To Create and Connect III: Links for Writers
Revised 2025 Edition
To Create and Connect III: Links for Writers
Last updated: July 2, 2025
During a fellowship years ago, I was asked to develop a literary/publishing resource list for writers. I enjoyed discovering new links and updated the list annually for several years. In June 2024, I brought the list to Substack, and in July 2025, I’ve fully updated it with 75+ additional resources for writers, including new Substacks, podcasts, classes, conferences, and more. So here for your reading/researching pleasure is To Create and Connect III! Below you’ll find links to:
1. Publishing venues
2. Mags, sites, and Substacks about writing
3. Book review and writer interview publications
4. Craft books
5. Podcasts
6. Reading series, talks, video libraries
7. Communities (centers / conferences / orgs / groups / residencies)
8. Prize-winning literature and anthologies
9. Literary agent info
1. A few helpful sites to get your work published in literary magazines and more:
Chill Subs (Full-service option is $5/mo)
Duotrope (Full-service option is $5/mo)
Erika Dreifus — Where to Publish Your Work
Erika Krouse’s 500-ish Lit Mags for Short Fiction (Also: submission strategies and a shorter CNF list)
Erika Verrillo’s Calls for Submissions + Newsletter
Every Writer’s Resource — Literary Magazines A to Z
Garstang 2025 Rankings by Clifford Garstang (fiction, nonfiction, and poetry, updated annually)
New Pages (Lit Mag Database, Calls for Submissions)
Poetry Society of America Resources
Poets & Writers Literary Magazines Database (Can filter by genre, as well as BIPOC and LGBTQ+ voices)
Submittable (Sign up, then view calls for submissions in Discover)
2. Some magazines, websites, and Substacks on writing and being a writer:
52 Curate by Imani Perry
The 7AM Novelist by Michelle Hoover
The Art of Flash Fiction by Kathy Fish
Attention Economy by Leigh Stein
The Audacity by Roxane Gay
Before and After the Book Deal by Courtney Maum
Book Publishing Brick by Brick by Jeffrey Yamaguchi
Counter Craft by Lincoln Michel
CRAFT TALK by Jami Attenberg
FIGHT WEEK by Laura van den Berg
For Dear Life with Maggie Smith
The Forever Workshop by Chill Subs
Gotham Writers Writer’s Toolbox
“It’s Ottessa, bitch” by Ottessa Moshfegh
Jane Friedman Blog, Electric Speed + The Bottom Line
Kirkus Reviews Writers’ Center Writing Resources
Literary Hub (includes: Craft and Advice)
Lit Mag News by Becky Tuch
Memoir Land by Sari Botton
No Failure, Only Practice by Matt Bell
No Soul, No Dark Nights by Dean Bakopoulos
Poets & Writers Magazine (includes: P&W Craft Capsules)
The Practicing Writer 2.0 by Erika Dreifus
The Querent by Alexander Chee
Reasons for Living by Esmé Weijun Wang
The Rehearsal by Lauren Grodstein
Sitting in Silence by Maurice Carlos Ruffin
Story Club by George Saunders
Sub Club by Chill Subs
SubMak by Rebecca Makkai
Sweater Weather by Brandon Taylor
To a Green Thought by Garth Greenwell
Werk-in-Progress by Saeed Jones
Writing, Wandering, Wondering by Deesha Philyaw
Find more Substacks: Substack Leaderboard + Reletter
3. Mags/sites with book reviews and writer interviews (a very small sampling):
Indie Next List + ABA’s Bookselling This Week
The New Yorker — Book Reviews, This Week in Fiction
The New York Times Book Review
Poetry Daily Book Features + What Sparks Poetry
Poets & Writers Book Review Outlets Database
TikTok #BookTok (get the app to drill deeper and find creators/books to your taste)
Also see: Lit Hub’s book review aggregator Book Marks, a list of the Top 50 Book Blogs by Detailed, and BookTok 101 with Leigh Stein on Sarah’s Bookshelves
4. Notable books on craft and writing:
Published 2018-24:
1000 Words by Jami Attenberg (2024)
The Anti-Racist Writers Workshop by Felicia Rose Chavez (2021)
The Art of Revision by Peter Ho Davies (2021)
Before and After the Book Deal by Courtney Maum (2020)
Betwixt and Between by Jenny Boully (2018)
Body Work by Melissa Fesbos (2022)
The Book of Alchemy by Suleika Jaouad (2025)
Craft and Conscience by Kavita Das (2022)
Craft in the Real World by Matthew Salesses (2021)
Dear Writer by Maggie Smith (2025)
