Best Books for Writers

“While modern creative writing programs seek to develop the talents of maturing writers, essential information about the initiation, development and processes of the writing craft can be discovered in the early memories of established writers—material that has not usually been available in the classroom,” writes poet and editor Susan Terris in the introduction to this unique anthology of essays and interviews of acclaimed poets, including Denise Duhamel, Rafael Jesús González, Jane Hirshfield, Arthur Sze, and Lynne Thompson. The twenty-five poets in this collection tackle topics such as how they found their poetic voice, how they dealt with racial and gender discrimination, and how they keep writing despite rejection and disappointment. Through these intimate essays and interviews, one can see that there is more than one way to become a poet and that, quite often, true inspiration comes from the most unlikely places. 

“Though vast numbers of people want to write fiction, the educational machinery set in place to teach people how doesn’t work very well. While this book puts forth no strategies for correcting the situation, it discusses some reasons why this is the case,” writes award-winning novelist and critic Samuel R. Delany in the introduction to this 2006 book on the mechanics of fiction. A professor of literature and creative writing for many decades, Delany discusses the art of writing fiction—through essays, personal letters to other writers, and interviews—as well as examines the conditions of the contemporary writer, explaining why literary reputations grow differently today than they did “twenty-five, thirty-five, and seventy-five years ago.” Organized in three parts, About Writing does more than offer basic elements of creative writing, it gives clear guidance on the life of a writer. As Delany puts it, this is a book for “writers who are not interested in formulaic imitation, at whatever level, however well done.”  

“I’m going to talk to you about the desire to write and about the two kinds of writing it seems to me I know best, the first compliant, the second impetuous,” writes Elena Ferrante to begin the first of the four essays in this slim but powerful collection by the author of the Neapolitan novels. Composed as lectures—the first three for the Umberto Eco Lectures series sponsored by the International Center for Humanities of the University of Bologna, the fourth for the Dante and Other Classics conference presented by the Association of Italianists—these pieces offer a look at Ferrante’s influences and inspirations as well as probing discussions of the work of Ingeborg Bachmann, Emily Dickinson, María Guerra, Gertrude Stein, and others. 

“Do you remember the poems of your early childhood—the far rhymes and games of the beginning to which you called the rhythms, the little songs to which you woke and went to sleep? Yes, we remember them,” writes Muriel Rukeyser in “The Fear of Poetry,” the first chapter in this collection of essays that makes a case for the centrality of poetry in American life. In this 1949 American classic, reprinted in 1996 by Paris Press and with a foreword by poet Jane Cooper, Rukeyser explores the presence of poetry in our everyday lives and its lasting importance in forming a civil society. “A poem does invite, it does require. What does it invite? A poem invites you to feel. More than that: it invites you to respond. And better than that: a poem invites a total response,” writes Rukeyser. For both experienced writers and those interested in forming a closer relationship with poetry, The Life of Poetry instructs and dares the reader to be changed by its words. 

In this collection of conversations between writers and their mentors edited by Vendela Vida, some first published in The Believer and others previously unpublished, the craft of writing is discussed as well as a wide range of topics including Buddhism, politics, and mountain climbing. Often characterized by a serious yet casual tone, the interviews feature Zadie Smith talking with Ian McEwan, Jonathan Lethem talking with Paul Auster, Susan Choi talking with Francisco Goldman, and Dave Eggers talking with David Foster Wallace. Through these intimate conversations, the personality of each writer comes through, offering insight into their thought processes and approaches to writing. In this revised and expanded edition, readers will get a peek into the concerns and interests of these influential writers through their inspiring and passionate dialogue. 

“The interviewers I fear most are the ones who’ve read what the publisher’s PR people say about your book, along with some handy pull quotes,” writes Ursula K. Le Guin in the introduction to this series of conversations on the craft of writing with David Naimon, host of the literary radio show and podcast Between the Covers. “Every now and then I meet one who realizes that what I really like to do is talk shop.” In these delightful discussions on poetry, fiction, and nonfiction, Le Guin provides advice and guidance for any kind of writer across genres. The book demonstrates not only the range of Le Guin’s prowess and body of work—which includes poems, translations, essays, speeches, and novels—but the expertise of Naimon’s precise interviewing skills. “The good interview is like a good badminton rally,” Le Guin writes. “You know right away that the two of you can keep that birdie in the air, and all you have to do is watch it fly.” 

