AWP Recap: Grief, TikTok & Diverse Writers

One of the largest literary conferences in the U.S. delights and surprises, always. February 28th, 2024 Dear Writers, Thank you for signing up for Writing with Hart: News and Opportunities for Writers. I’m so glad you’re here! Shout out to my friend Miriam Gershow whose book of stories, Survival Tips, comes out in March. See all of

The Crucial, Heinous Process of Revision

Or “How I Learned to Love the Red Pen” First, a shout-out to my artist/writer friend Emily Poole who just sold two books to Mountaineers Books. One of them is about salamanders! Inspired by last month’s newsletter, we had coffee in my writing studio and she recounted the adventures of salamander hunting with her co-author/nature

So Many Opportunities for Creativity

The AWP Conference Reminded Me that Writing Can Be Play April 2,, 2023 Dear Writers, This is from my Substack newsletter, Writing with Hart: News and Opportunities for Writers. I’m so glad you’re here! First, a shout-out to my new friend Andrea Ross, who wrote this gorgeous piece titled “…to play, to engage, to stop and

Listening is Writing, Too

Why authors need podcasts. February 2, 2023 Dear Writers, Thank you for signing up for Writing with Hart: News and Opportunities for Writers. I’m so glad you’re here! Enormous congratulations to two of my former writing students on their publications last month. Diane Gottlieb, editor of Emerge Literary Journal, had this piece published I Didn’t Have Sex

Playtime for Writers!

What would happen if you allowed yourself to write without expectation of publication? December 1, 2022 Dear Writers, On Tuesday, I had a truly lovely glass of strawberry cider and some superb garlic rolls with my Eugene colleague—young adult novelist J.C. Geiger. We got to talking about what the brain scans of humans look like when

I’m teaching a writing workshop!

“How to Write & Publish Short Personal Essays in Newspapers & Magazines” Hi, Writers! Yesterday, a veteran beekeeper friend of mine stood in the heat on top of a stranger’s roof in a full-length white suit with a netted hat, alongside my husband. The stranger and two other men stood drinking Hefeweizen below, peering up

My Free Webinar on How to Write Personal Essays for Magazines & Newspapers

Dear Writers, I wanted to let you know about a free one-hour webinar I’m teaching on Wednesday, June 22nd, 10 AM PST/1 PM EST. The subject: how to write personal essays for magazines and newspapers. My essays have appeared in The Washington Post, CNN, Real Simple, Orion, The Los Angeles Times, Parents, The Advocate, the We Need

It’s National Mental Health Awareness Week!

Do you know where your kids’ books are? The pandemic has wreaked havoc on kids’ mental health. Fortunately, a good novel or memoir can help. Even just six minutes a day of reading for pleasure can reduce anxiety and depression. Here, you can read all about it in my article for Motherwell, “How to Help

May the Fourth be with You . . .

And with Avenging the Owl

Fan Mail, Hate Mail & When to Respond to Both

Life got a bit bananas late last month when CNN decided to feature my story about combatting book bans with novel-writing, Little Free Libraries, and an inflatable T-rex costume. I learned so much from this adventure. First, always ask to see the footage as it’s being filmed, so that the lighting set up doesn’t make you look