It’s that time of year again. Winter is finally over. The days are longer, the birds are chirping a little louder, and the sun shines just a little brighter. Everything is perfect, and then you remember graduation is (or was) around the corner. Suddenly the springtime...

There’s always something that needs to be said. Some perspective that sheds light on a subject that matters to us know. Writing can be our best source of unadulterated honesty. Why can’t you write it?It’s impossible nowadays to live without knowing the problems...

Literature and punk music, at first glance, seem to be two mediums that are completely unrelated. Look a little closer and I think you’ll find that the two actually have a lot in common.

My living situation recently changed and a room opened up for me to use. Right away, I knew what I was going to do with it. I was going to make a dedicated space to do my writing…. Well, a few solid weeks passed and the room sat empty. I had a lot of ideas on how to...

Ellen Hopkins writes mostly young adult novels dealing with tough subject matters. She tells these stories through poetry, which ensures no word is wasted on the page. Hopkins’ books combine fiction and poetry, which are two genres that aren’t often put together. This...

We see unique structures in often overlooked pieces of writing as we move through the world on a daily basis. Why not borrow the form and substitute your own content? Here are just a few suggestions of common forms that creative writers can steal for their work.

Of all the genres available to a fiction writer, fantasy challenges the writer to tell a lie while making it sound plausible and realistic.The writer is forced to invent magical potions so drunken elves can stumble home to their trees with a satisfied contemplation,...

This is what makes poetry beautiful: taking the moments that seem to be of no consequence and highlighting the beauty in them.

This past Christmas my family and I journeyed up to my grandma’s house in Mendota Heights to celebrate the holiday with my dad’s side of the family. Everything was going as scheduled: the adults gathered upstairs to drink and catch up on their work, vacations, and...

Toiling Beyond the Myth of the Gifted ArtistThere has always been a notion that gifted artists—be it poets, musicians, or painters—are blessed by the gods, performing their craft merely a perfunctory measure. So under this premise, the likes of Mary Oliver, Bruce...

Dialogue is one of the trickiest elements in prose because it has such a dramatic effect on how a reader perceives a story. Well-written dialogue can immerse a reader in a scene, while an unrealistic conversation will make a reader tune out quickly. It can be easy to...