On the heels of his acclaimed novel Appleseed, published in July 2021 by Custom House and named one of Summer’s Hottest Books by USA Today, comes Matt Bell’s inspiring yet pragmatic guide to writing a novel. Drawing examples from writers such as Garth Greenwell, Rachel Kushner, Matthew Salesses, and Jeff VanderMeer, Bell approaches the writing (and rewriting) process in three sections—First Draft: Forward Progress, Generative Revision; Second Draft: Rewrite, Don’t Revise; and Third Draft: Refuse to Be Done—leading readers toward a layered approach to polishing by way of a checklist of tasks that can be applied to a manuscript one at a time. Along the way Bell avoids a one-size-fits-all approach and encourages writers to either dismiss or, better yet, subvert any of his strategies: “This book is here to serve you and your book,” he writes with characteristic pragmatism. “Only what’s useful to you applies.” 

The Route as Briefed is an eclectic collection of prose by Pulitzer Prize–winning poet James Tate featuring essays, interviews, journal entries, and even a recipe. Topics range from poetic influences to MFA programs, and from the role of humor in poetry to the nature of regional writing. An installment of the University of Michigan Press’s Poets on Poetry series, the book features Tate’s signature humorous writing style and is sure to entertain readers as well as offer instruction and introspection on the difficulties and joys of the writing life. This is an underrated writing craft classic by a beloved poet and teacher for any reader or writer looking for insight and inspiration. 

“There is no technology more democratic than language. And so, let us sing,” writes Reginald Dwayne Betts in the foreword to this PEN America writing handbook edited by Caits Meissner, which features over fifty justice-involved contributors offering inspiration and resources for crafting a literary life in prison. With essays by influential writers including Ellen Bass, Mitchell S. Jackson, Piper Kerman, T Kira Mahealani Madden, and Patrick O’Neil, this comprehensive resource begins by breaking down various genres of creative writing, then follows with the intricacies of crafting a writer’s life in prison and building a writing community, using a mix of personal experiences and expertise to contextualize the difficulty of launching one’s work into the world beyond the walls of a prison. Offering pragmatic advice and helpful writing exercises, The Sentences That Create Us is not only an urgent handbook for incarcerated writers and their allies, but a craft book that will instruct and challenge any writer. 

“Can creative writing be taught?” asks Francine Prose in the first sentence of Reading Like a Writer as she reflects on the people who have helped her become a better writer. The author, critic, and professor of literature guides readers through the tools of great writers—Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Vladimir Nabokov, Virginia Woolf, ZZ Packer—and breaks down elements of the craft into chapters such as “Words,” “Sentences,” “Dialogue,” “Gesture,” and “Details.” Mixing personal anecdotes with extensive passages from literature’s most celebrated works, Prose reminds readers to pay attention to words, the foundation of all creative writing. “Like most—maybe all—writers, I learned to write by writing, and by example, by reading books,” says Prose. 

Thirty years after her first book, The Artist ’s Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity (TarcherPerigree, 1992), changed the way countless writers thought about creativity, Julia Cameron turns her attention to the concept of creative prayer. Starting with a secular appeal to experiment with open-mindedness, Cameron tells the story of how prayer led her forward at a time of personal crisis and helped her develop the creative tools she shared in The Artist’s Way, particularly Morning Pages, Artist Dates, and Walks. In her new book she shares a mindful collection of prayer practices that can open a writer’s “creative soul,” regardless of personal beliefs or religious practices. Through prayers of petition, gratitude, creativity, and others, writers are invited to step more fully into their creative practice. Billed as a “six-week program,” Seeking Wisdom should appeal to any fan of Cameron’s earlier nonfiction. 

“Wherever these poets are writing from, they—and we—are together in this ‘sudden strangeness,’ possibly the most dramatic period most of us have ever known,” writes editor Alice Quinn in the introduction of Together in a Sudden Strangeness: America’s Poets Respond to the Pandemic, a timely anthology of poems, many of which were written in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. The collection includes the work of over one hundred renowned and emerging poets such as Jericho Brown, Ama Codjoe, Fanny Howe, Ada Limón, Vijay Seshadri, and Jenny Xie. From fierce truths to dark humor, readers can share in the experience of being delighted and illuminated through this essential, urgent poetry anthology that addresses the fear, grief, and hope felt in these times. As Quinn writes: “These poems reflect how our poets are reckoning with this unforeseen calamity and reaching out to connect with us, their readers, to share the illumination of life that beckons to all in dark times.”