Creativity and "the Paris Review" Interviews

“Using the respected Paris Review Interviews of well-known writers of fiction and nonfiction as a base, Ronda Dively has applied creativity theory to offer thoughtful, qualitative analyses of how writers write and think. The resulting look inside experts’ literate processes offers rich insights for the teaching and learning of writing.” — Alice Horning, Oakland University, US

“Writers of all kinds will surely dip repeatedly into the rich mix of practical insights offered here. Readers first benefit from being reminded that there is no ‘one right way’ to write, neither to find inspiration nor to reach the amazing state of flow when some of the best writing results. Delving deeply into the Paris Review interviews of 64 famous writers, author Dively focuses on the many strategies they used successfully. Her judicious mix of academic credibility and clear personal style offer us inspiring new ways to think about -- and how to teach -- being more creative.” — Susan K. Perry, author of Writing in Flow: Keys to Enhanced Creativity

“Ronda Dively provides a needed reminder that we should revere the creative impulse that drives all writers, whether imaginative or expository, student or celebrated literary author. This book is a great read for writing teachers committed to writing process pedagogy, reflection, experimentation, and the life of writing.” — Hannah J. Rule, University of South Carolina, US

“The Paris Review has always been paramount to the field of literary studies, and now the interviews from TPR are made accessible to a broader audience. I find the idea of performing a discourse analysis on the interviews engaging. In short, it is a thought-provoking way to study and highlight the creative process while offering a bridge between creativity theory and composition theory.” — Whitney Adams, Berry College, Georgia