The Art of the Personal Essay

Download The Art of the Personal Essay PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Anchor
ISBN 13 : 038542339X
Total Pages : 833 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (854 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Art of the Personal Essay by : Phillip Lopate

Download or read book The Art of the Personal Essay written by Phillip Lopate and published by Anchor. This book was released on 1997-01-15 with total page 833 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For more than four hundred years, the personal essay has been one of the richest and most vibrant of all literary forms. Distinguished from the detached formal essay by its friendly, conversational tone, its loose structure, and its drive toward candor and self-disclosure, the personal essay seizes on the minutiae of daily life-vanities, fashions, foibles, oddballs, seasonal rituals, love and disappointment, the pleasures of solitude, reading, taking a walk -- to offer insight into the human condition and the great social and political issues of the day. The Art of the Personal Essay is the first anthology to celebrate this fertile genre. By presenting more than seventy-five personal essays, including influential forerunners from ancient Greece, Rome, and the Far East, masterpieces from the dawn of the personal essay in the sixteenth century, and a wealth of the finest personal essays from the last four centuries, editor Phillip Lopate, himself an acclaimed essayist, displays the tradition of the personal essay in all its historical grandeur, depth, and diversity.

Writing & Selling Short Stories & Personal Essays

Download Writing & Selling Short Stories & Personal Essays PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Penguin
ISBN 13 : 1440350892
Total Pages : 257 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (43 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Writing & Selling Short Stories & Personal Essays by : Windy Harris

Download or read book Writing & Selling Short Stories & Personal Essays written by Windy Harris and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2017-09-19 with total page 257 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Write It Short, Sell It Now Short stories and personal essays have never been hotter--or more crucial for a successful writing career. Earning bylines in magazines and literary journals is a terrific way to get noticed and earn future opportunities in both short- and long-form writing. Writing & Selling Short Stories & Personal Essays capitalizes on the popularity of these genres by instructing on the two key steps to publishing short works: crafting excellent pieces and successfully submitting them. You'll learn how to: • Develop different craft elements--including point of view, character, dialogue, scene writing, and more--specifically for short stories and essays. • Recognize the qualities of excellent short works, using examples from recently published stories and essays in major journals. • Understand the business of writing short, from categorizing your work and meeting submission guidelines to networking and submitting to writing contests. • Master the five-step process for submitting and selling like a pro. Featuring advice and examples from a multitude of published authors, Writing & Selling Short Stories & Personal Essays is a must-have for any writer's bookshelf.

Writing Personal Essays

Download Writing Personal Essays PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Writers Digest Books
ISBN 13 : 9780898796650
Total Pages : 233 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (966 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Writing Personal Essays by : Sheila Bender

Download or read book Writing Personal Essays written by Sheila Bender and published by Writers Digest Books. This book was released on 1995 with total page 233 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Shows writers how to turn memories into works that will interest and captivate readers.

The Rose Metal Press Field Guide to Writing Flash Nonfiction

Download The Rose Metal Press Field Guide to Writing Flash Nonfiction PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Rose Metal Press
ISBN 13 : 0984616667
Total Pages : 290 pages
Book Rating : 4.9/5 (846 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Rose Metal Press Field Guide to Writing Flash Nonfiction by : Dinty W. Moore

