Published to high praise—"groundbreaking . . . a landmark" (Poets and Writers)—this was the first anthology to celebrate the diversity of women who write.
Seventeen novelists, poets, and writers of nonfiction explore how they have become writers, why they write, and what it means to be a woman and a writer.
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A compelling and superbly crafted collection of essays. . . . It speaks to the active creative spirit. -- Philadelphia Inquirer
Groundbreaking . . . a landmark. -- Poets and Writers
Groundbreaking . . . a landmark. -- Poets and Writers
About the Author
Janet Sternburg, also the editor of The Writer on Her Work II, lives in Encino, California.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Important Essays, Important Themes,
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This review is from: The Writer on Her Work, Volume 1 (Paperback)
I've loved this book since 1980, when I bought a copy and read it and lent it and recommended it many times over since then. This new edition is even better. The pieces, personal and trenchant, ingeniously selected by Sternburg over twenty years ago, have withstood the test of time. There is deep feeling, variety, astonishing articulation of complex things, and warmth and humor in these essays. Many of the writers fight to write, and show us their battle plans. It's inspiring and encouraging, and sometimes it's sad. Some - I am thinking of young writer Michele Murray, who struggled against terrible odds - are heartbreaking. Anne Tyler's darkly humorous recitation of her typical working day, "Still Just Writing," is a classic. Alice Walker's essay, "One Child of One's Own" speaks to motherhood, and its fragile but undeniable relationship to a writing life. The new Preface, by Dominican-born Vermonter Julia Alvarez, is touching and insightful and very personal - in keeping with the rest of the book - and speaks to the concerns of the essays. Sternberg has also edited her orignal Introduction, and updated the contributors' notes at the book's end. Without question I'd recommend this wonderful book to anyone interested in reading women on the process of writing, the art of memoir, and the considered and considerably interesting opinions of a group of very wonderful writers.
5.0 out of 5 stars
A classic,
This review is from: The Writer on Her Work, Volume 1 (Paperback)
Both volumes are rich in insight on what it is that drives the impulse to write. The range of writers -- all women -- makes THE WRITER ON HER WORK an invaluable resource. There's a reason some books are destined to become classics. -- Deborah Batterman, author, Shoes Hair Nails
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Wonderful Collection,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Writer on Her Work, Volume 1 (Paperback)
As a young writer, Janet Sternburg searched for a book about woman writers: how they came to be, how they viewed their lives, how they treated their work. It was the seventies and none existed, so she put together The Writer on Her Work and it was published in 1981 - a book featuring women writing about writing. This year marks its anniversary (thus, the new edition) with a touching preface by Julia Alvarez, plus an updated introduction and bios of the 17 women who contributed to the landmark collection. Established, unknown and up-and-coming writers of the time - including Maxine Hong Kingston, Joan Didion and Alice Walker - reflect on writing and lives as writers, through heartfelt and sometimes hilarious commentary. The value of this book is reading how these women, writing in different genres, pursued their passion in the face of opposition. Whether that opposition took on the form of household responsibilities, writer's block, dissenting peers or a male-dominated marketplace, it's interesting tackling the dilemma through their eyes and in that time; making a place for themselves, and their work, discovering in that world, she dominates. This speaks to the heart of the book, a community of women's voices, whether alive or deceased, writing because they had to, sharing profound experiences and reflections on being a woman creating. The Writer on Her Work offers diverse personalities expressing their romance with words, also acknowledging the ups and downs that come with that relationship. Each essay is an inspiring testament to the continuing struggle and undeniable beauty of the female spirit in print.
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Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
While I was painting the downstairs hall I thought of a novel to write. Read the first page Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
New York, Margarett Sargent, Henry James, Opening Nights, Women's Folly, Aunt Belle, Sylvia Plath, United States, Virginia Woolf, Book of Common Prayer, Distinguished Critic, George Luks, One Child of One's Own, Raw Silk, The Otherwise Virgins, Tillie Olsen, Casa Loma, Creating Oneself, George Eliot, Lorraine Hansberry, Prides Crossing, The Blue Girl, The Parable of the Cave, Zora Neale Hurston New!
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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
While I was painting the downstairs hall I thought of a novel to write. Read the first page Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
New York, Margarett Sargent, Henry James, Opening Nights, Women's Folly, Aunt Belle, Sylvia Plath, United States, Virginia Woolf, Book of Common Prayer, Distinguished Critic, George Luks, One Child of One's Own, Raw Silk, The Otherwise Virgins, Tillie Olsen, Casa Loma, Creating Oneself, George Eliot, Lorraine Hansberry, Prides Crossing, The Blue Girl, The Parable of the Cave, Zora Neale Hurston New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 100
books:
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cites this book:
- The Writer on Her Work: New Essays in New Territory by Janet Sternburg on 6 pages
- Opening Nights by Janet Burroway on page 187, and Back Matter
- The Salt Eaters by Toni Cade Bambara in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- Literary Women: The Great Writers by Ellen Moers on page 132, and page 133
- Writing Fiction: The Practical Guide from New York's Acclaimed Creative Writing School by Gotham Writers' Workshop in Back Matter
See all 100 books this book cites
- How to Get Happily Published by Judith Appelbaum on page 263
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