DINTY W. MOORE is director of Ohio University's BA, MA, and PhD in creative writing programs. He has authored various books of literary nonfiction as well as textbooks and craft guides, most notably Dear Mister Essay Writer Guy and his memoir, Between Panic & Desire, winner of the Grub Street Nonfiction Book Prize. He has been published in Harpers, the New York Times Sunday Magazine, the Philadelphia Inquirer, Utne Reader, Salon, Okey-Panky, the Southern Review, the Georgia Review, and the Los Angeles Review of Books. Moore is founder and editor of Brevity and is a frequent speaker and teacher at writers' conferences.
Professor and veteran writer Moore delivers a clear, compact writing guide. . . . few guides are as tight, thorough, and engaging as this one. . . . In a field littered with gimmicky advice, this strong, lean title stands out. -- Booklist . . . a handbook for writers who have encountered artistic ailments such as writer's block, character anemia, flat plot, and silent voice. Moore's signature wit and wisdom are once again on display in this useful guide for writers of all levels of experience. -- Poets & Writers Praise for Dinty W. Moore's Dear Mister Essay Writer Guy: . -. . a guide to writing essays that is both brilliantly instructive and wonderfully entertaining. -. . . Highly recommended for writers and anyone who loves to laugh out loud while they read. -- Library Journal (starred review) [A] witty and disarming new book. . . . he sneaks in answers so we are left with a touch of wisdom as well as laughter. -- BBC.com Moore at his best. It's witty but also substantial, and the conversations between Moore and his interlocutors get to the heart of what makes the essay such a compelling form: its capacity to render, on the page, the human experience. -- The Rumpus . . . the book as a whole will leave you feeling educated, amused, and perhaps even inspired. -- The A.V. Club Dear Mister Essay Writer Guy is an enjoyable read . . . Its witty, modest tone belies the artistry of the essays contained, which are exemplars of the short form. -- Shelf Awareness