This collection of essays does not intend to teach its readers to write, nor does it attempt to convince them to take up the pen. Rather, in their respective essays, writers William Kennedy, Robert Hass, Richard Ford, Roger Rosenblatt, Geoffrey Wolff, Diane Johnson, Louise Gl?ck, Philip Levine, and John Barth tell us why literature matters, why it is remarkable to actively take part in advancing one's culture by writing. This volume contributes not...