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.

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.