Customer Reviews

Poets & Writers Magazine

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Poets & Writers is a non-profit organization dedicated to issues of interest to both amateur and professional writers; this is the organization's magazine. Every issue features an in-depth interview with a writer, articles on subjects such as copyright law, writer's conferences, and book promotion, a list of grant/award/contest deadlines and winners, and the ever popular classifieds where writers can find listings for anthologies and calls for manuscripts. Even the ads scattered throughout are informative. Your subscription cost gives you membership in the organization, allowing you access to their services. Published writers are eligible to be listed in their directory.

If you are a fiction writer or poet, you will appreciate this magazine. Poets & Writers is an invaluable tool for beginners and established writers alike.

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
editor, HungarianBookstore.com

Certainly, it depends on what you're looking for- this periodical is thick and comes every two months. I felt that maybe too much of its thickness came from the large number of ads, mainly ads for writing retreats, seminars, or contests. I was interested in those things, but I was more interested in instruction/tips/exercises that would help me learn about writing, and this I felt was in somewhat short supply. So I didn't renew this, and instead subscribe to "The Writer," which comes monthly, includes lots of instruction/tips/exercises, as well as some ads and notices about opportunities for writers, but not as many as this publication. "Poets & Writers" does include some good interviews, bios, and reviews, but for my money, I favor "The Writer."

I've been a P&W subscriber and reader (even when not a subscriber) for years. I've also tried various other writers' magazines, such as The Writer and Writer's Digest. The latter two were fine when I was just beginning to dip into the freelance market, just beginning to look at publishers for first manuscripts, but when I gained more experience, I soon realized those just didn't make the cut anymore. The articles were too often repetitive and geared towards such elementary basics that I was no longer gaining new insights. P&W was the next step up.

P&W provides advice, inspiration, informative interviews, current resources for the more experienced and discriminating writer. The bimonthly issues include articles, detailed listings of markets, contests, grants, and helpful, relevant ads. For the price, this is the best magazine available today for the writer who has a portfolio already underway and keeping an ear to the ground for more, staying up to date with what's rumbling in the literary world. With its up-to-date information, I've been able to leave the others aside, including that old bible, Writer's Market, which was, unfortunately, obsolete the moment it was off the presses.

Highly recommended for the writer wanting more.

There's an inescapeable feeling when reading most writing
publications that you're about to be fleeced. There are ads
that offer instant publication, or expensive editorial and
design services. There is also a tone of phony upbeat optimism
about success in what is admittedly one of the most competitive
arenas in the world.

So Poets & Writers is a relief and a blessing. It offers realistic,
unfawning stories about the experience of real writers. It
also has listings of real prize competitions (not the phony
ones that are about collecting entry fees), winners of
competitions and notices of grants and awards.

Perhaps the best endorsement of all comes from my discarded
copies. I bring them to the magazine rack at my gym. As I
walk past the ranks of people doing their dutiful cardio,
I almost always see one copy being read.

Next to the magazine of the Author's Guild, there's no
better periodical for the committed writer.

--Lynn Hoffman, author of THE NEW SHORT COURSE IN WINE and
the forthcoming novel bang BANG from Kunati Books.ISBN 9781601640005

I only got the first issue, but it seems to be focused more on poets than other writers (hence the name). i dont enjoy poetry but i love writing fiction. They might do well to keep the two separate, especially the contests and events. It's an attractive format and very upscale, high quality literature reviews and advice. The stories are well written and enjoyable, although i think writers digest offers more for fiction writers.

I recommend this magazine for journeyman writers looking to go beyond the mechanics of getting words on paper, and into writing as business. This title spots trends, demystifies writing commerce, and seeks to connect writers to publishers and audiences. Its plain-English style and its forthrightness toward the business have made it a staple of college writing classes, as young writers struggle to make the leap from "writing students" to "writers."

Magazines like Writer's Digest focus on the nitty-gritty craft of writing. This one assumes you already know elements like plot, meter, dialog, and other creative components. You will find few if any articles and guides in here on how to write. This one is about how to get into the rough-and-tumble. Its thoroughgoing guides to emerging markets, agents, and open submission deadlines open doors into writing as a competitive business.

You need to know, in advance, what you need from a writing magazine before subscribing to any of them. Do not race for this one if you don't yet have anyone asking when you'll publish. But if you're on the cusp of becoming a working writer, and need that last bit of guidance to leap into that next part of your career, here's the guide you've need and waited for.

Writers are usually on the lookout for information. They want to know how to succeed at the business of writing. They want to know how to promote themselves. They want tips and advice for success. Most turn to the world wide web for this, similar information but there are still a few traidtional avenues for writing advice, and one of them is magazines. Among magazines for writers, Poets & Writers Magazine is one of the better choices available. It brings the world of writing to your fingertips every two months with helpful articles about writing style, publication challenges, etc., along with interviews from established writers who are ready to share their secrets.

Poets & Writers Magazine concentrates a large percentage of its articles and advice on the world of poetry, so it makes a valuable resource for those who specialize in writing poems and want to expand on their talents. It also emphasizes fictional writing and each issue can be counted on for at least one interview with a famous or semi- famous fiction writer/poet. These writers are ready to share their successes and challenges with the reader and many will find these articles personable and inspiring.

With the emphasis on fiction, some people might come away from Poets & Writers Magazine with a feeling of disappointment. I am one of those people who read and write nothing but non- fiction, so I was a little disappointed when I discovered that Poets & Writers contained so little material for non- fiction writers. However, I can still see the value of this magazine for all writers. Going back to the articles about specific writers, for example, one can quickly read about their struggles, successes, failures, etc. and relate them to any type of writing. And while there are not as many tips and advice columns as there are in other writing publications, there are still a few and they are pretty good, even if usually very general and obvious.

Poets & Writers Magazine contains plenty of advertisements. The ads focus on writing conferences, publishers, university degree programs, writing workshops, writing retreats, and other events. Some might argue that the pages contain too many advertisements, but since writers who read writing magazines are usually looking for ways to promote themselves, improve their education level, and perfect their art, it makes sense that advertisements are such an important part of the magazine. I know some people who grab a copy of Poets & writers magazine solely for the advertisements, so I cannot necessarily say this is a con. Unusual is the writer who doesn't want to grow and expand his/her craft through promotion and education so it makes sense that advertising is so prevalent in this type of magazine.

Poets & Writers Magazine is a useful publication for writers- particularly those who write poetry and general fiction. The magazine is published entirely in black and white, except for the cover photo and some of the advertisements, and it offers a good deal of length per issue for your reading enjoyment. It is a magazien about writing culture as well as writing education and promotion and while it would be nice if it included more information for non- fiction writers, it still has many good things to offer and it makes a great gift choice for the aspiring poet and/or fictional author.

I love this magazine and have subscribed to it for many years now. The featured interview is generally with an author that I know (and admire), but I am also introduced to lesser-known writers in each issue. I also enjoy the interviews with agents/publishers. After reading each issue I feel smarter...how many magazines can you honestly say that about?

I'm an international student who strongly intends to study creative writing and comparative literature. I have subscribed Poets&Writers for almost a year now. But I'm not sure I will renew. Of course, I found it very useful source to learn about writers and poets' perspectives and so on. The magazine opens up my world. Even though, i have been looking for a place to study creative writing.Definitely the magazine variously advertises many interesting schools but somehow I found it's kind of distraction, especially half of pages fulfilled with ads along with stories they provide.