A Harp in the Stars: An Anthology of Lyric Essays

by Randon Billings Noble (Editor), Sarah Einstein

What is a lyric essay? An essay that has a lyrical style? An essay that plays with form in a way that resembles poetry more than prose? Both of these? Or something else entirely? The works in this anthology show lyric essays rely more on intuition than exposition, use image more than narration, and question more than answer. But despite all this looseness, the lyric essay still has responsibilities—to try to reveal something, to play with ideas, or to show a shift in thinking, however subtle. The whole of a lyric essay adds up to more than the sum of its parts.

In A Harp in the Stars, Randon Billings Noble has collected lyric essays written in four different forms—flash, segmented, braided, and hermit crab—from a range of diverse writers. The collection also includes a section of craft essays—lyric essays about lyric essays. And because lyric essays can be so difficult to pin down, each contributor has supplemented their work with a short meditation on this boundary-breaking form.

Genres: Essays, Nonfiction, Writing, Memoir, Anthologies, Crafts, School

310 pages, Paperback

Published October 1, 2021

About the author

Randon Billings Noble is an essayist. Her full-length essay collection Be with Me Always was published by the University of Nebraska Press in March 2019 and her lyric essay anthology A Harp in the Stars is forthcoming from Nebraska in October 2021. Individual essays have appeared in the Modern Love column of The New York Times, The Massachusetts Review, The Georgia Review, Brevity, Fourth Genre, Creative Nonfiction, and elsewhere. Currently she is the Founding Editor of After the Art.

Reviews

[Thea Swanson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A rich introduction to the lyric essay, showcasing and explaining the different types: segmented, braided, hermet crab, flash. I highly recommend.

[Bea · Rating 4 out of 5]

There were some essays in here that I absolutely loved and then some that really bothered me. A great compilation of the lyric essay. A lot to learn here

[Sher · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you aRE interested din reading and writing lyric essays in their various form-- this is a valuable collection. Provides many different types of lyric essays including braided, segmented, and flash forms including a section at the back of the book where authors comment on the mysteries of lyric essay as a genre.Highly recommended.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this collection. Can't recommend it highly enough.

[Jordan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Honestly the meditations about the nature of the lyric essay, while occasionally inspiring, can also be a little navel-gazy and mystical. And the editor's insistence on fitting each essay into their narrow taxonomy feels completely antithetical to the spirit of the genre, and doesn't seem to really serve any purpose. But there are some great essays in here, and you can learn plenty just from reading them.

[Tammy V · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this as a preview to a class I am interested in taking (and will take, based on the essays). Lyric essay to me could well be prose poetry. Are they one and the same? I think it's up to the reader to decide - the ones who must have categories.

the author gives us 5 types of lyric essay: Flash, segmented, braided, craft, meditations. If you are confused, at the bottom of each essay it is identified accordingly.

I don't much care how you define these (I, personally, have created my own category of lyric prose poetry. You can name it whatever you wish are use what is given you. I don't think it really matters), I just totally enjoyed reading them: all these new authors to follow up on.

It is hard to find writers that I enjoy. I have only recently came to the understanding that essays are a favorite format for me and to find an anthology of essays that cross over into poetry is thrilling. I have many authors I wish to follow up on.

Published in 2021 many of these authors may be starting fresh, but I'm hoping research will give me another Mary Rueffle who would be, if I were forced somehow (that somehow not defined because I can't imagine making the choice) to choose, the only author in my library. She's not in the anthology but she's been around and probably doesn't need to be.

And if you have time to read only one essay, read "Elementary Primer" by Michael Dowdy, especially if you find "Hermit Crab" essay, a bit confusing to understand.

Recommend for readers who crave prose poetry and who like essays and who want new authors to pursue. I really don't think that's too limiting.

Good companion books: "Dialogues with Rising Tides" by Kelli Russell Agodon, and "Reality Hunger" by David Shields

[Marsha Mcgregor · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve never seen a collection like A Harp in the Stars, An Anthology of Lyric Essays (University of Nebraska Press). Editor Randon Billings Noble has meticulously created a collection that captures this elusive genre’s breadth and depth. I’ve been carrying the book around with me since it arrived, opening it at random to read a selection, and each piece is more imaginative and powerful than the last. I think this will be an essential book for every reader, writer and teacher who seeks a deeper understanding of the lyric essay.

[Kyra Dawkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm giving this collection 4 stars overall because my enjoyment of the individual essays themselves varied so much. There were some I loved, some that dizzied me, and some that I'll probably come to like more when I inevitably read this collection again. With all of that being, if the stars were solely based off of importance, this would easily get 5 stars from me. I definitely think this is a book that all writers should read.

