Words for Readers and Writers: Spirit-Pooled Dialogues

“Few writers can match Larry Woiwode for craft and care. Sentence by beautiful sentence he traces the lineaments of thought, feeling, and experience. He inhabits the roles that life has given him, as writer and critic, father and husband, and Christian, with a constant difficult grace. I admire his writing deeply; it is always gratifying to be in its presence.”
―Alan Jacobs, Distinguished Professor of Humanities, Baylor University

“A book on craft, yes, but more a book on living, Larry Woiwode’s Words for Readers and Writers in my library sits between Flannery O’Connor’s Mystery & Manners and John Gardner’s On Becoming a Novelist. Not since O’Connor has a writer put the reader in such comfortable and uncomfortable places at the same time.”
―G. W. Hawkes, Professor of English, codirector of Creative Writing, Lycoming College; author, Spies in the Blue Smoke and Playing out of the Deep Woods

“The word ‘words’ and the name ‘Woiwode’ are only similar sounding but are practically synonymous. Who better to parse the subject of words than Larry Woiwode, one of our country’s ultimate wordsmiths?”
―John L. Moore, author, The Breaking of Ezra Riley, Take the Reins, and Bitter Roots

“I knew that I was in for a treat the moment I looked at the table of contents, which reads like a tempting menu of topics. When I started to read the essays I was captivated by the energy of Woiwode’s mind and even more by how widely read and broadly informed he is. To read this book is to receive a liberal education. I believe that this is one of Woiwode’s best books.”
―Leland Ryken, Emeritus Professor of English, Wheaton College

“I loved it. I’d like to read it again this weekend. The way Woiwode phrased things humbled me completely… Lots of food for thought…”
―Victoria, college student

“‘Metaphor is the meditative center of a writer’s inner universe.’ That’s just too cool. This essay got me reading sections aloud to my parents because I needed to gush about it with somebody. Woiwode’s essays have been a great encouragement―artistically and spiritually.”
―Phoebe, college student

Larry Woiwode was a Guggenheim and Lannan Fellow, recipient of the William Faulkner Foundation Award and John DosPassos Prize, a finalist for both the National Book Award and the Book Critics Circle Award, and has received the Medal of Merit from the American Academy of Arts and Letters “for distinction in the art of the short story.” His work has been featured in publications such as The New Yorker, The Washington Post, Books & Culture, and The Atlantic. He was Poet Laureate of North Dakota, Writer-in-Residence at Jamestown College, and author of Words Made Fresh and Words for Readers and Writers.