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Words for Readers and Writers: Spirit-Pooled Dialogues
Words―so small, so powerful―engender and enable our very existence. How are we to receive them, use them, hear them, and unite them? Critically acclaimed author Larry Woiwode explores the mysterious potential of words in this collection of 21 essays on the process and the significance of reading and writing. Reflect on Woiwode’s masterful meditations and you will find yourself inspired not only to write and to read, but also to believe in the transforming power of words.
240 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 2013
12 people are currently reading
82 people want to read
About the author
Larry Woiwode
39 books22 followersLarry Woiwode was designated Poet Laureate of North Dakota by the Legislative Assembly in 1995. He served as Writer in Residence at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, 1973-74; and from 1983-88 was a tenured professor at the State University of New York, Binghamton, and director of its Creative Writing Program.
Larry Woiwode’s fiction has appeared in Antaeus, Antioch Review, Atlantic Monthly, GQ, Harpers, The New Yorker, Paris Review, Partisan Review, and many other publications; his poetry has appeared in Atlantic Monthly, Harpers, The New Yorker, Mademoiselle, Poetry North, Tar River Poetry, Transatlantic Review, Works in Progress, and other publications and venues, including broadsides and anthologies.
His novels and his memoirs are widely acclaimed and his writings have been translated into a dozen languages and earned him international recognition: he is the recipient of the William Faulkner Foundation Award, 1969; has been a Guggenheim Fellow, 1971-72; a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award and the National Book Award, 1975; chosen by the American Association of Publishers for a novel to present to the White House Library, 1976; is recipient of an Award in Literature from the National Institute and American Academy of Arts & Letters, 1980; of the John Dos Passos Prize (for a diverse body of work), 1991; and of a Lannan Literary Fellowship, 2001. He has also received North Dakota’s highest honor, the Theodore Roosevelt Roughrider Award, conferred by Governor Sinner, in 1992; and in 2011 received the Emeritus Award from the High Plains Awards Committee, for “A Body of Work as Vast as the West.” His recent publications include Words Made Fresh, and The Invention of Lefse, published in 2011 by Crossway Books. His new novel Blackburn Bay is nearly ready to be viewed by agents and publishers, and in 2010 he completed a new book of short stories
Larry Woiwode’s fiction has appeared in Antaeus, Antioch Review, Atlantic Monthly, GQ, Harpers, The New Yorker, Paris Review, Partisan Review, and many other publications; his poetry has appeared in Atlantic Monthly, Harpers, The New Yorker, Mademoiselle, Poetry North, Tar River Poetry, Transatlantic Review, Works in Progress, and other publications and venues, including broadsides and anthologies.
His novels and his memoirs are widely acclaimed and his writings have been translated into a dozen languages and earned him international recognition: he is the recipient of the William Faulkner Foundation Award, 1969; has been a Guggenheim Fellow, 1971-72; a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award and the National Book Award, 1975; chosen by the American Association of Publishers for a novel to present to the White House Library, 1976; is recipient of an Award in Literature from the National Institute and American Academy of Arts & Letters, 1980; of the John Dos Passos Prize (for a diverse body of work), 1991; and of a Lannan Literary Fellowship, 2001. He has also received North Dakota’s highest honor, the Theodore Roosevelt Roughrider Award, conferred by Governor Sinner, in 1992; and in 2011 received the Emeritus Award from the High Plains Awards Committee, for “A Body of Work as Vast as the West.” His recent publications include Words Made Fresh, and The Invention of Lefse, published in 2011 by Crossway Books. His new novel Blackburn Bay is nearly ready to be viewed by agents and publishers, and in 2010 he completed a new book of short stories
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
May 21, 2013
Having just written my review of the Woiwode work for Plains Folk, my feature on Prairie Public radio, I find I have one more thing to say that didn't make it into the radio review. For my History students: go to pp. 64-65 and read Woiwode on metaphor. All writing, he says, is metaphor, inasmuch as words are only our best representations of events, real or imagined. Compare this metaphor of metaphor with John Lewis Gaddis, who gives us History as a map of the past. A map of a metaphor, or a metaphor of a map, I'm getting confused. I just know that these two guys, to resort to conventional metaphor, are on the same path. I quote Woiwode,
"Metaphor must feel as real as the entity being transferred, and in order to fashion reality in its form, so the portrayal is accurately conveyed, the writer has to work within the structure and limitations of language. . . . Worse, over the transfer from the original to the page, the writer crosses not only a physical realm--from here to there and this to that; synapses in the brain to a pencil on a page or keys registering images on a computer screen--not only manages that crossing but also crosses a metaphysical impasse where for a moment all that exists is a hope that the springy squiggle of words momentarily held in the cranium will, when they arrive, span the blank abyss of a page. . . . Until that transfer is complete the writer exists wholly on faith."
