Every Writer Has a Thousand Faces is a must-have for any writer's library

"Finally, an anti-bullsh*t message on creativity!"

~ James Marcus, writer and critic, deputy editor of Harper's Magazine

"Does for the creative process what Strunk and White did for our approach to grammar and style. Indispensable."

~ Marjorie Sandor, writer and former president of the Association of Writers and Writing Programs

First edition sold out!

Every Writer Has a Thousand Faces cracks open the creative process and invites readers to take a fresh look at the mysterious pathways of the imagination. Failure is the engine of creativity writes poet and critic David Biespiel in this provocative book based on his 2009 lecture at the Rainier Writers’ Workshop.

Biespiel candidly tracks his own development as a writer and challenges traditional assumptions about writing that can stifle creativity. The liberating message: Working past the brink of failure—being free to try and discard and try again—is what allows the creative process to playfully flourish, keeping the spirit open to unexpected discoveries.

Both beginning and experienced writers—as well as artists, musicians, dancers, and anyone else on a creative path—will benefit from this elegant, surprising, and fresh perspective based on methods developed exclusively at the Attic, the unique literary studio Biespiel founded in Portland, Oregon, in 1999.

Every Writer Has a Thousand Faces will revolutionize the way readers look at their own creative process. It is a rich and rewarding book, a captivating glimpse into the inner life of some gifted writers and painters—and above all, a guide to a lifetime of discovery.

Available at Broadway Books, Powells, Barnes & Noble, andAmazon.

The Attic Experience

"Liz Prato’s micro class on the ABC’s of Literary Journal Submissions was an excellent portal into the mindset of marketing that writers must enter when they’re ready to send out their work. She leads with a no nonsense nuts and bolts guide to effective query letters, through the realities of deciphering rejection letters, and into the realm of publication agreements. Her warm, interactive style engages the most reticent and gregarious students with ease, and her experience as a writer and an editor makes her one of the best go-to workshop leaders around."

Deb Stone, Attic Institute participant

The Classic Book for Writers, Updated and Revised

EVERY WRITER HAS A THOUSAND FACES

"This book has been in print forever because what it offers works for people." — Chuck Palahniuk, author of Fight Club

"Finally, an anti-bullsht book on creativity!"* — James Marcus, former editor of Harper's

"Does for the creative process what Strunk and White did for our approach to grammar and style. Indispensible." — Marjorie Sandor, National Jewish Book Award winner

"Buoyant...unorthodox...A provocative and anti-intuitive manual for making fresh art." — Kirkus Review

"Biespiel offers a number of best practices—not just for writing...but for living a creative life." — The Rumpus

A Statement of Our Values

The Attic Institute of Arts and Letters opposes the legitimation of bigotry, hate, and misinformation. As a studio for writers, we do not tolerate harassment or discrimination of any kind. We embrace and celebrate our shared pursuit of literature and languages as essential to crossing the boundaries of difference. To that end, we seek to maintain a creative environment in which every employee, faculty member, and student feels safe, respected, and comfortable — even while acknowledging that poems, stories, and essays delve into uncomfortable subjects. We accept the workshop as a place to question ourselves and to empathize with complex identities. We understand that to know the world is to write the world. Therefore, we reaffirm our commitment to literary pursuits and shared understanding by affirming diversity and open inquiry.