In Brief : Short Takes on the Personal

In their previous collection Judith Kitchen and Mary Paumier Jones coined the term "short" for those creative nonfiction pieces '” literary rather than informational, and characteristically short '” that are attracting our finest writers. Now, with a more introspective focus, this new collection emphasizes the personal as "a way of seeing the world, of expressing an interior life. It is intimate without being maudlin, it is private without being secret." From Harriet Doerr's recollection of a halcyon time to Josephine Jacobsen's reverie on memory, In Brief offers vivid glimpses into the ways experience can be shaped in language that is fresh and inventive. The seventy-two authors here include the known '” John McPhee, Cythia Ozick, James Salter '” as well as remarkable new writers. Essays (all under 2000 words) range from Frank McCourt's search for his father in the pubs of Limerick to William Maxwell's thoughts about growing old; from Charles Baxter's early experience of reading to Brady Udall's confession as a liar. Patricia Hampl recalls meals at her grandmother's house, while Jane Brox contemplates the meaning of bread. In each piece, imagination becomes a way to explore reality. The real world we are fortunate enough to live in is revealed as endlessly rich and deep.

Introduction	p. 15
Low Tide at Four	p. 23
Rhapsody in Green	p. 27
Late July, 4:40 A.M.	p. 31
Gulleywasher	p. 35
Good Workers	p. 39
One Liar's Beginnings	p. 43
from The Bend for Home	p. 46
Accident, June 1948	p. 48
from Angela's Ashes	p. 50
Remembering, I Was Not There	p. 54
Very Narrow	p. 59
Adjustments	p. 63
Nearing 90	p. 65
Dealing with the Discovery of Death Inside an Embassy in October of 1973, in Santiago de Chile	p. 69
A Missing Star	p. 74
Parnassus	p. 78
In Between	p. 80
A Sense of Water	p. 82
Fury and Grace	p. 85
Swimming with Canoes	p. 88
Train of Thought	p. 92
Swan's Way, 1998	p. 95
Dream Houses	p. 100
Waking Dreams	p. 104
A Sense of Wonder	p. 107
All Over Again	p. 111
Messages	p. 114
e-mail	p. 116
Infectious Reading	p. 119
Come Eat	p. 123
Bread	p. 128
Clip from a Winter Diary	p. 132
Missing	p. 134
At Last, Her Laundry's Done	p. 136
Asparagus	p. 140
Existing Things	p. 143
The McKenzie River	p. 146
How to Tell One Bird from the Next	p. 151
Garden of Envy	p. 155
At Herring Cove	p. 159
The Host	p. 162
Crabs Dig Holes According to the Size of Their Shells	p. 163
Bobcats	p. 167
The Indian Dog	p. 169
Desire	p. 171
One Afternoon	p. 173
Frank Sinatra's Gum	p. 176
Considering the Lilies	p. 180
On Seat Belts, Cocaine Addiction, and the Germ Theory of Disease	p. 186
The End of Summer	p. 191
Fallout	p. 193
Deep in the Art of Texas	p. 195
Prison Man Considers Turkey	p. 198
The Left-Handed Sweeney and Vacation	p. 202
from "On the Street"	p. 205
Stuck with Strangers	p. 209
Western Union	p. 214
107 Miles West of Fargo	p. 218
Sink or Swim	p. 220
January 13	p. 224
Calving Heifers in a March Blizzard	p. 226
Man of Letters	p. 230
The Deck	p. 234
from "Dirt Roads"	p. 236
Twigs	p. 242
Artifacts	p. 244
Two Hearts	p. 249
Thread	p. 251
Storm Warnings	p. 258
This Is Your Day	p. 261
The Weather of Distance	p. 264
The Brilliance	p. 266
Artifacts of Memory	p. 270
Biographical Notes	p. 273
Permissions	p. 286
Table of Contents provided by Blackwell. All Rights Reserved.

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In Brief : Short Takes on the Personal

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