Overview

The Roads We Travel is a memoir told in the style of Anne Lamott's Bird by Bird, Stephen King's On Writing, and Ellen Gilchrist's The Writing Life. Instead of approaching the pedagogy of creative writing in the traditional academic, prescriptive manner, Armand uses his own life's journey to becoming a successful writer and teacher as a way to pass on what he's learned over the years about what makes good writing work (as well as what makes some writing unsuccessful). Yet, the text is not prescriptive in nature; rather, it seeks to teach by inspiringreaders, even those who are not writers themselves, but who simply want to read a story of perseverance, hope, and determination.

Full Product Details

9781959569336

Table of Contents

Reviews

""As Armand traces his journey from college dropout to honored treasure of the Louisiana literary scene, he treats readers to a trippy ride. . . . What elevates this book beyond mere memoir or writing guide is Armand's numinous regard for poetry and stories, his devotion to 'the fearless worship of language.' Ultimately, it reveals itself as that true thing every young acolyte writer is seeking, a reliable bible."" --Neil Connelly, author of The Midlife Crisis of Commander Invincible (LSU Press) and Buddy Cooper Finds a Way (Simon & Schuster) ""David's book made me recall my personal journey as a writer: the starts and stumbles, the doubts, feelings of accomplishment when editors said yes, even the dry spells. This memoir is an inspiration for young and old, novices and professionals to continue their endeavors, to gladden, to awe, evoke gasps, to expose the landscape and fabric of the human heart. . . . I want to sit in the den with David and pop in VHS films that inspired us, exchange books that made us dream to tell our own stories."" --Genaro Kỳ Lý Smith, author of The Beautiful Ones Are Not Yet Born ""Like Stephen King's On Writing, David Armand's The Roads We Travel is an astute craft book in the form of an engaging autobiography. You don't have to be an aspiring writer to enjoy it, but I wish this book had existed when I was starting out--a first-generation college student from a blue-collar family, trying to write short stories. I'd have carried it everywhere, dog-eared and underlined, inspired by a writer whose reassuring voice makes me feel as though he's sitting across from me, telling me to keep going, that it's all going to be okay."" --John McNally, writer-in-residence and professor of English, University of Louisiana at Lafayette

Author Information

Recipient of the 2022 Louisiana Writer Award, David Armand was born and raised in Louisiana. From 2017-2019, he served as writer-in-residence at Southeastern Louisiana University, where he is currently associate professor of creative writing. An award-winning author, Armand has published four novels, four collections of poetry, a memoir, and a collection of essays.

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