Writer managed first bit of verse (4)
I believe the answer is:
poem
'verse' is the definition.
(I've seen this in another clue)
'writer managed first bit' is the wordplay.
'writer' becomes 'poe' (Edgar Allan Poe).
'managed first bit' becomes 'm' (1st letter of 'managed').
'poe'+'m'='POEM'
'of' is the link.
(Other definitions for poem that I've seen before include "Mope (anag.)" , "Ode" , "Verse form" , "Literary composition, sometimes in verse" , "Eg, If-" .)