Poet and essayist, Maggie Smith, has distilled two decades of teaching and creative practice into a book of reflections on both the craft and mindset of making art. Last week, writer and educator, Anna Brones, interviewed Smith for her newsletter, Creative Fuel.

“There’s craft-specific wisdom in Dear Writer for anyone experimenting with words,” Brones writes in her introduction, “but Smith’s insights apply to any creative medium.” The book reminded her how much richer life becomes through art—both in making it and in experiencing what others create.

Described as a love letter to the creative process, Dear Writer is also an invitation to openness—to unlearn what dulls our curiosity and to see the world anew. The interview is a generous, energizing entry point into that conversation.

"Part of what I wanted to do with Dear Writer was dispel some of the myths about creativity, and one of those myths is that only some people are creative—as if you’re either born an artist or a writer, or you’re not. I hear people say things like “Oh, I’m not creative” or “I don’t have that in me,” and I want to tell them they’re wrong. They are, and they do. Creativity is our birthright as human beings. We are all creative, and we all have the capacity to lean into that part of ourselves even more."

"It is strange to think about regarding my creative self as somehow separate from my “self self.” I don’t feel the separation, to be honest. As an individual and as a writer, I need a balance between solitude and stimulation. Getting the balance right is sometimes tricky, and it’s always part of the job."

"To me, being an artist means making it your business to be open, to tell the truth, and to prioritize curiosity and risk over comfort...I keep coming back to this Maxine Hong Kingston quote: “In a time of destruction, create something.” To be creative is to push back, again and again, against despair, complacency, and cruelty."

BOOK: Dear Writer: Pep Talks & Practical Advice for the Creative Life

INTERVIEW: "To be creative is to push back, again and again, against despair, complacency, and cruelty."

‍