Best-selling author John Irving discusses his life, his work, and writing through obsessions.
May/June 1991
Features
In Search of the Present
Mexico's renowned poet accepts the 1990 Nobel Prize in Literature—an excerpt from Octavio Paz's Nobel Lecture.
Advice to the Prizelorn
"Know the rules, know your craft, know your audience." Judge and writer Nancy Mairs offers advice for entering writing contests.
An Interview with John Irving
"I think you do write about your own obsessions in a way that you hope may purge you of them." The best-selling author discusses his life and work.
Creative Teaching for Creative Writers
Passive mediators or friendly critics? What students have a right to expect in writing classes, and why.
In Our Own Write—Building a Lesbian and Gay Writers' Community
A Greenwich Village nonprofit organization and writer work together to start monthly reading series.
On Form and Formalism
Thoughts on the relationship between poetic shape and content.
Flyfishing at the Bookfair
"Only a fishing trip or a bookfair could motivate me to get up this early." A day in the life of a small press publisher.
Endeavor—Live Voices from Death Row
The men and women of Texas's death row struggle against silence by creating and publishing their own prison journal.
Our Sacred Objects
In search of the onor in honorariums—a short reflection.
News and Trends
North Point Press Ceases Front-List Publishing
A leading independent publisher announces that it will stop issuing new titles.