In each issue of ARDOR the editor selects one prose writer and one poet to feature – highlighting work that stands out within that volume. Immediately following these pieces we offer a short interview with the writer to provide insight into his or her creative process, a discussion of the struggles faced writing the featured work and craft advice for new writers. Clicking the links to the left will take you to that writer's excellent prose or poetry within a recent issue of ARDOR.

Featured Writers: Prose

Featured Writers: Poetry

Courtney Gillette  |  Issue Four Featured Prose Writer
"There is some elasticity in creative nonfiction. I don’t feel limited by the facts of a story because I’m more interested in working to find the right facts, the best perspective, the new angle that makes the story fresh. That’s the challenge I want to embrace as an essayist."

Read Coutney Gillette's essay, Universal Champion, on page 26 of Issue Four
Noorulain Noor  |  Issue Four Featured Poet
"I naturally gravitated towards poetry rather than prose – there was something about capturing the essence of a moment in verse that enraptured me."


Read Noorulain Noor's featured poems beginning on page 46
David Armstrong  |  Issue Three Featured Prose Writer
"I’ve worked a lot of manual labor jobs ... and I still think of those jobs as the ones that most readied me for what it takes to be a writer. You show up and you do it, over and over again, day after day."
Read David Armstrong's short story, Their Own Resolution, on page 56 of Issue Three
Len Krisak  |  Issue Three Featured Poet
"Once inspiration strikes my process for writing original poetry mirrors my approach toward translation. All of my poems rely on an attentive ear and alert revision."

Read Len Krisak's featured poems beginning on page 26 of Issue Three
Michael Landweber | Issue Two Featured Prose Writer
"The key to good writing is careful rewriting ... Why put yourself through the pain of recreating a world you already created? Because that is the only way to be a good writer."

Read Michael Landweber's short story, Touch, on page 14 of Issue Two
Luisa A. Igloria | Issue Two Featured Poet
"...I write at least one poem every single day. And when I am there, even for that short stretch of writing, I find that now I'm mostly able to drop into that space much more quickly."


Read Luisa A. Igloria's featured poems beginning on page 26 of Issue Two
Andrew Dutton | Issue One Featured Prose Writer
"I naturally empathized with this character as I was writing him; I’ve known the fear he feels on the last page, and that seemed an honest and good reason to tell this story."

Read Andrew Dutton's short story, Mesa, on page 18 of Issue One
Peter McNamara | Issue One Featured Poet
"Make war on the 'enemies' of poetry: the prepositional phrase, overuse of modifiers, passive voice. Be concrete and succinct: make every word in a poem count."

Read Peter McNamara's featured poems beginning on page 40 of Issue One
Read The Latest Issue: