The African American Guide to Writing & Publishing Non Fiction

Jewell Parker Rhodes presents another, genre-specific guide for writers, The African American Guide to Writing and Publishing Nonfiction, and this one puts more emphasis on the process of writing not, however, at the expense of valuable publishing know-how. For the first three-quarters of the book, alongside excerpts and suggestions from Maya Angelou, Edwidge Danticat, James McBride and other luminaries, Rhodes, former director of Arizona State University's graduate-level creative writing program, intersperses writing exercises with writerly insight into issues like ""Finding Your Voice,"" ""Gathering Ideas"" and ""Turning Points and Revelations."" The last section, which concentrates on publishing, discusses the ""explosion of... bestselling African American talents"" in the last 20-odd years; it also talks specifically about finding an agent and lists dozens of resources. African-American writers seeking inspiration and practical advice will appreciate this warm, thoughtful guide. ( On-sale: Dec. 26)