C. D. Wright and The White Card: A Play by Claudia Rankine.
For Poetry Daily, a New Era Begins
Twenty years after its founding, online anthology Poetry Daily expands its editorial vision through a new partnership with George Mason University.
The Practical Writer
Reviewers & Critics: Maureen Corrigan of NPR’s Fresh Air
In this continuing series, a book critic discusses the unique challenges of reviewing for radio and how she picks the books that make it on the air.
How to Get Paid: Literary Nonprofits
The second installment in a yearlong series about making a living as a writer explores the benefits of working at a literary nonprofit.
The Literary Life
The Time Is Now: Writing Prompts and Exercises
Write a poem that flows like a river, consider food in your fiction, or create a catalogue of objects in an essay—three prompts to get you started.
The Art of Translation: Many Englishes, Many Chineses
A translator examines the many shapes a language can take, and how cultural influence and interpretation can affect the translation process.