Where Inspiration Lives

Library Journal

Many books deal with the effect of place on writers or on artists, but not many combine the two. And those discussing place in either literature or art generally take an academic approach (Roberto M. Dainotto's Place in Literature: Regions, Cultures, Communities comes to mind) or focus on one artist, genre, or region. This slim volume, edited by a former magazine art director (Miller) and a writer and editor (Kenedi), offers the musings of ten artists and writers on the places that have inspired their work. For Ann Rice, for example, it was the streets of New Orleans, for Georgia O'Keeffe the New Mexico desert, and for Larry McMurtry Archer City, TX. The book may at first appear merely decorative, not only because the press release describes it as a "gift book" but also because it is filled with large color photographs of artists and writers in their chosen setting. However, their captivating insights and brief but often poignant descriptions of each site's relevance raise the book above the "coffee table" level. Appropriate for academic libraries supporting writing programs and larger public libraries. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.