Contact Frannie Lindsay

To schedule a reading, contact Frannie Lindsay.

A clear, unhurried line of communication is often where a poem begins its second life. When a reader writes to a poet, the message itself becomes a kind of opening stanza, and the reply is a quiet call and response. Treating that exchange as correspondence, rather than transaction, helps both sides find a natural rhythm. The same care given to a draft on the page can shape the tone of an email: considered, generous, and willing to leave room. Letters between poets and their readers are a small tradition worth keeping alive, and a contact page is its threshold.

Reaching out to arrange a reading is partly a matter of logistics and partly a matter of attention. Sharing preferred dates, venue details, and the general shape of the audience gives a poet enough to picture the occasion before agreeing to it. It can help to mention whether the event leans toward a formal reading, a workshop, or something more conversational, since each calls for a different kind of preparation. A short paragraph about the hosting organization and its mission also paints a useful backdrop. Clarity at this stage saves time later and lets the writer arrive prepared to listen as well as speak.

Workshops and classroom visits tend to thrive on a few simple ingredients shared in advance. Describing the age range, the size of the group, and the prior experience of the participants helps a visiting writer plan prompts and examples at the right level. Mentioning whether the session is part of a series or a single visit also shapes pacing, since a one-time gathering invites a wider arc while a sequence can build incrementally. A note about the room, the technology available, and any particular themes the host wants explored completes the picture. The result is a shared preparation rather than a surprise.

Permissions, reprint requests, and questions about previously published work form a quieter corner of correspondence with a poet. Editors, students, and fellow writers often need a line of permission to quote or anthologize a poem, and a clear note about the publication, the proposed context, and the circulation involved is usually enough to begin. It helps to identify the specific poem and its original venue, since poems can travel through several editions. Patience is part of the practice here; careful answers take a little more time, and the extra care tends to be reflected in the work that follows.

Interview requests and feature ideas deserve their own kind of attention, since they shape how a poet's work is introduced to new readers. Outlining the publication, its audience, and the angle you hope to explore helps a writer decide whether the conversation will serve the poems themselves. A few sample questions, or a sense of the territory you want to cover, give both sides something to prepare around. Deadlines, word counts, and preferred formats are practical courtesies that make the eventual exchange smoother. Treated with the same craft as the writing itself, an interview becomes another small room where the poems can be heard clearly.