Based on the Zen philosophy that we learn more from our failures than from our successes, One Continuous Mistake teaches a refreshing new method for writing as spiritual practice. In this unique guide for writers of all levels, Gail Sher?a poet who is also a widely respected teacher of creative writing?combines the inspirational value of Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way with the spiritual focus of Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind. Here she introduces a method of discipline that applies specific Zen practices to enhance and clarify creative work. She also discusses bodily postures that support writing, how to set up the appropriate writing regimen, and how to discover one's own "learning personality."

In the tradition of such classics as Writing Down the Bones and If You Want to Write, One Continuous Mistake will help beginning writers gain access to their creative capabilities while serving as a perennial reference that working writers can turn to again and again for inspiration and direction.

Title: Look at That Dog All Dressed Out in Plum Blossoms Description: Contemporary poetry based on ancient four-line, Chinese-style poems (kanshi) by Gail Sher, award-winning poet and teacher of writing as a practice, author of One Continuous Mistake: Four Noble Truths for Writers (Penguin), The Intuitive Writer (Penguin), and Writing the Fire: Yoga and the Art of Making Your Words Come Alive (Random House/Bell).

Twenty years since its first publication, From a Baker's Kitchen remains the very best single introduction to foolproof professional-quality home baking. Gail Sher--the first head baker of the celebrated Tassajara Bread Bakery in San Francisco--created more than 100 clear, foolproof, and wonderfully varied recipes, divided into two basic categories: yeasted breads, ranging from white breads to whole-wheat, rye and specialty-flour breads (including recipes for rolls and buns as well as loaves); and quick breads, covering corn breads, spoonbreads, biscuits, tea cakes, batter breads, gingerbread, and muffins. Sher also covers every ingredient: grains, leaveners, salt, liquids, shortening, eggs, and "embellishments"; equipment; and most originally, methods and principles of breadmaking, with a special discussion of her ingenious "sponge" method, which no less a baker than Rose Levy Beranbaum (The Bread Bible) has praised as crucial to her own understanding of bread baking--and which remains the most effective technique for creating flavorful bread. Over 100 drawings are also featured in this reset new edition of the all-in-one classic baking book.