"The Writer's Notebook" combines the best craft seminars from the Summer Writers Workshop's history with craft essays by some of Tin House's favorite authors and features a list of contributors that reads like a veritable who's who of contemporary poets and prose writers. Jim Shepard, Aimee Bender, Steve Almond, D. A. Powell, Chris Offutt, and others distill elements of writing and share insights into the joys and pains of their own work. They explore a wide range of topics, everything from writing dialogue to the do's and don'ts of writing about sex. With how-tos, close readings, and personal anecdotes, "The Writer's Notebook" offers aspiring wordsmiths advice and inspiration to hone their own craft.