Download or read book The Rose Metal Press Field Guide to Writing Flash Nonfiction written by Dinty W. Moore and published by Rose Metal Press. This book was released on 2012-09-12 with total page 290 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: FEATURING ESSAYS FROM: Barrie Jean Borich • Jenny Boully • Norma Elia Cantú • Rigoberto González • Philip Graham • Carol Guess • Jeff Gundy • Robin Hemley • Barbara Hurd • Judith Kitchen •Eric LeMay • Dinah Lenney • Bret Lott • Patrick Madden• Lee Martin • Maggie McKnight • Brenda Miller •Kyle Minor • Aimee Nezhukumatathil • Anne Panning • Lia Purpura • Peggy Shumaker • Sue William Silverman • Jennifer Sinor • Ira Sukrungruang • Nicole Walker Unmatched in its focus on a concise and popular emerging genre, The Rose Metal Press Field Guide to Writing Flash Nonfiction features 26 eminent writers, editors, and teachers offering expert analysis, focused exercises, and helpful examples of what make the brief essay form such a perfect medium for experimentation, insight, and illumination. With a comprehensive introduction to the genre and book by editor Dinty W. Moore, this guide is perfect for both the classroom and the individual writer’s desk—an essential handbook for anyone interested in the scintillating and succinct flash nonfiction form. How many words does it take to tell a compelling true story? The answer might surprise you.

Crafting a Life in Essay, Story, Poem

Download Crafting a Life in Essay, Story, Poem PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Heinemann Educational Books
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 180 pages
Book Rating : 4.F/5 ( download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Crafting a Life in Essay, Story, Poem by : Donald Morison Murray

Download or read book Crafting a Life in Essay, Story, Poem written by Donald Morison Murray and published by Heinemann Educational Books. This book was released on 1996 with total page 180 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Donald Murray demonstrates the craft that has been his discipline and joy for more than half a century.

How to Expect what You're Not Expecting

Download How to Expect what You're Not Expecting PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : TouchWood Editions
ISBN 13 : 1771510218
Total Pages : 258 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (715 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis How to Expect what You're Not Expecting by : Jessica Hiemstra

Download or read book How to Expect what You're Not Expecting written by Jessica Hiemstra and published by TouchWood Editions. This book was released on 2013 with total page 258 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Winner of a 2015 Independent Publisher Book Awards Bronze Medal One size fits all does not apply to pregnancy and childbirth. Each one is different, unique, and comes with its share of pleasure and pain. But how does one prepare for an unexpected loss of a pregnancy or hoped-for baby? In How to Expect What You're Not Expecting, writers share their true stories of miscarriage, stillbirth, infertility, and other, related losses. This literary anthology picks up where some pregnancy books end and offers diverse, honest, and moving essays that can prepare and guide women and their families for when the unforeseen happens. Contributors include Chris Arthur, Kim Aubrey, Janet Baker, Yvonne Blomer, Jennifer Bowering Delisle, Kevin Bray, Erika Connor, Sadiqa de Meijer, Jessica Hiemstra, Fiona Tinwei Lam, Lisa Martin-DeMoor, Lorri Neilsen Glenn, Susan Olding, Laura Rock, Gail Marlene Schwartz, Maureen Scott Harris, Carrie Snyder, Cathy Stonehouse, and Chris Tarry. The fourth book in a loosely linked series of anthologies about the twenty-first-century family, How to Expect What You're Not Expecting follows Somebody's Child, Nobody's Mother, and Nobody's Father, essay collections about adoption and childless adults. Together, these four books challenge readers to re-examine traditional definitions of the concept of "family."

Write Your Way In

Download Write Your Way In PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : University of Chicago Press
ISBN 13 : 022638392X
Total Pages : 176 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (263 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Write Your Way In by : Rachel Toor

Download or read book Write Your Way In written by Rachel Toor and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2017-08-03 with total page 176 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “Toor’s style is friendly, funny, and genuinely compelling, exhorting students to go deeper with their writing even (and especially) when the stakes are high.” —School Library Journal Writing, for most of us, is bound up with anxiety. It’s even worse when it feels like your whole future—or at least where you’ll spend the next four years in college—is on the line. It’s easy to understand why so many high school seniors put off working on their applications until the last minute or end up with a generic and clichéd essay. The good news? You already have the “secret sauce” for crafting a compelling personal essay: your own experiences and your unique voice. The best essays rarely catalog how students have succeeded or achieved. Good writing shows the reader how you’ve struggled and describes mistakes you’ve made. Excellent essays express what you’re fired up about, illustrate how you think, and illuminate the ways you’ve grown. More than twenty million students apply to college every year; many of them look similar in terms of test scores, grades, courses taken, extracurricular activities. Admissions officers wade through piles of files. As an applicant, you need to think about what will interest an exhausted reader. What can you write that will make her argue to admit you instead of the thousands of other applicants? A good essay will be conversational and rich in vivid details, and it could only be written by one person—you. This book will help you figure out how to find and present the best in yourself. You’ll acquire some useful tools for writing well—and may even have fun—in the process.

