Readers will discover that Janette Oke fits none of the celebrity stereotypes. The daughter of a Canadian prairie farmer, the wife of a pastor and educator, the mother of four grown children and grandmother - she is an ordinary woman with an extraordinary talent.

Author of three memoirs of her own, Mary Karr synthesizes her expertise as graduate writing professor and therapy patient, writer and spiritual seeker, recovered alcoholic and "black belt sinner," providing an irreverent window into the mechanics and art of the form. Anchored by excerpts from her favorite memoirs and anecdotes from fellow writers' experience, The Art of Memoir lays bare Karr's own process. In addition, all those inside stories about...

"SOME PIG," Charlotte the spider's praise for Wilbur, is just one fondly remembered snippet from E. B. White's Charlotte's Web. In Some Writer!, the two-time Caldecott Honor winner Melissa Sweet mixes White's personal letters, photos, and family ephemera with her own exquisite artwork to tell his story, from his birth in 1899 to his death in 1985. Budding young writers will be fascinated and inspired by the journalist, New Yorker contributor, and...

"For more than half a century, the red leather diary languished inside a steamer trunk. Rescued from a Dumpster on Manhattan's Upper West Side, it found its way to Lily Koppel, a young writer, who opened its tarnished brass lock and journeyed into an enthralling past. The diary painted a breathaking portrait of a bygone New York--of glamorous nights at El Morocco and elegant teas at Schrafft's during the 1920s and '30s--and of the headstrong, endearing...

Elmer Kelton writes of his boyhood in the sandhills of West Texas. The sons of Buck Kelton, a respected third-generation cowboy and ranch foreman, were expected to follow in Buck's footsteps, but Elmer strayed. Never much of a horseman, nor adept at the cowboy's trade, he went off to college and then into journalism and novel writing -- a good career choice, as it turned out.

Writing has been medicine for Nancy Slonim Aronie. At nine months old, her son Dan was diagnosed with diabetes. Then, at twenty-two, he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. During the years she and her husband took care of Dan, and when he died at thirty-eight, Aronie could not find the book she needed. So she wrote her memoir. In teaching memoir writing, Aronie has found that everyone has a story to tell and that telling it is important. Sharing...

"Bursting with practical tips and tricks, such as creating actual story-finding maps of your neighborhood, this book will help you build confidence and establish good writing habits as you learn to use a journal to snoop out plots full of action and emotion about yourself, your family, your friends, your neighbors, and your pets. As Jack shows you hot to shape your rough ideas, organize plots, and polish drafts to shiny perfection, he also shares...

"The beloved New York Times bestselling author reflects on home, family, friendships and writing in this deeply personal collection of essays."-- ""Any story that starts will also end." As a writer, Ann Patchett knows what the outcome of her fiction will be. Life, however, often takes turns we do not see coming. Patchett ponders this truth in these wise essays that afford a fresh and intimate look into her mind and heart. At the center of These Precious...

In this semi-autobiographical picture book, author Patricia MacLachlan relates what it might take to grow up to become a writer.

A fascinating look at the life of the author who created such modern classics as Carrie, IT, and The Shining. One of the most prolific and popular authors in the world today, Stephen King has become part of pop culture history. But, who is the man behind those tales of horror, grief, and the supernatural? Where do these ideas come from? And, what drives him to keep writing at a breakneck pace after a thirty year career? In this unauthorized biography,...