Poet Maggie Smith is back with her eighth book — this time focused on writers and the act of creativity. Smith, a New York Times bestselling author whose poem “Good Bones” garnered her a sudden and sustained brush with fame in 2016 establishing her as a “celebrity poet,” has penned a guide for creatives based on her 20 years of teaching experience.
In celebration of National Poetry Month, Smith was joined by fellow award-winning poet Saeed Jones, who is currently an artist-in-residence in the Media, Health and Medicine program at Harvard Medical School. The pair explored 10 elements that Smith has identified for a creative life: attention, wonder, vision, play, surprise, vulnerability, restlessness, tenacity, connection and hope.
About “Dear Writer: Pep Talks & Practical Advice for the Creative Life”
Drawing from her 20 years of teaching experience and her bestselling Substack newsletter, “For Dear Life,” Maggie Smith breaks down creativity into 10 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.