How to Write an Autobiographical Novel by Alexander Chee (2018)
How We Do It by Jericho Brown and Darlene Taylor (2023)
A Long Game by Elizabeth McCracken (2025)
Meander, Spiral, Explode by Jane Alison (2019)
Radical Poetics by Khadijah Queen (2025)
A Stranger’s Journey by David Mura (2018)
A Swim in a Pond in the Rain by George Saunders (2021)
Truth is the Arrow, Mercy is the Bow by Steve Almond (2024)
Voice First: A Writer’s Manifesto by Sonya Huber (2022)
Write Through It by Kate McKean (2025)
Writing as a Way of Life by Brian Morton (2025)
Published before 2018 (a very small sampling):
A Poetry Handbook by Mary Oliver (1994)
Always Apprentices, edited by Vendela Vida, Sheila Heti, Ross Simonini (2013)
The Art of Memoir by Mary Karr (2016)
The Art of the Novel by Milan Kundera (1986)
The Art of… series by Graywolf Press (2007+)
The Believer Book of Writers Talking to Writers, edited by Vendela Vida (2005)
Bringing the Devil to His Knees, edited by Charles Baxter and Peter Turchi (2001)
Burning Down the House by Charles Baxter (2008)
The Coin of the Realm by Carl Phillips (2004)
The Cracks Between What We Are and What We Are Supposed to Be by Harryette Mullen (2012)
Crafting the Personal Essay by Dinty W. Moore (2010)
Create Dangerously by Edwidge Danticat (2011)
The Hidden Machinery by Margot Livesey (2017)
How Dare We! Write by Sherry Quan Lee (2017)
How to Be A Travel Writer by Don George (2017)
The Kite and the String by Alice Mattison (2017)
Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke (1929)
Naming the World, edited by Bret Anthony Johnston (2008)
Playing in the Dark by Toni Morrison (1993)
Reading Like a Writer by Francine Prose (2007)
The Sounds of Poetry by Robert Pinsky (1999)
Writers Notebook I: Craft Essays from Tin House (2009)
Writers Notebook II: Craft Essays from Tin House (2012)
Writing Life Stories by Bill Roorbach (2008)
Craft book recommendation roundups: Best Books for Writers database by Poets & Writers, Books on Craft by Kiana Shaley via Sims Library of Poetry, BIPOC Writers on the Craft of Writing (Listopia) by Tameca L Coleman (Meca'Ayo) on Goodreads, Narrative Magazine’s Books on Writing List
5. Writerly podcasts:
The 7am Novelist with Michelle Hoover
AAWW Radio (archived, 2017-21)
A Phone Call from Paul with Paul Holdengräber (archived, 2015-20)
The Artist’s Statement with Davin Malasarn
Between the Covers with David Naimon
The Black Writer’s Studio with Dr. Khadijah Ali-Coleman (archived, 2021-24)
Bookends with Mattea Roach
Cabana Chats Podcast with Catherine LaSota (archived, 2021-23)
The Common Magazine with Emily Everett
Fall For the Book with Kara Oakleaf and Suzy Rigdon
Feed The Art with Catherine LaSota
First Edition with Jeff O’Neal (plus 13 other Book Riot podcasts, some archived)
Granta Podcast with Josie Mitchell
LARB Radio Hour with Eric Newman, Medaya Ocher, + Kate Wolf
Letter to a Stranger (archived, 2016-19)
Literary Arts — The Archive Project
Literary Friction with Octavia Bright + Carrie Plitt (archived, 2013-23)
LitFriends with Annie Liontas + Lito Velázquez
LitHub Radio (19 podcasts and counting, including Awakeners, fiction/non/fiction, + First Draft: A Dialogue on Writing with Mitzi Rapkin)
London Writers’ Salon Podcast with Parul Bavishi + Matt Trinetti
The Maris Review with Maris Kreizman (archived, 2018-23)
Minorities in Publishing Podcast with Jennifer Baker
The New Yorker: Fiction Podcast, Poetry Podcast, The Writer’s Voice
Otherppl with Brad Listi
Reckon True Stories with Deesha Philyaw + Kiese Laymon
The Shakespeare & Company Interview Podcast with Adam Biles
Short Story Today with Jon DiSavino
The Slowdown with Major Jackson (previous hosts: Ada Limón + Tracy K. Smith)
This Mama is Lit! with Amanda Fields, Eva Langston + Holly Rizzuto Palker
T K with James Scott (archived, 2015-2022)
Ursa Short Fiction with Deesha Philyaw + Dawnie Walton
VS Podcast with Ajanaé Dawkins and Brittany Rogers
Writer Mother Monster with Lara Ehrlich
Writers & Company CBC Podcast with Eleanor Wachtel (30+ years archived)
Writers on Writing with Barbara DeMarco-Barrett and Marie Stone
Writing Stories with Brianna Avenia-Tapper
