A Database for Literary Travelers from Poets & Writers Magazine

Poets & Writers Magazine has created Literary Places, a nifty database of U.S. destinations “where writers can visit for inspiration, to promote their writing, for research, and to discover community.” It includes over 130 historical sites, indie bookstores, literary archives, reading venues, writing centers, writers spaces and other places of interest. The database links to your “My P&W account” and to Google Maps, so writers can save locations and create personalized maps. The space includes an interactive map and is searchable by state, city, and even zip code.

For example, a search of Lenox, Massachusetts brought up “The Mount,” Edith Wharton’s estate in Lenox. A link provided a photo with a brief description of the site, a Google map, address, links to the website, their phone number, contact email, more literary places nearby, nearby conferences and residencies, writing contests, and a directory of area writers. A click on writers’ names takes you to the writer’s directory listing on Poets & Writers’ website.

Literary Places is a great resource for writers who travel and users can suggest places to build the database as well.