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The poet Rita Dove was once asked what makes poetry successful. She went on to illuminate three key areas: First, the heart of the writer; the things they wish to say - their politics and overarching sensibilities. Second, their tools: how they work language to organise and position words. And the third, the love a person must have for books: "To read, read, read."

A previously unpublished writer has described the "extraordinary" moment a publisher offered him a six-figure advance on a three-book deal.

The first time I ever saw one of my books on a "best of crime fiction" list, I felt sure that someone had missed an important piece of information. I wasn't sure if it was me or the writer of that list. In my mind, "crime fiction" was exclusively written about crime and criminals from the perspective of detectives trying to thwart the criminals and their crimes.  Read more