The Very Telling: Conversations with American Writers

Once again, Sarah Anne Johnson offers insightful interviews with some of today's most popular and accomplished writers. Steeped in a thorough knowledge of each writer's work, Johnson asks about a range of topics on the writing craft, nurturing fictional ideas, and the daily practice of writing. The authors offer insights and practical advice that will delight their fans and be cherished by aspiring writers. Michael Cunningham recalls how the structure of The Hours evolved as he wrote it. Edwidge Danticat honors the Haitian storytelling tradition she encountered in her childhood. And Jonathan Lethem reflects on working from inside and outside the literary establishment.

Johnson's interviews have been praised for her "thoughtful and knowledgeable questions" (Bloomsbury Review) that "provoke thoughtful responses from her subjects" (Publishers Weekly) and provide "an opportunity to participate in intimate and often illuminating dialog" (Library Journal). Her previous collection, Conversations with American Women Writers (UPNE, 2004), was described as "17 miniature instruction books on craft" by Publishers Weekly.

Other writers interviewed include Rick Moody; Donna Tartt; Myla Goldberg; Mary Gaitskill; Ha Jin; Bret Anthony Johnston; Edward P. Jones; Chang-rae Lee; Alice Mattison; Nancy Rawles; Marilynne Robinson; le thi diem thuy; and Mary Yukari Waters.