I don t mind being attacked or criticized we deserve and appreciate thoughtful and constructive criticism. Wolcott might actually take a look at a book about writing to gain some pointers or better yet take a writing course and learn how to think. The essays in this issue are strong examples of how writers can blend style and substance, while using a personal voice. Mimi Schwartz confronts challenges and conflicts in writing memoir in the intelligent and analytic way James Wolcott seems unable or unwilling to attempt. Weineke is, of course, telling a story, which is the essence of the creative nonfiction genre, as demonstrated by two major storytellers and novelists, Susan Fromberg Schaeffer and Madison Smartt Bell, in this issue.
Story is the way in which style and substance are achieved.
The essays in this issue demonstrate the true potential of creative nonfiction and the fallacy of Wolcott s shallow perception.