Q&A - How have your opinions on the genres changed since joining Polyphony?
By Hannah Ramsey, Nithya Ramcharan, and Anika Mukker Hannah Ramsey: When I first signed up to be a staff member for the magazine, I had...
top of page
Claudia Ann Seaman Award
Search
Apr 9, 20216 min read
Seven Reasons Why Writing Listicles Are Stupid
By Giancarlo Riccobon Hands-down, a literary listicle is the laziest, most derivative, most cynical thing that a web publication can...
Feb 10, 20212 min read
Q&A - How important are writing programs to an author/editor's abilities?
By Brooke Nind and Melanie Van Peenen Brooke Nind Writing programs are a wonderful experience and an opportunity for young writers to...
Feb 10, 20214 min read
Tips for Writing Short Pieces
By Ishita Shah, Kate-Yeonjae Jeong You've just finished a masterpiece. One that will be remembered for the next millennia to come; that...
Oct 30, 20204 min read
Q&A - What has your greatest struggle with editing been?
By Brooke Nind, Anika Mukker, Eva Zheng and Daniel Boyko Brooke Nind My greatest struggle with editing has been crafting general...
Oct 30, 20207 min read
Writing Prompts and How to Best Use Them
By Ishita Shah, Manal Nadeem, and Kyra Chiller I’ll go out on a limb here and predict that your creative process is anything but linear....
Sep 30, 20206 min read
Genre Editor Q&A
By Pauline Paranikas, Daniel Boyko, Danielle Sherman, and Lara Katz We recently received the following questions from a writer: What...
Sep 30, 20208 min read
Writing Three-Dimensional Characters
By Ishita Shah, Julia Zacharski, Suhanee Mitragotri, and Pelumi Sholagbade Perhaps the most remarkable feature of the human species is...
Sep 1, 20203 min read
Poet Misreads Instructions; Accidentally Submits Piece Containing Only Personally Identifying Inform
By Yong-Yu Huang, Eva Zheng, and Neeraja Kumar WARNING: This piece is a work of fiction. Please do not include identifying information if...
Sep 1, 20208 min read
Writing To Make a Difference
By Alex Baker, Shelly Bhagat, Daniel Boyko, and Anika Mukker Alex Baker: How many of you out there know the feeling of writing something...
Sep 1, 20204 min read
Q&A - What do you do to inspire/overcome writer’s block?
By Kate-Yeonjae Jeong, Brooke Nind, Grace Zhang, Shelly Bhagat, and Daniel Boyko Kate-Yeonjae Jeong: As a writer, there always comes a...
Jul 29, 20208 min read
Getting Published as a Teen Part One
By Ishita Shah, Lara Katz, Daniel Boyko, and Zoha Arif Sometimes I have a feeling that the geniuses who birthed the English language got...
Jul 29, 20207 min read
Editing a Piece in a Style/Genre You're Unfamiliar With
By Hannah Ramsey, Daniel Boyko, Kate Jeong, and Suhanee Mitragotri Introduction Billy Lombardo has forwarded you the submission "xxx” by...
Jun 29, 20207 min read
Focus! Keeping Writing Focused
By Zoha Arif I have some exotic, discombobulating thoughts when I’m brushing my teeth. Some mornings, I’ll be applying a generous swab of...
Jun 29, 20204 min read
Q&A - What's your favorite line you've ever written?
By Giancarlo Riccobon, Daniel Boyko, and Yong-Yu Huang Giancarlo Riccobon My favorite line comes from the first draft of a short story...
Jun 9, 20205 min read
Poet Submits Piece Containing Every Literary Device
By Zoha Arif They say that Einstein birthed the theory of relativity in the mystic dungeon of a Swiss Patent Office. They say that Isaac...
Apr 28, 20206 min read
The Nature of Editorial Feedback
By Anya Chabria and Daniel Boyko If you work for Polyphony Lit, you’re more than familiar with this message from Billy: “With Polyphony...
Apr 28, 20205 min read
Avoiding Clichés
By Daniel Boyko and Maya Nalawade Ignorance is bliss. Better safe than sorry. Play your cards right. A fish out of water. What do all of...
Mar 26, 20203 min read
Formatting Commentary Is Like Making a Mug… No, Seriously
By Pauline Paranikas and Yong-Yu Huang Polyphony commentary is almost like a clay mug. There are many different styles and ways to make...
Feb 1, 201910 min read
Teenage Philosophizing
By Alex Jones and Adil Alvi Advice on avoiding condescension, getting in the reader’s head, and helping young thinkers produce their...
bottom of page