Publications / 323 posts found
2022 April PAD Challenge: Day 7
So believe it or not, and for better or worse, we’ll be a full week finished with this challenge once we write today’s poem! Are you excited? If so, would you say you have an abundance of excitement? For today’s prompt, write an abundance poem. There can be an abundance of things, both good and bad. An abundance of sunshine, money, and chocolate. Or an abundance of rain, debt, and liverwurst. Today, I hope there will be an abundance of poeming! Remember: These prompts are springboards to creativity. Use them to expand your possibilities, not limit them. Note on commenting: […]
The Braided Essay: What It Is and Why I Used This Writing Structure for My Food Memoir
I’ve always been a passionate fan of the braided essay in creative nonfiction. In a braided essay, one can align three or more threads of focal ideas throughout the piece, each idea separated via space breaks, white space, or section breaks. I’ve usually used a memory-based/childhood or an event’s narration, or my own perspective of a personal incident and highlight a more universal topic or thread in the second braid. Sometimes a third braid is a researched topic that ties the above two together. Much like the mosaic essay, the threads appear disjointed, or out of place till a third […]
Madi Sinha: On Life Inspiring Fiction
Madi Sinha is a physician and the author of The White Coat Diaries. She lives in New Jersey with her family. You can find her at madisinha.com or on Twitter and Instagram. Madi Sinha Photo by Ashley Walsh Photography, 2019 In this post, Madi discusses how working through a pandemic as a medical professional inspired her new novel, At Least You Have Your Health, what she learned along the way, and more! Name: Madi SinhaLiterary agent: Jessica WattersonBook title: At Least You Have Your HealthPublisher: BerkleyRelease date: April 5, 2022Genre/category: General fiction/Women’s fictionPrevious titles: The White Coat DiariesElevator pitch for […]
2022 April PAD Challenge: Day 6
The April Poem-A-Day Challenge is the big daily poeming challenge each year, but it’s not the only one. We also do a poem-a-day challenge in November based around the concept of creating a chapbook manuscript of poems, and I just announced the winner of that challenge last night. Click here to learn the winner of the 2021 November Poem-A-Day Chapbook Challenge! For today’s prompt, take the phrase “(blank) in the (blank),” replace the blanks with a word or phrase, make the new phrase the title of your poem, and then, write your poem. Possible titles might include: “Poem in the […]
An Empty House
Photo by Kiwihug on Unsplash Ever since I moved into a new place last summer, I can’t stop thinking about how weird it was to see my old house totally emptied. This week, set your story in an empty house. Has it been abandoned? Is it being renovated? Does your character supposed to be there, or are they sneaking around? The choice is yours! Post your response (500 words or fewer) in the comments below.
2021 November PAD Chapbook Challenge: Results
Here we are. It’s time to reveal the results of the 2021 November PAD Chapbook Challenge. There were more than 80 entries this time around from all around the country and the world. I saw quite a few familiar names, but I also discovered some poets who were completely new to me. It was all a fun read, and it was incredibly difficult to make a decision once I got it down to the Top 10. In this post, I share the winning chapbook and poet, along with two finalists and seven honorable mentions. ***** Play with poetic forms! Poetic […]
2022 April PAD Challenge: Day 5
Here we go: The first Two-for-Tuesday prompt of the 2022 April Poem-A-Day Challenge! For first timers or those with short memories, I provide two prompts on Tuesdays, and poets get to decide whether to write one type of poem, the other type of poem, and/or tackle both simultaneously (or separately). Here are the Two-for-Tuesday prompts: Write a Make Sense poem, and/or… Write a Don’t Make Sense poem. Remember: These prompts are springboards to creativity. Use them to expand your possibilities, not limit them. Note on commenting: If you wish to comment on the site, go to Disqus to create a […]
Grant Ginder: On Following the Story That Wants To Be Told
Grant Ginder is the bestselling author of five novels, including The People We Hate at the Wedding and Honestly, We Meant Well. Originally from Southern California, Ginder received his MFA from NYU, where he teaches writing. He lives in Brooklyn with his husband Mac and dog Frankie. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram. Grant Ginder Photo by Peter Schottenfels In this post, Grant discusses the process of listening to his instincts in abandoning one idea for what would become his new novel, Let’s Not Do That Again, what he hopes to have achieved with the book, and more! Name: Grant […]
StreetLib Review: An Honest Look at One Global Book Distributor
If you’re a writer with a book ready and ready to share it with the world, looking into StreetLib is a great next step. Chances are you’re busy working on your book, the editing, marketing, and everything that being a writer entails. You may not feel like you have time right now to research self-publishing companies, figure out how it works, and whether or not you should use it. So, bonus, we’ve done the initial research so you don’t have to! In this StreetLib Review we cover: What is StreetLib? How does StreetLib work? Is StreetLib free? How much does […]
Simple Themes and Important Conversations About Representation (From Script)
In this week’s round up brought to us by Script magazine, an exclusive interview with actor turned screenwriter Neal McDonough, meet-up-and coming screenwriter Jordan Simon, read about why the 2021 musical film Annette didn’t hit the right notes in storytelling, and more! Where Genre Has No Limits: Spotlight on Screenwriter Jordan Simon Screenwriter Jordan Simon shares with Script his ambitions to shake up the industry as a Black sci-fi writer and overall creative, his love for storytelling in specific worlds and time periods, and more. Click to continue. Review of Annette—Just Because Something Is Happening Doesn’t Mean It’s Compelling Amazon […]