A chapbook is a short (10–30 poems) collection of poems with a unifying principle, theme, question, or experience. A chapbook can be a site for a poet’s obsessions. It can be their calling card, connect them with others, grant them…
An investigative journalist by trade, I am a novelist and essayist by vocation. Today, I encourage you to use research to engage with the world. Don’t just sit at home, typing and scrolling. Google will not get you there. And…
The optimism of a new year is almost too sweet to ignore. The next few hundred days are full of possibilities, ranging from the positive and uplifting to the more sinister and grotesque. It is perhaps a fair assumption to…
If you’re reading this, chances are you’re at your computer or on your cell phone and you’re scrolling through what might be of interest as you wait for a bus to arrive or a delivery person to bring you some…
Natalie Baszile is the author of Queen Sugar, a breakout debut novel that follows the experiences of an African-American woman who unexpectedly inherits a sugarcane farm and relocates from Los Angeles to rural Louisiana. The book was named one of the…
Chavisa Woods writes like everything is on fire because it is. This year, she was awarded the Shirley Jackson Award, the Kathy Acker Award, and received her third nomination from LAMBDA for her story collection Things to Do When You’re…
As the saying goes: “Everyone’s a critic.” But bringing out your inner reviewer is a complex process. Writing a review is much more than just “criticizing.” In my upcoming class, Critical Thinking: Writing a Review, you’ll have the opportunity to…
Sometimes I feel the need to explain why so many of the readings I select for my classes are tinged with sadness. It’s what I’m drawn to as a reader, I say. I like stuff that is dark. As a…
Ada Limón is the author of five collections of poetry. The most well-known, Bright Dead Things (Milkweed Editions, 2015), was a finalist for the 2016 National Book Critics Circle Award among other prestigious nominations. Her newest collection, The Carrying, will be…
Elizabeth Bishop (1911-1979) was the consummate American poet of travel, writing and translating worldwide, and living for fifteen years in Brazil. Her “traveler takes a notebook, writes” about the mysteries of maps, the wonders of cultures and landscapes. In my…
It is often said that reading makes us better, kinder people. Many articles expound on how the act of reading benefits the mind and body by decreasing stress levels, teaching us about other people and cultures, and introducing us to…
Hinduism is an entire universe of gods, concepts, traditions, and philosophies. Just as you can practice any religion concurrently with being a Hindu, you don’t have to be a true believer to take advantage of Hinduism in your writing practice. Many of…
Charles Johnson’s exploration of the art of writing and storytelling has been extensive and ongoing. Starting out as an avid reader in his childhood and teen years (at one stage reading a book or three a week), Johnson gravitated to…
Interested in dipping your (electronic) pen into the screenwriting well? Not sure where to start, who to study, how to think about the form? In my class Screenwriting for Fiction Writers we’ll take up these matters and more, looking at…
A sanctuary away from home and the distractions of daily life with time to work on your craft: every writer’s dream. If a writer’s residency is in your plans this year, we’ve rounded up resources and words of advice from…
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