Dear Writer: Pep Talks & Practical Advice for the Creative Life

Name: Dear Writer: Pep Talks & Practical Advice for the Creative Life
Price: 28.99 USD
Availability: InStock
ISBN: 9781982170844

by Maggie Smith

$28.99

In stock

INSTANT NATIONAL BESTSELLER

New York Times bestselling author and poet Maggie Smith distills creativity and the craft of writing with a practical guide perfect for fans of Elizabeth Gilbert's Big Magic and Anne Lamott's Bird by Bird.

Drawing from her twenty years of teaching experience and her bestselling Substack newsletter, For Dear Life, Maggie Smith breaks down creativity into ten essential elements: attention, wonder, vision, play, surprise, vulnerability, restlessness, tenacity, connection, and hope. Each element is explored through short, inspiring, and craft-focused essays, followed by generative writing prompts. Dear Writer provides tools that artists of all experience levels can apply to their own creative practices and carry with them into all genres and all areas of life.

Publisher:: Washington Square Press
ISBN:: 9781982170844
Binding:: Hardcover
Pages:: 272
Authors:: Maggie Smith
Published Date:: 2025-04-01
Language:: English

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Recommended by a poet...

Is there a book on the craft of writing that you recommend to poets?

I love Dear Writer by Maggie Smith. She provides the mindset shifts necessary to become a successful writer while also offering practical advice poets can use to improve their work. Plus, it's Maggie Smith.

— Jillian Stacia, author of SET THE BONE

Read more from Jillian Stacia on our blog

Maggie Smith Poetry Craft and Writing

About Maggie Smith

Born in Columbus, Ohio, Maggie Smith wrote the poem "Good Bones," which went viral internationally in 2016 after its publication in Waxwing, the same month as the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando. Her collections include Good Bones (Tupelo Press, 2017) and Goldenrod (One Signal/Atria, 2021). Her memoir You Could Make This Place Beautiful (One Signal/Atria, 2023) was a New York Times bestseller. She has received a Pushcart Prize and fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Sustainable Arts Foundation. She earned her MFA from Ohio State University.

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