Are you submitting to writing contests? Let us help. Each Tuesday, our member-exclusive Grants & Awards: The Writing Contest Newsletter brings the latest deadlines, advice from recent winners and judges, contest tips, and more to your inbox. Learn more and become a member today: at.pw.org/membership

Looking for poetry collections to curl up to while staying warm this winter? Visit our latest #PageOne installment and read the opening lines of Indifferent Cities by Ángel García, The Palace by Andrés Cerpa, and The Near and Distant World by Bianca Stone. More: at.pw.org/PageOne2026x1

#PoetryPrompt: Choose a moment in entertainment that has stuck in your mind and write an essay that praises and traces your connection to its legacy. #FromTheArchive: at.pw.org/InPraise

#ClipOfTheDay: In this 2024 LanguageBack Retreat Reading hosted by Indigenous Nations Poets, Kalehua Kim, author of Mele (Trio House Press), reads her poem “Mystique.” at.pw.org/Mystique

The Time Is Now to spark your writing! This week we recommend a classic book on the history of memoir writing by Ben Yagoda, and #PWWritingPrompts on beloveds, breakups, and biographical myths. Read more: at.pw.org/TTIN

“One of the greatest gifts the horror genre offered me…was a sense of permission.” Victor LaValle shares literary lessons learned from the horror genre for all writers to keep in mind. “If you can dream it and describe it, horror will find a place to fit you in.” at.pw.org/ConjureTheStrange

Scams against writers have been popping up again, including some claiming to be Poets & Writers. These scams remain a threat and we urge the literary community to be vigilant to avoid falling prey. Read some of our tips to help identify the scams: at.pw.org/scams

In our new issue, Renee Emerson recommends a three-day writing detox to confidently stay accountable to your 2026 writing goals. wShe details how to cleanse your writing past, how to rejuvenate your writing present, and how to focus on your writing future. Learn more: at.pw.org/WritingDetox

Looking for poetry collections to curl up to while staying warm this winter? Visit our latest #PageOne installment and read the opening lines of Indifferent Cities by Ángel García, The Palace by Andrés Cerpa, and The Near and Distant World by Bianca Stone. More: at.pw.org/PageOne2026x1

#ClipOfTheDay: In this Virtual Craft Chat event hosted by Poet Lore and the Writer’s Center, Ally Ang reads from their debut collection, Let the Moon Wobble, and talks about how formal challenges and constraints can inspire new poems in a conversation with Emily Holland. at.pw.org/Ang

What can all writers glean from science fiction? “In science fiction, newness is generally of technological, social, or alien origin, and its appearance in the story world sets the stage for the tale to come…” Matt Bell tackles brave new metaphors for our Inspiration Issue. at.pw.org/BraveMetaphors

“At its most rewarding, writing and art more broadly involve other humans engaging creatively with your work, and to outsource the other part of that equation to a machine is a betrayal of the creative contract.” Agent Emma Dries of Triangle House calls on writers to resist AI: at.pw.org/AERDries

The personal essay is a shape-shifting form: visually flexible, emotionally resonant, and endlessly adaptable in length and style. This hands-on course led by author Niloufar Talebi makes memoir writing approachable. This class sells out quickly! Register now for an early-bird discount: at.pw.org/mm

As writers we can sometimes forget just how expansive our visions and how varied our literary tools might be. To help, we’ve sourced inspiration from the wide literary landscape to gather lessons from various genres that can apply to any and all works. Delve in: at.pw.org/ThrillingAndWild

“If someone else could do it better, don’t write it.” In today's #TenQuestions, Anne Fadiman shares a look at the writing process for her new essay collection, Frog: And Other Essays, out now from @fsgbooks.bsky.social. Plus, the best writing advice she's ever received. Read more: at.pw.org/fadiman

#ClipOfTheDay: In this Gays Reading podcast interview with host Jason Blitman, Gabriel Tallent speaks about perseverance and what inspired his second novel, Crux (Riverhead Books). “I think people get good [at writing] through sheer guts.” at.pw.org/Tallent

“That day of ‘solitude’ taught me that…I can also put [my laptop] down, engage with my notebooks, sketch out my plots in colored pencil…and end the day feeling like I was fully productive.” Read @laurenharkawik.bsky.social's writing experience without the pull of technology: at.pw.org/ComputerFree

