A Delicate Aggression

Savagery and Survival in the Iowa Writers' Workshop

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Pub Date 26 Mar 2019 | Archive Date 15 Apr 2019

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Description

A vibrant history of the renowned and often controversial Iowa Writers’ Workshop and its celebrated alumni and faculty
 
As the world’s preeminent creative writing program, the Iowa Writers’ Workshop has produced an astonishing number of distinguished writers and poets since its establishment in 1936. Its alumni and faculty include twenty-eight Pulitzer Prize winners, six U.S. poet laureates, and numerous National Book Award winners. This volume follows the program from its rise to prominence in the early 1940s under director Paul Engle, who promoted the “workshop” method of classroom peer criticism.
 
Meant to simulate the rigors of editorial and critical scrutiny in the publishing industry, this educational style created an environment of both competition and community, cooperation and rivalry. Focusing on some of the exceptional authors who have participated in the program—such as Flannery O’Connor, Dylan Thomas, Kurt Vonnegut, Jane Smiley, Sandra Cisneros, T. C. Boyle, and Marilynne Robinson—David Dowling examines how the Iowa Writers’ Workshop has shaped professional authorship, publishing industries, and the course of American literature.
A vibrant history of the renowned and often controversial Iowa Writers’ Workshop and its celebrated alumni and faculty
 
As the world’s preeminent creative writing program, the Iowa Writers’ Workshop...

Advance Praise

“[An] ambitiously scaled narrative . . . focusing on the tricky balancing act of turning out writers equipped for both commercial and literary success.”—Publishers Weekly

“I read this in two or three days because I just couldn’t stop . . . Disturbing and compelling . . . If you’ve ever been interested in MFA programs or even just Iowa’s infamous workshop, this is a must-read.”
—Jaime Herndon, Book Riot

“[An] ambitiously scaled narrative . . . focusing on the tricky balancing act of turning out writers equipped for both commercial and literary success.”—Publishers Weekly

“I read this in two or...


Available Editions

EDITION Other Format
ISBN 9780300215847
PRICE $38.00 (USD)
PAGES 440

Average rating from 3 members


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