Writing the Southwest

First published in 1995 and updated in 2003, this assemblage of interviews, bibliographies, excerpts, and criticism on fourteen of the Southwest's most important authors includes 74-minute compact disc with excerpts from the authors. Tony Hillerman discusses how blindness in the army helped shape his writings; Terry McMillan explains her start as a writer and why she thought, when she was young, that African-Americans didn't write books.

As Publisher's Weekly wrote, "Much more than an ordinary compilation. . . . A vivid composite of the region's best-known writers, Writing the Southwest is an excellent sampling of unique viewpoints and deep roots."

The book makes an excellent introduction for anyone new to this fast-growing region, or anyone curious about the life and work of authors such as Barbara Kingsolver, Tony Hillerman, Ed Abbey and other major authors.