Preview the first lines—and listen to readings!—from our latest #PageOne books: The Flower Bearers (Random House) by Rachel Eliza Griffiths, The Age of Calamities (Henry Holt) by Senaa Ahmad, E (Nightboat Books) by Noa Micaela Fields, and more. Enjoy: at.pw.org/PageOne2026x1

Calling all writers from Connecticut 🎉 Poets and fiction writers from Connecticut are invited to apply by March 1 for the 2026 Maureen Egen Writers Exchange Award. This prestigious award aims to provide writers a network for professional advancement. Learn more and apply by March 1: at.pw.org/wex26

#PWPoetryPrompt: Write a poem that uses commas as its only punctuation. How can commas create a steady rhythm in a poem? #FromTheArchive: at.pw.org/Commas

#ClipOfTheDay: In this LIVE From NYPL event, director Clint Bentley screens clips from his latest film, Train Dreams, and discusses the timeliness of its release. The film is an adaptation of the 2011 novella of the same name by Denis Johnson. at.pw.org/TrainDreams

The Time Is Now to spark your writing! This week we recommend a craft book on poetry written in verse by Lucy Newlyn, and #PWWritingPrompts on rhyming couplets, long journeys, and letters. Read more: at.pw.org/TTIN

If working on your creative nonfiction manuscript is one of your New Year's resolutions, we've got you. Take a deep dive into querying, submitting, and perfecting your pitch with this online workshop led by @alissonwood.bsky.social. Grab a seat before early-bird discounts end! at.pw.org/cnfproposal

Have you been looking for a writing community of your own? There are hundreds of writers on Poets & Writers Groups, like Estella and Mike, who are ready to connect with disciplined writers. Become a member, create your writer profile, and find your community today: groups.pw.org

Multi-genre writer Benjamin Percy encourages us to defamiliarize our writing process and stay limber: “Here’s an exercise. Write your novel as a song. Here’s an exercise. If you could transform your short story into a painting, what would it look like?” at.pw.org/DareToDefamiliarize

“I’d like to form new empathies. I’d like to challenge who ‘we’ are, who gets to be included in our ‘us.’ I want to live in a world of radical companionship, nonhuman narratives, multispecies storytelling.” Debut poet John Liles on the philosophy and ethos behind his writing: at.pw.org/JohnLiles

#ClipOfTheDay: In this 1997 interview for the Poet to Poet series, X. J. Kennedy reads a selection of his poems, including “Nude Descending a Staircase,” and talks about his start as a writer with host Robert Dunn. Kennedy died at the age of ninety-six on February 1. at.pw.org/XJKennedy

ICYMI: Our free Small Presses database provides contact information, submission guidelines, and representative authors for over 250 presses vetted by our editorial team—everything you need to determine which publishers match your vision for your writing. Browse now: at.pw.org/smallpress

“Surely, I think, if someone can write or play the ‘Hammerklavier,’ I should be able to describe a peach,” writes @agri.bsky.social, author of Hyper (@coffeehousepress.bsky.social). Enjoy more: at.pw.org/WRIsmaïl

Are you a creative nonfiction writer who's ready to start your publishing journey? Talk to agents and editors directly at our next edition of Mapping the Maze for fiction writers, taking place Feb 23 & 25. Learn more and register now for an early-bird discount—while space remains! at.pw.org/cnf26

Brenda Wineapple speaks to the power of time in historical fiction, as well as the genre’s ability to teach us how to seek the unknown in the familiar. “Historical fiction is alive, vibrating with a past that is in the present, part of the world, part of character, part of us.” at.pw.org/TheUnknown

"Look around, have courage, and learn to say yes to things you are unfamiliar with from time to time. So much of writing means observing the world." April Reynolds shares an inside look at her new novel, The Shape of Dreams, out now from @aaknopf.bsky.social. More: at.pw.org/reynolds

Based in Cuba, Ediciones Vigía has transformed over forty years from an informal gathering of creatives into an artisan press and publishing workshop. Their books are crafted by hand, incorporating recycled or repurposed materials, and inviting slower, tactile engagement. at.pw.org/EdicionesVigía