Graduate Admissions Essays, Fifth Edition

Download Graduate Admissions Essays, Fifth Edition PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Ten Speed Press
ISBN 13 : 198486355X
Total Pages : 273 pages
Book Rating : 4.9/5 (848 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Graduate Admissions Essays, Fifth Edition by : Donald Asher

Download or read book Graduate Admissions Essays, Fifth Edition written by Donald Asher and published by Ten Speed Press. This book was released on 2024-07-16 with total page 273 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The fully updated fifth edition of the go-to guide for crafting winning essays for any type of graduate program or scholarship, including PhD, master's, MD, JD, Rhodes, and postdocs, with brand-new essays and the latest hot tips and secret techniques. Based on thousands of interviews with successful grad students and admissions officers, Graduate Admissions Essays deconstructs and demystifies the ever-challenging application process for getting into graduate and scholarship programs. The book presents: Sample essays in a comprehensive range of subjects, including some available from no other source: medical residencies, postdocs, elite fellowships, academic autobiographies, and more! The latest on AI, the GRE, and diversity and adversity essays. Detailed strategies that have proven successful for some of the most competitive graduate programs in the country (learn how to beat 1% admissions rates!). How to get strong letters of recommendation, how to get funding when they say they have no funding, and how to appeal for more financial aid. Brand-new sample supplemental application letters, letters to faculty mentors, and letters of continuing interest. Full of Dr. Donald Asher's expert advice, this is the perfect graduate application resource whether you're fresh out of college and eager to get directly into graduate school or decades into your career and looking for a change.

A Self Made of Words

Download A Self Made of Words PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : University of Iowa Press
ISBN 13 : 1609382145
Total Pages : 99 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (93 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis A Self Made of Words by : Carl H. Klaus

Download or read book A Self Made of Words written by Carl H. Klaus and published by University of Iowa Press. This book was released on 2013-11-01 with total page 99 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Confident or fretful, solemn or sassy, tough or tender, casual or formal: the self you project in writing—your persona—is the byproduct of numerous decisions you make about what to say and how to say it. Though any single word or phrase or sentence might make little difference within the scope of an entire essay or book, collectively they create an impression of who you are or seem to be—an impression that’s sure to influence how readers respond to your work. Thus it’s essential to take charge of how you come across on the page, to craft an appropriate persona for whatever you’re writing, whether it’s a personal essay, a blog, a technical report, a letter to the editor, or a memoir. In this wise and ingenious little guide, noted essayist Carl Klaus shows you how to adapt your self to the needs of such varied nonfiction, by varying his own persona to illustrate the distinctive effect produced by each aspect and element of writing. Klaus divides his book into two parts: first, an introduction to the nature and function of a persona, then a survey of the most important elements of writing that contribute to the character of a persona, from point of view and organization to diction and sentence structure. Both parts contain exercises that will give you practice in developing a persona of your choice. Challenging and stimulating, each of his exercises focuses on a distinctly different aspect of composition and style, so as to help you develop the skills of a versatile and personable writer. By focusing on the most important ways of projecting your self in nonfiction prose, you can learn to craft a distinctive self in your writing.