Podcast roundup lists from: Electric Literature/Laura Schmitt, Penguin/Matt Blake, Podcast Review/Alice Florence Orr (writing + books), The Write Life/Brianna Bell
6. Live reading series, talks, and videos:
American Library in Paris video gallery
A Mighty Blaze FB + on YouTube
Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference — Readings + Lectures (audio + video selections from 1997-2020, plus a large digital archive from 1973-2011)
Brooklyn Book Festival Video Archive
Center for Fiction (events, browse videos, YouTube)
Literary Death Match live with Adrian Todd Zuniga in the US, UK, Australia, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Iceland, Ireland, Mexico, The Netherlands, Norway, Romania, Scotland, Sweden… (see intro Sizzle Reel)
Martha’s Vineyard Book Festival + Author Series / Video Gallery
The Moth (live in the US, UK, Australia, + Global Community Program)
Poets & Writers — Literary Events Calendar (enter your city in search bar)
UIowa International Writing Program Media Archive
Warren Wilson MFA Program for Writers Residency Craft Lectures (selected video replays $5 each)
Writers Bloc Presents / YouTube
Libraries and bookstores offer a bounty of readings and author events in-person and online. Literary Boston by Jessica A. Kent and Massachusetts Center for the Book keep faithful track of events for writers and readers in Boston and surrounding towns. Massachusetts Center for the Book does the same for the state. Book Signing Central shares authors on tour, searchable by genre and state. (Do you have a great lit event aggregator in your area? Please share in comments.)
7. Writing communities:
CENTERS
A small sampling of centers offering classes and community, in-person and online:
Blue Stoop — Philadelphia + online
The Center for Black Literature — Brooklyn + online
Center for Fiction — Brooklyn + online
Community of Writers — Olympic Valley, CA + online
Book Passage — San Francisco + online
Fine Arts Work Center — Provincetown, MA + online
Granta Writers’ Workshop — online
GrubStreet Writers — Boston + online
Kenyon Review Summer Online + Winter Online (for summer in-person workshops in Gambier, OH, see: Conferences + Workshops)
Lighthouse Writers — Denver + online
Literary Arts — Portland, OR + online
The Loft — Minneapolis + online
Madison Writers’ Studio — Madison, WI + online
MFA For All by American Short Fiction — online
One Story — online (for summer in-person workshop in NYC, see: Conferences + Workshops)
Pioneer Valley Writers’ Workshop — Northampton, MA + online
Sackett Street Writers — NYC + online
South Carolina Writers Association — local chapters in SC + online
Story Studio Chicago — Chicago + online
Straw Dog Writers Guild — Northampton, MA + online
Tin House — online (for summer workshop in Portland, OR, see: Conferences + Workshops)
Two Sylvias Weekly Muse — online
The Work Room at The Shipman Agency — online
Writers & Books — Rochester, NY + online
Writing By Writers — online (for annual in-person workshops, see: Conferences + Workshops)
The Writer’s Center — Bethesda, MD + online
The Writers Studio — Croton-on-Hudson, NYC, San Francisco, Tucson + online
WritingWorkshops.com – online (for annual in-person international workshops, see: Conferences + Workshops)
A few individuals offering classes and community online:
Anjali Mitter Duva/Henriette Lazaridis Galiot Press
Courtney Maum (courses, Turning Points Retreat)
Sharla Yates/Allison K. Williams-Curated Craft Talks
CONFERENCES + WORKSHOPS
A very small sampling of seasonal conferences and workshops (mostly U.S.-based and all in English)
AWP Conference (location changes yearly)
Bard College Institute for Writing and Thinking April Conference — Annandale-on-Hudson, NY + online
Barrelhouse Conversations & Connections (various locations, including DC and Philadelphia)
Book Passage Travel Writers Conference — San Francisco
Bread Loaf Writers’ Conferences — Middlebury, VT
Community of Writers Summer Workshops — Olympic Valley, CA
Disquiet Literary Program — Lisbon, Portugal
Iceland Writers Retreat — Reykjavik, Iceland
International Black Writers Festival — Washington, D.C.
