Table of Contents
Foreword Robert Atwan ix
Introduction: The Ill-Defined Plot by John Jeremiah Sullivan xvii
A Matter of Life and Death Timothy Aubry 1
Strange Beads Wendy Brenner 5
The Final Day in Rome John H. Culver 18
Letter from Williamsburg Kristin Dombek 22
The Man at the River Dave Eggers 31
At Sixty-Five Emily Fox Gordon 34
On Enmity Mary Gordon 41
Letter from Greenwich Village Vivian Gornick 49
Slickheads Lawrence Jackson 66
The Devil's Bail Leslie Jamison 83
Thanksgiving in Mongolia Ariel Levy 100
Dear Friend, From My Life I Write to You in Your Life Yiyun Li 109
Sliver of Sky Barry Lopez 122
Someone Else Chris Offutt 140
Joy Zadie Smith 145
Little X Elizabeth Tallent 152
The Old Man at Burning Man Wells Tower 165
How to Make a Slave Jerald Walker 186
On Being Introduced Paul West 191
Becoming Them James Wood 195
Legend: Willem de Kooning Baron Wormser 202
Contributors' Notes 217
Notable Essays of 2013 221