Writing Essays For Dummies, UK Edition

Download Writing Essays For Dummies, UK Edition PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : John Wiley & Sons
ISBN 13 : 1119996546
Total Pages : 349 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (199 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Writing Essays For Dummies, UK Edition by : Mary Page

Download or read book Writing Essays For Dummies, UK Edition written by Mary Page and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2010-12-23 with total page 349 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This straight-talking guide will help you develop your essay-writing skills and achieve higher marks Do ever wish that you could write the perfect university essay? Are you left baffled about where to start? This easy-to-use guide walks you through the nuts and bolts of academic writing, helping you develop your essay-writing skills and achieve higher marks. From identifying the essay type and planning a structure, to honing your research skills, managing your time, finding an essay voice, and referencing correctly, Writing Essays For Dummies shows you how to stay on top of each stage of the essay-writing process, to help you produce a well-crafted and confident final document. Writing Essays For Dummies covers: Part I: Navigating a World of Information Chapter 1: Mapping Your Way: Starting to Write Essays Chapter 2: Identifying the essay type Part II: Researching, Recording and Reformulating Chapter 3: Eyes Down: Academic reading Chapter 4: Researching Online Chapter 5: Note-taking and Organising your Material Chapter 6: Avoiding Plagiarism Part III: Putting Pen to Paper Chapter 7: Writing as a process Chapter 8: Getting Going and Keeping Going Part IV: Mastering Language and Style Chapter 9: Writing with Confidence Chapter 10: Penning the Perfect Paragraph Chapter 11: Finding Your Voice Part V: Tightening Your Structure and Organisation Chapter 12: Preparing the Aperitif: The Introduction Chapter 13: Serving the Main Course: The Essay’s Body Chapter 14: Dishing up Dessert: The Conclusion Chapter 15: Acknowledging Sources of Information Part VI: Finishing with a Flourish: The Final Touches Chapter 16: It’s all in the detail Chapter 17: Perfecting Your Presentation Chapter 18: The afterglow Part VII: Part of Tens Chapter 19: Ten Tips to Avoid Things Going Wrong Chapter 20: Ten Ways to Make Your Essay Stand Out

The Made-Up Self

Download The Made-Up Self PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : University of Iowa Press
ISBN 13 : 1587299461
Total Pages : 170 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (872 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Made-Up Self by : Carl H. Klaus

Download or read book The Made-Up Self written by Carl H. Klaus and published by University of Iowa Press. This book was released on 2010-04-15 with total page 170 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The human presence that animates the personal essay is surely one of the most beguiling of literary phenomena, for it comes across in so familiar a voice that it’s easy to believe we are listening to the author rather than a textual stand-in. But the “person” in a personal essay is always a written construct, a fabricated character, its confessions and reminiscences as rehearsed as those of any novelist. In this first book-length study of the personal essay, Carl Klaus unpacks this made-up self and the manifold ways in which a wide range of essayists and essays have brought it to life. By reconceiving the most fundamental aspect of the personal essay—the I of the essayist—Klaus demonstrates that this seemingly uncontrived form of writing is inherently problematic, not willfully devious but bordering upon the world of fiction. He develops this key idea by explaining how structure, style, and voice determine the nature of a persona and our perception of it in the works of such essayists as Michel de Montaigne, Charles Lamb, E. B. White, and Virginia Woolf. Realizing that this persona is shaped by the force of culture and the impress of personal experience, he explores the effects of both upon the point of view, content, and voice of such essayists as George Orwell, Nancy Mairs, Richard Rodriguez, and Alice Walker. Throughout, in full command of the history of the essay, he calls up numerous passages in which essayists themselves acknowledge the element of impersonation in their work, drawing upon the perspectives of Joan Didion, Edward Hoagland, Joyce Carol Oates, Leslie Marmon Silko, Scott Russell Sanders, Annie Dillard, Vivian Gornick, Loren Eiseley, James Baldwin, and a host of other literary guides. Finally, adding yet another layer to the made-up self, Klaus succumbs to his addiction to the personal essay by placing some of the different selves that various essayists have called forth in him within the essays that he has crafted so carefully for this book. Making his way from one essay to the next with a persona variously learned, whimsical, and poignant, he enacts the palimpsest of ways in which the made-up self comes to life in the work of a single essayist. Thus over the course of this highly original, beautifully structured study, the personal essay is revealed to be more complex than many readers have supposed. With its lively analyses and illuminating examples, The Made-Up Self will speak to anyone who wishes to understand—or to write—personal essays.

