diverse writers – Marlena Chertock

A Love Poem for Pride Month

My poem, “She gave me COVID on our first date”, is out now on DC Pride Poems. This poem is pretty self-explanatory 😂. And […]

I had a dream come true ten years ago. My book On that one-way trip to Mars was published in May 2016 — which is somehow a decade ago!

Writing poetry inspired by wronged women Xochi Quetzali Cartland, one of my fellow poets in the 2026 cohort of Pride Poets-in-Residence through […]

How to celebrate Poem in Your Pocket Day & upcoming readings The Mid-Atlantic Review is hosting a community reading and fundraiser this […]

It’s been one year since my hip replacement. Time is a weird, fluid thing. It feels like it’s only been a few […]

Last week, 20 poets gathered at the Arts Club of Washington for my workshop. Thank you so much to those who came out! It was […]

Wow. AWP is over. I am exhausted, and sick (who gave me this cold?!), and heartened by the writing community I’m a […]

I’m so excited for AWP. It’ll be my first time at the enormous conference that brings writers and editors of literary magazines […]