Author Joni B. Cole worries that Vlad the Impaler may be a distant cousin. She feuds with a dead medium. She thinks (or overthinks) about insulting birthday cards, power trips, and the real reason writers hate Amazon. And she wishes, really wishes, all those well-meaning people would stop talking about Guatemala. At once irreverent and thought provoking, Cole's collection is a joy ride through eclectic essays that arrives smack on that sweet spot between soul searching and social commentary, between humor and heft.

From veteran teacher and acclaimed author Joni B. Cole comes a revised and expanded edition of her popular writing guide Toxic Feedback. Successful writers know that feedback is often the difference between writing and not writing, and between writing and writing well. But feedback mismanaged is more likely to leave the writer confused, intimidated, or even deflated. This book not only detoxifies the feedback process with humor, but it also shows writers and feedback providers how to make the most of this powerful resource at every stage of the writing and publishing process. This new edition includes a second preface, four new chapters, updates throughout the original material, and several additional exercises. Cole also includes new and previous interviews with authors such as Khaled Hosseini, Juan Morales, Grace Paley, Jodi Picoult, and Matthew Salesses. Toxic Feedback remains essential reading for all writers, critique groups, MFA programs, and teachers of writing at every level.

From veteran teacher and acclaimed author Joni B. Cole comes the revised and expanded edition of her popular writing guide Good Naked. Once again, Cole's humor and wisdom shine through as she debunks long-held misconceptions of how we're supposed to write, replacing them with advice that works. Feeling overwhelmed? Having trouble getting started or staying motivated? In this edition, Cole offers more stories, strategies, tips on craft, and exercises to serve new and seasoned writers from the first draft to the final edit. Writers will even find help making peace with rejection. Admirers as well as newcomers to Cole's work appreciate her uniquely cheerful approach, time tested to foster creativity and productivity. Keeping this generous and essential guide close by will provide a jump start to inspiration and a daily reminder of the meaning, humor, and happiness that can be discovered in your own writing life.

Prepare to be transported to corporate boardrooms, television studios, prisons, concert halls, classrooms, and an amazing array of households across our country-all described in the words of the women who were actually there. Drawn from an extraordinary project in which more than five hundred women from all walks of life kept diaries on a single day, the collective voices reach across experiential, cultural, geographical, and socioeconomic boundaries. While the deliciously intimate details satisfy even the most shameless curiosity, most importantly, this book reveals the extraordinary in the ordinary-those moments that occur throughout any given day and illuminate who we really are as individuals, as women, and as Americans. This book has entries culled from this extraordinary project, including Kim Gandy, president of NOW; Erika Harold, Miss American 2003; Judi Ehrlich, an L.A. private eye; and Janet Olson, an inmate in Minnesota. It is a vibrant collection that celebrates the diversity of women in America and their lives.