"Metaphor must feel as real as the entity being transferred, and in order to fashion reality in its form, so the portrayal is accurately conveyed, the writer has to work within the structure and limitations of language. . . . Worse, over the transfer from the original to the page, the writer crosses not only a physical realm--from here to there and this to that; synapses in the brain to a pencil on a page or keys registering images on a computer screen--not only manages that crossing but also crosses a metaphysical impasse where for a moment all that exists is a hope that the springy squiggle of words momentarily held in the cranium will, when they arrive, span the blank abyss of a page. . . . Until that transfer is complete the writer exists wholly on faith."
January 18, 2018
So, I know Woiwode. And as I've gotten to know him, the more I realize that our ideas on writing are very, very different. I write because it's fun. I don't believe in some profound great truth. I also have a penchant for writing bloody, trashy, pulpy kind of stuff. Strike one against me liking this.
Strike two was just how Jesus-y it was, and that is something that will differ from person to person--I am not religious, hence the, it's-not-you-it's-me shelf, but this book is very Jesus-y. If you're into that and believe in some profound great truth when it comes to writing, this might be 100% for you.
I did like a couple of the essays, particularly the last one.
Strike two was just how Jesus-y it was, and that is something that will differ from person to person--I am not religious, hence the, it's-not-you-it's-me shelf, but this book is very Jesus-y. If you're into that and believe in some profound great truth when it comes to writing, this might be 100% for you.
I did like a couple of the essays, particularly the last one.
January 26, 2017
I laughed, I learned, I was put in my place as someone who sort of thought she could easily be a writer. There were some encouraging reflections about the legitimacy of being both Christian and literary. But his style soared into self-amusement rather than loving one's reader through clear communication; and after a while this collection of essays started to sound like publicity for his novel Born Brothers (which I haven't read, maybe it's worth all the air time).
February 1, 2020
I enjoyed this book so much. The author was my teacher in Binghamton, NY. I wanted to pack up, move, and go to school there all over again. I love the way the chapters are organized. I appreciated the intimation that Christianity is not tolerated by every mainstream or literary publisher. It seems true. Chapters about William Maxwell, Vladimir Nabokov, and Leo Tolstoy are rich and evocative. An alternative interpretation of madness as part of a spiritual quest is necessary.
February 16, 2019
There are a few great treasures hidden in the midst of the wandering essays about writing. If you're a writer you'll continue digging for the treasure. All others will be a bit bored. "And when values overtake morals, chaos has come again." p.20,
July 16, 2021
Very slow and dry and boring, but with a few nuggets of worth.
May 8, 2013
I was caught off guard but pleased. I was caught off guard because I’ve never heard of Larry Woiwode and pleased because he’s a wizard with words. I chose the heading because it resonates with my reading, “Sentence by beautiful sentence he traces the lineaments of thought, feeling, and experience.”
Words for Readers and Writers is a collection of writings--essays, interviews, autobiography, literary analysis, biography, to name a few. Each of these genres stands alone within each chapters. Each chapter engages. I decided to pick it up and read a few pages on my flight home from Denver and ended up finishing the entire book. I enjoyed reading it so much I will certainly be reading more of Larry Woiwode. He writes with clarity. His words crisp. The images in them tangible.
Also, Words for Readers and Writers is filled with deft cultural analysis. One of my favorites relates to the arts,
Don’t distort or gloss over what you see. You can’t ignore the seamy side of present-day culture, which you’re bound to encounter, as you already have. You don’t want to present a sanitized, goody-two-shoes version of life if that isn’t what you observe. That’s not ethically honest. Certain works of fiction, including mine, have been criticized for containing content too forthright for the Christian community, when the criticism is put charitably, but that element I can’t ethically change. I’ve never understood how a writer can depict redemption from sin if the reader doesn’t see sin in a character to begin with. No writer would equate a mortal work to the inspired Word of Scripture, the creature grabbing at the Creator—other than bearing an image that’s tainted and flawed to begin with and has exuded a further stain of rebellion—and any work I’ve been able to complete is, I confess, an infinity of distance from Scripture. (p. 179)
The avid reader will want this book. The lover of words will delight in it.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received Words for Readers and Writers free from Crossway. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Words for Readers and Writers is a collection of writings--essays, interviews, autobiography, literary analysis, biography, to name a few. Each of these genres stands alone within each chapters. Each chapter engages. I decided to pick it up and read a few pages on my flight home from Denver and ended up finishing the entire book. I enjoyed reading it so much I will certainly be reading more of Larry Woiwode. He writes with clarity. His words crisp. The images in them tangible.
