Practical, Educational, Nicely Presented

There are a few magazines about writing serious writers need to read. "Poets & Writers" is one of them. It has a literary bent, but avoids the nose-in-the-air attitude. It is practical and educational, and is pleasingly presented.

A favorite factor for me are the long feature articles on the culture of writing. In the issue out now, there are two major articles. One is about author Stuart Dybek and his fiction that pulls from his experience growing up on Chicago's colorful South Side. The other is about writing contests, dealing with how ethical they are run, the view of literary judges, and when a writer should considering entering one.

The secondary articles are as informative and as useful, whether you want to learn about promoting your book, doing online workshops or understand the trends driving the industry.

Contests, incidentally, are a big part of PW's value. The magazine tells you who won, and which contests/grants are currently accepting submissions. PW is careful to screen which contests are listed, ensuring only legitimate ones make it through the editors.

The writing itself is interesting. It is not always true that writing magazines are fun to read. It should be, and in the case of PW, everything is engaging.

PW's design is clean. It looks like what a small press literary magazine should look like. The typography and layout are not pretentious or overbearing, but get the job done. It is never work to read this magazine.

I fully recommend "Poets & Writers." You will be better informed about writing and writers, just like the titles implies.

Anthony Trendl

Poets and Writers

I have been a writer for many years. This is one of the worst publications for the field there is. Not useful at all. Waste of time and money

By far the best writer's resource magazine

This magazine is a must have for professional poets.