(THE CONVERSATION) Ann Patchett, who has written eight novels and five books of nonfiction, says that when faced with writer’s block, sometimes it seems that the muse has “gone out back for a smoke.” ...

Writer’s block. We’ve all experienced the dreaded symptoms. Your hand frozen over the page. The blank screen staring back at you like an unblinking eyeball. The fear rising, whispering “you’ll never ...

Welcome to Poetically Yours. Poetically Yours features poems by northern Illinois poets and a few from other states. Today’s featured poet is Susan Goldberg.

Writer’s block has many causes. When we write, we fear criticism and rejection — from bosses, customers or peers. Moreover, the prospect of writing may trigger traumatic memories of school when ...

The weekly Writers’ Block Poetry Night has some elements you might expect. At a recent show, many poets signed up to read pieces on grief and identity, generating snaps and applause from the audience.

Writing can often feel like an exercise in fruitlessness. And yet, I can’t help but shake the notion that if I were to just approach it from the right angle, it wouldn’t prove to be so unapproachable.

First published in the spring of 1994, two months before the birth of Amazon and one month after the death of Kurt Cobain, Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott has far outlasted the era of its origin, becoming ...