#ClipOfTheDay: In this video, Rachel Eliza Griffiths talks about grief, poetry, vulnerability, and writing her first memoir, The Flower Bearers (Random House), for an episode of Poured Over: The Barnes & Noble Podcast with host Miwa Messer. at.pw.org/GriffithsFlowerBearers

“No, you aren’t imagining things—Americans are, in fact, reading less than they used to,” begins Michael Bourne’s article for our new issue. A recent study has found a 43 percent drop in the number of Americans who report reading for pleasure daily over the last 20 years. at.pw.org/DeclineInReading

Calling all New York State Writers! The Readings & Workshops Grants application period is open. These grants pays fees to writers who participate in public readings or teach creative workshops in diverse community settings throughout New York State. Learn more and apply by March 1: at.pw.org/rwfunds

In our new issue, Renee Emerson recommends a three-day writing detox to start your new year with confidence. She details how to cleanse your writing past, how to rejuvenate your writing present, and how to focus on your writing future. Learn more: at.pw.org/WritingDetox

“Decades! I’d say a large portion of the book was written over the past five or six years, but more than a few of them are older than my children. My oldest turns twenty-five this year.” Debut poet and author of Mele, Kalehua Kim, on the time spent writing her book. Read on: at.pw.org/KalehuaKim

#PWFictionPrompt: Write a short story that takes place in a setting where a surprising and perhaps inexplicable phenomenon exists year after year. #FromTheArchive: at.pw.org/FishRain

#ClipOfTheDay: Watch the trailer for the new film adaptation of Emily Brontë’s 1847 novel Wuthering Heights, directed and written by Emerald Fennell. The film, which stars Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi, opens in theaters on Valentine’s Day weekend. at.pw.org/WutheringHeights

The Time Is Now to spark your writing! This week we recommend a classic anthology of interviews with renowned authors edited by Mark Yakich and John Biguenet, and #PWWritingPrompts on nostalgic objects, fears, and memorable ads. Read more: at.pw.org/TTIN

Here is an opportunity to bid on wonderful books and zines, guidance and services from publishing professionals, and more—while supporting Minnesotans. Act fast—bidding ends today! www.32auctions.com/publishingfo...

“He heard her crunching through the sand and then she dropped into the wash and came swaggering toward him in cutoffs, baggy white muscle shirt, and chuck taylors, carrying climbing shoes….” Find out which of our twelve noteworthy #PageOne books has this as its opening line: at.pw.org/PageOne2026x1

"The instructors' insights, advice, and personal accounts of working with publishers left me with an understanding of editors' and agents'...priorities that I could not have acquired on my own.” Check out our four-session workshop, Mapping the Maze, for creative nonfiction writers! at.pw.org/cnf26

#ICYMI: Watch Poets & Writers Magazine features editor India Lena González host this two-part event celebrating the ten debut poets featured in “New Ways of Seeing: Our Twenty-First Annual Look at Debut Poets” from our January/February 2026 issue. #ClipOfTheDay: at.pw.org/DebutPoets2026Reading

Half Mystic Press publishes two books and one journal annually that engage with music. In defining what music is to them, the editors write, “…we mean luminescence and chaos, pulsing loneliness, ordinary madness, thunder on loop, violent quietude, stuttering wonder.” More: at.pw.org/HalfMysticPress

“When you think your manuscript or proposal is ready to query, first, congratulate yourself! Then put the material away and don’t look at it for a few weeks.” Agent Sian-Ashleigh Edwards of WME shares a best bet for a great last revision: Reading with fresh eyes. at.pw.org/AER_Edwards

“When I left for graduate school my father looked at me and said, ‘Don’t forget—you from someplace.’” Debut poet, and author of A Love Tap, Bernardo Wade shares how his hometown of New Orleans influences his writing. “I try to live up to such high standards for creating.” at.pw.org/BernardoWade

"In order to do justice to the original idea of the novel and the writer who had begun it, I had to linger...." Alice Evelyn Yang takes us behind the scenes into the writing process for her debut novel, A Beast Slinks Towards Beijing, out now from @wmmorrowbooks.bsky.social: at.pw.org/10qyang

#ClipOfTheDay: In this Books Are Magic event, Andrés Cerpa reads from his third collection, The Palace (Alice James Books), and talks about the importance of myth in poetry in a conversation with Iain Haley Pollock. at.pw.org/Cerpa