This second volume was a bit of a disappointment to me. Perhaps the first volume was so good as to crowd out any favor for this one. On the other hand, these essays seemed colder, more distant than the earlier ones. There is relatively little of the artists in these works, while the earlier essays seemed heart-felt, quickened by their very life blood. That said, there were several standouts. The essays written around the time of 9/11 by A. M. Homes and Mary Karr were wonderful expositions on the power of art, specifically writing, in the face of unimaginable pain and terror. And both sprung from the depths of their soul The other standout must have been culled from the deepest reaches of the Times' archives - Arthur Miller on politics in the days before America joined World War II. That war is viewed with a gleaming nostalgia from this modern age. But the times were ugly and divisive in ways that right far too true for the last decade in this country. Miller unveils the dirty underside of American sentiment towards immigrants and the plight of the rest of the world, and it's not what you'll find in the movies, at all. ( )

When I realized that the second volume of Writers on Writing existed I immediately put it on my wish list. When it finally arrived I couldn't wait to read it. The essays in this New York Times collection aren't selected to compliment each other in voice, theme or subject. It's pretty much authors talking about whatever strikes them, as long as it has something to do with their present life as writers. Some remember their childhood and making up stories, some reflect on their children's childhood and their struggles with their first book. Some talk about book signings, interviews, impact of current events, music, loneliness, workday schedule, depression and their Selectric typewriter. You name it, it's there. That's what I love about these books - they show the writerly world as it is - diverse and unscripted and un-carefully-selected to match something.
What I like most about these books though is that they make me want to DO things. They make me want to go find the books mentioned on the pages, listen to the music credited with inspiration, write something, anything at all. This is definitely a must-read and I highly recommend it, even if you have no ambition to become one of the writerly world. ( )

I like reading what writers have to say about their craft. The essays in this collection are brief (having begun their lives in a newspaper), which makes it a good book for dipping into. Introduction by Jane Smiley. Includes pieces by Margaret Atwood, Dorothy, Gallagher, P.J. O'Rourke, Ann Patchett, Anna Quindlen, and many others. (I rather like seeing the essays arranged in alphabetical order by author, rather than by any theme an editor might have tried to spin.) ( )