Through a critical discussion of an array of written and visual texts that feature a writer as a main character, Geniuses, Addicts, and Scribbling Women: Portraits of the Writer in Popular Culture argues for a more nuanced conception of the role of writers in society, their relationships with their reading publics, the portrayals and realities of their labor, and the construction of a "writing" identity. Expounding upon the critical genre of authorship studies, the contributors take on complex issues such as economics, professionalization, gender politics, and writing pedagogy to shape the dialogue around the nature of representation and the practice of narrative. Ultimately, contributors consider the ways in which debates over art, craft, authorial celebrity, and the literary marketplace define the parameters of culture in a given period and influence the work of culture producers. The implications of such an analysis reveal much about the status and value of creative writers and their work. This collection covers a wide range of historical periods offering a complex understanding of representations of writers from the medieval period to the Netflix era. Such an evolution challenges the perception of the writer as a monolithic presence in society and highlights its multiplicity, diversity, and its transformations through cultural and political movements.

Serendipity placed David Johnston on Mount St. Helens when the volcano rumbled to life in March 1980. Throughout that ominous spring, Johnston was part of a team that conducted scientific research that underpinned warnings about the mountain. Those warnings saved thousands of lives when the most devastating volcanic eruption in U.S. history blew apart Mount St. Helens, but killed Johnston on the ridge that now bears his name. Melanie Holmes tells the story of Johnston's journey from a nature-loving Boy Scout to a committed geologist. Blending science with personal detail, Holmes follows Johnston through encounters with Aleutian volcanoes, his work helping the Portuguese government assess the geothermal power of the Azores, and his dream job as a volcanologist with the U.S. Geological Survey. Interviews and personal writings reveal what a friend called "the most unjaded person I ever met," an imperfect but kind, intelligent young scientist passionately in love with his life and work and determined to make a difference.