Poets & Writers

Literary MagNet

“A micro-memoir combines the extreme abbreviation of poetry with the narrative tension of fiction and the truth telling of creative nonfiction,” says Beth Ann Fennelly, whose new book, (Norton, October), does just that. Varying in length from a single sentence to several pages, the essays in her book are told with wry self-awareness and compassion; each piece illuminates how the manners and minutiae of everyday life, from making small talk on an airplane to fixing an air conditioner, are underpinned by deep-rooted human needs and beliefs. The author of three poetry collections, a previous book of nonfiction, and a novel she coauthored with her husband,

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from Poets & Writers

Poets & Writers4 min read
Prize Judged by Incarcerated Readers
Reginald Dwayne Betts didn’t consider himself a reader until he was sent to solitary confinement for the first time. Betts, then a teenager serving an eight-year prison sentence for carjacking, was surprised by what he saw: a world centered in many w
Poets & Writers2 min read
EDITOR’S Note
WHEN I WAS TEN YEARS OLD I LEARNED A HARD LESSON ABOUT trust—and the value of hard work and the power of humility, but mostly trust—that has endured over the years, solidifying into a kind of fence post in the center of my mind that I’ve held on to d
Poets & Writers3 min read
The Time Is Now
Suggested Reading: Truth Is the Arrow, Mercy Is the Bow: A DIY Manual for the Construction of Stories (Zando, April 2024) by Steve Almond Three decades of writing and teaching culminate in this new craft book by Steve Almond, the author of a dozen bo

Related