This book is a gift for all who enjoy reading and writing: perhaps especially for those who wish to learn how to read and to write more astutely and more caringly. Here you will find the reflections of one of North America’s finest contemporary writers, author of some 20 books of fiction and nonfiction, founder of the pioneering Creative Writing Program at Concordia University in Montreal and two-term Director of the prestigious International Writing Program at the University of Iowa, teacher of and mentor to many. Reflections set down in 40 years worth of conversation by Clark Blaise with fellow writers such as John Metcalf and Alexander MacLeod or with dedicated scholars such as Catherine Sheldrick Ross and the volume’s editor, J.R. (Tim) Struthers.