Comforts of the Abyss: The Art of Persona Writing

A vivid, intimate, and inspiring exploration of how to write through persona, from the Pulitzer Prize-winning founder of an influential writing school.

Throughout his growth as a writer, acclaimed poet Philip Schultz has battled with the dark voice in his head-the "shitbird," as his late friend the poet Ralph Dickey termed it-that whispers his insecurities and questions his ability to create. Persona writing, a method of borrowing the voice and temperament of accomplished writers, offers him...