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The poets and writers who attended the second Poets & Writers Live event, in New York City on June 21, 2014, share their reactions to the panels on agents, editors, and authors; the reading by award-winning poet Frank Bidart; and the opportunity to network and build a community of writers and publishing professionals.
Michael Szczerban, senior editor at Regan Arts, leads a discussion about how editors and agents work together on behalf of authors at the second Poets & Writers Live event this past June in New York City. Panelists include agents Amy Berkower of Writers House, Eric Simonoff of the WME Book Department, Molly Friedrich of the Friedrich Literary Agency, and Meredith Kaffel of DeFiore & Company.
The second Poets & Writers Live event, held at Scandinavia House in New York City on June 21, 2014, featured advice and conversation about literary agents and the writing life with authors Edward Hirsch, Frank Bidart, Victor LaValle, and Tayari Jones, and agents Eric Simonoff, Amy Berkower, and many others.
Award-winning poet Frank Bidart reads from his latest poetry collection, Metaphysical Dog (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2013), at the Poets & Writers Live event on June 21, 2014, in New York City. Introduction by Kevin Larimer, editor in chief of Poets & Writers.
Jofie Ferrari-Adler, a senior editor at Simon & Schuster, leads a conversation with debut authors Mira Jacob and Yelena Akhtiorskaya and agents Jim Rutman of Sterling Lord Literistic and Michelle Tessler of Tessler Literary Agency about the author-agent relationship at the second Poets & Writers Live event this past June in New York City.
Michael Szczerban, senior editor at Regan Arts, leads a discussion about how editors and agents work together on behalf of authors at the second Poets & Writers Live event this past June in New York City. Panelists include agents Amy Berkower of Writers House, Eric Simonoff of the WME Book Department, Molly Friedrich of the Friedrich Literary Agency, and Meredith Kaffel of DeFiore & Company.
Kevin Larimer, editor in chief of Poets & Writers, moderates a panel titled Why We Write at the Poets & Writers Live event in New York City on June 21, 2014. Poet Edward Hirsch and novelists Tayari Jones, Victor LaValle, Roxana Robinson, and Tiphanie Yanique discuss how and why they started writing and what inspires them to keep going.
The Poets & Writers Live event on June 21, 2014, featured agents Amy Berkower, Eric Simonoff, Molly Friedrich, Meredith Kaffel, Jim Rutman, and Michelle Tessler; editors Michael Szczerban and Jofie Ferrari-Adler; and authors Frank Bidart, Edward Hirsch, Roxana Robinson, Tayari Jones, Victor LaValle, Mira Jacob, Yelena Akhtiorskaya, Tiphanie Yanique, William Giraldi, Tina Chang, Rigoberto Gonzalez, Karma Mayet Johnson, and Rich Vallar.
Agents & Authors moderator Jofie Ferrari-Adler (far left) with panelists Michelle Tessler, Yelena Akhtiorskaya, Jim Rutman, and Mira Jacob.
Agent Michelle Tessler (center) discusses the author-agent relationship with Simon & Schuster editor Jofie Ferrari-Adler (left) and author Yelena Akhtiorskaya.
Debut author Yelena Akhtiorskaya (center) discusses the author-agent relationship with agents Michelle Tessler (left) and Jim Rutman.
Agent Jim Rutman of Sterling Lord Literistic (center) discusses the author-agent relationship with debut authors Yelena Akhtiorskaya (left) and Mira Jacob.
Mira Jacob (right), author of the debut novel The Sleepwalker's Guide to Dancing, discusses the author-agent relationship with agent Jim Rutman.
Simon & Schuster editor Jofie Ferrari-Adler, who moderated the Agents & Authors panel with agents Michelle Tessler and Jim Rutman and debut authors Yelena Akhtiorskaya and Mira Jacob.
Audience members listen to advice from literary agents during the Poets & Writers Live event on June 21, 2014, in New York City.
Audience members listen to advice from literary agents during the Poets & Writers Live event on June 21, 2014, in New York City.
Poet Edward Hirsch (left) talks about writing with fiction writer Tayari Jones during the Why We Write panel at the Poets & Writers Live event on June 21, 2014, in New York City.
Fiction writer Tayari Jones (center) talks about why we write with poet Edward Hirsch (left) and fiction writer Victor LaValle.
Fiction writer Victor LaValle (center) talks about why we write with moderator Kevin Larimer (far left), poet Edward Hirsch, and fiction writers Tayari Jones, Roxana Robinson, and Tiphanie Yanique.
Tiphanie Yanique (right), author of the novel Land of Love and Drowning, talks about why she writes with novelist Roxana Robinson.
Novelist Roxana Robinson (left) talks with audience members following the panel on Why We Write at the Poets & Writers Live event on June 21, 2014.
Poet Edward Hirsch (right) speaks with an audience member following the Why We Write panel at the Poets & Writers Live event on June 21, 2014.
Kevin Larimer, editor in chief of Poets & Writers, introduces poet Frank Bidart at the Poets & Writers Live event on June 21, 2014.
Poet Frank Bidart reads from his collection Metaphysical Dog at the Poets & Writers Live event on June 21, 2014.
Poet Frank Bidart (left) and novelist William Giraldi field questions from the audience during a Q&A session following Bidart's poetry reading on June 21, 2014.
Frank Bidart reads from his most recent poetry collection, Metaphysical Dog (FSG, 2013), then discusses his work with novelist William Giraldi, at the Poets & Writers Live event on June 21, 2014, in New York City. Introduction by Kevin Larimer, editor in chief of Poets & Writers.
Bidart is the author of nine poetry collections, including Watching the Spring Festival (FSG, 2008), Star Dust (FSG, 2005), Desire (FSG, 1997), and In the Western Night: Collected Poems 1965–90 (FSG, 1990). He has won many prizes, including the Wallace Stevens Award, the 2007 Bollingen Prize for American Poetry and, most recently, the 2013 National Book Critics Circle Award for Metaphysical Dog. He teaches at Wellesley College and lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
The inaugural Poets & Writers Live event, held at Beyond Baroque in Los Angeles on January 11, 2014, featured advice and inspiration from authors Harryette Mullen, Ron Carlson, Dani Shapiro, Terry Wolverton, Lauren Humphrey, Meghan Daum, Charles Yu, and others.