Also, Words for Readers and Writers is filled with deft cultural analysis. One of my favorites relates to the arts,
Don’t distort or gloss over what you see. You can’t ignore the seamy side of present-day culture, which you’re bound to encounter, as you already have. You don’t want to present a sanitized, goody-two-shoes version of life if that isn’t what you observe. That’s not ethically honest. Certain works of fiction, including mine, have been criticized for containing content too forthright for the Christian community, when the criticism is put charitably, but that element I can’t ethically change. I’ve never understood how a writer can depict redemption from sin if the reader doesn’t see sin in a character to begin with. No writer would equate a mortal work to the inspired Word of Scripture, the creature grabbing at the Creator—other than bearing an image that’s tainted and flawed to begin with and has exuded a further stain of rebellion—and any work I’ve been able to complete is, I confess, an infinity of distance from Scripture. (p. 179)
The avid reader will want this book. The lover of words will delight in it.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received Words for Readers and Writers free from Crossway. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
March 25, 2013
The only way to describe this book is - A Romance of Words.
The author, who is an established writer, has collected a number of his articles and interviews on the subject of "words". He focuses on both reading and writing.
Being both an author and a poet, Woiwode's writing gives this book a very poetic tone. The words flow in a kind of dance. It seems it is written more as a craft than just for information.
I am an avid reader. Most of my reading is Theological in nature, but I do dabble in non-fiction and novels when the notion hits. I have also read some of the classics (Hemingway, Steinbeck, and a few others). They were mostly understandable.
I feel that Woiwode's writing is so reliant on literary knowledge that I am missing an inside joke. This is no reflection on his writing. It is tremendous. It has more to do with my own deficiencies. To be honest, some of it was a little over my head - and I enjoy reading the 17th century Puritans.
Each of us should try to read a little over our heads. If we always read those writings that are easy for us, we tend to be lazy thinkers. I feel that this book deserves a second reading after I have referenced some of the literature that he writes about.
As I was reading, I felt as if I was reading a Cormac McCarthy book. I realize McCarthy only writes novels, but Woiwode who is also a novelist, writes non-fiction the same way.
I enjoyed this book and gave it a 4 out of 5. The reason for the decrease of one star could be more of the fault of the reader than of the author.
I received this book, free of charge, from Crossway and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
The author, who is an established writer, has collected a number of his articles and interviews on the subject of "words". He focuses on both reading and writing.
Being both an author and a poet, Woiwode's writing gives this book a very poetic tone. The words flow in a kind of dance. It seems it is written more as a craft than just for information.
I am an avid reader. Most of my reading is Theological in nature, but I do dabble in non-fiction and novels when the notion hits. I have also read some of the classics (Hemingway, Steinbeck, and a few others). They were mostly understandable.
I feel that Woiwode's writing is so reliant on literary knowledge that I am missing an inside joke. This is no reflection on his writing. It is tremendous. It has more to do with my own deficiencies. To be honest, some of it was a little over my head - and I enjoy reading the 17th century Puritans.
Each of us should try to read a little over our heads. If we always read those writings that are easy for us, we tend to be lazy thinkers. I feel that this book deserves a second reading after I have referenced some of the literature that he writes about.
As I was reading, I felt as if I was reading a Cormac McCarthy book. I realize McCarthy only writes novels, but Woiwode who is also a novelist, writes non-fiction the same way.
I enjoyed this book and gave it a 4 out of 5. The reason for the decrease of one star could be more of the fault of the reader than of the author.
I received this book, free of charge, from Crossway and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
July 20, 2013
A wide collection of Woiwode's writings, I gather. An emphasis on writing and writers. Some of the chapters give Woiwode's perspective on his own works and career as a writer.
I especially enjoyed his chapter on Alexander Men (fascinating cleric and martyr in Communist USSR). There are lessons there for me as a pastor.
His address as North Dakota's Poet Laureate, where I learned a little bit more about the significance of a Poet Laureate as well as Brodsky's Rx for overcoming evil, was doubly interesting.
I especially enjoyed his chapter on Alexander Men (fascinating cleric and martyr in Communist USSR). There are lessons there for me as a pastor.
His address as North Dakota's Poet Laureate, where I learned a little bit more about the significance of a Poet Laureate as well as Brodsky's Rx for overcoming evil, was doubly interesting.
July 25, 2013
I enjoyed some of the essays more than others but each intrigued me in its own way. I would enjoy reading some of his fiction but my library does not have any of his other books. I may put in a special request or buy “The Invention of Lefse: A Christmas Story” as an ebook.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews