{"product_id":"crash-course-essays-from-where-writing-and-life-collide-9781938126710","title":"Crash Course: Essays from Where Writing and Life Collide","description":"\u003ch2\u003eCrash Course: Essays from Where Writing and Life Collide\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eRobin Black's \u003ci\u003eCrash Course\u003c\/i\u003e delivers a compelling collection of personal essays that examine the intersection of writing craft and lived experience. The author of the internationally acclaimed \u003ci\u003eIf I loved you, I would tell you this\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eLife Drawing\u003c\/i\u003e draws from her own journey through agoraphobia, parenting a child with special needs, and navigating the legacy of a formidable father to illuminate the writer's path.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThese instructive essays offer practical insight into both the technical aspects of writing and the emotional resilience required to sustain a creative life. Black's approach combines vulnerability with craft analysis, making this collection valuable for writers at any stage of their development.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eWhat Makes This Collection Distinctive\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBlack's essays move beyond generic writing advice to explore how personal transformation shapes artistic development. Her examination of a pivotal 1972 moment reveals how a single experience can fundamentally alter a writer's perspective, developing what she describes as \"a new curiosity about what people's stories might actually be.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe collection addresses the practical realities of building a writing life while managing mental health challenges and family responsibilities. Black's transparency about her struggles with agoraphobia and the demands of special needs parenting provides context often missing from traditional craft books.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eAbout Robin Black\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eRobin Black's story collection \u003ci\u003eIf I loved you, I would tell you this\u003c\/i\u003e was published by Random House in 2010 to international acclaim, followed by her debut novel \u003ci\u003eLife Drawing\u003c\/i\u003e in 2014. Her work has appeared in \u003ci\u003eThe Southern Review\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe New York Times Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eOne Story\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Georgia Review\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eColorado Review\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eAlaska Quarterly Review\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eFreight Stories\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eIndiana Review\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eThe Best Creative Nonfiction, Vol. I\u003c\/i\u003e (Norton, 2007).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBlack has received grants from the Leeway Foundation, the MacDowell Colony, and the Sirenland Conference. She won the 2005 Pirate's Alley Faulkner-Wisdom Writing Competition in the short story category. Her work has received four Special Mentions from the Pushcart Prizes and was deemed Notable in \u003ci\u003eThe Best American Essays\u003c\/i\u003e 2008, \u003ci\u003eThe Best Nonrequired Reading\u003c\/i\u003e 2009, and \u003ci\u003eBest American Short Stories\u003c\/i\u003e 2010. She holds degrees from Sarah Lawrence College and the Warren Wilson MFA Program for Writers.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBlack lives with her husband in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where their house remains open for their three grown children. Her essays on life and writing have developed a loyal following through publications including the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e, the \u003ci\u003eChicago Tribune\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eO Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFrom \"Autumn, 1972, A Moment at Which I Became a Writer\":\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eI sense, even now, the reverberations of a kind of shattering of my foundation and a quick rebuild, a change at a molecular level of who I understood myself to be. No longer someone who could look at another person without wondering what their life was like, but someone with a new curiosity about what people's stories might actually be.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Engine Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50493238804754,"sku":"9781938126710","price":14.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_a2e9ef6f-9fa0-42df-bfe0-75b9ea76ea1e.jpg?v=1730639629","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/crash-course-essays-from-where-writing-and-life-collide-9781938126710","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}