In creative nonfiction, writers must be poetic and journalistic. THE ESSAYIST AT WORK discusses how to meet this dual demand, offering insight into the lifestyles, techniques and literary philosophies of some of the genre's most respected writers, including Annie Dillard, John McPhee, Gay Talese and Phillip Lopate. The nineteen profiles in this book introduce the "real writer" and the "real person" in intimate and revealing settings--immersed in research, in the midst of an interview, on the road or at the office trying to meet a deadline--and offer proven methods for making a mark in this competitive genre.
