by Writing Workshops Staff
An hour ago
We were thrilled to see Marjorie Tesser among the ten poets selected for the 2026 Get the Word Out Poetry Fellows cohort at Poets & Writers, recognition that arrives just as her debut full-length collection, Unquiet, prepares for publication in 2027 from Cornerstone Press.
Now in its fourth year, Get the Word Out is Poets & Writers' publicity incubator for early-career poets and fiction writers. The premise is pointed and necessary: after the milestone of landing a book deal, too many writers find themselves mystified about how to draw attention to the book once it arrives — a challenge that hits especially hard for authors publishing with smaller independent presses and limited marketing budgets. Over twelve weeks, fellows take part in workshops with a working book publicist and attend seminars led by professionals from across the publishing industry — booksellers, reviewers, marketers, and editors — leaving with concrete publicity strategies and a peer community equipped to amplify one another's launches.
The program is fully funded, with no application fee and no cost to participating writers or their publishers, and it explicitly aims to reduce barriers for writers from historically marginalized communities, those based outside New York City, and those whose books are published by independent presses. Alumni of the program are also eligible to apply for the Poets & Writers Fellowship at Vermont Studio Center, a fully funded three-week residency offered to poets and fiction writers in alternate years.
And, we're excited to see that this year's Get the Word Out mentor is Paris 2019 alum Carla Bruce, a book publicist with Lavender Public Relations and the 2026 cohort's Publicity Mentor.
It is a remarkable group of fellows, including Alfredo Aguilar, Mansi Dahal, Ajla Dizdarević, Ty Raso, L. Renée, Alafia Nicole Sessions, Kiana Shaley, Sanam Sheriff, and Avia Tadmor.
Congratulations to the full 2026 cohort! We'll be watching eagerly for Unquiet in 2027.
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