Dear Mister Essay Writer Guy

Download Dear Mister Essay Writer Guy PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : National Geographic Books
ISBN 13 : 1607748096
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (77 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Dear Mister Essay Writer Guy by : Dinty W. Moore

Download or read book Dear Mister Essay Writer Guy written by Dinty W. Moore and published by National Geographic Books. This book was released on 2015-08-18 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Dear Mister Essay Writer Guy, I have a hot crush on the em dash. What does my need to stuff—while simultaneously fracturing—my sentences—with the meandering, the explanatory, the discursive, the perhaps not-entirely-necessary—say about me? —Cheryl Strayed Have you ever wished there were an advice columnist for writers, but one who didn’t take things so damned seriously? This unique writing guide pairs questions sent in by top contemporary essayists with hilariously witty answers and essays from acclaimed author Dinty W. Moore. Phillip Lopate asks for advice on writing about your ex without sounding like an ass, Julianna Baggott worries that to be a great writer you must drink like a fish, and Roxane Gay asks whether it’s kosher to write about writing. Taking advantage of all the tools available to today’s personal essayist—egregious puns, embarrassing anecdotes, and cocktail napkins—Professor Moore answers these questions, and more, demystifying the world of nonfiction once and for all. With a tip of the hat to history’s most infamous essay—Montaigne’s “Of Cannibals”—this book provides rollicking relief for writers in distress.

Crafting Presence

Download Crafting Presence PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : University Press of Colorado
ISBN 13 : 1607325357
Total Pages : 249 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (73 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Crafting Presence by : Nicole B. Wallack

Download or read book Crafting Presence written by Nicole B. Wallack and published by University Press of Colorado. This book was released on 2017-06-01 with total page 249 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Essays are central to students’ and teachers’ development as thinkers in their fields. In Crafting Presence, Nicole B. Wallack develops an approach to teaching writing with the literary essay that holds promise for writing students, as well as for achieving a sense of common purpose currently lacking among professionals in composition, creative writing, and literature. Wallack analyzes examples drawn primarily from volumes of The Best American Essays to illuminate the most important quality of the essay as a literary form: the writer’s “presence.” She demonstrates how accounting for presence provides a flexible and rigorous heuristic for reading the contexts, formal elements, and purposes of essays. Such readings can help students learn writing principles, practices, and skills for crafting myriad presences rather than a single voice. Crafting Presence holds serious implications for writing pedagogy by providing new methods to help teachers and students become more insightful and confident readers and writers of essays. At a time when liberal arts education faces significant challenges, this important contribution to literary studies, composition, and creative writing shows how an essay-centered curriculum empowers students to show up in the world as public thinkers who must shape the “knowledge economy” of the twenty-first century.

Creative Nonfiction

Download Creative Nonfiction PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Waveland Press
ISBN 13 : 1478608773
Total Pages : 225 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (786 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Creative Nonfiction by : Philip Gerard

Download or read book Creative Nonfiction written by Philip Gerard and published by Waveland Press. This book was released on 2004-02-19 with total page 225 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Nonfiction is in the facts. Creative nonfiction is in the telling. It reads like fiction, but stays loyal to the truth. Philip Gerard walks this fine line with confidence, style and utter zeal, looking at the world with a reporters unflinching eye and offering it up with all the skill of a master storyteller. With the same clarity and passion, Gerard offers instruction and advice to help aspiring and experienced writers create pieces so compelling, so engaging, that readers will never forget them.

