Eric Olsen (2)

This took me forever to read. Not because it was bad or boring, but neither was it strongly propulsive. Chatty, is what I'd call it, but with a lot of good commentary from a lot of different angles about writing, the writing life, the pursuit of an MFA, etc. I just I kept getting distracted by all sorts of other shiny things.

It's a collective anecdotal narrative, with input from people you've heard of (T.C. Boyle, John Irving, Sandra Cisneros, Allan Gurganus) and then a bunch you haven't, because it's not all about becoming famous or successful but rather the process of becoming a working writer, whatever that means to the people in question.

And there's something very sweet about it, all these people talking about craft and what it means to them to be writers -- they manage to sidestep what could be a super narcissistic chorus. Instead it's very affirmative, that there are as many different ways to be a writer as there are writers. Which I know, doh. But it hit me at just the right time, and I do recommend it for anyone who's interested in that kind of discussion.… (mais)

Imagine that you have an opportunity to spend an evening sitting around in an informal environment, listening to well-established writers talk about their lives, their writing, and their experiences in the 1970's at the Iowa Writer's Workshop. Some are more interesting than others, certainly, but if you have any interest in the process of creative writing, or if you aspire to write yourself, this book will please you. It won't teach you about writing. I don't think that was the intent of the collaborative authors. It will give you a tremendous insight into the feeling of being a writer; an unprecedented opportunity to peek inside the process itself and see how it feels.

I read this book in multiple sittings which were, in some cases, many weeks apart (Hence the lateness of the review. I've had the book for a shamefully long time) and frankly, I think it was better read in this manner. Even the best and most stimulating company can pall after extended exposure. By reading the book in installments, my interest and enjoyment remained high and the experience fresh.… (mais)

I apologize for the lateness of my review -- I recieved this review copy nearly a year ago. I'm a (returning) college student now, so reading for pleasure has been greatly reduced. It was interesting to read about academia while I was on break in between semesters, even though where I'm currently attending (community college) is not quite like what a post-BA university program would be.

Many people seem to think that writer's workshops are one (maybe two) week long sessions where writers can hit up agents, etc...but Iowa Writers' Workshop is actually more of an academic format, taking a couple years, and if completed, a degree is acquired. This book, compliled by two graduates from the Workshop in the 1970s, seeks out other writers from the same era -- specifically, 1974-1978. Some of these grads are better known to the general reading public than others, such as: T.C. Boyle, Jane Smiley, Allan Gurganus, and Sandra Cisneros. Some of the teachers that spent time at Iowa were also well-known authors (or in some cases, formerly well-known), so there are several anecdotes about them as well -- John Cheever and John Irving, for example.

The graduates featured here also share thoughts on how the publishing culture has changed over time, which I found interesting.

Jayne Anne Phillips states:
"...publishers were patient enough to support, nurture, and stay with a writer through the early stages of refining and honing a native talent. I don't believe that's so now. Agents and editors want to rush the young writer's career on a book that may not be anything as fine as what that writer might, in time, finally write. A very few lucky and talented writers may break through this way. But what happens to the others?"

T.C. Boyle adds: "...it's going to be tough for writers in general; for the few who get the blockbuster great. It's going to be tough on publishers too because their bread and butter is the backlist, and if you have one-hit and two-hit wonders, where's the backlist?"

Regarding teachers, Allan Gurganus states: "It amazes me to think that people were in a class being taught by John Cheever and they had never read his work; they didn't know who he was. I am still dumbfounded by how little many writers have actually read. Only in America. Every person sees himself as Columbus, the first. You go to Argentina, they can tell you every poem, by heart, written by any Argentine since the beginning of literacy. Here? People study with a master of prose, professing to be writers, and they are not even curious enough to read their mentor!"

Once I got started reading this book, I enjoyed it although it isn't the type to tear through in a matter of days. There's a lot to think about and digest here -- not that it's a difficult read. I'm old enough (but not as old as the 1974-1978 workshop grads) to have either read, or be familiar with, many of the authors (and their teachers) here. These workshop grads of the 1970s provide good insight that might not be fully appreciated by today's younger people because they are more familiar with current authors such as, say, Stephenie Meyer.… (mais)