Dear mister essay writer guy : advice and confessions on writing, love, and cannibals

"This irreverent guide to crafting personal essays & creative nonfiction takes inspiration from the father of the essay, Michele de Montaigne, using lively essays to answer writing questions from top writers like Cheryl Strayed & Philip Lopate"--Dear Mister Essay Writer Guy,I have a hot crush on the em dash. What does my need to stuff—while simultaneously fracturing—my sentences—with the meandering, the explanatory, the discursive, the perhaps not-entirely-necessary—say about me? —Cheryl Strayed Have you ever wished there were an advice columnist for writers, but one who didn’t take things so damned seriously? This unique writing guide pairs questions sent in by top contemporary essayists with hilariously witty answers & essays from acclaimedauthor Dinty W. Moore. Phillip Lopate asks for advice on writing about your ex without sounding like an ass, Julianna Baggott worries that to be a great writer you must drink like a fish, & Roxane Gay asks whether it’s kosher to write about writing. Taking advantage of all the tools available to today’s personal essayist—egregious puns, embarrassing anecdotes, & cocktail napkins—Professor Moore answers these questions, and more, demystifying the world of nonfiction once & for all. With a tip of the hat to history’s most infamous essay—Montaigne’s “Of Cannibals”—this book provides rollicking relief for writers in distress. Dinty W. Moore is the founder & editor of Brevity & is the director of Ohio University’s BA, MA, & PhD in creative writing programs. He has authored various books of literary nonfiction as well as textbooks & craft guides, most notably Dear Mister Essay Writer Guy, & his memoir, Between Panic & Desire, won the GrubStreet National Book Prize. Moore has been published in Harpers, The New York Times Sunday Magazine, the Philadelphia Inquirer, Utne Reader, Salon, Okey-Panky,... A question from Phillip Lopate & "Of old girlfriends" -- A question from Cheryl Strayed & "Dash it all" -- A question from Julianna Baggott & "The napkin is the message" -- A question from Judith Kitchen & "A striped essay" -- A question from Barrie Jean Borich & "Mr. Plimpton's revenge" -- A question from Lia Purpura & "Understanding your cauliflower" -- A question from Sue William Silverman & "How tasty was my little Frenchman" -- A question from B.J. Hollars & "Have you learned your lesson, amigo?" -- A question from Diane Ackerman & "Of bums" -- A question from Dina Lenney & "Pulling teeth, or twenty reasons why my daughter's turning twenty can't come soon enough" -- A question from Philip Graham & "How to choose an appropriate essay topic" -- A question from Michael Martone & "Four essential tips for telling the truth in memoir and securing that blockbuster book deal" -- A question from Patrick Madden & "The actual message Mike the tree guy left on my answering machine the evening I arrived home to find that the tree he was cutting down when I left for work that morning still stood tall in my side yard" -- A question from Steve Almond & "An essay on the inherent dangers of memoir writing" -- A question from Ander Monson & "Nelson Algren's shorts" -- A question from Brenda Miller & "Why I trained my dog to post" -- A question from David Shields & "Beep! beep!" -- A question from Roxane Gay & "Don't read this essay" -- A question from Biran Doyle & "Clogged and stupid and weary" -- A question from Lee Gutkind.;"This irreverent guide to crafting personal essays and creative nonfiction takes inspiration from the father of the essay, Michele de Montaigne, using lively essays to answer writing questions from top writers like Cheryl Strayed and Philip Lopate"-- A question from Phillip Lopate & "Of old girlfriends" A question from Cheryl Strayed & "Dash it all" A question from Julianna Baggott & "The napkin is the message" A question from Judith Kitchen & "A striped essay" A question from Barrie Jean Borich & "Mr. Plimpton's revenge" A question from Lia Purpura & "Understanding your cauliflower" A question from Sue William Silverman & "How tasty was my little Frenchman" A question from B. J. Hollars & "Have you learned your lesson, amigo?" A question from Diane Ackerman & "Of bums" A question from Dina Lenney & "Pulling teeth, or twenty reasons why my daughter's turning twenty can't come soon enough" A question from Philip Graham & "How to choose an appropriate essay topic" A question from Michael Martone & "Four essential tips for telling the truth in memoir and securing that blockbuster book deal" A question from Patrick Madden & "The actual message Mike the tree guy left on my answering machine the evening I arrived home to find that the tree he was cutting down when I left for work that morning still stood tall in my side yard" A question from Steve Almond & "An essay on the inherent dangers of memoir writing" A question from Ander Monson & "Nelson Algren's shorts" A question from Brenda Miller & "Why I trained my dog to post" A question from David Shields & "Beep! beep!" A question from Roxane Gay & "Don't read this essay" A question from Biran Doyle & "Clogged and stupid and weary" A question from Lee Gutkind. Dear Mister Essay Writer Guy, I have a hot crush on the em dash. What does my need to stuff—while simultaneously fracturing—my sentences—with the meandering, the explanatory, the discursive, the perhaps not-entirely-necessary—say about me? —Cheryl Strayed Have you ever wished there were an advice columnist for writers, but one who didn’t take things so damned seriously? This unique writing guide pairs questions sent in by top contemporary essayists with hilariously witty answers and essays from acclaimed author Dinty W. Moore. Phillip Lopate asks for advice on writing about your ex without sounding like an ass, Julianna Baggott worries that to be a great writer you must drink like a fish, and Roxane Gay asks whether it’s kosher to write about writing. Taking advantage of all the tools available to today’s personal essayist—egregious puns, embarrassing anecdotes, and cocktail napkins—Professor Moore answers these questions, and more, demystifying the world of nonfiction once and for all. With a tip of the hat to history’s most infamous essay—Montaigne’s “Of Cannibals”—this book provides rollicking relief for writers in distress. This unique writing guide pairs questions sent in by famous contemporary essayists with advice-column-style responses and hilariously witty example essays from acclaimed author and professor Dinty W. Moore . The personal essay has never been more popular, with the likes of Lena Dunham and Mindy Kaling breathing new life into the genre. This innovative guide to crafting modern personal essays and creative nonfiction came about when acclaimed author and professor Dinty W. Moore solicited playful writing questions from today's top writers. He then penned witty responses in the format of a "Dear Sugar"-style advice column, illustrating each response with an original, humorous sample essay. In chapter 1, Phillip Lopate asks, "I am curious how you deal honestly with male-female relations in general and specifically your past girlfriends on the page without coming off as a male chauvinist pig," and Mister Essay Writer Guy pens a sage response and example essay... "This irreverent guide to crafting personal essays and creative nonfiction takes inspiration from the father of the essay, Michele de Montaigne, using lively essays to answer writing questions from top writers like Cheryl Strayed and Philip Lopate"-- Provided by publisher A guide to crafting personal essays and creative nonfiction takes inspiration from the father of the essay, Michel de Montaigne, using lively essays to answer writing questions from such top writers as Cheryl Strayed and Philip Lopate