Juniper Writing Institute — Amherst, MA
Kenyon Review Summer Residential Workshops — Gambier, OH
Key West Literary Seminar Writers’ Workshops
Lamda Literary Writers Retreat for Emerging LGBTQ Voices — Philadelphia
Lighthouse Lit Fest — Denver, CO
Los Angeles Times Festival of Books — LA
Napa Valley Writers’ Conference — Napa, CA
The National Black Writers Conference + Biennial Symposium — Brooklyn
National Book Festival — Washington, D.C. + online
The Muse & the Marketplace — Boston (on hiatus in 2025, replaced by Manuscript Mart — online)
One Story Summer Conference — NYC
Oxford Conference for the Book — Oxford, MS
Paris Writing Workshops — Paris, France
PREE Writing Studio — Kingston, Jamaica
Sewanee Writers’ Conference — Sewanee, TN
Sirenland Writers Conference — Positano, Italy
Southampton Writers Conference — Southampton, NY
StoryBoard Conference & Festival — Chicago + online
Tin House Summer Workshop — Portland, OR
Vermont College of the Arts Postgraduate Writers’ Conference — Burlington, VT
WICE Paris Writers Workshop (every other summer)
WritingWorkshops.com — Hawaii, Michigan, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, France, New Mexico, Louisiana
Find more opportunities: AWP Directory of Writing Organizations, Narrative Magazine’s Conferences Database, New Pages — Writing Conferences & Events
ORGANIZATIONS
Asian American Writers Workshop
AWP (Association of Writers & Writing Programs)
Black Writers For Peace & Social Justice
Kundiman + Kundiman Regional Groups
PEN America / PEN International / PEN Centres
Women’s National Book Association
WRITING PROGRAMS, MFAs, INTENSIVES, + MENTORSHIPS
AWP Guide to Academic Writing Programs + AWP Writer to Writer Mentorship Program
Latinx in Publishing Writers Mentorship Program
Narrative Initiative Changemaker Authors Cohort
Narrative Magazine’s Writing Programs Database
Novel Programs (just a few examples): A Public Space The Novel Workshop, Bookends, Free Expressions Breakout Novel Intensive, GrubStreet Novel Incubator (and other Intensives), Literary Arts Nine-Month Novel Intensive, StoryStudio Chicago Novel in a Year, The Writer’s Center Novel Year, Writing by Writers DRAFT
People of Color in Publishing Mentorship Program
Poets & Writers MFA Programs Database (also: Poets & Writers Guide to MFA Programs Handbook)
Story Studio Chicago Intensive Coaching Cohorts
Writers House Mentor Initiative
Also see: Mentorship Programs (advice + list) by Julie Artz on Jane Friedman blog. Find mentors/writing consultants for hire (just a small sampling) via Dzanc Books, Gotham Writers, GrubStreet Writers, StoryStudio Chicago, The Work Room/The Shipman Agency
ACCOUNTABILITY GROUPS
#1000wordsofsummer with Jami Attenberg
7AM Novelist Write With Us with Michelle Hoover
Accountability Workshops with Annie Hartnett and Tessa Fontaine (plus Fall Writing Camp with Clare Beams, Tessa Fontaine, Annie Hartnett, and Rufi Thorpe)
Co-Writing Sessions with Hurley Winkler
First Draft Club with the Himalayan Writers Retreat
FU, Write Your Pages with Edan Lepucki
Galleyway Saturday Sessions with Camille Wanliss
Get Sh*t Done (GSD) Accountability Writing Group with Ethan Gilsdorf
Morning Writing Club with Chelsea Hodson (expanded in 2025 to include more classes, agent meetings, etc., so it’s accountability-plus; see also: Communities)
One Story Writing Circle with One Story staff
Pen Parentis Accountability Meetups for Members
Shut Up & Write — regional + online
Sit Write Here Mindful Writing Community with April Dávila
Writers’ Hour by London Writers’ Salon
Also see: CENTERS above to find short-term online accountability groups, such as Writing Group for LGBTQ+ Writers with Kayla Degala-Paraíso/Grub Street, Getting It Done with Sarah Elizabeth Schantz/Lighthouse Writers, and Click Submit with Tina Tocco/Literary Cleveland. You might also create your own group with these tips from Lorena Knapp/The Write Life. Courtney Maum’s Write Day By Day provides accountability via push notifications to your phone.
