Welcome to the new Ploughshares website! For answers to commonly asked questions, read here.
Uncategorized
Writing Lessons: E.B. Bartels
In our Writing Lessons series, writers and writing students will discuss lessons learned, epiphanies about craft, and the challenges of studying writing. This week, we hear from E.B. Bartels, a student in the MFA program at Columbia University. You can follow her on Twitter @eb_bartels. —Andrew Ladd, Blog Editor Usually, when writing, I practice what I call…
The Ploughshares Round-Down: Why “Do What You Love” Is Bad Advice
In 2005, Steve Jobs gave a now-famous graduation speech at Stanford University. “You’ve got to find what you love,” he said. “Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to…
People of the Book: Brad Pasanek
People of the Book is an interview series gathering those engaged with books, broadly defined. As participants answer the same set of questions, their varied responses chart an informal ethnography of the book, highlighting its rich history as a mutable medium and anticipating its potential future. This week brings the conversation to Brad Pasanek, assistant professor…
Lit GIFs: The Catcher in the Rye
Meet Holden Caulfield. Holden is not so good at staying in school. He is 0 for 4 as far as schools go. As a general rule, Holden is annoyed by people. Except for Jane Gallagher. He still likes her.
This Dark Road to Mercy
This Dark Road to Mercy Wiley Cash HarperCollins, January 2014 240 pages $25.99 In This Dark Road to Mercy, Wiley Cash has married the literary family drama to the dark heist comedy, drawing heavily on America’s pastimes: baseball, custody disputes, and tortured pasts. Easter Quillby’s father, Wade Chesterton, is back in town. At first Easter…
How To Bulk Up Your TBR List
Hey there. I’m Steph Auteri, and I’m a recluse. It wasn’t always this way. Once upon a time, I commuted from New Jersey into New York City, working first in publishing houses and, later on, on a permalance basis for online magazines and even a daily newspaper. At that time, I discovered books by flipping…
Writing Lessons: Rachel McCain
In our Writing Lessons series, writers and writing students will discuss lessons learned, epiphanies about craft, and the challenges of studying writing. This week, we hear from Rachel McCain, a student in the MFA program at Sarah Lawrence College. You can follow Rachel on Twitter @Raqafella. —Andrew Ladd, Blog Editor Fact: I don’t trust computers. I’m always…
The Ploughshares Round-Down: What NYC Editors Say They’re Looking For
What do editors really want? Why are they putting one thing in the rejection pile and preparing for an auction for another? The difficulty in answering these questions is that every editor opens every proposal the same way you open presents from relatives: with hope but trepidation. They never know when it’s going to be…