Deadlines. Writer’s block. Making the pitch. Journalistic integrity. Artistic license. Taking risks. Selling out. The boys’ club. Commodification of creativity. Our idols and their demons. All a part of the literary life, right? For our fictional protagonists and the characters in their orbits—even for the larger-than-life Janet Flanner—writing as a career is not the stardom that many people perceive it to be. There are compromises for often little reward. It’s competitive and cutthroat and rife with existential quandaries. In the end, however, most writers just hope their work will reach someone—to educate, inform, encourage, or entertain. Now, fit all that in a book!

Presenters: Jenna Blum, Mark Braude, Julie Buntin

Moderator: Sarah R. Baughman