"The Ultimate Writing Guide for Students [goes] beyond vocabulary into grammar and the structure of writing. But it's not a dry, boring reference. From its bright orange theme color to its tips sprinkled throughout to its 'Grammar Schmammar' intro, this guide is both informative and user-friendly. The book starts with the basics—parts of speech—then moves on to sentences, punctuation and tips on common pitfalls. It ends with a great pep-talk chapter that offers tips and examples on how to clarify and streamline writing, getting over writer's block, and editing and proofing your work. It's all done in a light, friendly style with copious examples of what to do, and focuses much more on doing than on not-doing."—Lisa McLendon, The News & Observer (Raleigh)

"Smartly designed and easy to understand, Abel and Madden’s text is an edifying course in creating comics. Comprised of 15 comprehensive lessons, readers are taught the basic elements necessary to conceptualize and produce their own comics. Assuming an audience range from individuals to a group, this pedagogical survey is written to serve a wide array of learners . . . Extensive backmatter, including helpful appendices on such topics as homework critiques, and a considerable bibliography round out the volume. This erudite study should leave its readers with a greater understanding and appreciation of the command one must possess to create graphic media. A valuable resource for all interested in the field."—Kirkus Reviews

"Think of subtext in fiction as water; its characters, swimmers on the surface. Like water, subtext is everywhere, ubiquitous and buoyant, darker in its depths, the stuff of immersion. The beauty of Baxter's inaugural entry in Graywolf's . . . 'Art of' series, which draws on examples in literature to instruct on the writing craft, is that it doesn't assume to try and capture the whole of subtext . . . Instead, it focuses on very specific qualities composing it: the art of staging in a story, the importance of inflection in dialog, the ambiguity of motivation. To make the often translucent substance more visible, Baxter highlights excerpts from a wide range of fiction, from the contemporaneous and familiar to the foreign and esoteric . . . Baxter's book will help readers read more creatively and writers to float their stories . . . Highly recommended for all academic libraries."—Maria Kochis, Library Journal

"Like many writers, I keep a few books on a shelf to unclog my brain for those times when the right combination of words refuses to muster for service. To that pantheon I add Alphabet Juice for its erudition, its grand fun and its contrary view on what constitutes good writing . . . Not that Blount counsels self-indulgence. Writing ‘needs to be quick, so it's readable at first glance and also worth lingering over.' This book is both, and danced in Blount's arms, English swings smartly. My admiration for Alphabet Juice only swelled when it proposed a conclusion for this review. Reviewers like to apply the word 'uneven' to books they’re fond of, but have a few reservations about. ‘Would you want to read a book that was even?' he asks. Yes, very much so. And I just did."—Jack Shafer, The New York Times Book Review

"After directing dissertations for decades, I wish I had had Bolker's marvelously helpful book from the beginning . . . Bolker writers with wisdom, humor, and wonderful practicality. Get this book for anyone you know who is contemplating, midway into, or finishing a dissertation; you will be blessed."—Carolyn G. Heilbrun