Erica Goss

Associated Press Ends Weekly Book Reviews

August 13, 2025 Erica Goss, Poet

As a book reviewer myself, I can attest to how many hours go into writing reviews. First, you have to choose the book, or agree to a book an editor chooses for you. Then you must read it, of course, many times, taking notes, noting themes, and looking for those juicy bits you can share with readers. This is all before the actual writing of the review, which can take anywhere from hours to days. Then, like all writing, it needs some time in the drawer before you pull it out and edit it, re-read it again and again, edit again, and finally send it off. If you did a good job, you won’t have too many corrections from your editor.

Craft, The Creative Process, The Writing Life

The Notebook Tour – What Shows, What’s Hidden

July 29, 2025 Erica Goss, Poet

Handwriting grabs our attention in ways that printed words simply don’t. As I watched the recently released documentary Billy Joel: And So It Goes, images of Joel’s lyrics, penned on white sheets of paper, spread across the screen: long sentences filled with words and phrases, some crossed out, some traced over and over. Here was evidence of a creative mind at work; Joel’s words were like a sculptor’s fingerprints in clay.

Craft, Poetry, Poetry + Art, The Creative Process

Sea and Stars: Writing the Sestina

July 15, 2025 Erica Goss, Poet

A long time ago, when I first came across Elizabeth Bishop’s poem “Sestina,” I didn’t realize that the title referred to the poem’s form. I thought that “Sestina” was, perhaps, the grandmother’s first name—a different form, if you will, of the name “Tina” – “In the failing light, the old grandmother / sits in the kitchen with the child.”

Craft, Reviews, Sticks & Stones, The Creative Process, The Writing Life

How to Become a Poetry Book Reviewer

June 25, 2025 Erica Goss, Poet

There’s a problem in the literary world: we don’t have enough good, thoughtful criticism from literary citizens. Anyone who enjoys reading poetry, including poets themselves, can and should write reviews. Writing reviews has added a new skill to my writer’s toolbox, improved my close reading abilities, and brought me new friends in the poetry world. It’s become an important part of my practice.

The Creative Process, The Writing Life

The Two Most Beautiful Words in the English Language

June 12, 2025 Erica Goss, Poet

In her essay, “Derichment,” from Synthesizing Gravity, Selected Prose, Kay Ryan denounces our culture’s mad rush to fill every second with “enriching” activities. “Children, it is often maintained, must be enriched; bread must be enriched. Weren’t they rich already?”

Poetry, The Writing Life

“Is poetry disabled?”

May 27, 2025 Erica Goss, Poet

“A new lens for an old form,” hinted at ideas that have interested me for years: inventing and stretching the limits of poetic forms, as well as juxtaposing poetry and different types of creative expression. But what, I wondered, was the connection to disability?

Craft, Poetry, The Creative Process

Five Poetry Forms You May Not Have Heard About

May 13, 2025 Erica Goss, Poet

Just for fun, here are five poetry forms you might not be familiar with. I hope they spark some creativity.

Craft, The Creative Process, The Writing Life

Tell the World You’re a Writer: AWP 2025, Part 3

April 22, 2025 Erica Goss, Poet

A tribute to Gianna and Kobe Bryant outside the LA Convention Center. Last of a three-part series. Read Part 1 and Part 2. On Day 3 of the conference, I was starting to experience cognitive overload, a condition many attendees have commented on. Normally we writers spend most of our time alone, and when we socialize, it tends… Continue reading Tell the World You’re a Writer: AWP 2025, Part 3

Craft, The Creative Process, The Writing Life

Tell the World You’re a Writer: AWP 2025, Part 2

April 15, 2025 Erica Goss, Poet

It was 3:20 pm, the fifth panel of the day, I hadn’t had anything to eat since breakfast, the room was warm, and my brain was processing the ideas from the previous four panels. I had a harder time paying attention, but I did absorb some of the information the panelists shared.

Craft, The Creative Process, The Writing Life

Tell the World You’re a Writer: AWP 2025

April 8, 2025April 8, 2025 Erica Goss, Poet

It took me a roundtrip of four days and 1700 miles of driving, but this year’s AWP, held at the LA Convention Center, was worth every minute. The rainbow of humanity flowing in and out of the conference rooms was, all by itself, an uplifting experience. Add decent weather (cloudy, moderate, with a bit of rain), an enormous Bookfair, and panels that more than satisfied my need for artistic stimulation, and I was in a three-day fog of happiness.