Dogs Bark, but the Caravan Rolls On : Observations From Then and Now

A "superb blend of personal essays and journalistic articles" on everything from fatherhood to writing workshops to jazz musicians ( Chicago Sun-Times ). "At once subtle and dazzling," these pieces—collected from such publications as Esquire , Harper's Magazine , and GQ —serve as both a wide-ranging journey through topics like art and music and an autobiographical look into the life of one of our most acclaimed literary figures, the author of such books as Stop-Time and Body & Soul and a director of the renowned Writers' Workshop at the University of Iowa ( Publishers Weekly ). "[An] interesting and well-done anthology. Conroy takes on such topics as learning to play pool, fatherhood, the value of now-disappearing small towns in instilling family values, the enthusiasms of jazz musician Wynton Marsalis, and, of course, the Writers' Workshop." — Library Journal "Highly enjoyable and illuminating . . . Dogs Bark is simply one of the best books published in a long, long time." — Fort Worth Star-Telegram

For thirty years, Frank Conroy's commentaries on life, music, and writing have appeared regularly in the New York Times Magazine, Harper's Magazine, Esquire, and GQ. DOGS BARK, BUT THE CARAVAN ROLLS ON collects these pieces into an autobiography in journalistic snapshots. They evoke Conroy's southern childhood, his teen years in New York as a truant hanging out at pool halls and Harlem jazz clubs, his first glimmers of the power of language and the writing life in college, his romantic life, and his experiences as a teacher and as director of the Iowa Writers' Workshop. Here, too, are profiles of the musicians he has come to know -- and jammed with: Keith Jarrett, Wynton Marsalis, Peter Serkin, even the Rolling Stones.
New essays fill out the collection from Conroy's wry retrospective viewpoint. DOGS BARK, BUT THE CARAVAN ROLLS ON is imbued with the honesty, humor, and insight that made his memoir STOP-TIME a classic.

Publishers Weekly

Conroy (Body & Soul) delivers a running commentary on life in this collection of articles and essays, at once subtle and dazzling, written over the past 25 years. His observations range from warmly intimate (ruminations on sex and love, shooting pool as a kid) to anonymously civic (the meaning and vitality of smalltown America). In the first half of the book, he grapples with the memory of his remote father, embraces fatherhood himself and peruses the mysteries of life especially those he finds in reading (escape) and writing (experiment), and even riffs on his position as chair of the famed Writers' Workshop at the University of Iowa. The second half leads readers into a foray of pieces Conroy has written on his second and well-known love, jazz. He trips into jam sessions with the Rolling Stones, waxes on his evolution as a pianist and profiles the great provocateurs in jazz. His exploration of Wynton Marsalis at 23 and later at 34 minutely reflects the arc of developments in the author's own life. Curiously, key moments in the essays resurface within each other as if in coda; the overlapping details makes reading them even more enjoyable. (Apr.) Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

**A "superb blend of personal essays and journalistic articles" on everything from fatherhood to writing workshops to jazz musicians (__Chicago Sun-Times__).** "At once subtle and dazzling," these pieces—collected from such publications as ,, and —serve as both a wide-ranging journey through topics like art and music and an autobiographical look into the life of one of our most acclaimed literary figures, the author of such books as and and a director of the renowned Writers' Workshop at the University of Iowa (). "[An] interesting and well-done anthology. Conroy takes on such topics as learning to play pool, fatherhood, the value of now-disappearing small towns in instilling family values, the enthusiasms of jazz musician Wynton Marsalis, and, of course, the Writers' Workshop." — "Highly enjoyable and illuminating . . . is simply one of the best books published in a long, long time." — Conroy's commentaries on life, music, and writing have appeared regularly in the "New York Times Magazine, Esquire, " and more. "Dogs Bark" collects these pieces into an autobiography in journalistic snapshots. They evoke Conroy's southern childhood, his teen years in New York, and his experiences as a teacher and director ConroyUs commentaries on life, music, and writing have appeared regularly in the "New York Times Magazine, Esquire, " and more. "Dogs Bark" collects these pieces into an autobiography in journalistic snapshots. They evoke ConroyUs southern childhood, his teen years in New York, and his experiences as a teacher and director The author provides an autobiographical collection of his commentaries on life, music, and writing from the New York Times Magazine, Harper's Magazine, Esquire, and GQ, revealing his lifelong dreams and aspirations over three decades of exceptional journalism. 15,000 first printing.