The Truth of the Matter

Download The Truth of the Matter PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Longman
ISBN 13 : 9780321277619
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (776 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Truth of the Matter by : Dinty W. Moore

Download or read book The Truth of the Matter written by Dinty W. Moore and published by Longman. This book was released on 2007 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This introduction to creative nonfiction examines the building blocks of nonfiction prose one by one, delineating how and why these techniques work, then illustrating each technique with clear examples. The Truth of the Matter begins with an overview of creative nonfiction, illustrating how individual voice and narrative strategies distinguish this literary form from conventional nonfiction. The text then presents the basic building blocks of creative nonfiction in a clear sequence, easily grasped by beginning writers. Individual chapters are devoted to detail and description, characterization and scene, distinctive voice, intimate point-of-view, and the various ways in which writers discover the significance or universality of their work.

College Essay Essentials

Download College Essay Essentials PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Sourcebooks, Inc.
ISBN 13 : 1492635138
Total Pages : 257 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (926 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis College Essay Essentials by : Ethan Sawyer

Download or read book College Essay Essentials written by Ethan Sawyer and published by Sourcebooks, Inc.. This book was released on 2016-07-01 with total page 257 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Let the College Essay Guy take the stress out of writing your college admission essay. Packed with brainstorming activities, college personal statement samples and more, this book provides a clear, stress-free roadmap to writing your best admission essay. Writing a college admission essay doesn't have to be stressful. College counselor Ethan Sawyer (aka The College Essay Guy) will show you that there are only four (really, four!) types of college admission essays. And all you have to do to figure out which type is best for you is answer two simple questions: 1. Have you experienced significant challenges in your life? 2. Do you know what you want to be or do in the future? With these questions providing the building blocks for your essay, Sawyer guides you through the rest of the process, from choosing a structure to revising your essay, and answers the big questions that have probably been keeping you up at night: How do I brag in a way that doesn't sound like bragging? and How do I make my essay, like, deep? College Essay Essentials will help you with: The best brainstorming exercises Choosing an essay structure The all-important editing and revisions Exercises and tools to help you get started or get unstuck College admission essay examples Packed with tips, tricks, exercises, and sample essays from real students who got into their dream schools, College Essay Essentials is the only college essay guide to make this complicated process logical, simple, and (dare we say it?) a little bit fun. The perfect companion to The Fiske Guide To Colleges 2020/2021. For high school counselors and college admission coaches, this is an essential book to help walk your students through writing a stellar, authentic college essay.

The Curse of the Boyfriend Sweater

Download The Curse of the Boyfriend Sweater PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Macmillan + ORM
ISBN 13 : 125009562X
Total Pages : 175 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (5 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Curse of the Boyfriend Sweater by : Alanna Okun

Download or read book The Curse of the Boyfriend Sweater written by Alanna Okun and published by Macmillan + ORM. This book was released on 2018-03-20 with total page 175 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Curse of the Boyfriend Sweater is a memoir about life truths learned through crafting. People who craft know things. They know how to transform piles of yarn into sweaters and scarves. They know that some items, like woolen bikini tops, are better left unknit. They know that making a hat for a newborn baby isn’t just about crafting something small but appreciating the beginnings of life, which sometimes helps make peace with the endings. They know that if you knit your boyfriend a sweater, your relationship will most likely be over before the last stitch. Alanna Okun knows that crafting keeps her anxiety at bay. She knows that no one will ever be as good a knitting teacher as her beloved grandmother. And she knows that even when we can’t control anything else, we can at least control the sticks, string, and fabric right in front of us. Okun lays herself bare and takes readers into the parts of themselves they often keep hidden. Yet at the same time she finds humor in the daily indignities all crafters must face (like when you catch the dreaded Second Sock Syndrome and can’t possibly finish the second in a pair). Okun has written a book that will speak to anyone who has said to themselves, or to everyone within earshot, “I made that.”