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April 26, 2019Poet Ayaz Pirani on Oral Tradition, Literary Gatekeepers, and Writing Faithful Lines
Ayaz Pirani's work has been praised as "wise... surprising [and] sly" and his newest collection, Kabir’s Jacket Has a Thousand Pockets (Mawenzi House), builds on his characteristic insightful, elegant ...
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April 25, 2019What Agents Are Looking For: Interview with Marilyn Biderman
One afternoon, when I was feeling particularly angsty, I tweeted out to my followers, “How do BIPOC writers get agents?” I received some encouraging responses, as well as some that had me questioning ...
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April 18, 2019Brenda Leifso on the "Wonderful Odd Ordinariness" of Poetry & an Act of Kindness that Led Her to Writing
Brenda Leifso's lush new poetry collection Wild Madder (Brick Books) delves into the strange, long process of finding one's way. Leifso is unafraid to let the rawness of disorientation, loss of identity, ...
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March 29, 2019Edward Carson, Our Poetry Month 2019 writer-in-residence, Talks about the Power of Titles
April is National Poetry Month and we are so excited to celebrate all things poetry here at Open Book. And of course part of that celebration means finding a fantastic poet to come on board as our April ...
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March 25, 2019How to Secure a Literary Agent
With spring just around the corner (we hope), there’s a renewed sense of optimism in the air. Writers are slowly emerging from the depths of their hobbit holes, and some have manuscripts ready to be ...
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March 11, 2019Writing and illustrating children’s books: All the surprises
The process of writing, illustrating and publishing a children’s book can be filled with surprises—good and bad! For example, I’m always surprised by how much my heart explodes when a friend sends ...
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March 05, 2019An Interview with Ashley Obscura
“What place does the slow-moving technology of love have in our world?” Plainspoken but never simplistic, the writing of Ashley Obscura and her press, Metatron, is emblematic of many of the young ...
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February 21, 2019Smokii Sumac on Being Seen in Poetry, Why Endings Matter, and a New Spin on Love Letters
Smokii Sumac's you are enough: love poems for the end of the world (Kegedonce Press), a debut collection that breaks your heart, makes you laugh, and leaves you gutted all at once, began as a daily writing ...
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February 14, 2019"I am a Fighter" Nilofar Shidmehr on Writing Iranian Women's Stories in Her Powerful Collection Divided Loyalties
Nilofar Shidmehr is known for her powerful poetry collections, but her newest book sees her working in a different genre: short fiction. Her voice is just as arresting in the short stories of Divided ...
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February 04, 2019Poetry School: An invitation
Over the next month I invite you to join me at Poetry School. I will not be the teacher, but merely the messenger, a fellow student. Though the balance may one day shift, for me writing poetry is about ...
