In this issue

In our annual Literary Agents Issue, authors share their successful query letters, writers discuss getting "the call" that could lead to representation, and four agents share what they read when they're not working; plus Destiny O. Birdsong's profile of poet and scholar Clint Smith, author of How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning With the History of Slavery Across America; our twenty-first annual roundup of the summer's best debut fiction; Kristen Radtke's loneliness project; savvy self-publishing tips; writing prompts; contest deadlines; and more.

How We REMEMBER

WITH HIS FIRST NONFICTION BOOK, HOW THE WORD IS PASSED, PUBLISHED IN JUNE BY LITTLE, BROWN, POET AND SCHOLAR CLINT SMITH DELVES INTO THE LEGACY OF SLAVERY ALIVE IN MONUMENTS AND LANDMARKS WITHIN AND BEYOND THE UNITED STATES, IN AN IMMERSIVE READ THAT EXQUISITELY DEPICTS HOW A NATION AND ITS INHABITANTS REMEMBER ITS HISTORY.

10+ mins

Things We Lost to the Water

Eric Nguyen whose debut novel, Things We Lost to the Water, was published in May by Knopf.

6 mins

Stone Fruit

Lee Lai introduced

6 mins

The Other Black Girl

Zakiya Dalila Harris introduced by Maurice Carlos Ruffin

7 mins

Read all stories from Poets & Writers Magazine

Poets & Writers Magazine Description:

For more than twenty years, Poets & Writers Magazine has been a trusted companion to writers who take their vocation seriously. Within its pages, our readers find provocative essays on the literary life, practical guidance for getting published and pursuing writing careers, in-depth profiles of poets, fiction writers, and writers of creative nonfiction, and conversation among fellow professionals.