The Miss Dennis School of Writing and Other Lessons from A Woman's Life

By Alice Steinbach

The first book by Pulitzer Prize-winner Alice Steinbach is an intimate, personal collection of essays, remembrances, and columns that follows in the creative nonfiction tradition of Anna Quindlen and May Sarton. While it recounts the experiences and observations of a divorced, working mother, it expresses hopes and fears universal to all women.

Steinbach is a Baltimore Sun columnist.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Bancroft Press
• Release date: Jan 1, 2010
• ISBN: 9781890862107

Reviews for The Miss Dennis School of Writing and Other Lessons from A Woman's Life

[tloeffler_3 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Alice Steinbach is a Pulitzer Prize-winning writer for the Baltimore Sun (or was when this book was published in 1996). This book is a collection of her columns over the period of 1985-1995. These columns are the story of her life: her childhood, her single life after divorce, her raising of two sons, the illness and death of her mother. I read them all in one day. Except for the illness and death of a mother, I could relate to every one of her stories. It was like reading a book I had written, and I felt that I re-lived a portion of my life reading her book. The book is divided into 12 sections, each with essays regarding specific topics: Women and Men, A Matter of Appearance, Raising Children, The Solo Life, and others. Ms. Steinbach comes across as totally down to earth, worrying about the same things I worry about and finding the joy in the same things I find joy in. I rarely re-read books, but I can see myself re-reading this book.

[mldg_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a collection of essays published in the Baltimore Sun from 1985 to 1995. With wit and style Steinbach touches on the everyday things that turn out to be the things that matter. I like reading essays for their brevity and insights and the fact that they reflect our changing culture. Good book.