A behind the scenes look at the iconic Iowa Workshop from the title on this is an entertaining expose full of anecdotes gossip a delicious read.#netgalley #Yaleupress.

I found this such an interesting and entertaining read. It’s a meticulously researched history of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop from its inception in 1936 to the present. It rose to prominence in the 1940s and has remained the world’s preeminent creative writing programme. A remarkable number of celebrated writers have been through its programme, from Flannery O’Connor to Jane Smiley, Dylan Thomas to Marilynne Robinson – the list goes on and on. The emphasis was always on peer criticism and it could be brutal at times, leading to many tears and tantrums and much rivalry. It doesn’t ever seem to have been in any way a nurturing process and some of the anecdotes left me feeling very uncomfortable. Commercial success was always a key aim and the conflict between the commercial and the purely literary is explored in some depth and makes for some very interesting reading. I thoroughly enjoyed all the anecdotes about the programme’s participants (even the ones that made me feel uncomfortable!) – a bit of literary gossip never goes amiss. It’s a truly engaging read and I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in the writing process, creative writing courses and programmes, creativity and the power of the marketplace.

Not quite what I was expecting, but this was a very interesting read. I"ll be recommending this one to our patrons.