The chief art critic for The New York Times writes on the creative impulse that emerges in all of us when we realize that the art of making art starts with the art of living. This wide-ranging book explores art as life's great passion, revealing what we can learn of life through works of art and the people who make them. It assures us that art--points of contact with the exceptional that are linked straight to the heart--can be found almost anywhere...

"Draft No. 4 is a master class on the writer's craft. In a series of playful, expertly wrought essays, John McPhee shares insights he has gathered over his career and has refined while teaching at Princeton University, where he has nurtured some of the most esteemed writers of recent decades. McPhee offers definitive guidance in the decisions regarding arrangement, diction, and tone that shape nonfiction pieces, and he presents extracts from his work,...

In 1988, Eric Cho, an aspiring writer, arrives at Macalester College. On his first day he meets a beautiful fledgling painter, Jessica Tsai, and another would-be novelist, the larger-than-life Joshua Yoon. Brilliant, bawdy, generous, and manipulative, Joshua alters the course of their lives, rallying them together when they face an adolescent act of racism. As adults in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the three friends reunite as the 3AC, the Asian American...

When Kent Nerburn received a letter from a young woman questioning her calling to spend her life in the arts, the writer and artist was struck by how closely her questions mirrored the doubts and yearnings of his own youth. Nerburn resolved that he would write his own letter: a letter of welcome and encouragement to all artists setting out on the same strange and magical journey, sharing the wisdom of a life spent working in the arts. From struggles...

"From the Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times science reporter acclaimed for "bring[ing] scientific concepts to life" (Bill Gates), a pathbreaking new investigation into the mysteries of human creativity"-- Creativity defines the human experience. It sparks achievement and innovation in art, science, technology, business, sports, and virtually every activity. It has fueled human progress on a global level, but it equally is the source of profound...

A bestselling poet and philosopher leads audiences on a journey to discover just how art and creative expression can bring the deepest truths to bear in the world in this collection of interconnected essays and poetry.