I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. It is an exciting read about a variety of topics. You could easily read cover to cover or skip around and read the topics you are interested in. In part, it starts with a dear reader and is signed at the end by Maggie.

Dear Writer, by author Maggie Smith, is a beautifully composed book of lucid writing on living the creative life and developing the craft of writing. With writing exercises and prompts spread throughout the book, and with extensive references to further reading materials — this book is an uplifting, thoughtful, creative and incredibly useful writing and reference tool. Smith’s tone is generous, encouraging, and overall optimistic and this book would be a pleasure to return to again and again. I look forward to picking up a treasured hardcopy to add to my personal library when it is published.

A huge thank you to NetGalley, the Author, and Atria Publishers for access to a digital ARC. All opinions are my own.

I love Maggie Smith's work so was eager to read this. "Dear Writer" is well organized and clear, with writing that is very accessible. I also appreciated the reading lists Smith includes throughout and have made multiple notes of things to read. Highly recommended for writers and creatives. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. Pub Date: April 1, 2025.
#DearWriter #NetGalley

Engaging and insightful. A recommended purchase for nonfiction collections where writing craft books are popular.

What the author accomplishes in this book is remarkable—she makes poetry and writing feel both accessible and deeply worthwhile.

The format of the book is fantastic! It doesn’t feel like a textbook, yet I can see it being used in classrooms worldwide. This work prompted me to think about the numerous choices poets make, how stanzas can act as rooms, and so much more.

It took me longer to read than I anticipated because I kept looking up the other poems she recommended. Maggie provides such gifts to the reader through her lists of "further reading."

Reading more of Maggie's poetry was a joy, and I found myself approaching her poems with new insights, thanks to this book. I believe anyone interested in creative living or simply seeking an inspiring pep talk from Maggie Smith will enjoy this book. Thank you to NetGalley for the early copy!

This book was just okay. It felt too researchey/thesis statement to me. It was a bit dull/dense. I do not think this was a book for me unfortunately

Thank you to NetGalley, to the author, and to the publisher for this complementary ARC in exchange for my honest review!!!

Gets into the details of how we use language in creative pursuits, providing a lot of questions to ponder regarding word choice, habits in our writing, and so on. Also contains thoughtful reflections on other parts of the creative life.

(I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review)

As a writer and want to be doing more writing this book was helpful! I enjoyed the chapters and how the topics were laid out. The presentation was organized and made reading accessible. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.