Its active, close-knit writing community has seen the rise of several luminaries with Pittsburgh connections, such as Annie Dillard and Stewart O'Nan, and the caliber of Pittsburgh's writing community today is better than ever. The resulting collection of essays is both gentle and jarring, eclectic and persuasive, covering a range of topics-from a stripper's work ethic to West Virginia's famed Matewan shootout, Atlantic City's Boardwalk before Donald Trump, and the uses of poetry to better understand one's own life. Although Pittsburgh is not the subject of most of the essays, these writers are bound by their affinity for the written word and their collective fondness for Pittsburgh. In the book's introduction, Gutkind addresses the differences between creative nonfiction and other types of writing. One of the more illuminating pieces in The Essayist at Work is Michael Pearson's interview with John McPhee, a master of the essay form.
Writing is selection.
It's better to start choosing right here and right now. In many ways, like a cook, you're only as good as your materials. It helps, as a nonfiction writer, to come upon a good story, and then it helps to be John McPhee to make it a compelling one.