We extend grateful thanks to the 600+ members of the writing and publishing communities who gathered for the 2025 #PWGala last Monday, and to the sponsors and donors who contributed a record-breaking $1.35 million to support our vital resources for writers. Special thanks to gala chair Dominique Raccah, host Sloane C., and Premier Underwriters Books A Million, Penguin Random House, and Sourcebooks!
It was an honor to bestow the 2025 Writers for Writers Award on three incredible writers who are making the road for others: Kimberly Blaeser, Angie Cruz, and Kiese Laymon. We were equally thrilled to present the Editor's Award to Morgan Entrekin, Elisabeth Schmitz, and Peter Blackstock, and to celebrate the ongoing legacy of Grove/Atlantic, Inc.
This video highlights the impact of our work, made possible by your support. (Expert video production thanks to Really Useful Media!)
Poets and Writers is access and a wealth of information and provides a window into the world of publishing. I used to rummage through Poets and Writers as a wee 20 something year old looking for lip Max to submit to, wanting to be published, wanting to be a writer. I tried and I tried and I made it. I first encountered Poets and writers as a pump when it was just mimeographed and stapled together. It was love at first sight, everything in one place the Bible about how to be an author in America I turned to Poets and Writers to learn about grant and fellowship opportunities, writing query letters, and generally just give me a glimpse into the world of publishing. And in 2023 I was accepted into Get the Word out poets and writers new program to help first time. Authors and it was a wonderful immersion in the world of book publicity, marketing. Hold a whole bookstore. Events. My time in the incubator was transformative because it gave me the resources, the tools, and the language to talk about my own writing and for once, allowing me to feel like a writer. Poets and Writers is community and inclusivity and a crucial organization for making connections. I was first introduced to Poets and Writers, I think in 1990. One when my first collection of short stories came out. Writing is very solitary, so I was so happy being thrust into the midst of people that were my people. Poets and Writers really supercharged the start of my career, building the community with my fellow debut authors, a community that continues to sustain me to this day. I will be forever grateful to Poets and Writers for being an amazing partner to me for years. Generously funded a reading series that produced in New York City, providing significant amounts directly to the writers. Poets and Writers is vital in a godsend and so much inspiration. As a writer who faced many obstacles to being published for decades, there was always that yearly feature in Poets and Writers that reminded me it was never too late. And what a thrill it was to find myself on that list of 5 / 50. I started writing 47. Years ago, I didn't have the community, but I had poets and writers. It was a guide to the scary world of publishing. Was that my ticket to that world? I feel that it was. I supported. Still, I donate every month, and you should too.
