Finding the Words: Writers on Inspiration, Desire, War, Celebrity, Exile, and Breaking the Rules

Celebrated writers reveal surprising truths about the joys, challenges, and importance of finding the words, in this special fundraising anthology for PEN Canada. In Finding the Words, thirty-one well-known writers share deeply personal discoveries and stories that will surprise, delight, and stir the mind and heart. By turns inspiring, provocative, witty, and compelling, these diverse and original pieces explore home, exile, and the search for a place to belong; community, creativity, celebrity, and the many forms power can take. Among the pieces in the anthology: Diana Athill and Alice Munro discuss the consequences of writing about other peop≤ Gord Downie meditates on what it means to be a songwriter by considering one of his own songwriting heroes; Guy Gavriel Kay reflects on how his relationship with his own readers continues to chan≥ Elizabeth Hay searches for inspiration in the fallow period between books; Rawi Hage meditates on writing rooted in the universal experience of exi≤ Pasha Malla and Moez Surani present a funny and confounding list of “rules for writers” solicited from non-writers; Heather O'Neill tells the story of an illiterate and underage wannabe gangster in mid-century MontR Michael Winter pieces together court transcripts, newspaper accounts, and other primary sources to take us into the dark heart of a real-life Newfoundland crime story. Proceeds from this volume will go to PEN Canada in support of its vital work in defence of freedom of expression and on behalf of writers around the world who have been silenced. Finding the Words Contributors List: Diana Athill Tash Aw David Bezmozgis Joseph Boyden David Chariandy Denise Chong

A story without words / Heather O'Neill — On mediocrity, consensus, and success / Linden MacIntyre — How to talk about Mayerthorpe / Marina Endicott — Requiem for my grandfather, Jakov Milner, Zionist / David Bezmozgis — Alexander / Annabel Lyon — To tell her story / Stephanie Nolen — Between books / Elizabeth Hay — Lulu / Tash Aw — Finding Jack's voice: some thoughts on children and language / Emma Donoghue — Affricates / Richard Poplak — The ethical code for writers, according to fifty people who are not writers / Pasha Malla and Moez Surani — The first time / Stacey May Fowles — On tuition row / Lee Henderson — My character / Lisa Moore — Photocopies of photocopies: On Bao Ninh / Madeleine Thien — Thinly veiled / Michael Winter — As it were: On the metaphysics ethics of fiction / Mark Kingwell — A conversation / Diana Athill and Alice Munro — The words for a place / David Chariandy — Given to inspiration / Steven Heighton — Feeling for Akkoo / Martha Kuwee Kumsa — TMI: authors in cyberspace / Guy Gavriel Kay — On the weight of separation and the lightness of the non-belonging / Rawi Hage — The hurting / Joseph Boyden — How to swim in a sea of shit / Karen Connelly — Across the divide and back / Denise Chong — On writing / Alain de Botton — Let it ride / Gord Downie — Visitation / Miguel Syjuco.