A Braided Heart
Essays on Writing and Form
Published on 12. July 2021
Book
Hardback
148 pages
978-0-472-07492-1 (ISBN)
Description
A Braided Heart provides a friendly, personal, and smart guide to the writing life. It also offers clear and original instruction on craft elements at the forefront of today's emerging forms in creative nonfiction: from the short-short, to the braided form, to the hermit crab essay. An acknowledged expert in these forms, Brenda Miller gives writers practical advice on how to sustain and invigorate their writing practice, while also encouraging readers to explore their own writing lives.
"Brenda Miller writes so beautifully in these lyrical and 'braided' essays-personal meditations that take us deep into the miracle of writing itself. Her eye is always alert, her ear wonderfully tuned to the nuances of perception. The art of the essay is alive and well in her hands."
-Jay Parini, author of Borges and Me
"Brenda Miller writes so beautifully in these lyrical and 'braided' essays-personal meditations that take us deep into the miracle of writing itself. Her eye is always alert, her ear wonderfully tuned to the nuances of perception. The art of the essay is alive and well in her hands."
-Jay Parini, author of Borges and Me
Reviews / Votes
"Miller soars when she captures such personal, vivid details...solid and practical...aspiring writers will find some sound advice."-Publishers Weekly * Publishers Weekly * "In A Braided Heart, Brenda Miller delivers a master class on the composition and appreciation of autobiographical essays. ...It exemplifies as much as it teaches, citing everyone from Mark Doty to Virginia Woolf as it encourages readers to embrace a reflective mindset, drawing connections between life experiences and pinpointing moments of meaning."
-Shelf Awareness * Shelf Awareness * "A Braided Heart is a pot of perfectly steeped tea with two cups. The book is a testament to the tensile strength of essay. No matter how the form is bent, so long as the writer remains in conversation, the connection maintains, this friendship through words."
-Kelly K. Ferguson, Brevity -- Kelly K. Ferguson * Brevity *
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Ann Arbor
United States
Product notice
sewn/stitched
Cloth over boards
Dimensions
Height: 235 mm
Width: 159 mm
Thickness: 15 mm
Weight
327 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-472-07492-1 (9780472074921)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Brenda Miller is Professor of Creative Writing at Western Washington University.
Content
Acknowledgements
Preface by Jay Parini
Section One
First Words
Fan
Hand, Writing
Durable Goods
On Thermostats
The Case Against Metaphor: An Apologia
Section Two
A Braided Heart: Shaping the Lyric Essay
"Brenda Miller Has a Cold," or: How a Lyric Essay Happens
A Case Against Courage in Creative Nonfiction
Writing Inside the Web: Creative Nonfiction in the Age of Connection
The Fine Art of Containment in Creative Nonfiction
The Shared Space Between Reader and Writer: A Case Study
Section Three
In Memoriam
On the Power of Your Word
On Friendship, Assignments, Detail, and Trust
Cables, Chains, and Lariats: Form as Process
The Shape of Emptiness
Epilogue
Collaboration in the Time of Covid-19
Sources
Preface by Jay Parini
Section One
First Words
Fan
Hand, Writing
Durable Goods
On Thermostats
The Case Against Metaphor: An Apologia
Section Two
A Braided Heart: Shaping the Lyric Essay
"Brenda Miller Has a Cold," or: How a Lyric Essay Happens
A Case Against Courage in Creative Nonfiction
Writing Inside the Web: Creative Nonfiction in the Age of Connection
The Fine Art of Containment in Creative Nonfiction
The Shared Space Between Reader and Writer: A Case Study
Section Three
In Memoriam
On the Power of Your Word
On Friendship, Assignments, Detail, and Trust
Cables, Chains, and Lariats: Form as Process
The Shape of Emptiness
Epilogue
Collaboration in the Time of Covid-19
Sources