My favorite section of the collection was the "Craft Essays" one at the end, where essayists used the lyric essay form to reflect on the process of a lyric essay's actualization. Maybe I liked it because I always like it when things get all meta. I've also, admittedly, been obsessed with reading writing about writing as of late. What I appreciated most about the "Craft Essays" is that most people confessed that the lyric essay eludes perfect definition, functioning like light, both wave and particle, oscillating in the realms of poetry, prose, and music. This is something I look forward to exploring as I read more lyric essays.

I will say that I was surprised by how much these lyric essays were shaped by their form on the pages themselves. This collection wouldn't really make sense as an audiobook. Something about that makes me sad. I assumed that lyric essays at-large would press more into orality, the life of the words beyond the page, the music beyond the score. Some of these essays felt more oral/spoken and I usually liked them more. I'm starting to recognize my preferences.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this anthology to others, especially other authors. Now, I'm inspired to write a lyric essay of my own someday. I'll return back to this anthology for inspiration.

[Joseph Dante · Rating 4 out of 5]

A gorgeous collection of lyric and craft essays by a diverse assembly of writers. This is both an excellent introduction for those new to the genre and a continuation/expansion of its possibilities for those already familiar. I didn't recognize the names of most writers gathered here, but I now look forward to following their work in the future.

Favorites:

"Woven" by Lidia Yuknavitch
"Searching for Gwen" by Laurie Easter
"Beasts of the Fields" by Aimee Baker
"Classified" by Susanna Donato
"Elementary Primer" by Michael Dowdy
"Self-Portrait in Apologies" by Sarah Einstein
"Informed Consent" by Elizabeth K. Brown
"Practical Magic: A Beginner's Grimoire" by Rowan McCandless
"Late Bloom" by Caitlin Myer
"On the EEO Genre Sheet" by Jenny Boully
"What's Missing Here?" by Julie Marie Wade

[Dennis Jacob · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lyric essays is not a genre I know very well so I was quite curious when I came across this anthology from University of Nebraska Press. Now, it might be my favorite type of essay. I’ve been openly weeping whilst reading several of these and the beauty of the prose is at times quite overwhelming. The essays draw a great deal of power from not being easily pinned down. They are many genres all at once. They connect the readers with their humanity and are lyrical in ways I didn’t imagine essays could be. The one by Lidia Yuknavitch broke my heart. It is scheduled for an October 1st release.

[Carole Duff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Examinations of lyric essays with excellent selections of examples. Favorite braided essays: Lidia Yuknavitch’s “Woven,” Angie Chuang’s “Scars, Silence, and Dian Fossey,” and Curtis Smith’s “I’m No Sidney Poitier.” Favorite hermit crab essays: Laurie Easter’s “Searching for Gwen,” Elizabeth K. Brown’s “Informed Consent,” and Noble’s “The Heart as a Torn Muscle.” Although I have written several braided essays, I have yet to wrap my brain around segmented essays. But, thanks to this anthology, I think I’ll try my hand at a hermit crab.

[Jabeeeeeen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fabulous book! I've been looking for something like this for ages! a book that introduces lyric essays and creative non fiction and then lets you experience it yourself. I started this 2 years ago and I return to it often. I randomly select an essay and the richness and aliveness of the writing blows me away. This book has given me confidence to write more freely. This is a must read if you're in a writer's block.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of the essays are great, and I have a few new favorite essayists. There are a couple of, well, wonky craft essays though. They’re not even really craft. They’re essays on essays, but not on the craft of writing.

[Mariah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I took a lot of notes for inspirations. Plethora of examples and a great introduction to understanding the construction of a lyric essay. The authors notes at the end also helped understand their process. Definitely a read for creative non-fiction writers to dive into!

[E. S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love lyrics essays. This book and Bluets are the reasons I started writing in the form. I especially love Diane Suesse's and Maggy Nelson's entries. I hope you find and love this genre as much as I do.

[Amanda · Rating 1 out of 5]

Do NOT buy this book as a Kindle. The fixed format makes it unreadable.

[Dana Delibovi · Rating 5 out of 5]

An exquisite collection. A joy for readers and an education for writers.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A stunning education.

[Lesley Wheeler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lots of brilliant essays in a wide range of styles, intelligently organized, and I love the "Meditations" on the form by all of the anthologized authors.

[Teresa Burns Gunther · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating collection of lyric essays. A deep dive. I loved the meditations by each of the authors offered at the end of the collection.

[Ana Hein · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 some essays in here are brilliant, others confusing and a little too lyric for my personal taste

[Anca · Rating 5 out of 5]

So many astonishing essays in this anthology!

[Exquisite Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good craft and form book

[Lindsay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like any collection with various authors, some of the essays really landed with me and others didn't. I did enjoy getting to know the different styles of lyric essays.

[Anna Elkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant & breathtaking anthology. Love, love, love.