Book Review: Still Writing by Dani Shapiro

cover of Still Writing by dani shapiro

Book Review: Still Writing By Dani Shapiro

I can name a few authors whose work I admire so much that I’ve read every book they’ve published and will always buy the newest release as well–assuming that the author is still publishing books. Dani Shapiro, author of five novels and two memoirs, is on that short list. When I heard that Shapiro had a nonfiction book called Still Writing, I knew I had to get my hands on it as soon as possible.*

Shapiro Fans Will Love It For Sure

Still Writing will not disappoint readers who’ve liked Shapiro’s novels, memoirs, and essays. It’s part memoir that includes snippets of what was happening in her life while writing some of her books. We get details like where she was living and what some of the writing challenges and personal challenges were along the way. She artfully weaves in enough detail about the lowest moments such as her parents’ car accident and her son’s illness without delving into too much territory that she covered so thoroughly in her other memoirs, Slow Motion and Devotion. You get enough so that readers new to Shapiro’s writing have context for her advice.

More Writing Craft Than Memoir

Still Writing is not a standard memoir, however, which is why it will also not disappoint fans of books on the craft of writing by the likes of Anne Lamott, Annie Dillard, and Stephen King. Shapiro talks about the realities of living a creative life with the patience and care of a teacher. She warns of the desire for solitude that most artists feel and the reality of remembering necessities of real life (such as being a parent, spouse, friend, and just a conscious member of society). She’s honest and realistic about the lure of distraction from the internet (guilty) and from everywhere else when a writer gets stuck. She’s honest about expectations from readers and about the business of writing. About writing without any of this other nonsense she says, “There is only one opportunity to write in complete darkness: when you’re at the beginning. Use it. Use it well.”

Shapiro teaches workshops and retreats around the world, but at this point in my life, attending something like that is not in the cards. I’m grateful that she’s poured some of her lessons into this book.

As for me, a writer mostly of essays these days, I especially loved this passage:

“It is the job of the writer to say, look at that. To point. To shine a light. But it isn’t that which is already bright and beckoning that needs our attention. We develop our sensitivity– to use John Berger’s phrase, our ‘ways of seeing’–in order to bear witness to what is. . . ”

I highly recommend Still Writing for writers and artists of any kind.


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Nina Badzin hosts the podcast Dear Nina: Conversations About Friendship. She's been writing about friendship since 2014, co-leads the writing groups at ModernWell in Minneapolis, and reviews 30+ books a year on her website.

Hi, I'm Nina

HI, I’M NINA BADZIN. I’m a writer fascinated by the dynamics of friendship, and I’ve been answering anonymous advice questions on the topic since 2014. I now also answer them on my podcast, Dear Nina! I’m a creative writing instructor at ModernWell in Minneapolis, a freelance writer and editor, and an avid reader who reviews 50 books a year. Welcome to my site! 

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Hi, I'm Nina

HI, I’M NINA BADZIN. I’m a writer fascinated by the dynamics of friendship, and I’ve been answering anonymous advice questions on the topic since 2014. I now also answer them on my podcast, Dear Nina! I’m a creative writing instructor at ModernWell in Minneapolis, a freelance writer and editor, and an avid reader who reviews 50 books a year. Welcome to my site! 

Get The Newsletter

I send an email once or twice a month with the latest friendship letters, podcast episodes, book reviews, recipes, and more.

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