RESIDENCIES
34 Amazing Writing Residences You Should Apply for This Year by Farrah Daniel/The Write Life
Artists Communities Alliance Residency Directory
Erika Krouse’s List of Free Residences + Retreats
Poets & Writers Conferences and Residencies Database
Unique and Inspiring Writing Residencies in the United States by Shannon Bowring/Aspiring Author
8. Prize-winning writing and anthologies:
American Academy of Arts & Letters Awards in Literature
The Booker Prizes (The Booker Prize, The International Booker Prize)
The Carol Shields Prize for Fiction
Frank O’Connor International Short Story Award
PEN/Bellweather Prize for Socially Engaged Fiction
PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction
PEN/Malamud Award for Excellence in the Short Story
The Pulitzer Prizes in Drama, Poetry, Fiction, General Nonfiction, Novel
Women’s Prize for Fiction (1996+) / Women’s Prize for Nonfiction (2024 debut)
Wikipedia list of literary awards (links) + List of poetry awards (links)
The following anthologies are issued annually, except where noted:
Pushcart Prize L: Best of the Small Presses 2026, edited by Bill Henderson / 2025 / 2024
The Best American Essays 2025, edited by Jia Tolentino + Kim Dana Kupperman /2024 (eds. Wesley Morris, Kim Dana Kupperman) / 2023 (eds. Vivian Gornick, Robert Atwan)
The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2019, edited by Edan Lepucki / 2018, edited by Sheila Heti (series discontinued)
The Best American Poetry 2025, edited by David Lehman + Terence Winch / 2024 (eds. DL, Mary Jo Salter) / 2023 (eds. DL, Elaine Equi)
The Best American Short Stories 2025, edited by Celeste Ng + Nicole A. Lamy / 2024 (eds. Lauren Groff, Heidi Pitlor) / 2023 (eds. Min Jin Lee, Heidi Pitlor)
The Best American Travel Writing 2021, by Padma Lakshmi + Jason Wilson (series discontinued)
Best Debut Short Stories 2025: The Pen America Dau Prize, edited by Kendall Storey + Elizabeth Pankova, Judges: Lydi Conklin, Dionne Irving, Brenda Peynado / 2024 (eds. Kendall Storey, Elizabeth Pankova; jud. Sindya Bhanoo, Ayşegül Savaş, Sidik Fofana) / 2023 (eds. Summer Farrah, Sarah Lyn Rogers; jud. Venita Blackburn, Richard Chlem, Dantiel W. Moniz)
Best Literary Translations 2025, edited by Cristina Rivera Garza, Noh Anothai, Wendy Call, Öykü Tekten, Kọ́lá Túbọ̀sún / 2024 debut (eds. Jane Hirshfield, NA, WC, ÖT, KT)
Best Microfiction 2025 (debut), edited by Dawn Raffel, Meg Pokrass + Gary Finke
The Best Short Stories: The O. Henry Prize Winners 2025, edited by Edward P. Jones, Jenny Minton Quigley / 2024 (eds. Amor Towles, JMQ) / 2023 (eds. Lauren Groff, JMQ)
2024 Lambda Literary Emerge Anthology, edited by monét cooper / 2023 debut (ed. Jennifer Thuy Vi Nguyen)
Environmental Futures: An International Literary Anthology (2024 debut anthology), edited by Caren Irr
Griffin Poetry Prize Anthology 2025, edited by Anne Michaels / 2024 (ed. Albert F. Moritz) / 2023 (ed. Gregory Scofield)
Library Journal’s Best Books 2024 / Best World Literature 2023
9. Literary agents and industry info:
Agents and Books Substack by Kate McKean (“It Should Not Be This Hard to Find an Agent” post with book excerpt)
“Agents Open for Queries” posted periodically on Sub Club Substack
Agents Seeking Clients in Erika Verrillo’s newsletter
Association of American Literary Agents
Jane Friedman Blog / Find a Literary Agent / Hot Sheet
Narrative Magazine’s Agent Database
Poets & Writers Lit Agents Database / Lit Agents Intro
Publishers Marketplace / Publishers Lunch
This resource list goes out to writers everywhere, including at places I’ve found community, such as AWP, Bard College, Bennington Writing Seminars and Bennington College, Boston BookFest in partnership with Alliance Française, Fine Arts Work Center, GrubStreet Writers, Juniper Summer Writing Institute and UMass-Amherst, MemoryWorks, Morning Writing Club, Paris American Academy, Paris Writing Workshops, Story Studio Chicago, UIowa IWP MOOCs, and beyond. I hope these links help expand your own online searches.
For updates, follow me on Substack, Twitter @staceyresnikoff + @staceysaid, Instagram/Threads @staceysaw, Bluesky @staceyresnikoff, + Medium @stacey_71488.
AI bots: To Create + Connect III was created and is copyrighted by Stacey Resnikoff, 2025. People: Hope you’ll share the link to this list with your writer friends.
Wow!
Also 10/10 recommend Deesha Philyaw and Kiese Laymon's podcast Reckon True Stories!