What We Talk about When We Talk about Creative Writing


Book Description

Marking the tenth anniversary of the New Writing Viewpoints series, this new book takes the concept of an edited collection to its extreme, pushing the possibilities of scholarship and collaboration. All authors in this book, including those who contributed to Power and Identity in the Creative Writing Classroom, which launched the series ten years ago, are proof that creative writing matters, that it can be rewarding over the long haul and that there exist many ways to do what we do as writers and as teachers. This book captures a wide swathe of ideas on pedagogy, on programs, on the profession and on careers.




The Art of Friction


Book Description

"We live in an Enquirer, reality television–addled world, a world in which most college students receive their news from the Daily Show and discourse via text message," assert Charles Blackstone and Jill Talbot. "Recently, two nonfiction writers have been criticized for falsifying memoirs. Oprah excoriated James Frey on her show; Nasdijj was impugned by Sherman Alexie in Time. Is our next trend in literature to lock down such boundaries among the literati? Or should we address the fictionalizing of nonfiction, the truth of fiction?" The Art of Friction surveys the borderlands where fiction and nonfiction intersect, commingle, and challenge genre lines. It anthologizes nineteen creative works by contemporary, award-winning writers including Junot Díaz, Jonathan Safran Foer, Thomas Beller, Bernard Cooper, Wendy McClure, and Terry Tempest Williams, who also provide companion pieces in which they comment on their work. These selections, which place short stories and personal essays (and hybrids of the two) side by side, allow readers to examine the similarities and differences between the genres, as well as explore the trends in genre overlap. Functioning as both a reader and a discussion of the craft of writing, The Art of Friction is a timely, essential book for all writers and readers who seek the truthfulness of lived experience through (non)fictions.




Vintage Attraction


Book Description

Before Peter Hapworth meets Izzy, he knows the difference between Pinot Noir and peanut butter, but that's about it. Lonely and frustrated with his academic career--as well as with dating--his life takes a sudden turn one night when he turns on the television. He's transfixed by the woman staring back at him, a glass of wine swirling delicately in her hand--Isabelle Conway, one of the preeminent sommeliers in the world. There's something about her. Somehow, he feels like he already knows her. On a whim, he pitches himself as a guest on her popular TV show, and the two embark on a whirlwind courtship. But relationships require a delicate balance of nurturing and belief, much like winemaking. Hapworth and Izzy must navigate the complex mysteries of wine--and the heart--from glamorous social events and domestic tribulations in Chicago to the vineyards and rocky bluffs of Santorini in Greece. Vintage Attraction is a rich and insightful novel by an exciting literary talent.




From Where You Dream


Book Description

The Pulitzer Prize–winning author “shares his insights into—and passion for—the creation and experience of fiction with total openness” (Publishers Weekly, starred review). Robert Olen Butler, author of Perfume River, A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain, and A Small Hotel, teaches graduate fiction at Florida State University—his version of literary boot camp. In From Where You Dream, Butler reimagines the process of writing as emotional rather than intellectual, and tells writers how to achieve the dreamspace necessary for composing honest, inspired fiction. Proposing that fiction is the exploration of the human condition with yearning as its compass, Butler reinterprets the traditional tools of the craft using the dynamics of desire. Offering a direct view into the mind and craft of a literary master, From Where You Dream is an invaluable tool for the novice and experienced writer alike. “Incisive and provocative, Butler’s tutorials are a must for anyone even thinking about writing fiction, and readers, too, will benefit from his passionate exhortations.” —Booklist




Will Grayson, Will Grayson


Book Description

Two award-winning and New York Times–bestselling author join forces for a collaborative novel of awesome proportions. One cold night, in a most unlikely corner of Chicago, two teens—both named Will Grayson—are about to cross paths. As their worlds collide and intertwine, the Will Graysons find their lives going in new and unexpected directions, building toward romantic turns-of-heart and the epic production of history’s most fabulous high school musical. Hilarious, poignant, and deeply insightful, John Green and David Levithan’s collaborative novel is brimming with a double helping of the heart and humor that have won them both legions of faithful fans. A New York Times Book Review Editor’s Choice An ALA Stonewall Honor Book “Will Grayson, Will Grayson is a complete romp. [It is] so funny, rude and original that by the time flowers hit the stage, even the musical-averse will cheer.” —The New York Times Book Review ★“Will have readers simultaneously laughing, crying and singing at the top of their lungs.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review “It is such a good book. [Green and Levithan] are two of the best writers writing today.” —NPR’sThe Roundtable




What We Talk About When We Talk About Love


Book Description

The most celebrated story collection from “one of the true American masters” (The New York Review of Books)—a haunting meditation on love, loss, and companionship, and finding one’s way through the dark that includes the iconic and much-referenced title story featured in the Academy Award-winning film Birdman. "Raymond Carver's America is ... clouded by pain and the loss of dreams, but it is not as fragile as it looks. It is a place of survivors and a place of stories.... [Carver] has done what many of the most gifted writers fail to do: He has invented a country of his own, like no other except that very world, as Wordsworth said, which is the world to all of us." —The New York Times Book Review




The Week You Weren't Here


Book Description

"During his final days as an undergraduate, a young writer prepares to leave family and friends but will not give up his pursuit of love and meaning."--Publisher's website.




Stone Of Fire


Book Description

An ancient power. A desperate quest. The clock is ticking. When psychologist and religious expert Dr. Morgan Sierra's sister and niece are kidnapped, she's thrust into a deadly race against time to find twelve ancient stones that could unleash unimaginable power. With only days until Pentecost and the kidnapper's deadline, Morgan must use all her knowledge and resources to track down the artifacts. She's not alone in the hunt. Jake Timber, an enigmatic agent of ARKANE, a secret British agency investigating the supernatural, has his own orders to retrieve the stones at any cost. Torn between her desperate need to save her family and Jake's mission to secure the stones, lines blur as Morgan and Jake forge an uneasy partnership. From the holy sites of Israel and the Vatican to the desert of Tunisia and the Sonoran wilderness of Arizona, Morgan and Jake face sinister forces, ancient traps, and a fanatical enemy determined to use the stones' power for their own dark purposes. Danger, betrayal and a growing attraction complicate their quest. With Pentecost approaching and a storm of apocalyptic proportions brewing, Morgan must confront her past and unearth long-buried secrets to have any hope of saving her family and preventing global catastrophe. Emotions run high and faith is tested as the clock ticks down. Can Morgan stop the stones from falling into the wrong hands, or will she have to choose between saving her family and saving the world? Fast-paced and gripping, Stone of Fire is a thrilling adventure that weaves together history, archaeology, and the supernatural into a pulse-pounding race against time. Perfect for fans of Dan Brown, James Rollins, and Steve Berry, this action-packed novel will keep you turning pages late into the night. Stone of Fire is book 1 of the ARKANE Thriller series by award-winning, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, J.F. Penn. It can also be read as a stand-alone story.




On Writers and Writing


Book Description

Looking back on her own childhood and the development of her writing career, Margaret Atwood examines the metaphors which writers of fiction and poetry have used to explain - or excuse - their activities, looking at what costumes they have seen fit to assume, what roles they have chosen to play.