Curiosity's Cats: Writers on Research

by Bruce Joshua Miller (Editor)

“Each morning I would strike out for this temple of learning in the crisp autumn air . . . with a sense of purpose and the conviction that this was where I belonged.”—Marilyn Stasio from “My Research Project”

Inspired partly by Richard Altick’s The Scholar Adventurers, the thirteen writers in Curiosity’s Cats offer powerful arguments for the value of hands-on research, be it chasing documents, cracking mysteries, interviewing long-lost subjects, or visiting exotic and not-so-exotic locales.

Alberto Martinez explains how diligence with dates can provide clues to unlock the most difficult historical puzzles. Jan Reid explores the difference between research for an epic novel and research to write the epic biography of a friend. Margot Livesey suspects that she continues to write novels simply to do the research. But every essay testifies to the fact that research is valuable not only because of the product that may result from it, but because the process itself fulfills a basic human need.

Introduction / Bruce Joshua Miller --
Stay here as long as you like / Ali Selim --
To understand you must break in / Steve Yates --
Dating Albert Einstein / Alberto A. Martínez --
Research can be murder / Katherine Hall Page --
He liked custard / Margot Livesay --
Prospecting the past / Theodore Kornweibel, Jr. --
A good turn every day : a boy in Duluth in 1926 / Bruce White --
Curious encounters in my search for Vinland / Annette Kolodny --
Comanches, cowboys, and a political rock star / Jan Reid --
The mad bomber guy / Bruce Joshua Miller --
Pilgrim voices : Puritans, immigrants, and historical research / Philip J. Anderson --
An essayist's guide to research and family life / Ned Stuckey-French --
Your research, or your life! / Marilyn Stasio

Bruce Joshua Miller has edited two books and written for public radio, the Chicago Tribune, and other publications. He has worked in the book industry for thirty-five years.

Genres: Writing, Research, Nonfiction

296 pages, Paperback

First published April 15, 2013

Reviews

[JulieK · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting concept for an anthology - writers discussing the process of research (sometimes broadly defined). I really liked some essays and skimmed others, but was glad I picked the book up.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I highly recommend this book to anyone with a passion for history, whether as a reader or a researcher. Each essay is unique to the writer and the project. Theodore Kornweibel, Jr. calls himself a prospector-historian, stumbling upon a "streambed of riches. How," he asks, "could they have been overlooked for so long?" His project most closely parallels my own research on a relatively unexplored topic, and I recognize the joy and frustration of having themes shift and resources expand exponentially. Bruce White's essay is more tightly focused. He picks out one rich nugget from that streambed of history and tells us how he identified the writer of a 1926 diary. This collection reminds me of those old-time candy bars that had a different flavor for each bite. The essays are an eclectic mix of personality and topic, but all of the authors are truly curious cats. They are also digitally literate in their excavation of history, but they emphasize that digitized texts are no match for trekking to archives and experiencing the serendipity of finding something you didn't know you were looking for.

[False · Rating 4 out of 5]

Composed of a series of essays of writers (none that well known) on the value of research. A few essays really stand out, as in any collection. It made me want to go back and re-read a Joan Didion essay on writing in how we can't forget our past selves. Also, “The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there.” ― L.P. Hartley, The Go-Between. Indeed, they do. Some good tips from Janet Burroway in her book, "Imaginative Writing: The Elements of Craft,": Don't read about the period, read IN the period. Read letters, journals, newspapers, magazines, books written at the time. You will in this way learn the cadences, the turn of mind and phrase, the obsessions and quirks of the period. Don't take notes. If you save everything that interests you, you'll be tempted to use it whether it fits or not; and your fiction will smell of research. Immerse yourself and trust that what you need will be there. Don't research beyond the period you're writing about. if you know too much about the future, your characters will inevitably know it too."

[Elaine Ruth Boe · Rating 2 out of 5]

These essays reaffirm my fear that the academic, research life might not be for me. It takes a huge commitment on the part of the researcher to score the amount of literature necessary to crank out a literary essay or thesis. After reading this collection, I have newfound respect for researchers everywhere.

[Colleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of essays about how writers do research. Almost all talked about virtual versus real world research but it never became a contest to decide which was better. All the writers did find a lot of value in real life research and the stories they told were very entertaining.

[Mills College Library]

001.2 C9755 2014

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A delightful look into research and writing. While some of the essays are a little tedious, most are interesting, informative, and relatable.

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read with fellow school librarians and works well if you are interested in research writers do before they start writing.
Non-fiction, Essays, reference and research and writing