{"product_id":"a-solemn-pleasure-9781934137963","title":"A Solemn Pleasure","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e“A writer at the height of her powers”\u003c\/i\u003e (Oprah.com) \u003ci\u003ereflects on a literary life pulled in two directions: from war zone journalism to the writing and teaching of fiction\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn an essay entitled “Spirit and Vision” Melissa Pritchard poses the question: “Why write?” Her answer reverberates throughout \u003ci\u003eA Solemn Pleasure\u003c\/i\u003e, presenting an undeniable case for both the power of language and the nurturing constancy of the writing life. Whether describing the deeply interior imaginative life required to write fiction, searching for the lost legacy of American literature as embodied by Walt Whitman, being embedded with a young female GI in Afghanistan, traveling with Ethiopian tribes, or revealing the heartrending story of her informally adopted son William, a former Sudanese child slave, this is nonfiction vividly engaged with the world. In these fifteen essays, Pritchard shares her passion for writing and storytelling that educates, honors, and inspires.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eMelissa Pritchard\u003c\/b\u003e is the author of the novel \u003ci\u003ePalmerino\u003c\/i\u003e, the short story collection \u003ci\u003eThe Odditorium\u003c\/i\u003e, and the essay collection \u003ci\u003eA Solemn Pleasure: To Imagine, Witness, and Write\u003c\/i\u003e, among other books. Emeritus Professor of English and Women’s Studies at Arizona State University, she now lives in Columbus, Georgia.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Melissa Pritchard","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43356591423606,"sku":"9781934137963","price":16.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0671\/1374\/6550\/files\/CoreSourceHub_46452de5-a720-451a-b107-1142e3bf6515.jpg?v=1777488026","url":"https:\/\/ingramacademic.com\/products\/a-solemn-pleasure-9781934137963","provider":"Ingram Academic \u0026 Professional","version":"1.0","type":"link"}