In this collection of essays, James McConkey--novelist, professor, and memoirist--writes about the authors and experiences that have meant the most to him in his life. On literature, he explains why he loves the books he loves and why he responds to the work of A. R. Ammons, Anton Chekhov, and E. M. Forster. A series of autobiographical essays poignantly recalls the events of courting and family life that remain as present to McConkey's inner vision as the day they took place. With a deep sense of appreciation, McConkey not only gives due recognition and favorable judgment to the books, people, and events he writes about, but also expresses his gratitude to them for the way they enriched his life. Praise for James McConkey: "McConkey makes of his own life...a thoughtful, powerful and vivid work of art."--Annie Dillard"James McConkey speaks to the reader with poignant force, illuminating ordinary life . . . There is no voice like his alive today."--May Sarton"The genre in which McConkey does his best writing has no name. He invented it . . . . What McConkey does is to create meaning out of ordinary life . . . he'll create what is not exactly a story but a pattern in time . . . His books should be famous."--Noel Perrin, USA Today