Writing Book Reviews: A Class for Paid Subscribers
Let's discuss book reviewing and how to get started
Dear Friends,
I often return to something Katie Roiphe argued in a NYTimes essay on criticism.
“More than ever,” she sustained, “critical authority comes from the power of the critic’s prose, the force and clarity of her language; it is in the art of writing itself that information and knowledge are carried, in the sentences themselves that literature is preserved. The secret function of the critic today is to write beautifully, and in so doing protect beautiful writing.”
I got my start as a book reviewer in 2012 when I began writing for Publishers Weekly. I have since regularly contributed reviews and criticism to The Times Literary Supplement, Poetry, The Poetry Review, The Rumpus, PN Review, Poetry London, The London Magazine, The Kenyon Review, and elsewhere. Since 2018, I have served as a reviews editor at Publishers Weekly, the oldest literary trade journal, and I am eager to share what I’ve learned about reviews over the last fourteen years.
Paid Subscribers are invited to join me Thursday, September 18th from 4-5:30 PM EST:
Are you interested in writing book reviews but not quite sure how to begin?
The aims of this class are twofold:
To introduce you to the various platforms, channels, and approaches to writing reviews (as well as how to pitch them according to the "type" of review).
To discuss and model the craft of capsule reviews (typically ~250 words; my area of expertise as a Reviews Editor) alongside more expansive critical essays.
We will discuss how our own writing can help illuminate the work of others and answer Roiphe’s charge to beauty. I will draw on my own past reviews for The Times Literary Supplement, Poetry, and Kenyon Review to help you figure out which review style might work best given your goals and interests. Whether you're hoping to publish in journals, build a portfolio of web reviews, or simply sharpen your critical eye, I will help you understand the terrain of reviewing and provide you with a list of venues you might consider approaching with your own reviews.
Paid Subscribers can register below (spots are limited!)
If you are not a Paid Subscribers, please consider upgrading for access to ALL past classes, including: Dissolving Our Writing Blocks; Shopping for Images; Emily Dickinson: Riddles and Definitions; The Poetry of John Burnside; Approaches to Flash Fiction; Writing Poems on Fairy Tales; and August’s replay, Writing Poems on Greek Myths. Your $75/yearly subscription also includes access to a Chat with weekly prompts and discussions, a monthly poetry thread for poets to exchange work, and essays on wonder, mindset, and writing.
I can’t wait to answer your questions and hopefully inspire you to engage with this rich medium.
xM